The difference between live rock and coral?

[lilmolly]

I know this is a stupid question but I have to ask since I don't the answer. What is the difference between coral and live rock? or is it a different term for the same thing?

I've been keeping FW for years but I know nothing about SW except that its very hard to do and you have to have a lot of money, knowledge, and time to do it right. That's why I don't have one. I was just curious.

 

[chkltcow]

Corals are animals from the phylum Cnidaria. They're living creatures with either a soft fleshy body, or a fleshy skin over a hard calcium skeleton. Most rely on symbiotic algae called zooanthellae for their nutrition, and supplement with other nutrients captured from the water column by their polyps. Other corals like gorgonians lack the zooanthellae and get their nutrition strictly from what they can catch in the water column.

Live rock is just that... rock. It's formed from the skeletons of dead stony corals, and the term live comes from the bacteria growing within it that provides your biological filtration. It sits there and acts like a rock, basically

 

[Chac]

Hi there lilmolly

As chkltcow said Corals are living Creatures & Live Rock is inhabited by living creatures

The reason I post is 2 thing Firstly
I recently adding this post detailing how Rock becomes Live Rock


secondly: - In the last couple of years Tropical Marine Tanks have became more accesable to either Freshwater Trop. Keepers & Complete Newbies, The main things you need to concider when thinking of going salt is Reading,Reading, Reading I can't stress that enought and with boards like this awaiting any questions you need answered, this hobby is made easier than ever before, costs on the other hand as still quite high (in the UK anyway) but you can set a good size tank up on a reasonable budget and still keep your livestock happy & healthy

 

[lilmolly]

Alright here's another one for you. Can you keep live rock without corals and the other way around? If you can only keep the corals when you have live rock, do you need to first introduce the live rock first?

The reason I ask is because most people say things about how they just set up their new SW tank and added live rock to help cycle it. That makes sence since the live rock is rock with beneficial bacteria. Then they add other live rocks or corals after that. But I guess that makes sense since you said that corals are living organisms that would probably get killed from the cycling process. But do they have to be kept together? And go in that order?

 

[Def]

Live rock is your marine filtration. You don't "keep" it any more than you keep an eheim in your freshwater tank.

(note, lr is not the ONLY method of filtration)

 

[Chac]

There is no dependency from/for you can have a salt system without LR but with corals & visa Versa, coral will live without LR and LR is fine without Corals

Live Rock is for filtration, corals are for display.

Corals are best left (IMO) for about amonth or 2 after the cycle to let the parameters to stabilise.

 

[Opcn]

LR isn't just for filtration, it provides homes for your sea life so that pods are produced, fish can hide, and corals can be anchored.

 

[Chac]

I didnt say it was JUST for filtration, but that is how this discussion was going

 

[Def]

Opcn, all of that can be provided with ornaments, base rock or aragocrete.

 

[Chac]

This is true but none of those can also double up on being the main filtration for the tank or can carry the bio-diversity that live rock has, things keep sprouting from my LR months after I add it to the tank.

And also none of the rocks you mention look as good as good qualtiy Fijian or Indonesian Live Rock

IMO LR is the only way to go

Del

 

[Opcn]

True def, but those things don't look as good.