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downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:22 AM
My coralline covered rocks are turning white in many places. The rock with the coralline is new and probably is undergoing some kind of shock???

The rest of my rock is base rock and doesn't have coralline on it yet. The coralline doesn't look like it is coming off, just turning white, or something is forming over top that is white. Is there white coralline algae?

Calcium: 520
Dkh: 12-13

demonsp
04/28/2008, 12:24 AM
Was this new LR and how much?
Tanks age?

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:29 AM
tank age: 1 year+

had 40lb rock in for full year and was in old tank for 8 months before that (never developed coralline)

added 40lb of "dead" live rock that cured and cycled with 10lb of coralline COVERED rock from LFS to seed the new rock

all rocks in tank are showing small spots of coralline. coralline COVERED rocks are doing the turning white.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 12:34 AM
Dont understand.
So you upgraded?
Dead LR would be base rock and you cured it with 10 lbs of cured?Base rock doesnt need curing.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:37 AM
dead LR isnt base rock, its bacteria and dead body infested rock. i pressure washed and let it cycle, and trust me it cycled hard, just for future info they arent the same.

yes i stuck the 10lb coralline COVERED rock into the trash can with the curing rock to seed it with coralline and hopefully get it going again. that part worked, but the original coralline rock is now turning white.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 12:45 AM
Dead LR is base rock. Its LR thats void of life and perfect for a reef tank. Then you have uncured LR that needs curing before use and then theres fully cured LR thats ready to go.

Im not sure on your dead LR but sounds like it may have been un cured LR that released high amounts of ammonia killing the coralline . Then theres the fact that coralline doesnt do well out of the water in high light. If you do water changes then you will see that coralline will not grow well in the area thats exposed to light in the level the water dropped.

FutureInterest
04/28/2008, 12:47 AM
Typically it happens when there is too much light.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:51 AM
dead LR is NOT base rock. base rock can be put strait in the tank and doesnt cycle. this stuff had an ammonia spike that went way up. then had nitrites and nitrates. this is not the same. it is void of life, yes, but it still has remnants of life that cause major problems if you try to put it strait into the tank.

and it wasnt uncured live rock. it was in my friends garage in a cardboard box for a year.

thanks for the too much light input. i bet i light shocked it. the rock went from CF to MH lights.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 12:55 AM
Well you think you have the LR thing down so fine. But any rock that sat in your friends gargae for 1 yr in a box or just out in the open would only be base rock. Your the first person ive seen even say dead LR. LR means live rock and after one yr theres no life to be alive.
Base rock is any rock you use thats void of any life.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:58 AM
so where did the cycle come from? i have seen probably 4 forum topics in reef discussion in the last 6 weeks that used dead live rock in their title, one was mine.

btw. the rock had coralline that revitalized after 1 year of being dried up, and that was before i added the "seeder" rock. the 40lb of dead rock maintained the coralline for that long. wow.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 01:05 AM
Corraline is slow growing and needs time.
I didnt see anything that warrant a cycle. Corrline turing white doesnt mean a cycle. A water test with ammonia readings would show a cycle among other readings.

Why do you think it cycled?

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:12 AM
correct coralline is slow growing, but this was left from the last time, and was dried out and white, and when rehydrated it came back, and is still doing good.

i didnt ever say that coralline turning white meant cycle. the rock cycled when it was curing for a month. it has been in the main tank for 2 weeks now and NOW is when it has lost it's color, after the cycle.

i think it cycled because in the garbage can with a protein skimmer and powerheads and heater on it, the ammonia went up to 4ppm, the nitrites to 1, and the nitrates to 80ppm. is that not a cycle???

Here are a couple links where people discussed in this site, the difference and issues concerning "dead" live rock:



http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1378761&highlight=dead+live+rock

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1372653&highlight=dead+live+rock

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1367661&highlight=dead+live+rock

demonsp
04/28/2008, 01:17 AM
Its cycled whene ammonia and nitrite are at zero. 4 to 6 weeks in a new setup in most cases ,and 2 to 4 weeks in a seperate container.A good wat to tell is by smelling the rock. If it has any ammonia odor at all its not fully cured.

