what is live rock ??

Question

i would love to know what is live rock, is it coral, and would it live in a coldwater set up. x

but will it live in a cold water set up xxxx

Answer 1

When talking about live rock (LR), it is a misconception that the rock itself is alive. What makes it live are the many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of it. The rock itself is only made up of the calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms.

There are different types of live rock. "reef rock" basically as pieces of coral or coral rock from outside the reef that have broken off and fallen to the bottom that then becomes covered with encrusting organisms, such as coraline algae and sponges. "Inshore rock" refers to as rock from inside the reef that has a tendency to be more dense and becomes covered with macroalgae, clams, mussels, crabs, shrimps, and other unwanted organisms. reef rock is much more desirable then inshore rock because it cycles more quickly and stabilizes a tank much faster.

There is also dead base rock, meaning it has no live growth on it. This is rock that is devoid of external life that probably won't see much light, so you can put other forms of more advanced live rock and corals on top of it to build your reef system base, once your tank has settled and the base rock is seeded or cured. Beginning a reef tank using seeded base live rock as the center stones of the aquarium is not a bad idea. Once the base rock is established, then you can begin to add, slowly, more advanced types of live rock.

Some descriptions of live rock sold by suppliers can be confusing. For example, Live Rock supplier describes their Pacific live rock as, "Actually pieces of coral skeletons that have broken off reefs during storms. This 'rubble' washes in toward shore where it is collected in shallow water." So, is this a lighter type of "reef" rock, or heavier type of "inshore" rock?
What Is The Purpose of Live Rock?

Live rock becomes the main biological nitrification base or biological filter of a saltwater aquarium, (that is if you are using it) while at the same time enhances the look of the aquarium and provides shelter for the inhabitants. To better understand what purpose live rock serves in an aquarium,:

"The use of live rock immediately introduces into the aquarium numerous algae, bacteria and small invertebrates all of which contribute to the overall quality of the aquarium water. Live rock has just as much, if not more, surface area for bacteria than a trickle filter. Since live rock in the aquarium contains various types of bacteria, algae and corals, waste products such as ammonia, nitrate and phosphate can have a number of fates. Ammonia, nitrate and phosphate are readily assimilated by algae and photosynthetic corals growing on and in the rock. Ammonia can also be quickly converted into nitrate by the bacteria on and in the rock. This nitrate can be either absorbed by the algae and corals, or it can be denitrified by bacteria in close proximity to the nitrate producing bacteria."

No matter what type of live rock you choose to use, as you may know, a biological filter base base has to cycle and settle for your aquarium to run properly, and this pertains to the curing of live rock as well.

If you are planning on adding it to youraquarium:
Don't overload the system! Even top quality, fully cured live rock can be quickly turned into dead base rock if mass quantities are introduced all at once. It is not a bad idea to add small amounts a little at a time, and test, test, and test again. When the tank settles, wait a little longer and then move on to the next phase of adding a little more, repeating this process until you've obtained the total quantity of live rock desired.


Live rock can and usually does have types of corals growing on it's surface, depending on the live rock.

Live rocklives in cold water, but it would depend on the type.
Cold water salt tank? Wow you really want a challenge don't you!

PS you cannot use live rock in a fresh water tank
Good luck.

Answer 2

Live rock is a piece of rock or dead coral from the ocean. It isn't alive, of course, but what makes it "living" is all the micro- and macroscopic organisms that live on the rock / coral. These organisms, in a saltwater water tank, act as the main form of filtration because they "eat" the ammonia and other by-products produced by fish and other organisms, rendering it harmless.

As for the coldwater set-up, yes, you can find coldwater liverock. If you're in the market for LR, you'll notice that the origins of the LR are always states (Figian etc), and the healthiest way to build your tank is to mimic the conditions of whatever ocean the LR is coming from. However, LR is adaptable. Do not spend extra money on cured live rock. Know that all live rock goes through a process of curing (some organisms dying off and other growing in their place) in your tank, whether you buy it cured or not, so when you are setting up your marine tank, add 1/4 of your total live rock mass every week or so. At the end of the month, you can start testing your water and getting ready to get your fish, if the LR has adapted well to your coldwater tank.

Is there a reason you have decided to go coldwater? You could invest in a couple heaters and have much more variety available to you.

