My live rock not thriving?

Cyberkiller · #1 09/03/2004, 05:16 PM

I've had my live rock in my tank for almost a month now and it looks more dead then when I bought it, specs in sig. I must be missing something. I've had no algae growth, pods or anything yet.

boxer85 · #2 09/03/2004, 05:21 PM

i'm new to this to, but that seems to be the trend, you put it in, it starts the cycle, some of it dies off, creates bacteria in your sand, then some of it starts to grow back again.

ghostshark · #3 09/03/2004, 05:24 PM

Give it some more time. It took mine 3 months to start any kind of noticeable coralline growth. I still haven't seen any pods.

td

Black Phantom · #4 09/03/2004, 05:55 PM

I think your going to find that with only 7 pounds of rock that things are going to be a bit slow in all departments.
How much growth was on the rocks to begin with. If they were covered with coraline then recovery should be fairly fast but if they were quite bare then it could take some time.
Go get some nice live sand from your LFS and that will help with some of the pod growths and such.

orionsmamma · #5 09/03/2004, 06:46 PM

Have you thought about adding some base rock? Its cheaper than live, and the live rock you have will quickly make the base rock live.

BLANKENSHIP76 · #6 09/03/2004, 07:11 PM

i left my lights on for 18hrs a day when mine wasn't growing and it took off

Cyberkiller · #7 09/03/2004, 08:59 PM

well I was thinking I may need to upgrade my lighting, at the moment im just using a one bulb hood with a standard NO FW bulb in it, but i was told that was fine for fowlr?

Cyberkiller · #8 09/04/2004, 02:49 PM

bump.

H2OLUVSME · #9 09/04/2004, 03:05 PM

i think you should add a piece or two more of LR and some real live sand (not packaged kind...like i bought). you may even be able to borrow some LR from a nearby reefer, and trade him a cup of 'dead' sand for a cup of 'live'. if you were close to MB id hook you up. my local reefers have been more than helpful in helping me get started. after surfing this site for a while, that seems to be the norm.

good luck!! happy reefing!!!

LT

bizneil · #10 09/04/2004, 03:20 PM

from my understanding of live rock, it will keep dying off unless givin the proper lighting. and i dont think a single NO bulb will do it. yes its enough light for a FOWLR tank. but not enough to get the live rock to flourish. HTH

leheath · #11 09/04/2004, 03:54 PM

I have heard the opposite - NO lighting is fine for LR, and in fact it can initially be difficult to get the coralline to do well under the really high light levels such as MH. My LR was covered in coralline when I got it (2.5wks ago) and it is almost completely white now. I have been assured that this is totally normal and there is a lot of variability in how long it takes to come back but 3-6months seems to be the average so I wouldn't worry too much. But I do think perhaps you should try to get a few more pounds of rock...I am not sure 7lbs is enough filtration for a 29g tank even with a sand bed...

Hope this helps

bassman57 · #12 09/04/2004, 04:15 PM

I have the same problem. I just bought a new light bulb for my tank. Its a GE Saltwater 10,000K bulb. Are those good????

JumboShrimp · #13 09/04/2004, 06:24 PM

You need more light for coraline.... more LR woulbe good too, plus your calcium levels might not be high enough

jun_celis · #14 09/04/2004, 07:24 PM

Are you dosing your tank at all with Calcium? If not, then i wouldn't expect coralline grow all over the rocks. IME, coralline tend to grow more on actinic bulbs but also on NO bulbs. You don't really need strong lighting to get the growth. Feed your rocks with Calcium and strontium. You should see some results within a couple of weeks. Just my 2 cents.

zemuron114 · #15 09/05/2004, 04:58 AM

i have a 20 watt flor. bulb on 6 lbs of live rock... and it has CRAZY life on it... but it has been a year or so.. you need to wait.. patients is key in this hobby.. dont rush things and dont jump to conclusions. However, if you get more.. 10 more lbs, more life will start to spread... the more the better

be patient,

jchough79 · #16 09/05/2004, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by orionsmamma
Have you thought about adding some base rock? Its cheaper than live, and the live rock you have will quickly make the base rock live.

I agree with the mom, add some cheap base rock to your LR like some lava or lace rock. When I set mine up about 3 months ago I bought 15 of live and 15 of dead for my 25T and the dead is already live and has as much coraline as the live rock.

richfavinger · #17 09/05/2004, 07:13 AM

It takes time grasshopper...
But a higher Calcium level (450ppm) and mo' light is a plus!
Other trace elements contribute to it's growth as well.

Rich

Strandedthinker · #18 09/05/2004, 07:51 AM

TIME, just maintain certain trace elements, sit back and wait.

bassman57 · #19 09/05/2004, 08:10 AM

how do you add calcium? do you just pour it in or what?

Strandedthinker · #20 09/05/2004, 08:16 AM

Read the directions inclosed on the bottle or the package. However, that amount is for a significant bioload so I would start with much smaller doses and increase until you can maintain a calc level around 420.

Cyberkiller · #21 09/11/2004, 07:50 PM

what else besides calc? Is there a mix that has everything I can dose?

H2OLUVSME · #22 09/13/2004, 07:36 AM

i use C-Balance. its a 2-part that is supposed to be a total dose. i use it in my make-up water. some people say that a good salt mix, and regular water changes should be enough to keep all your levels up.

LT