How long does live rock/sand stay alive?

Question

I am buying a tank setup from someone and they're giving me the live rock and sand. Is there anyway for me to test if its still "live" or do they just have a certain life length?

Answer 1

This is obviously a saltwater setup, right? Whoever is ROTFLMBO apparently has no clue about saltwater setups. The live rock and live sand are called that because there are many, many small creatures living in them. This is good for a marine tank. Some marine fish eat the small creatures and will starve to death if there is not live rock or sand in the tank. The mandarin goby is one.

Live rock and sand will continue to be viable as long as the water quality is perfect. Saltwater is very difficult for beginners to maintain. A 50 gallon tank is the very minimum size I would recommend to start with. The smaller the tank, the quicker the water can go bad and crash the whole system. Make sure you understand how to do ALL the water tests before you begin. Many marine fish and animals are very sensitive to water quality and you have to continually monitor the water to keep everything healthy.

Saltwater is expensive to start, expensive to maintain and the fish are beautiful but expensive to buy. When a saltwater tank crashes, usually all the fish and animals die. Sounds like fun, eh? Do a lot of research before you go ahead with it. A good site is called "About.com", they have a link to saltwater start up rules.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I have successfully transported live rock for two hours. It was bagged with a small amount of salt water, and I turned it occasionally to keep it from drying out. Those life forms that do not survive the trip will break down in your tank and start the bacterial cycle in your tank. If you have a longer trip, I would suggest using a Rubbermaid container and more salt water.

Answer 3

ask a pet shop they will know

Answer 4

ROFLMBO