Can any rock be base rock?

branman_2000 · #1 02-10-2011, 06:10 AM

what makes base rock base rock. i have got some rock from my freshwater setup that i think would look ok as living. as long as it is clean and can any rock be base rock? got a picture of the rock i am thinking about.

eli@fijireefrock.com · #2 02-10-2011, 06:17 AM

you need to have calcium carbonate rock.not any rock will do.it might leach and have some traces of medals,..
choose a light with lots of micro and large crevices in the rock as later it will be a home for all living good bacteria for your tank.
when choosing live rock make sure its got no algae no aptasia no bad crabs and the list goes on,not to scare you.best bet for live rock grab it from a trusted person with and older tank that you know has no complaints.

#3 02-10-2011, 07:07 AM

is the rock in the pic what you want to add if it is sand stone it will work as I would put it into a bucket of salt water for a week and then test for Fe (iron) and Cu (Copper). I have use different rock but that was many years ago. Petrified wood in most cases is ok and Jade is great way to keep valubale sone out of harms way but you may want a lion fish in there also as a deturent. I wonce had a chunk of jade in a salt tank looks great but seems it was worth about $5000 I put a farly large lion in with it. The fish would sit right on top of the piece of jade.
If you don't have calcium carbonate rock type of rock you want to make sure it does not contain and metals that can leach in to the tank and kill off inverts.

Bill

marcingo · #4 02-10-2011, 02:07 PM

I had a 55 gal mixed reef. Due to being a student I couldn't afford all that live rock so I purchased Tufa rock from the local rock yard, boiled it and used it as my live rock. I then seeded it with about 20% real live rock. The tank did great for a year before I sold off and had to move. The only down side of Tufa rock is it is dense and does not look as good as real base rock which is just dead live rock.

branman_2000 · #5 02-10-2011, 08:31 PM

what would you guys recommend is a good ratio for base rock to live rock

EcoReefer · #6 02-11-2011, 01:39 AM

I always recommend about 10% Live to 90% Dry - you can do a higher ratio if you want but in my opinion it is a waste of money (save the money for other things you'll need for the system). It won't take long for the seed bacteria to colonize the new rock. The only thing that will take a little bit of time is the coraline algae coverage but in reefing those who take things slow and are patient tend to be more successful in the long run (just my opinion).