Cool Looking Live rock?

[tbittner]

Prow, are you SURE you wouldn't buy it?

[Frankie]

It has no value. It won't filter, I doubt highly it is porous enough to harbor the bacteria we benefit so much from LR, it's probably brittle, and would be a pita the aqua scape with.
It would be great to use for frags though. Much better then cement plugs. So i guess it has some value after all.

[Frankie]

The Timor Live Rock looks like a good deal though!

[BoomerD]

I don't know why people wouldn't buy that rock...Apparently everyone is forgetting that live rock IS dead coral skeletons...
I don't know how porous the blue ridge rock actually is, but it does look nice, and while I don't like all one kind of rock in a tank, (I like a mix of at least 2-3 different kinds) I wouldn't hesitate to use this stuff for at least 25% of my rock in a large tank. (Think tonga branch rock)

[prow]

Originally Posted by BoomerD

I don't know why people wouldn't buy that rock...Apparently everyone is forgetting that live rock IS dead coral skeletons...
I don't know how porous the blue ridge rock actually is, but it does look nice, and while I don't like all one kind of rock in a tank, (I like a mix of at least 2-3 different kinds) I wouldn't hesitate to use this stuff for at least 25% of my rock in a large tank. (Think tonga branch rock)

why not, well, dead coral skeletons are very dense and usually harbor much less life than the typical fiji or deap water tonga rock, which are both very porous. that goes for worms,pod and such populations aswell as bacterial growths. its fine to use but i would not count on it to be very effective if used for biofiltration purposes. for some, it may look aesthetically pleasing, but not to all also over time rock/dead coral skeletons, break down and rebuild again and again, lots of mineral deposits results. shells and such get incorporated into the rock aswell. also over time creatures inhabit it and make homes, which creates many nooks and crannies. this stuff looks like corals that died during shippment or their holding tanks.

if you like it, it should not do harm. but will not do much good either. so its more of a personal choice. just beware, its not good for biofiltration and you will still need enough good LR for biofiltration purposes.

[prow]

Originally Posted by tbittner

Prow, are you SURE you wouldn't buy it?

lol, yup, i tried to vote twice, lol.

[Frankie]

Being covered in coralline like that it is completely sealed off. Very little bacteria growth within i am sure.

[BoomerD]

Live rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Live rock" is rock from the ocean that has been introduced into a saltwater aquarium, which confers to the closed marine system multiple benefits desired by the salt water marine hobbyist. The name sometimes leads to misunderstandings as "live rock" is itself not actually alive, but is made simply from the calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms, which in the ocean form the majority of coral reefs. When taken from the ocean it is usually encrusted with Coralline algae and inhabited by a multitude of marine organisms. The many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of the rock, and which acts as an ideal habitat, give it name "live rock."


I stand by my opinion that this rock might be fine. Like I said earlier, I don't know how porus it might be however, and most Fiji rock isn't the most porus either, yet it's very popular.
Porosity in live rock can be from a number of sources; the natural porosity of the coral that it once was, burrowing and tunneling from various marine organisms such as worms, as well as other natural causes.

ALL live rock is dead coral skeletons. That's where the calcium carbonate comes from...it's NOT "rock."

[lcstorc]

I might use a small amount just for color. I wouldn't count on it for biological filtration particularly in the beginning. I wouldn't see it hurting anything but other than appearance I wouldn't see it adding anything. It just doesn't seem like it would have the bio-diversity we try to obtain from LR. If we knew more about where it came from etc I could change my mind.

[thelastmucci]

If I had a big tank I would def. get some however I only have a 39 gallon tank and 53 lbs would be the whole tank.

[althea2you]

DELETE delte delete.... ~~~~

[rlcline76]

It would be nifty if it wasn't 53 lbs of it or if you were able to go in with several people to order...just to get a different look to your tank. I would also be concerned with the aquascaping aspect of it.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by BoomerD

Live rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Live rock" is rock from the ocean that has been introduced into a saltwater aquarium, which confers to the closed marine system multiple benefits desired by the salt water marine hobbyist. The name sometimes leads to misunderstandings as "live rock" is itself not actually alive, but is made simply from the calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms, which in the ocean form the majority of coral reefs. When taken from the ocean it is usually encrusted with Coralline algae and inhabited by a multitude of marine organisms. The many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of the rock, and which acts as an ideal habitat, give it name "live rock."


I stand by my opinion that this rock might be fine. Like I said earlier, I don't know how porus it might be however, and most Fiji rock isn't the most porus either, yet it's very popular.
Porosity in live rock can be from a number of sources; the natural porosity of the coral that it once was, burrowing and tunneling from various marine organisms such as worms, as well as other natural causes.

ALL live rock is dead coral skeletons. That's where the calcium carbonate comes from...it's NOT "rock."

Very good point BoomerD. I think this so called rock is very pretty and i would not mind useing it for a few things.
I was always under the assumption that age had a lot to do with what made live rock. Like Prow stated that looks more like some dead corals that grew some coralline over them. fiji LR is corals that died and new ones grew on top of over and over again, forming into the shape and many layered structure providing good surface areas for bacteria to colonize. I would hardly call dead corals with coralline growing on them LR. there is an aging process isn't there?

[TheSaltySpitoon]

mabey i should buy like 20 pounds just because its blue

[kathywithbirds]

yeah the color is cool. I'd mix it up though. I like using a bunch of different kinds in teh tank, that way you cna get your really porous stuff along with the not-so-porous stuff that looks cool.