Marco Rocks and Seeding

[wwanthony]

I received 150 pounds about a week ago and just had a chance to open the boxes this week. This is really good stuff. I am 51 and grew up in the 60s with tinker toys and erector sets. This stuff is exactly the same!!!!! I don't have the rock in the tank yet, I have it laid out on a counter so I can play with it. I have never been able to create such great scaping so easily. The rocks lock together so easily.

A couple of questions:

1. Do I really need to bond the rocks together? I bought the 400 kit. I was thinking of some acrylic rods, but.....

2. How are folks seeding their rocks. My last tank ended with a breakout of Aiptasia so I am very paranoid about pest and seeding with a few pieces of live rock. Garf? Other Suggestions?

Love this stuff. Thanks Marco

[yh1185]

Figured i'd chime in even if the questions weren't directed towards me. (I too love marco's rocks and they've been amazing in my tank)
1) No, but bonding the rocks will prevent avalanches. It's the same as live rock. If you pile a bunch on top of each other to achieve your look it'd be fine as long as you think it's stable enough. By bonding the rocks together you get a nice stable structure.

2)I used some live rock, and i also was able to get some coralline algae from my LFS. Just large chunks, which i took a toothbrush to in the water, and that was good enough to get my rocks purple after a month or two. As for the bacteria i choose to go with some nitrifying bacteria to help the cycling process. So if you really wanted to avoid aiptasia and other bad things you risk with live rock. I'd just get some coralline from a LFS, or a friend, and throw some nitrifying bacteria with some ghost feeding, or raw shrimp to help the cycle along.

HTH