Storing LR

Does anyone know the longest amount of time live rock can be kept in storage bins with saltwater before it is completely dead or coraline will die off? For instance if someone was moving and had to break down a tank and transport it. Will it die in a month or two or will it be fine?

 

if its oxygenated with power heads etc
and bits of food are periodically dropped in there , the bacteria will live indefinitely

but the coraline may stay purple all the time its in the tubs, but may turn white, die off once its put back in the tank

that was my experience anyway with rock stored for just under 1 month

Steve

 

So basically it will live for a long time as long as it has 02 and some food source?

 

bacteria will do
it does not need light it just needs nutrients and a delivery system - hence the flow required

Steve

 

How about the substrate? CC and sand mix

 

IMHO, that would want discarding , depending on how long its been in situation
and a new just sand bed added when tank is re set up

it could be removed, bleach/ water cleaned, rinsed a few times and left to dry, (same process as nuking live rock) but that CC in there would make me consider starting again with a new bed

 

I was thinking the same thing.
Thanks!

 

WHat about temperature. Does the tepm need to stay at a certain level? I know bacteria colonize rocks from the arctic to the red sea, so I am curious if it is temperature sensitive.

 

not easy to find definitive information on this aspect bama
and since your question , I have been trying

best I can come up with is from a site called Aquarium Niche
and they state

optimum temperature for bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle is between 68 and 86 F

minimum temperature before die off starts occuring is 50F
maximum is 95 F


Steve

 

Steve, you rock my socks all the way from China!
K+