"Seeding" Live Rock

[Greckel]

When I built my first reef tank 6 years ago, I used live rock purchased from my LFS. I really enjoyed seeing the different fauna on the rock -- bristle worms, mini stars, fan worms, and some larger invert that was so quick I never caught a good glimpse of it except in the shadows. The mystery was alluring, but I also did not have anything so expensive in the tank that I would regret finding one of the more mischievous hitchhikers.

On my latest tank, I chose to use dry rock because I planned to select a number of more expensive corals. I did not want to risk losing these corals to hitchhikers. I enjoy watching the snails and hermits cruise around the tank, but it does not feel as alive without the mini stars and fan worms.

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas for "seeding" the live rock with good hitchhikers. The fact is, I am not willing to risk just tossing a piece of live rock tank because while I might be able to discover the larger malignant hitchhikers, I can't guarantee that I would spot animals like nudibranches and flatworms.

 

[Big G]

Good hitchhikers to me are things like pods, phytoplankton, etc. I dosed my 90 with a good mix of pods, phytoplankton & chaeto from Algae Barn, CUC from Reef Cleaners. Zero nasties have shown up so far on my rock or sand. Hope this helps. Cheers!

 

[skiergd011013]

A good chunk of live rock from a trusted friend with a nice tank? Or the idea above.

 

[Greckel]

Good hitchhikers to me are things like pods, phytoplankton, etc. I dosed my 90 with a good mix of pods, phytoplankton & chaeto from Algae Barn, CUC from Reef Cleaners. Zero nasties have shown up so far on my rock or sand. Hope this helps. Cheers!

I definitely plan to introduce phytoplankton and pods into the refuge, so I am less concerned about those micro-critters. Thank you for the referral to Algae Barn; it looks fantastic. (My CUC is from Reef Cleaners.)

I guess I am more interested in the worms and micro stars for the bio-diversity and aesthetic. There is something satisfying to me about rocks that feel so full of life. After posting, I found Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, which seems to have a great selection of the type of animals I am looking for. Does anyone have experience with them?

 

[Ento-Reefer]

I definitely plan to introduce phytoplankton and pods into the refuge, so I am less concerned about those micro-critters. Thank you for the referral to Algae Barn; it looks fantastic. (My CUC is from Reef Cleaners.)

I guess I am more interested in the worms and micro stars for the bio-diversity and aesthetic. There is something satisfying to me about rocks that feel so full of life. After posting, I found Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, which seems to have a great selection of the type of animals I am looking for. Does anyone have experience with them?

I have ordered from Indio Pacfic Sea Farms for my last 2 tanks. I love adding their live sand activator and worms. I feel like this really helps jump start a tanks biodiversity especially the bacteria. I have just placed an order for my new 180g. I definitely recommend them.