# Live Rock



## Btpaton (Feb 11, 2013)

I'm a beginner to the salt water keeping, I've recently started my first small set-up
It is a 10g set-up
I have a fluval 106 external filter, 
Hagen 50w heater

I have got my salinity levels perfect and my temperature is doing fine

Today I have picked up some pre-cured live rock from my LFS and I was just hoping I could get some feedback on my choices of live rock that I have added to my tank, possibly tell me if I seem to have some good algae and anything I may have missed that may be interesting, 

Pictures are below,

Thanks 































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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Did you cure your rock first before putting it your tank?

A HOB filter is doable but a skimmer would do a better job keeping your tank clean.
What kind of lighting do you have? If adding corals down the road, you may have to upgrade to better lighting.

Only 1, maybe 2 small fish (firefish, clown goby) maximum in a 10 gallon tank.

If you haven't done a lot of reading and research before starting up your first salt water tank, I can almost guarantee you will have problems in now time especially in a 10 gallon tank.

Do not add any fish until your tank is completely cycled! This may take up to 4 - 8 weeks. ALWAYS QT your fish before adding them to your tank.

Remember - your LFS is only out to make money and could care less if your tank/fish dies.

Do yourself a huge favor and invest and read a book called: "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist"


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Most importantly, are you using RO DI water? Do you have a refractometer? What about a TDS meter? Tap water is a huge no-no in saltwater aquaria keeping. Tap water contains harmful metals that will kill your fish and possibly crash your tank.


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## Btpaton (Feb 11, 2013)

The rock was pre-cured, there appears to be some creatures thriving inside of the rock and also I suspect that there is also a small anemone hitchhiking

I am using a purigen pouch in my filter which I was advised will act as a protein skimmer for now.

I have done a lot of research before starting out and I'm sure I've done everything right,

I am checking water with all of my test kits and cycling starts, just looking out for a spike.

I was just after any analysis of my rock to maybe identify anything I have living there


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## Btpaton (Feb 11, 2013)

My filter is also pumping carbon to remove chlorine and other contaminants, this was running for a few days before live rock was added


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## Dilligaf_1 (Jan 28, 2013)

Hi Bt, your rock looks great, it will still have some die off even though it has been pre cured. The good news is that little anemone looking creature definitely is not an apista anemone (thats a good thing) I cant tell what it is though. I see some reddish areas on one of the pieces, keep an eye on that, or try to scrub it off with a scrub brush, it could be cayno bacteria, which is actually harmless to fish but could over run corals if left unchecked. You haven't given any indication as to what your final plans are for the tank, so I will only give you a couple of pieces of quick advice. 10gal is a very difficult size for a salt water aquarium, you should try to have about 1lb of live rock for every gallon of water. Most salt water creatures are hyper sensitive to changes in their habitats, and a 10 gal tank can change very rapidly. Not all tap water is harmful to use in your salt water set up, I use the water from my tap, and my tanks do just fine, I only run it through charcoal, before using it to make up my mix. Your water company will be happy to give you an analysis of your tap water upon request. If it has a phosphate buffer in it, you will have to use a higher form of filtration prior to using it in your tank, or you will have a never ending algae problem. Try not to run charcoal on the tank itself, especially if you are going to grow any corals, it is actually too good at removing stuff from the water, both bad and good. In a 10 gal tank it shouldn't be too much of a problem to do your water changes every week to keep the water sparkling, and the nitrates in check. There used to be a company called skilter, that made a HOB cartridge type filter that had a small protein skimmer built in, I believe Dr Foster and Smith own the design now, and are offering it with their name on it. I used them on my small set ups years ago, and they actually worked pretty good, and for a younger kid the price is a little bit more doable than a full fledged skimmer. I could probably fill a book with other advice, but lets just say that Ice is correct in his advice.....Take your time, do your homework, keep on top of it, and very lightly stock......you picked a tough size tank for your first venture into salt water.


