| General Reef Discussion In this forum we discuss issues related to keeping marine and reef aquariums in a friendly flame-free environment. |
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11-08-2007, 01:12 PM
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#1
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Shark
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,569
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base rock into live rock argument
I had a guy come into the store yesterday and swear to god it is impossible to turn dead base rock into live rock. I argued with him as long as i could stand it but did not get through. so now i am asking. for example in a 75g tank if you would put 60lbs of very porous base rock and 20lbs of LR would the base rock turn into live rock.
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11-08-2007, 01:31 PM
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#2
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Maple Grove, MN
Posts: 96
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In short - yes. I could envision a few ways to make an argument the other way, but they would be weak at best.
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11-08-2007, 01:34 PM
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#3
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Professor Chaos
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Arkham Asylum
Posts: 9,749
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yes, the other guy is a friggen moron... what makes rock live is the bacteria that is inside populating it and processing waste. when you add dead baserock to a tank even without live rock, it will eventually re-populate with that bacteria again.
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I mix twinkies and ding dongs all the time, in Europe they call it a Dinky -- Homer Simpson
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11-08-2007, 01:38 PM
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#4
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Caitlin Renee 6/29/07
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Wooster, Ohio
Posts: 3,168
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yes it can be done. Live rock is only called live rock because of the bacteria on the rock. I have 60# of base rock in my tank now. 30# kaelini and 30# marshall island that was in my tank previously before my tear down and the rock died and is just now dead base rock but i am getting about 30# pounds or so of uaniva and tonga slab uncured rock
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90g RR w/30g custom sump,30# Kaelini,30# Marshall,20# Uaniva,20# Tonga Branch,2 6045s,1 Seio 820,Milwaukee pH monitor,Milwaukee ORP monitor,(2) 150w Ebo Jager heaters,PanWorld 50px return pump, 2x54w T5 w/individual SLR IC reflectors,2x250w XM 10k w/ARO 250w electronic ballast,Reef Octopus NW200 skimmer
still a work in progress, but getting ever so close
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11-08-2007, 02:34 PM
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#5
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shark
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: PA
Posts: 1,847
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live rock to me equals pods, worms, feather dusters etc.
bacteria will populate anything in time, even a plastic scuba diver bubbler
but i'll never consider that plastic scuba diver "live", and if i do, you have my permission to commit me 
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220g bare bottom softee tank
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11-08-2007, 02:37 PM
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#6
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Professor Chaos
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Arkham Asylum
Posts: 9,749
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Perhaps Pastina. but then it comes down to everyones definition of live and in the end, if you add real live rock to a tank with base rock it will eventually be seeded with all the fauna you mention essentially making it live.
so yes, even by your definition you can still make base rock into live rock.
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I mix twinkies and ding dongs all the time, in Europe they call it a Dinky -- Homer Simpson
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11-08-2007, 02:41 PM
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#7
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I've got the REEF rash!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 25,608
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Yes it would turn it into LR.
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11-08-2007, 03:35 PM
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#8
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Eat more PIE
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Florida Panhandle
Posts: 18,599
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Dont waste your time arguing with someone like that,he's not gonna understand or listen to logic.
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Double your drive space. Delete Windows
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11-08-2007, 07:11 PM
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#9
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Carpe Noctem
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Western Colorado
Posts: 5,275
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I seeded 405lbs of dry base rock with 60lbs of live rock in my 450. Now you can't tell which was base and which was live. I have thick crusting coraline, featherdusters, sponges and everything growing on everything. In fact, we used 5lbs of my rock to seed 100lbs of base rock in my neighbors tank.
Also, some dealers have huge vats that they place tons of base rock into and seed it by adding liverock and sell it for a profit. So in reality, you dealt with a tough customer who just doesn't get it 
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"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." - Albert Einstein
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11-08-2007, 08:06 PM
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#10
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The Muddy Mod
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Uxbridge, MA
Posts: 5,052
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Quote:
live rock to me equals pods, worms, feather dusters etc.
bacteria will populate anything in time, even a plastic scuba diver bubbler
but i'll never consider that plastic scuba diver "live", and if i do, you have my permission to commit me
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I couldn't have said it better myself!!! 
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11-08-2007, 08:19 PM
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#11
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Something of everything
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 270
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90g mostly non-photosynt reef, 20g Christmas tree worms and sps, 5g no light for chilis and gorgonians, 10g+sump sea apples species tank, 12g FW shrimps.
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11-08-2007, 11:17 PM
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#12
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Maple Grove, MN
Posts: 96
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pastina
live rock to me equals pods, worms, feather dusters etc.
bacteria will populate anything in time, even a plastic scuba diver bubbler
but i'll never consider that plastic scuba diver "live", and if i do, you have my permission to commit me |
This was one way I was envisioning an argument could be made, but like I said, I think it's a weak argument at best.
One could also argue that you would never get the same diversity of microfauna from seeding base rock as you would from purchasing live rock, but I personally think that is also a weak argument.
I think this is actually one of the rare questions you could get a vast majority of agreement on among aquarists!! 
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11-08-2007, 11:26 PM
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#13
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SHARK
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 2,017
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thats like saying ants cant live in houses
house is built-no ants
after house iss build and has food-ants
god i really dont like stuiped people or as
twitter said "the other guy is a friggen moron..."
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Chris
chrischris not tomtom
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11-09-2007, 10:36 AM
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#14
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Stinky Slimey FEESH
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 1,900
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Sounds like that guy was confused or maybe didn't understand what "live rock" really is.....you should've sold him a scuba bubbler instead! At least it's "live" because it moves, right?!?!?!? HA HA
I have converted tons of dead holy rock in to live rock, takes time but that's it, eventually all the rock becomes live when exposed to the tank's bacteria and other living things......
HHC
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You can't kill a fish born to hang.....
135-gal Oceanic reef, MH, PC, Lunar
12-gal Nanocube
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11-09-2007, 02:32 PM
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#15
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Enjoy it now
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 4,087
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reefyone
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'Nuff said
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