Whats Better Live Rock or Cured Rock

[nofriendsbz3]

I was wondering what you guys think is better.

 

I have 10lbs. of Live Fiji rock and 10lbs of live sand. I got a couple hitch hikers with the rock.

 

So far i have a Bristle worm, a Mantis Shrimp and a little pink thing with little finger looking things that just sits in a hole in the rock. (i noticed the pink thing changed rocks).

 

I have had 2 clown die in there. I found both of them dead with a hole in the side of their gills. They didnt have ich and all of the water parameters were perfect. The only other things i have in the tank is a cleaner shrimp, 2 red legged hermits, 3 snails and an emerald crab.

 

Someone told me that they think it was the bristle worm that killed the fish.

 

Anyway if thats the case would i be better off getting cured rock or just sticking it out with the rock that i have?

 

thank you

 

nick

[Meercat_Maric]

Well cured rock is still live rock. I think the question your asking here is which is better, Cured rock or Un cured rock.

 

Its common knowledge that cured rock is always better than un-cured. Though, as with everything else in this hobby, everyone has their own opinion on the subject.

 

The problem with uncured rock is that it has a lot of growth that would not normally survive in most (if not all) marine aquariums. This leads to the rock eventually having a lot of decay and die-off. This produces a lot of added waste to the water and will spike your ANN levels. IMO the only way you can have uncured rock in your tank would be in the beginning when your cycling the system from scratch. This way you wont put any livestock at risk, however this will produce a longer wait time for your tank to fully cycle, not to mention the stinky water that is always evident.

 

The fact is that all LR once started out uncured and it is a process that it must all go through. Whether it is cured in your tank or at the suppliers warehouse, itll become cured eventually. One of the bennefits of using uncured rock in the begining is the abundance of hitchikers you will get on each peice. Heck, you might even come across a fish or two (which I have). Though keep in mind that not all hitchikers are good, for example the ever feared mantis shrimp.

 

I would stick with the rock you have now. Though I would remove it from the main tank and place it in a quarantine tank where it can cure safely.

 

As for your problem with your clown fish dying - I have never heard of bristle worms attacking a fish, unless it were already dead and lying in the substrate. I would say the culprit (given the evidence of the holes in the gills) might be the mantis shrimp... if so, good luck in catching it.

 

X)

[nofriendsbz3]

when i found both of my fishes dead i took them out within a couple of hours. Im not too positive if i have a mantis shrimp in my tank, but once in a while i will hear a TAP and then i wont hear it for a while again. At first i thought that it was the hermit crabs shell hitting the glass, but i look in the tank they are both on rocks away from the glass.

 

Someone told me that the mantis shrimp make the click or tapping noise.

 

How should i set up a quarantine tank for the rocks.

 

Right now i have a 12 gallon JBJ nano cube and thats the only tank that i have. i have noticed that i do have extra crap on the sand under and around the rocks.

 

The guy at the fish store thats close to my house said that the bristle worms attack fish and shoot through the gills and kill them. (sounds like horror movie to me). So are bristle worms okay to have in your tank eventhough i only have a 12 gallon tank??

 

How would i go about getting rid of the mantis shrimp??

[Meercat_Maric]

Mantis shrimp will make a distinctive clicking noise. It isn't that hard to distinguish because it is sharp and direct... nothing like a hermit crab shell hitting the glass (if a hermit crab hit the glass that loud, it wouldnt have a shell anymore) 80% Assured its a mantis.

 

Getting rid of a mantis shrimp is probably right up there on the difficulty scale with getting your clownfish to mate. Its no pretty picture. The mantis shrimp is fairly elusive by day, hiding in the rock work and is rarely seen in open areas. It can only be heard now and then, and of course the ever present fish carcass that turns up either sliced in two or half eaten. I have yet to hear someone catching one with a net or even catching one period. The ony assured way that I have come across is to remove all your livestock, drain the tank half way and piece by piece removing your rock work.

 

Some will then say that you should dip your LR (one at a time) in fresh water and wait to see if the bugger pops out.. this will do the trick but could also damage any benneficial growth on the rock in the process. In your case this wouldn't be a bad thing consider the uncured factor.

 

There are also some devices you can use as well.. various bait and trap box doo-hickeys and other voodo magic...

