Live Rock...just a few questions

[WarmWaterDiver]

I was just wondering if say you start out with a few hunks of live rock bought from the store...then add some pieces that are not "live"... do they eventually become live rock? I assume it would because eventually the "dead" rock would start to grow it's own coralline base as well as it's own bacterial culture. If this is true that "dead" rock can become "live" rock, how long would this process take?

Also, anyone ever tried curing their own live rock straight from the ocean?

 

[bobby]

Yes dead will become live over time. Probably about a month or so and it should have the bacteria needed. Alot of people start with most dead then add alittle live on top to seed it, that way you dont spend soo much on rock. I notice your from cali if your getting it strait out of the ocean put it a bucket of water and shouldnt have to cure it because there wont be that much die off. If you do collect it be carefull and find out the laws on collecting rock form the ocean, if you dont you might end up paying more in the long run. Good luck.

 

[VAreef]

I'm not exactly sure how long it takes but mine started to grow some corraline a month or two after I started up my tank. It's still not what I would consider live rock though as the dead rock I put in was not very porous I guess. I suppose it could be considered live now but the live rock I bought is ten times nicer. It might also make a factor that my base rock is exactly that. It's the foundation I used for the live rock so it doesn't really get a lot of light and is mostly hidden by live rock now.

 

[yote]

The bacteria and micro critters are what makes live rock "live".So yeah,base rock eventually become live rock.
I wouldnt recommend curing rock is its shipped to you,unless you can cure it outside.Ive seen road kill that didnt stink as bad. But if your getting it fresh from the ocean where you live and can keep it wet untill its in your tank,then you shouldnt have to cure it.
But like Bobby said,check your local laws before hand if you plan on harvesting your own rock.

 

[jhnrb]

Add base rock 1st and then seed system with live rock. the base should take apprx. 6 months or so to seed and mature nicely and sometimes a bit longer.