Live Rock

[shooby]

OK so I have 60lbs of LR in my tank already but want to add another 10. When I buy it I will bring it straight home which is about a 25 min drive. Do I have to put it in a diff tank and let it sit for a few days or what? The LR i bought b4 was "cured" and they told me to use it to cycle my tank so I did. So what's the procedure here?

[YoFishboy]

How long has it been since you added the original 60lbs? If you are still cycling, I think it would be ok to just add it in, if it is truly cured. If not, it might restart your cycle. Use your nose - if it smells just a little bit like the beach its ok, but if it stinks, its not cured!

[flying carpet]

Be sure to screen every inch of your live rock for any worm or ticks. I did my and found dozens of them its a nightmare I tell you. You wouldn't want them to feed on live stock. Be very careful when screening wear a glove, torchlight for looking into tiny openings, have a pincer ready, a small bucket of fresh water so you can put them in and they will die of eventually. Keep yourself updated on what you find is friend or foe. Hope that info is useful to you.
Regards, fliying carpet

[OrionGirl]

Very few worms are harmful. There are no SW ticks--but many types of pods, most of which are benificial detrivores. Removing them is not needed.

[shooby]

the tank is cycled and been up for over 6 months. I just want to add some more LR for my blenny. I am buying it tommorow so I'll let you know then if its cured or not. yeah the pods is what I want for my blenny. so do I need it to sit in a diff tank for a while with a filter running or just rinse it quickly and plop it on in?

[YoFishboy]

Well, if its truly cured and you trust your source, you can just plop it in - if that makes you nervous, you could put it in a bucket of your tank water with a heater and a water pump and observe it for a few days for any undesirables -

[shooby]

alright that sounds good. I trust my source totally and completely so I'll put it in a 10g tub for about an hour and run a filter on that just for precautions then add it. Its gunna be wonderfull for my blenny. ANyone have any experience with copepods? raising em? etc.

[YoFishboy]

I converted a aquaclear into a small refugium on my tank and the pods breed in there - the water flow will push some into the tank from time to time

[Max]

Yup sure do shooby. The fuge idea will work fine . You can also place piles of rubble about your tank that will give you pods more places to hide and breed . Just make sure your fish can't get to the centre of the stacks. You can also put narrow gage pvc pipes in your tank to make even more pod condo's. If you drill small holes up and down the pipes it will be more productive.
hth
Chris

[shooby]

thanx for the ideas. I bought the rock and plopped it in today. been about 14 hours now. Everything seems fine. I'll let the pods breed in my fuge. Thankyou guys for the ideas. So these "tick" looking things are pods right?

[shooby]

All the LR I went and bought didnt seem to have much if any critters on it? I am concerned. i know the rest of the LR with make it have more critters later but when I put it in the tank and turned off the lights and waited nothing came out or even moved. I'm quite concerned. Any ideas?

[YoFishboy]

Give it time - it make take a few days - plus there could be eggs and/or larval forms of various critters tucked here, there and everywhere in the rock that will come out as time goes on.

[shooby]

so they are just not out and about yet is basically the idea? Well that explains a lot. I sure hope so. My poor scooter blennies are going nuts. They have picked the rest of the LR clean. I was hoping this stuff wud have lotsa little critters for em. I am setting a 20g refugium as we speak and I heard u could raise copepods in em? I'll try that plus about 15lbs LR and a good piece of Macro. My blennies eat Mysis and Brine shrimp as well but also pick and choose on the LR. I'm not super worried about them because I see them eat the mysis and brine so its all good.

[Gealcath]

Anything that looks like a "tick" are usually Isopodes, they are a larger type of pod then a Coepod, and alot of them are parasitic.

[shooby]

well I still havent seen much if anything come out of the holes on this rock. I'm concerned the person sold me base rock and not Live Rock. He might have mistaken it and just gave me pourus rock for the other rock critters to inhabit. I hope not. Yeah I know about the isopods I dont want them I want the coeps. I am gunna raise them in my refugium.