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## Btpaton (Feb 11, 2013)

Thanks for the advice, 
I'm aware that 10 gallon is tough to keep, my main reasoning for keeping a 10g is because I already had it lying around.

I am really enjoying doing the research and learning about the ins and outs

If I stay committed and am still enjoying my small 10g in the near future then I am very likely to upgrade to a larger tank

I appear to have a worm hiding inside of my larger piece of rock, I have seen it once and managed to get a video of it moving back into the rock, do you have any knowledge of worms or maybe help me to ID it, as I have tried but it appears that worm ID is quite difficult.


In terms of live stock, I was hoping for a couple of bluelegged hermit crabs, a small starfish 
and would it be alright for me to keep a royal gramma in my tank size?


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Describe the worm. Does it have bristles? Of so, what color are the bristles? If red - most likely a fireworm. They sting like hell. If not - keep it. They're nice to have. If it doesn't have bristles, it's a peanut worm. Another good harmless creature to have in your tank.

A couple of blue-legged crabs is good - make sure you have a few extra shells around so they have some to grow into when their own shells get too small.

Starfish - I'd go with a brittle star (don't get the green variety - they are predatory and will eat your fish) or Serpent star.

A Royal Gramma is a fine fish to have in a 10 gallon.

Other fish choices can be found here:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+2124&count=35&r=3119&s=ts


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## Btpaton (Feb 11, 2013)

Glad to hear it, 
Ill probably pick up a royal gramma I've seen in my LFS


I have a picture of the worm as I managed to get a video of it before it hid again. 
Can worms survive out of water? I noticed it crawling up the back of my tank 

I'm not sure how well you can see it but it may help










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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

*I suspect that there is also a small anemone hitchhiking*

It appears that you have a soft coral hitch hiker on your live rock. It looks like a single parazoanthus sp. ("yellow polyp"). It will require appropriate lighting (or become part of the 'die-off' process). What type of lighting do you have?

*I am using a purigen pouch in my filter which I was advised will act as a protein skimmer for now.*

Purigen is an excellent chemical filtration media but functions entirely differently than a protein skimmer. (chemical filtration media typically adsorbs dissolved organics while protein skimming removes organics completely from the system).

*Try not to run charcoal on the tank itself, especially if you are going to grow any corals, it is actually too good at removing stuff from the water, both bad and good*.

Depends on the type of coral and the enviroment that they're from. Many corals thrive in very low-nutrient environments while others do better in turbid enviroments. Some corals engage in 'chemical warfare' (allelopathy) and carbon can negate the effects of this activity. I've used carbon in my reef for years with no ill effects. If carbon removes both the good and the bad, the good is replenished during periodic water changes.

*My filter is also pumping carbon to remove chlorine and other contaminants*

Carbon will remove (or rather adsorb) contaminants but will not remove chlorine (only carbon blocks that are part of an RO or RO/DI unit can remove chlorine or break the chlorine-ammonia bond of chloramine).

*I have a picture of the worm *

It looks like a common bristleworm (a typical SW detritivore) and is capable of surviving in a damp yet unsubmerged area. In many reefs in the wild are exposed during low tides.


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## Btpaton (Feb 11, 2013)

I will continue tests on my tank to ensure everything is fine before introducing livestock and so I have no worries on that front


The lighting I am using, although this may be vague as I am going off what is printed onto it is a 18" Sun-Glo strip ( the print is a little worn off, I think it says that it is an 18W bulb too. ) 

What should my lighting cycle be like? I've seen a few different opinions such as 50/50 or [7hrs On 17hrs off]
My light is on for around 10hrs per day at the moment



I have no signs of clouding after introducing my live rock and my nitrite levels are below 0.1
PH 8.1-8.5
Temp - 78-80F
Salinity - 1.025 +/- .001





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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Your current photoperiod is okay, but the light itself is woefully inadequate.


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