Saltwater Aquarium Guide -- Saltwater Fish Health and Disease

Water Quality (page 2)

Live Rock: The need for a good bacterial bed led to the use of under gravel filters, which were a cheap and easy method for establishing a biological bed. But over time these filters clogged or became filled with detritus underneath their plate and as a result a tank using them needed to be completely drained and broken down. Approximately 15 years ago the concept of live rock was introduced as a locus for biological filtration. Live rock is not rock at all, but is the remains of dead coral skeletons that have become mineralized over time. These rocks provide a perfect surface for the bacteria that convert ammonia into nitrate. The use of live rock also eliminates the need for under gravel filters as well as fish to establish the bacterial bed.

All live rock is harvested from the ocean and shipped moist to the dealer. In this state it is "uncured" or "fresh". As a result of this moist shipping method many of the organisms present on the rock die off and release a lot of organics into the water. Once this die off has ceased and the organisms and bacteria have become stabilized this rock is considered cured. The curing of the live rock is not too difficult and as long as adequate time is allowed for this process. A general method of curing has been established over the past ten years that works quite well. Upon arrival, the rock should be rinsed in a saltwater bath of appropriate salinity and temperature. This is done in order to remove any detritus that has settled on it as well as to remove any grossly dead organisms. Upon completion of the rinse it should be inspected and any dead or unwanted organisms (bristle worms, algae, etc.) should be removed with forceps or tweezers.

Dead organisms are usually readily apparent by their white color or limp structure or by their bad smell. Any sponges that are growing on the rock need to be removed as these will promote the most smell during the curing process. This is necessary as sponges that are exposed to air for any length of time usually die as a result of not having a means for removing air that has gotten trapped in their tissues. Also sponges tend to die slowly, so while they may appear alive on the rock, they are in the process of dying and could release organics into the water for an extended period of time. All of the macro-algae should also be plucked from the rock as well. Not only will most of the algae die from the trip, releasing nutrients, but what is left will grow profusely due to the excess of nutrients present in a new aquarium.

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