just a couple of questions

[kellehar]

just got a couple of questions

after reading many post on here how AI is good lfs to go to so i headed down there and ended up buying 9lbs of live rock. I have to say it was alot better experience than big als and alot closer. when i asked the fellow about the lr he said it was already cured, how much die off can i expect and is it normal for it to be covered in feather dusters?
from what i was told its fiji lr what kind of hitch hikers can I expect to pop up in the future? also its has this purple stuff on it that looks like felt, is that some sort of algae?

thanks for your time

justin

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I'm in Burnaby but from what I've heard, AI does cure its LR. Smell it. If it smells like the ocean (assuming you know what the ocean smells like living in Edmonton) then it's most likely cured. If it stinks then there is still some die-off. If it's covered with life, like feather dusters, that's great because it'll add to your tank's bio-diversity. Also, it could have any sort of hitchhiker on it, from hermits, crabs, brittle stars, stomatella & other snails, to polyps & corals & macroalgaes & sponges. The more stuff that stays alive on it, the better, usually. If you're real lucky, there'll be pods & live mysis running around in the rock as well. The purple stuff is most likely coraline algae (another positive). Keep it in a lit tank, test your water parameters & watch all the life come crawling out of the LR. If it is still curing, water changes & some removal of dying organisms will be required on your part using a scrubber pad &/or tool like screwdriver. Many times, sponges don't make the transition to capitivity & those that are dead/dying will be black & smelly. If its necessary to cure a bare bottom tank is best so you can see anything that's died & fallen off so you can siphon it out (as Beverly in another post mentioned).

When we first set up our SW tanks, my wife and I used to spend hours just looking for new things to pop out & make us go "oooooh, aaaaah"

Enjoy your tank & keep asking questions. Also you can search past posts & replies for many of the answers. Remember that this addiction is best when some patience is applied since rushing often leads to bad things happening. Don't go too fast or add too many things at once, at least until your tank is several months old & more stabilized.

Anthony

[kellehar]

me and the wife did that last night as we first noticed all the feather dusters.I am originally from victoria B.C and was posted here 4years ago with the military. Thats why i wanted to start a s/w tank as i miss the ocean so much. I appreciate your advice and will keep watchin for die off. none so far and i'll keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way. for lighting i have a 48 inch long twin floresent. If there are any recomondations on better tubes that would be great. nitrate is at 0.3 salinity is at 1.022,temp is 78 f, ph is at 8.0 but ammonia is still a bit high at 2.4 but its just going into its second week of the cycle. one more question i turn the light off at night but keep a night light on for a moonlight effect so my fresh water fish wont fight. is this ok for the lr?

thanks again
justin