Live Rock not so Live anymore!

Hi All,

So after spending much time looking through this forum I started my own FOWLR tank last week. I've already got issues and I don't think I should continue my denial or continue listening to the unconfident affirmations from my LFS.

I started the tank on Saturday last week and after getting my salinity and PH right, I ordered live rock on Monday (from florida live rock) and put it in on Tuesday. There was already some die off from the hitchikers (crabs and worms).

By Wednesday morning there were many worms looking very distressed and by Thursday nothing was alive (at least not outside the rocks). This was a shame, but I know it is expected, so this isn't my problem question.

My ammonia spiked very high (again, I'm okay with this) and I blew the chart on my 8PPM max test kit. I had a bacteria cloud on Thursday (yay! I think) and that cleared up on Friday. My LFS told me NOT to do a water change and let the bacteria spawn. He said it won't affect all my wonderful plants I have on my live rock, as they aren't sensitive to Ammonia like fish would be.

In the last two days all the really pretty seaweed and some grape algae has started to look very bad, they almost look like they are disintegrating. The broadleaf macroalgae is starting to yellow and wilt and there are growths that look like spiderwebs appearing all over the rock. If I don't fix whatever is causing their rapid decline, I doubt they will survive the weekend.

The plants on my rocks are really very pretty and I'd hate for them to die. What can I do to save them? If they die, will they ever re-grow?

I've attached some pics of the plants and the "spider webs" and any help would be appreciated.

I have 1.023 salinty, 7.8-8.0 PH (still can't read the tests 100%), 8PPM+ Ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates.

For some reason this first posted in "Reef Lighting", it was my first post I must have messed something up and got it in the wrong forum, sorry!

 

Completely up to you- and I'm not sure what your overall plan is for your future tank, but lots of those macro algaes in that picture become nuissances once the tank matures and they get to plague like proportions. Regardless, if you like the look of them- its fine to keep them.

Regarding water changes. This has got to be one of the worst falsifications of any advice I have ever heard. Many people on this forum will tell you to ABSOLUTELY not do a water change during a cycle. Fact is, 99% of the nitrifying bacteria that is forming, is doing so on your rock, sand, equipment. Very little of this bacteria is being formed in the water (although, I do admit, there is a small portion). Doing a water change- WILL NOT remove the bacteria that has grown on the sand and rock thus far in your cycle. It will however reduce a large level of ammonia and nitrites, making your tank some-what less toxic to any hitchikers you wish to keep on any new cycling LR. A water change during your cycle will also not lengthen the cycle at all either- so there is no need for concern regarding that.

There are far too many pieces of advice that are spread from person to person without any factual evidence behind them. This is why it's important to do research on things such as this before spreading false information to other reefers.

 

It's good that the botryocladia (sea grape algae) is dieing (unless your goal is for a planted tank).* If you're going for a reef tank, you definitely don't want this....it will choke out your corals.* Halimeda (broadleaf algae) is fine in small amounts but the amount I saw on your picture would have been too much.* (BTW, what you thought was a bacteria cloud was more than likely secondary metabolites from the Halimeda).*

This is mostly correct.* There will be some motile bacteria that are removed.* However, almost all of the bacteria will be living in biofilms on the glass, sand, live rock, etc.* Not only will doing a partial water change not lengthen a cycle, it will often shorten it because the Ammonia will not keep getting released as more and more LR critters continue to die due to high Ammonia.*

 

Excellent information, thank you. I felt the same way about the water change, so I'm glad to have some muscle on my side. As far as the plants are concerned, I will remove the ones that are dying and I admit I didn't realize they would plague my tank in the future, so I guess I don't feel so bad about their potential demise.

I've moved some of the grape algae to my refugium, hopefully it will be helpful for nitrate export (if it survives) and I'll avoid giving the halimeda any calcium so it can die off (will an emerald or other livestock eat the halimeda?).

Thanks again for your help, I'm really happy to be here.

 

As far as I know nothing will eat halimeda

 

Sounds like your liverock came with a lot of dead. and a lot of the wrong kind of live. Where'd you get the liverock, so i know where not to order when i start my reef? lol I'm guessing this was not cured liverock?

I've heard that doing a QT and curing process (even if it was "cured" when you ordered it needs "recured" at home) with massive water changes flushes the dead, avoids the ammonia spike (cause by dead critters from liverock transport - causing more dead critters...) and encourages the corraline algae to grow ON the rock.

Eh pros is that about right? or completely wrong?

 

Florida Live Rock. The rock looked good when it arrived, lots of stuff on it, but I guess I didn't know what I was looking at. Plants that want to take over the world and probably had stone crabs and mantis shrimp in it for hitchikers, so I guess I'm lucky I killed it.

 

The primary reason for liverock is the corraline algae/bacteria right? Secondary are the little hitchhikers. Third is maybe a bonus of some small coral colonies?

So, how can you cultivate the "good" hitchhikers to grow in your tank that come on the liverock? I'm looking at starting a pico or small nano tank and don't want to kill my liverock when i do. Anyone have quick starter suggestions or good articles to check out?

 

A lot of live rock will come with dead sponges, algaes, etc.* You should just scrub it off prior to curing unless you want a major Ammonia spike.* You will still get some die off which will kick start your cycle.

 

Where did you order the liverock from? the LFS or what online distributor?