Replacing a fraction of fake rock with dry live rock

[RaymondNoodles]

I'm contemplating replacing a piece of fake painted rock with live dry rock. My tank has been up for 4 months and cycled very quickly after adding the live/wet/established rock. The piece is about 1/4 of my total rock structure. The fake rock doesn't have nearly as many nooks and crannies as the real live rock. It's very dense and heavy. All of the rock was taken from a running system. At first I thought I liked the look/color but now I hate it. Unlike all of my real live rock, the fake rock has nothing visible or visually appealing growing on it. The areas of high light seem to be fading the paint/color and I am a bit concerned that it's leaching chemicals into the water. I was contemplating putting some pulsing xenia or GSP on the fake rock to dress it up a little, but life in general doesn't seem to agree with it. I am a bit concerned about phosphates and nitrates rising after introducing new rock.

[aclman88]

Tank size? Bioload?

 

Honestly, if it were me and I coulnd't stand looking at it, I would just swap it out and be done with it.  The new rock will need to mature and it is possible it will grow unwanted algae more than established rock.

[RaymondNoodles]

3 minutes ago, aclman88 said:

Tank size? Bioload?

 

Honestly, if it were me and I coulnd't stand looking at it, I would just swap it out and be done with it.  The new rock will need to mature and it is possible it will grow unwanted algae more than established rock.

That's what I am thinking. I have a pretty substantial CUC which will hopefully take care of any unwanted algae. 20 gallon. No fish currently. Planning to add a pair of clown fish and maybe a goby. Currently have an RBTA, 2 shrimp, 10 snails, 4 hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab. Thanks for your input.

[Clown79]

If its dry rock and a decent amount you are adding, you need to keep it in a bucket of sw and test it before adding it or it could cause a cycle since you will be removing rock that has built a biofilter. 

 

As for the dry "fake" rock. There are 2 on the market that really aren't fake.

 

Caribsea liferock is aragonite dry rock which has been safely coloured and bacteria injected. This rock doesn't flake it is also a nice dry reef rock. Its pretty much the same as their standard dry rock just purply. 

 

The other is Walt Smiths which there has been reports of flaking. This rock is not aragonite and more solid looking. 

 

Not sure if either rock is what you have been using

 

 

Know that the dry rock you add, could take a long time to colour up just like the current rock you have. 4 mnths isn't that long.

[RaymondNoodles]

I am pretty sure it's the "real reef" live rock. SaltwaterAquarium is marketing it as "light as pourous". Whatever I have is definitely not light. It does have a decent amount of crevices but the material itself is very dense and almost feels like a cured resin of some sort.

 

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/real-reef-rock-by-the-pound-mixed-sizes-real-reef/

 

The first pic is the piece I want to replace. The other 2 pics are a small piece that came from the same rock.

[Clown79]

9 minutes ago, RaymondNoodles said:

I am pretty sure it's the "real reef" live rock. SaltwaterAquarium is marketing it as "light as pourous". Whatever I have is definitely not light. It does have a decent amount of crevices but the material itself is very dense and almost feels like a cured resin of some sort.

 

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/real-reef-rock-by-the-pound-mixed-sizes-real-reef/

 

The first pic is the piece I want to replace. The other 2 pics are a small piece that came from the same rock.

I haven't ever heard of this rock and leery of the product simply because they don't really state what eco friendly ingredients the rock is made with?

[mcarroll]

It seems like DIY "aragocrete" rock should be a lot more popular than it is.

[Jakesaw]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

I haven't ever heard of this rock and leery of the product simply because they don't really state what eco friendly ingredients the rock is made with?

I have some "real reef" in my aquarium that I used to seed Marco Rocks.  My LFS sells it in their live rock bin.  

 

It's definitely more dense than my Marco Rocks in terms of weight.  It has alot of interesting shapes and jagged edges but not HOLES like my Marco Rocks have.  My only real gripe is that a few places chipped off during transport so the purple had white where parts chipped off. 

 

Their website used to have a good deal of descriptive info about their product having nothing that was not reef safe in it.  And that they aquacultured it for about a year or more before selling.  The site seems to have had an overhaul since I last visited, much less informative.  Don't know if that means their product has changed. 

 

I have no reason to get rid of my Real Reef rock, but probably wouldn't buying any new pieces to add to my tank.  

 

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-- found a distributor site which has a bit more information about the product ( or what their product " used to be " )

 

https://pacificeastaquaculture.com/products/real-reef-live-rock

 

Real Reef™ is the industry standard for saltwater aquariums and is made of 100% natural marine friendly ingredients. Its components are made of the same building blocks which wild coral and living reef rock are composed of. The ingredients are not taken from the ocean and as a result there is zero environmental impact to the world’s coral reefs or marine habitat. Real Reef is also grown here in the U.S. in closed systems, which also avoids additional environmental impact to the ocean environment via mariculture or ocean farming. Real Reef™ is made through a proprietary process of over 13 steps which have filed method and utility patents by the manufacturer.

