Fiji Live Rock? What Is It

[MarineKid]

Hi, Im new at the saltwater aquaria and I am buying a 100 gallon tank, and of my friends said to use fiji live rock. He won't tell me wht it is. If you know what it is please tell me. Thanks

[Kate]

Hi MarineKid!! Welcome to the board!! ALOT of very knowledgeble people here to help you and answer your questions! Getting a new tank? WELCOME to the hobby also! You're about to become addicted.

Concerning your question - Figi Live Rock is Live Rock which comes from the reefs surrounding the Figi Islands in the pacific.

Live Rock is a necessity in a reef tank for a number of reasons. If you are are planning on incorporating a "reef" in your tank (which shall provide a more natural environment for any life forms you introduce) Live Rock(LR) is a requirement. LR from Figi is of a very good grade and is about as inexpensive as any LR available.

What is LR? It is loose pieces of rock taken from a reef which is covered with living organisms; thus the name "lve rock".

In any SW tank the tank will go through a "cycle" as soon as you intoduce water and life to it. The best cycle is achieved with LR rather than with fish(cycling with fish is cruel) and also negates the need for an expensive Wet/Dry filter system which is (often times) merely a factory for nitrates. LR absorbs nitrates and changes them to nitites.

This has been an extremely brief answer to your question! I am sure MANY other will add much much more!!

You really need to begin reading everything you can about having a new tank, about cycling your tank, about maintaining a reef tank, etc, etc. I would suggest (as a starting point) our excellent library here at RC(Reef Central).

Ask a million questions here online!!! This is the easiest and best way (and least expensive) to get answers!!

Once again ......... WELCOME!!!!!


[This message has been edited by Kate (edited 05-20-2000).]

[AquaNut]

Welcome to the all encompassing, time consuming, research intensive, scientific and mathematic processes of SW (especially reef) Aquariums...You gotta love it though! :D

Kate gave you some good info....except one correction...Nitrites are changed to nitrates by processes from the biological filtration of the LR.

If you'd like to do some reading here's a link to start you off. There are many and endless istes with good information out there in the net. Hopefully others can post other sites for you to sink your head into.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/pets/saltaquarium/?once=true&

Good Luck!
Alex

[MarineKid]

Thanks for all of your help so far :þ
If I haven't told you I'm getting a 100 gallon tank.
> I'm probably going to cycle it with Live Rock. The fish I want to get the
> most are: Firefish,Royal Grammas, Tangs, Mandarin Fish, and some Cardinal Fish If you know the
> quanity of each fish I should get please tell me. Also, Im thinking of adding
> 2 fish every month. How long should I do this???
> Thanks, Marinekid :)

[Larry M]

Hi, MK. First off your inital investment should be some good books. There is a thread in our archives that cover the topic very well. http://www.reefcentral.com/ubb/Archives/Archive-000003/HTML/19991028-1-000256.html

Good luck,


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Larry M

Visit Reef Stores.com (http://63.75.34.139/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi?) The liaison between hobbyists and on-line retailers.

See my tanks at Northern Reef (http://www.reefcentral.com/northernreef/index.htm)

[MarineKid]

Thanks, Larry :þ

[AquaNut]

Hi MarineKid....

As Larry stated...having the books will prove to be a valuable resource. It will be the wisest investment you can ever make if you plan to have a good shot in this hobby. Although there are many sites with valuable information...the hard copy is always available to bring with you in the bathroom as you sit on the throne :D :D :D

As for fish...I've always went by 1" mature size for every 5gal of tank water for my reef tank.
But keep in mind that not all fish are "friends" with each other...so do you research on which get along, their particular diet and environmental needs, etc...Take for example the mandarin...requires a more established tank with a good amount of LR needed for it's dietary needs...

HTH
Alex

[This message has been edited by AquaNut (edited 05-20-2000).]

[MarineKid]

Well, Im getting some books if you have some good books I should read please tell :D
MarineKid

[Delirium]

The one book I've been recommending to people who have seen our tank is The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner -- it's not reef-specific, but I found it to be a good introduction to SW stuff. If your local shop doesn't have it, you can order it from Amazon et al.

I'm sure others here have tons of other recommendations too!

Good luck on your undertaking! :D

[MarineKid]

Thanxs alot... :)
MarineKid :D

[AquaNut]

One of my favorite books is Natural Reef Aquariums by Tullock. It's well written and nicely illustrated. Focusing more on reef environments but makes good reading in understanding your miniature eco-system.

[Reef Dave]

The best thing about buying books, is that you spend 30-40-or even 50 dollars, but then you have something to do while you are saving the 100's for equipment and rock. Many people would not have stayed in the hobby long enough to get their tanks up, if there wasn't an outlet like reading, or chatting to pass the time from paycheck to paycheck. It is also a great way to keep your patience in check while you waiting for that Stinkin rock to cure!

RD

[MarineKid]

I've already ordered one book called "The New Marine Aquarium"by Micheal S. Paletta. I'm also ordering one called "Succesful Saltwater Aquariums: A Beginner's Guide" and it's by John Tullock. :D
P.S Is you have read these books tell me if they give a lot of info.
Thanks,
MarineKid :)

[MarineKid]

Thanks again with all of your help with the LR subject. Now I have a question and a comment... The question is do you have to use a canister filter or will the LR filter the tank well enough. And my comment is about Larry's tanks. I think your tank look very cool and that I hope mine will look just as good as yours. :D
MarineKid :)


[This message has been edited by MarineKid (edited 05-21-2000).]

[FishDaddy]

Marinekid,
If you have sufficient live rock (100# or more); you should not have the need for additional filtration so long as you keep the bioload reasonable.
Cannister filters require frequent cleaning and maintenance to prevent excess nitrate production in the filter media, which traps organic particles. The live rock and associated inhabitants will use these organic particles in a natural process and a good skimmer will remove the leftovers.
Dick

[Wolverine]

LR with good circulation should be all you need for filtration; I wouldn't bother with a canister filter. Your LFS may tell you otherwise, but, in all honesty, you'll probably want to ignore them in favor of what you hear on this board.

As mentioned above, mandarins are not that easy to keep. I know they're beautiful, but you'll probably want to wait. The general rule of thumb for a mandarin is to only consider it if you have a tank that has at least 100 lbs of LR, and has been set up for at least a year. And, of course, that assumes that there are no other competitors for the mandarin (royal grammas, dottybacks, 6-line wrasses are all pretty common competitors).

I've read neither of the books you've ordered, so I can't really comment on those. Like mentioned above, probably the two best books for beginners are Tullock's Natural Reef Aquarium and Fenner's Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Tullock concentrates more on corals and reefs, and Fenner more on fish, but other than that they're almost the same book. If I remember right, they're only around $30, and they'll save you far more than that in the long term.

Dave

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http://members.xoom.com/lcrandall/reefpage.html

[MarineKid]

So, I guess I do not need a canister filter :) which also saves me money.. I also have another question about powerheads. One of my friends told me to get 2 Aquaclear Model 3000's. He told me to get 2 so I could make a "counter current" he also told me to put one on the top and one on the bottom. Is this a good idea???
MarineKid :D