Well the correct term for dead LR is base rock. Base rock can be added to your tank at any time. These are all newbies asking in your links.

jthao
04/28/2008, 01:19 AM
I don't get what's the difference between real base rock and dead lr being base rock. Isn't base rock ugly and bulky? and isn't lr suppose to be "Live" with critters on it? and uncured rock is uncured lr? which means all the "live stuff" is dead right, so it's the same as base rock?

So basically live rock is rock that has critters on it and is still live/cured and is coming straight from some ones tank into yours? and so that must mean that uncured lr and dead lr are the same as base rock? But I thought that there's rock that is "live" that are considered base rock?

Any experts care to chime in??

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:21 AM
ok, well that is correct about cycle. i waited until they were 0, but they were at higher levels during the cycle, so i think we can both agree that there was a cycle.

they are nubies, and i was one of them. if you look at the 3rd link that is mine, and you told me the same thing you are saying now, it is BASE rock and wont cycle. everyone else said NO, cycle it.

i am glad i did because i may have very well killed a bunch of my corals with the cycle. maybe these terms for rock should be re-evaluated and updated, because they aren't the same thing.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 01:23 AM
Base rock means theres no life and safe to add to your already cycle tank.Base rock can be LR thats been dried and sitting around.I guess you could say its dead LR but it only means it was live once. The term base rock just means it has no life and needs no curing.

Uncured LR means it needs to be cured before adding to your tank.

Fully cured LR means full of life and ready to add to your already cycled tank.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:23 AM
yes live rock does have the critters on it, but when the rock "dies" where does all of the bodies, detritus, and debris go? it is left in the rock, and therefore, "dead" rock has to be cycled.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:25 AM
so if my rock was base rock by your definition, then why did it have a major cycle. that kindof defeats your definition of what kind of rock is supposed to fit which category.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 01:28 AM
All the dead stuff just collected in the rock and this is why a good rinse is nessacary. But theres no die off or any live mixed with dead and deing life.
A base rock ,whether it was live once or not means theres no life to cause dieoff. Your term Dead LR makes no sence. Dead rock would have no life. And rock or sand that has no life is considered base as it works as the base of your system but will become live over time.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:33 AM
i pressure washed each piece with a commercial high pressure washer with a burner on it and scrubbed the rock, so it was clean, but still had the cycle.

i am not saying it had a cycle due to die off, the dead stuff was still there.

dead LR does make sense. i mean it just simply means that the rock was live but now is dead, and contains things that are harmful.

just do me a favor and dont advise anybody to put "dead" LR directly into their tank. If i had listened to you my tank would have crashed and I would have lost all of my sps, and lps corals, and possibly my anemones and polyps.

SWINGRRRR
04/28/2008, 01:37 AM
I am by no means an expert, or even any kind of opinion, but in my opinion "Base Rock" should be used as something that has never touched tank water. Something like, DIY rock or old, old dead coral skeleton that the sell at the LFS in the dry bins.
"Dead LR" is removed/dried LR. All the bodies are such are still in it. When it gets wet again, the rehydrate and begin to break down.

I think you both have valid arguments, but something is lost in the translations.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:39 AM
I agree...something is lost in translations, that is why i said we need to update the terms. they need to properly publish the terms and what they mean so people dont get confused and have major problems.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 01:41 AM
I feel just fine telling others that base rock is fine to add to your already cycled tank.

Dead rock means no life , LR means theres life. Dead LR means all the life is dead and alive.

I didnt come for here for advice you did, and the advice i gave isnt just my experiance or my opinon , its truth and from many hours in here and researching and practicing.

If the rock was in your friends garage for a yr and then you power sprayed it would be impossible for this rock to cause any cycle. either your friend mis informed you or your fooling me. Now im being polite and only trying to help you so be cool.
I must ask that you open a new thread on this Dead LR subject to get other responses then mine as this thread so long many wont read it all to help.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 01:44 AM
nope. it's just your opinion. if it was the truth, then it wouldn't have cycled in my experience.

i will open a new thread to spark some discussion.

demonsp
04/28/2008, 01:55 AM
Like i said. Never take one persons opinon.
Your right though , dead LR shouldnt cause a cycle unless is wasnt dead. If it caused a cycle then there was life and it didnt sit in your friends gargae for 1 yr. Its one or the other.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 02:13 AM
it was dead, i remember when he traded off the rest of the fish tank for a tatoo and it has been over a year.