The end result is a product that offers the you a user friendly product with the basic building blocks to start a modern Reef or Fish only aquarium. A calcium carbonate based eco-friendly rock seeded with beneficial Nitrifying Bacteria, Micro algae’s and Coralline algae’s with no pests or nuisance algae. It offers great buffer ability and alkalinity, not to mention many trace elements. It’s a product that truly allows you to have an increased chance of success.

 

 

[RaymondNoodles]

19 hours ago, mcarroll said:

It seems like DIY "aragocrete" rock should be a lot more popular than it is.

Interesting. New concept to me. Have you made your own? How did it turn out? Seems like there might be a few challenges. 

 

“Some recipes or methods may result in excess algae. Concrete is not reef safe without being cured in freshwater for months, which to some is too long to wait. Most people do not know what aragocrete is until after they are packed with actual ocean rock so making it is already pointless. Ideally you would make the rock and cure it during your planning stages and cure it while you build your tank and make it perfect. Depending on your concrete to aragonite ratio is you may not have the buffering capabilities of actual ocean rock. You may have a pH battle on your hands. Using a mix of live rock and aragocrete is best, along with a few inches of aragonite sand.”

[banasophia]

Real Reef rock is an extremely well known brand here in my area. I think the company is based in Southern California and I met their reps and checked out their stuff when I went to Reefapalooza a couple years back. 
 

I personally tend to prefer Caribsea Liferock myself because I like the colors better, but Real Reef is quite commonly used and most of my LFSs have it wet in vats for sale. If I couldn’t get Liferock, I wouldn’t hesitate to use Reel Reef instead, personally. I like both far better than white dry rock. 
 

https://realreefrock.com/about/

 

[RaymondNoodles]

On 11/4/2021 at 7:04 PM, Clown79 said:

If its dry rock and a decent amount you are adding, you need to keep it in a bucket of sw and test it before adding it or it could cause a cycle…

I picked up a couple natural large dry rocks from my LFS ($5/lb). I plan on using 1 of the 2 large rocks to replace the real reef rock. We will see which one fits the aquascape better. I am hoping to use the big one - it appears to have had a lot of coralline algae at one time…wondering if that will speed up the process of developing coralline. I decided to drill holes for frag plugs. I currently have the rocks soaking in a tub of salt water with a pump. Do you think it’s necessary or beneficial to heat the water up to 75°? Is room temperature 68-70° OK? I have a spare heater that I could use. After the first 12 hours of soaking I changed the water - it was pretty brown and stinky. I will test for ammonia today…

[aclman88]

A heater will help bacteria to reproduce more quickly, so if you have one it couldn’t hurt to add it. 

[RaymondNoodles]

8 minutes ago, aclman88 said:

A heater will help bacteria to reproduce more quickly, so if you have one it couldn’t hurt to add it. 

Thanks. That makes sense. Heater is in.

[RaymondNoodles]

I'm wondering how quickly others have seen coraline algae population in a similar situation - replacing 25% of their rock, given the rest of their rock has good coraline coverage. Most of my other rocks are covered in really nice coraline algae.

[mitten_reef]

On 11/5/2021 at 11:04 AM, Clown79 said:

I haven't ever heard of this rock and leery of the product simply because they don't really state what eco friendly ingredients the rock is made with?

i'm rather surprised you have never heard of this product; it's been around as long as I've been reefing (so at least since 2012). In fact, my first tank was half-filled with it.  probably one of the earliest man-made rocks, before all the other big brands created their own versions.  I'd be cautious on the sentiment of if you have not heard of it, therefore it seems suspicious.  that seems rather unfair speculation to the product that's been around for nearly a decade or longer, with a very nice portfolio of product offering.    

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, mitten_reef said:

i'm rather surprised you have never heard of this product; it's been around as long as I've been reefing (so at least since 2012). In fact, my first tank was half-filled with it.  probably one of the earliest man-made rocks, before all the other big brands created their own versions.  I'd be cautious on the sentiment of if you have not heard of it, therefore it seems suspicious.  that seems rather unfair speculation to the product that's been around for nearly a decade or longer, with a very nice portfolio of product offering.    

I didn't say i was suspicious because i have never heard of it. I didn't even say suspicious. 

 

read carefully what others write before you go on the defense for no apparent reason other than to waste everyone's time.

 

Instead of going after me, you could have provided valuable info to the op on the product

 

The second sentence explains my comment!

 

"I haven't ever heard of this rock and leery of the product simply because they don't really state what eco friendly ingredients the rock is made with?"

