Adding live rock

PSU4ME

JoePa lives on!!!
Staff member
PREMIUM
Hi,
Looking to understand if it’s safe to add live rock to a clean system. I bought some live rock fresh from the ocean...... 3 day shipped, stunk pretty bad but I’ve got it to a point where the extra tank it’s in is holding the ammonia in check. I want to add this LR to my established tank that was started with dead rock but I’ve been QT’ing my fish before they go in.

Was hoping @Humblefish might be able to give some guidance on how to do this short of keeping the LR in a barrel for 8 weeks.

Appreciate any insight on how to safely do this!
 

Humblefish

Active Member
I would isolate it to a fishless environment for at least 76 days, just in case Ich tomonts are attached. It takes 60 ppm chlorine 24 hours to kill Ich tomonts, so I doubt ammonia from all the die-off would have any impact on them.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Keep the live rock in the spare tank at least until ammonia and nitrite peak and drop back to 0, just like your cycling a tank. Then it's cured and save to add.

Keep in mind that live rock out of the ocean will have a lot more die off, that LR from your LFS, which is usual about 1/2 to 3/4 cured.

Since live rock is usually not shipped in water, you usually don't have a problem with it bring in fish diseases. Your more at risk from it beinging in undesirable hitch hikers. OTOH, you'll also bring in a lot of other interesting stuff you will not get any other way. It's a mixed blessing.

Personally once it was cured, I'd just add it to my system. You could keep it in a "...fishless environment for at least 76 days..." like @Humblefish suggests, and you will be sure you got rid of ich parasites, but you will not be sure you got rid of any other diseases. I don't think it's worth all the trouble.
 

PSU4ME

JoePa lives on!!!
Staff member
PREMIUM
Yeah I guess that’s the balance. Reading humbles post of adding biodiversity, I wanted to through in some ocean live rock. If I keep it fishless for 76 days, do I lose any of the diversity?

I also have about a 3” muscle/bivalve that made the trip..... fell like I should give him a scrub and get him into my fuge
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
The fact that your live rock from the ocean stinks shows that you got a lot of life on it and you got good live rock.
 

Humblefish

Active Member
I assume I can count day 1 as the day it was shipped?

Yes :)

Once the rock is no longer being housed with fish, any tomonts encysted upon the rock will release free swimmers at some point (within 72 days). When the free swimmers fail to find a fish host, they will die out and that will break the lifecycle.

:cheers:
 
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