Live rock Organisms

takeaction

takeaction

oz reefing
May 16, 2007
22
0
0
38
Gold Coast Australia
Being fairly new to marine keeping, there are obviously still many things i am unsure about about. Although i believe i am starting to grasp most of the fundamentals there is a question i would like to ask. When live rock is introduced to the aquarium there is obviously "life" on it. I understand that a great deal of coraline algae and other small invertabrates can hitchhike but what about corals and related life forms. Is it posible to purchase live rock and not notice much coral type life on it and then 3 weeks later notice many weird and wonderfull organisms growing away, besides the obvious algae growth. Just wondering...
 
Yes there is a million possibilities when it comes to live rock. Along with algaes and micro organisms there is a wide variety of hitch hikers that often travel on live rock. Some are good and some aren't so good. Sometime you will notice small corals and featherdusters that survive the transport and curing process. There are often crabs and worms that make the trip. Some of these crabs and worms might be bad for a reef, but they can be removed in time. It is amazing what travels on the rock and ends up in your tank. Every night when i look at my tank with a flashlight i see new critters that i didnt know were there. Its actually pretty exciting to find things like that.
 
Since TBS ships rock submerged in water, people even get fish hitch hikers.
 
well that sure answers the quiestion, anythings possible then, still i don't think i have any octopuses/octopi, however you say it in there, would be an interesting suprise though.
 
just got home from work and had a look, found two different crabs and what looks like a small feather duster as well as a little snail. i'm sure the list will keep growing
 
In relation to the question

When all your critters have been eaten from the liverock and sand. does that mean your rock is dead and needs changing?
 
no, the life on your rock is not just refering to the things that you can see, its also all the millions of life forms you cant see, which is what the term "Live Rock" actually means..all the sponges, feathers etc etc are just an added bonus to your rock...

Niko
 
good to know Thanks niko
 
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