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it is a logical response rather than tell someone, ya its safe to use, yet nothing regarding the products ingredients is provided.

 

Sorry i am not about to guide someone blindly, thats irresponsible. 

 

 

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[mitten_reef]

13 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

I didn't say i was suspicious because i have never heard of it rather i stated with the lack of info regarding ingredients, thats why i was suspicious.

 

This product has not ever been available here!

 

I am allowed my opinion as everyone else is

certainly was not how I read the way your phrased it...but yes, just as you can say what you want, I can say how I read/perceived your message....

 

That aside, here's their website

https://realreefrock.com/about/

 

 

[Clown79]

4 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

certainly was not how I read the way your phrased it...but yes, just as you can say what you want, I can say how I read/perceived your message....

 

That aside, here's their website

https://realreefrock.com/about/

 

 

Whatever

[RaymondNoodles]

Well, umm...I can appreciate the passion here.

 

I'm not even sure what I have is "Real Reef rock" but it's the closest product I could find on the market currently. I'd like to ask the person I bought the rock from, but OfferUp deleted my conversation and I can't find the person. I am very curious to know the history of my "unknown brand of manufactured rock" vs the other four natural coral/rock pieces. I saw him take all five pieces from the same tank.

 

The four natural pieces have increased coralline algae growth over the last 5 months. The manufactured rock has new black spots (algae) and the purple paint/color is fading under high light areas and looks unattractive, seems to repel desirable life, and life in general (longest run-on ever LOL). This manufactured rock seems to be geared towards solid base rock that looks decent from day one. I might be spoiled by the 75% of my rock with beautiful coralline algae.

 

If nothing else, this has been an interesting experiment. This definitely hasn't been a normal entry path into reefs, but it's been a learning experience which has kept me extremely interested and that's what I love about this hobby. I think we can all agree on that.

 

Goodnight all and happy Veteran's day.

[RaymondNoodles]

The 2 new pieces of dry rock have been in a plastic tub of 76 degree saltwater for over 48 hours. After the first 12 hours the water smelled very bad and was very cloudy so I did a full water change. Maybe I should have let it cycle but I am not sure if I actually want to use this rock in my tank. I was hoping there would be 0 ammonia. I tested ammonia last night - 1.0 so apparently I have some die off. Not sure what I am going to do at this point. Ideally I'd like to find a piece of live/wet rock that will fit my aquascape. I am going to call a couple LFS's to see what they have. Was also looking at KP Aquatics live rock on their website - read a lot of good things about KP on the forums. Another option I am considering CaribSea Life Rock, as it looks much better than the "Real Reef" rock in my opinion. If I go that route, I won't expect coralline or any corals to grow on the CaribSea and would probably use the new piece to glue frags to. Part of my goal is to add some rock real-estate to grow corals on. The current aquascape is nice for inverts/fish/critters (lots of caves) but lacks good surfaces for frags. 

[growsomething]

"The manufactured rock has new black spots (algae) and the purple paint/color is fading under high light areas and looks unattractive, seems to repel desirable life, and life in general"

Well, that does not sound promising.  At first I thought you were doing something unnecessary,  but I'd do exactly what you are if that's the case.  FWIW I used KP rock shipped in paper and didnt have more than a 3-4 day cycle in a bucket.  Lots of things survived like brittlestars, bristleworms (which I think are great unless you have small shrimp) and crabs.  It is very light and porous compared with rock I've had in the past.  Good luck!

[banasophia]

Personally I think you would be fine using any of the rock options you have mentioned - your original rock, your new rock, or anything you get instead. Your rock is the foundation of your reef, so I think it’s good to be happy with the scape and how it looks.
 

That being said, your tank has looked amazing to me from the get go… I would just leave it. Your tank is still so new, it can take a long time for the system to mature and corals to really grow. I would focus on figuring out how to stock it with corals that will do well and look nice with the foundation you already created. You can get corals that are growing on a small rock, or that have a tall skeleton, or gorgonians, or sponges, or nonphotosynthetic for the areas that are more vertical or shaded. 

[RaymondNoodles]

On 11/11/2021 at 12:05 PM, banasophia said:

Personally I think you would be fine using any of the rock options you have mentioned - your original rock, your new rock, or anything you get instead. Your rock is the foundation of your reef, so I think it’s good to be happy with the scape and how it looks.
 

That being said, your tank has looked amazing to me from the get go… I would just leave it. Your tank is still so new, it can take a long time for the system to mature and corals to really grow. I would focus on figuring out how to stock it with corals that will do well and look nice with the foundation you already created. You can get corals that are growing on a small rock, or that have a tall skeleton, or gorgonians, or sponges, or nonphotosynthetic for the areas that are more vertical or shaded. 

Thank you for the advice and compliments! Still contemplating and not rushing this decision. Your tank build threads got me like 😳😍