live rock that is dry?????

[farmernick]

Can live rocks be dry and still contain bacteria or whatever they have in the water? I am getting some from the web and he ships them dry.

Thanks,
Nicholas

 

[Harmonic]

Yes. There are all kinds of micro/macro organisms living on and in live rock. Many of these don't actually die, but go completely dormant when the rock dry out. They will spring to life again when the rock is placed back into the proper conditions.

 

[whacky]

Dried out live rock will generally populate quicker than other base rocks that you may use, ensure you give it a good rinse before placing it into your tank though as anything that is dead will decay in your tank and pollute the water

it is a good alternative to lots of live rock, it is cheapr and will get all the life sooner with a bit of good quality life rock added to the tank.

 

[Great Lakes]

Hope I am not too late.

There is dried out live rock, then there is shipped dry live rock.

Dried out stuff should be rinsed then added to tank. If it is live rock that is teeming with life, but say wrapped in wet paper towels to save weight on shipping, this is a different story. In this case, if you are getting it to start a new tank, just put it in the prepared tank when it arrives. Do not rinse. Any dead stuff on the rock that did not make the trip will just aid in your cycling. If you have an established tank and just wish to add this to it, you should have a curing vat or tank. This tank would have a powerhead for circulation, some lighting, and a heater. You put your new rock in this for weeks to months to make sure all is well.