bad live rock

J

jdizzle1000

AC Members
Sep 10, 2005
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My lfs sells live rock cheaper than other stores (about $4 or $5 per pound), but they keep it in a tank underneath their fish tanks. The large tank is PACKED with live rock, and it has no light on it. The guy said that the rock is good, but in the dark, some hairy worms could come out of it (this guy was wacked). The rock didn't seem to have alot living on it.

So I have 2 questions:

1. Are creepy looking worms bad? Will they infest my tank and take over? And will they crawl on my hand when I pick up the live rock (I it does I will go insane)?

2. Should I buy live rock that doesn't have much living on it? It doesn't have much corraline algae (purple stuff, right?), or anything. In fact, it almost looks like plain base rock. They guy says it's good live rock though... Can you judge a live rock by it's appearance?
 
if i waas you i would only use that rock if you are cycling your tank or if it was going to be used as base rock, the lfs should have atleast a light on the tank to ensure there will be living things on it. if you buy some good quality rock and use that cheap stuff as the base then, the living organisms will spread and populate the tank, but if i was you i would definately wait a couple of months so the organisms can populate the tank before any fish will eat them. If you put fish in straight away there is a chance the living organisms on the quality live rock might get eaten and not spread around to your other live rock.
 
No light at all? I'd be leary of that, if they don't want you to see it, i'd be asking why... My LFS that I like doesn't keep the light on their rock unless you want to look at it. when he flips the light on you can see the life that is imbedded in the rock. It's good rock with a collection of living stuff and some coraline algaes. I even found a baby serpent star on the rock I bought most recently...

Like they said, it would be a good base rock, but ask them about the curing process. If they don't do it themselves, and don't know how the people they get it from does it, I don't think I would buy it.


JMO...
 
LordsSoilder one problem may i ask how your lfs grows coralline algae on his live rock if no lights are used on it. Generally you must have actinic bulbs to get coralline algae to grow, i dont see how it is possible to get coralline algae to go if the lights are off most of the time??
 
I've purchased cheap LR (rubble for fragging) that's had no light - the rocks were white, but have since coloured up nicely in my tank and had stars, worms, sponges etc. on them. The bacteria within the rock don't require light, only a source of ammonia. If the rock is cheap and nicely shaped, for $4 I'd grab some - chances are there's more life than you can see, and the corraline will come along soon enough :)
 
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