Catching a mantis is never a pretty picture but its better than continuing to lose your fish and maybe someday a finger... blecht! X)

 

A quarantine tank is very easy to setup, all that is needed is another tank, a heater and a small power head for water movement. A filtration system is optional, but tin this case not necessary because the water will be curing the LR and not housing any live stock. You might want to do a water change though after 3-4 days of it curing. Some people will say that you should use a tooth brush and clean the rock periodically brushing away the dying debree. This is a matter of opinion though. IMO I would keep the debree on the rock and let it fall off naturally as it cures. In this way you will not be removing the benneficial bacteria from the rock along with the debree.

 

Keep the rock in the quarantine tank and keep up with your water changes until the rock apears to be debree free and the odour in the tank has subsided. This may take upwards of 2-3 weeks depending on how 'fresh' your rock may be.

 

Bristle worms shooting through the gills?? It sure as heck-fire ain't a bristle worm but damn I gotta get me one of them!

[nofriendsbz3]

Thanks alot for your help!!

 

I have to say you have been one the most helpfull people on this site, if not the most helpfull.

 

I currently have a cleaner shrimp in there along with some snails and hermit crabs and an emerald crab.

 

Should i be worried about them when i make the quarantine tank.

 

Will the mantis shrimp kill the the cleaner shrimp??

 

My tank is on its second week.

 

all my levels are perfect.

 

now i guess i just have to try to get rid of the mantis shrimp.

 

Thanks alot for your post Meercat_Maric

 

-nick-

[Daemonfly]

The guy at the fish store thats close to my house said that the bristle worms attack fish and shoot through the gills and kill them. (sounds like horror movie to me). So are bristle worms okay to have in your tank eventhough i only have a 12 gallon tank??

 

I'd never take any other advice from this guy, ever again.

 

Most bristle worms are perfectly fine for our tanks, and usually desired as they are one of the best "clean-up crew". Theres a few that get HUGE, or the fireworms that sting very badly, but these are more rare occurances. None attack fish like this guy said.

[xeon]

So far i have a Bristle worm, a Mantis Shrimp and a little pink thing with little finger looking things that just sits in a hole in the rock. (i noticed the pink thing changed rocks).

 

Bristle worm, OK... Mantis Shrimp need a species tank, ie. a dedicated tank. Is the pink thing an Aiptasia? Search for pics, if it is they will multiply like the plague, sting corals and so forth... eradicate it if it is.

 

I have had 2 clown die in there. I found both of them dead with a hole in the side of their gills. They didnt have ich and all of the water parameters were perfect. The only other things i have in the tank is a cleaner shrimp, 2 red legged hermits, 3 snails and an emerald crab.

 

Tough to tell what killed it, but out of the list, a mantis looks to be the only potential culprit. On an outside chance maybe the mantis is is a spearer? Otherwise the holes could have been made by the bristle worm or hermits lunching on the dead fish.

 

Someone told me that they think it was the bristle worm that killed the fish.

 

Uhmm, NO.

 

Anyway if thats the case would i be better off getting cured rock or just sticking it out with the rock that i have?

 

I don't know what is truly better, I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Cured rock does not mean it has no life on it or in it btw. With uncured rock, you are more likely to get hitch hikers, some of which will be undesirables... like mantis, octopus and so forth. Stick with what you have and you can either, make it a mantis tank or remove it; depending if there truly is a mantis in the tank.

[nofriendsbz3]

Before my Fish died i noticed they had an abrasion on their gills like a hole was starting or getting better and when they died the holes on their side was bigger. As far as a mantis only tank. i dont want one of those. I would like to be able to keep fish in there, but i dont want to buy anymore fish if the mantis is going to kill it.

 

Thank you very much for your detailed reply xeon

 

-nick-

[Shooter]

I'd never take any other advice from this guy, ever again.

 

Well, if this is the same lfs person, the fact that he sold him a nanocube AND two fish to put in it on the same day when he first got it should have been a good clue that something wasn't right. Could be that these fish died, as several of us said they probably would, and something was simply scavenging on them before they were found.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...?threadid=42659

[nofriendsbz3]

Oh yeah does anyone know of a for sure way to catch a mantis shrimp??

[xeon]

Figure out what rock it is hiding it, dip the rock in a bucket with low salinity water. It will scoot out of the rock... mantis problem solved.

[nofriendsbz3]

sweet thanks...