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Step 1
Live rock is the cornerstone to modern reef keeping. The filtration it provides, is more complete than a room full of equipment. There is a lot of misinformation circulating, so here are some guidelines on buying and curing live rock.
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Step 2
The structure and porosity of the live rock is key. The amount of life the rock is shown with in pictures is dead by the shipping and curing process, so don't focus on it. Live rock is re-colonized by the flora and fauna surrounding corals, that are added later. These corals are shipped in water, and have diverse but small amounts of life.. If a minute creature finds a food source in an aquarium, then it's numbers will explode(whether you want it to or not). Other good means of recolonizing live rock are macro-algae and bits of sand from established tanks. Selecting live rock should be for many holes, valleys, and ridges that provide a variety of homes for good bacteria and micro life.
Curing live rock should be done with a good skimmer and lots of circulation in spare tank or rubber maid container. Leave the lights off for 4-6 weeks to stop micro algae from growing, and use carbon to absorb organics and smells leaching into the water. After the curing is done, shake off the detritus in saltwater, and add to the display tank. -
Step 3
You can save money building your reef tank, buying nice and porous base rock for the bottom layers. Base rock is live rock that has dried out, and has to be recolonized, but since you are doing that already, save a few bucks. This rock can be shipped ground instead of overnight, so factor that into the savings. Fiji live rock is sometimes boulder like and very heavy per pound. The more expensive live rock( Tonga, Marshall, etc), ends up providing better filtration and stability for the tank. Also, the more expensive rock is usually more porous, thus getting more volume per pound. Buy about ¾ to 1 ¼ pounds per gallon of aquarium, and your fish might not notice they're not on the reef.
Enjoy your tank, Intrinsic Reef Design