Answer 3

I have just set up a 75 gal REEF tank NOT fish tank (although there are 4 small fish in it.
This tank has been going for 6 months now and the ONLY filter system running is NATURAL.
There is about 60 lbs of Live Rock and 3 Inches of live sand that do ALL of the Biological filtration, I have 0 amonia, 0 nitrate, 0 nitrite and it even goes so far as next to no nitrogen.
As for cleaning the tank, MOST of those so called BAD HITCH HIKERS (worms, crabs, shrimp, clams) do a AWSOME job of cleaning up crap and bad algae.
Yes you can get a bad crab or bad sea slug that will EAT YOUR CORALS but those are VERY few and far between and are easily removed.
As a mater of fact I have ADDED about 30 different snails and about 30 hermit crabs and 2 sea stars and 3 different cleaner shrimp... as part of the "CLEANER CREW"
The only mechanical "filter" is a Protein Skimmer to get rid of the disolved organic crap.
No carbon, No foam, No chemicals...
YES live rock is DEAD CORAL.
Most saltwater tanks should be between 76 and 82 degrees.
Because of my live rock and sand and its MANY different organisms, My tank is crystal clear, the water peramiters are PERFECT and ALL of my livestock are all growing and reproducing.
Live rock does NOT need lots of light, Most of the benificial bugs and bacteria live Inside the many holes "in the dark".
LIVE CORAL needs tons of light to survive, Not LR.
Because of live rock and sand my saltwater experiance (20 Years) is way easier than my freshwater experiance.
I do a partial saltwater change every 2 months NOT 2 weeks.
I have to add a supliment to the tank every week to replenish what the corals eat out of the water (takes 2 minutes)
I have to top up the evaporated water with FRESH water every 2 days.(i could add an auto topup to eliminate that 2 minute chore)

Live rock, like any other boilogical filter, DOES need to adjust to the boi load that YOU put in the water. Do NOT add 5 or 6 fish at a time or you could get a bad amonia spike and damage or kill whatever is in your tank.
YES you can add as much live rock as you want from the start but make sure that you also add a boi load such as a hardy fish or two(NEMO) and some crabs and snails to feed the bacteria and bugs so they don't die off.
Patience is the Greatest vertue that you can have when dealing with saltwater livestock.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Live rock itself can give you hours of relaxation and enjoyment by providing you with a new worm or bugs or crabs that you will see." EVERY DAY you can catch something new crawling or swimming out of it"

Answer 4

Like Danielle z said, it won't live in fresh water. Salt set ups, it will live in cold water, but be sure to purchase the right kind for your tank.

I cannot stress this enough, DON"T over load your tank and don't put in 1/4 of rock per gallons of water. Where do people get this BS. A reef tank needs built up over time. You will kill everything in your tank if you start dumping live, semi live or base rock into your tanks.

Answer 5

Live rock is rock harvested from the ocean that contains beneficial bacteria used to process the nitrogen cycle in saltwater fish tanks using the Berlin Method of filtration. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=10

It also often contains colorful algae, corals, and sometimes worms or crabs.
Below are a couple of links on the types of “hitchhikers” that often come with live rock:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=6&acatid=388&aid=936
http://www.fishtanksandponds.info/live-stock/marine/hitchhikers.htm
http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/thepackage/organisms.html

Live rock needs to be "cured" before adding to the tank since it often has die-off from being shipped and can elevate ammonia levels. You can also use live rock to cycle a new tank instead of using fish. See link below for more info:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=6

It can be used in a "cold tank setup" but typically cold in SW is no colder then 70 degrees and is very hard to maintain. Most SW fish prefer temperatures closer to 78 degrees.

Live rock is not for fresh water tanks and would elevate ph too high for most fresh water setups.

Base rock can also be used to house bacteria and is cheaper then live rock. Base rock becomes bacterially “live” within 2 months and if seeded with live rock will look live in about a year.

If looking for cheap live rock checkout:
http://www.intmarinefish.com/liverock.html
http://www.exoticfish.com/details.cfm?sale=true&id=37616

They have lr for as little as $2-$3 per lb shipped.

Couple of more places with quality lr:
http://www.liverocknreef.com
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=393
http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com

For base rock checkout:
http://www.marcorocks.com
http://reeferrock.com/store/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=1054349108&CAT=1054761346&SUBCAT=1054761419&BACK=A0008A1B01054349108B1C01054761346C1

If you have any other questions feel free to email me.

Answer 6

others have covered what live rock is.

but it will only survive in a MARINE set up, not freshwater. most live rock is meant for warmer reef set ups. coldwater reef setups usually require a lot more care, and even a chiller, to thrive.

Answer 7

Live rock is coral, I think it needs some heat. I know that it needs lots of lighting.