i am saying that it is dead rock, and did cycle. i dont think the cycle was from die off, i think it was from remnant "life" and then when it was re-hydrated it began to decay.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 02:15 AM
basically it got turned into beef jerky when the rock was dried out, but none the less it still had the same amount of substance there, just missing some water.

mmmm....jerky break

waif
04/28/2008, 03:21 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12422784#post12422784 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by downhillbiker
i pressure washed each piece with a commercial high pressure washer with a burner on it and scrubbed the rock, so it was clean, but still had the cycle.

i am not saying it had a cycle due to die off, the dead stuff was still there.

dead LR does make sense. i mean it just simply means that the rock was live but now is dead, and contains things that are harmful.

just do me a favor and dont advise anybody to put "dead" LR directly into their tank. If i had listened to you my tank would have crashed and I would have lost all of my sps, and lps corals, and possibly my anemones and polyps.

Dead live rock.....snicker

m2434
04/28/2008, 06:22 AM
FWIW, you guy's are arguing over marketing terms :lol: Some vendors market dead live rock as "base rock", some market never live rock as"base rock".... Essentially anything not marketable as "live rock" gets tossed into this bin.

As to the coraline, white=dead. Ijust had a big patch on my back glass turn white and die. It dissapeared compleatly within days, but all the other coraline was fine. The cause, I shifted my MH, approx, 1 inch! Coraline can be very sensitive, in fact, I'd say more so than my acroporas in the same tank
:eek1:

silverking
04/28/2008, 06:41 AM
i think most of what demonsp is saying is nonsense. i wouldn't take his advise at all.
I got a hundred pounds of as you call "dead live rock" in bins of water right now that has been washed scrubbed and washed and is still reading ammonia of 8
if that was just washed and went right into tank there would be big problems

Longchamp
04/28/2008, 07:57 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12423197#post12423197 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by silverking
i think most of what demonsp is saying is nonsense. i wouldn't take his advise at all.
I got a hundred pounds of as you call "dead live rock" in bins of water right now that has been washed scrubbed and washed and is still reading ammonia of 8
if that was just washed and went right into tank there would be big problems

Im in almost the exact same situation as you

ignore demonsp. There is a huge difference between clean base rock and LR that sat in a garage and dried out. All that organic matter is still there which caused the cycle.

mikeshook
04/28/2008, 11:59 AM
Agreed as above. I would look at light intensity. Also, there are many species of Coralline that thrive at different light levels. I find that if I twist a rock over...the underside is a deep purple and the top side is more of a pink. If left flipped, the newly exposed top side will bleach out and be replaced by the brighter pinker coralline...

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:03 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12423560#post12423560 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Longchamp
Im in almost the exact same situation as you

ignore demonsp. There is a huge difference between clean base rock and LR that sat in a garage and dried out. All that organic matter is still there which caused the cycle.

i am in the same boat as both of you. i told him that his advise would have crashed my tank and asked him to do me a favor and not give that bad advise again, and he said that he would still give the same advise, and that there is no difference in base rock and dead rock. apparently he has no respect for others in this hobby if he is giving out advise that will crash tanks, and will still do so after he knows it will cycle.

downhillbiker
04/28/2008, 12:04 PM
As far as the coralline i think that my issue is just a little bit of light shock. the coralline just went from CF to MH light and it will probably take some adjusting, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Peter Eichler
04/28/2008, 12:30 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12425210#post12425210 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by downhillbiker
As far as the coralline i think that my issue is just a little bit of light shock. the coralline just went from CF to MH light and it will probably take some adjusting, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Coralline will bleach and die rather quickly when light intensity changes. Sometimes just replacing a bulb will cause this. Also, the coralline you saw growing was not "rehydrated" coralline that started to grow, it came from another source. Coralline will grow in a fish only tank that has never had a live rock or coral to seed it.

Also, the term base rock has been around for a LONG time and was most commonly used to refer to less attractive live rock that didn't have much visible life. Basically, base rock is less attarctive cheaper rock (dead or live). Lastly, you made a good call on cycling it, even some of the commercially available rocks that appear bleached and void of life can cause a cycle.