Live Rock Question

[JesterAAK]

I'm looking to add some live rock to my 55 gal a few questions....

Has anyone heard/dealt with live rock and reef? Their website says their live rock needs no curing as there is no die off as it never leaves the water. Is this possible or would I be spending 200 bucks on junk that'll kill my tank?

Second question, I read in another post somewhere on this site that special lights are required for the organisms on the rock to commute to lace rock that is already in the tank. Is this true? Will the rock be as magnificent without special lights or are blue actinid (i think that's what the post mentioned) lights required to produce the really magnificent stuff? If so, how much would a set up like that run for a 48" long 55 gal?

Thanks for all your help guys....my fish love you!

 

[mygreengoldfish]

I don't know about rocks that never leave water. How would you ship it then? With water surrounding the rocks, the shipping could easily triple the price of the rock. Sounds like a scam to me.

A cheaper way is to buy uncured live rock, put it in a plactic rubbermaid trash can (30gal or larger) with a protein skimmer and let it cure for a few weeks. Once nitrates are low, you can transfer the rock to your tank with no die off.

To answer your other question, no special lights are required for live rock. With low lighting and slightly higher nutrients, sponges and other filter feeders often grow. With highly skimmed water and high intensity lighting, plants and corals will grow. And no special lighting is required to make the organisms commute to the lace rock.

Should you want to grow corals in the futur, live rock makes a great location for attaching coral. You would also need good lighting, preferably metal halides. You can get good lighting deals at www.hellolights.com . Metal halides are only needed if you want the more light demanding(and colorful) corals. Otherwise VHO and compact fluorescents can be used.

I hope what I have said is useful to you.