So, when putting any salt water aquarium together, it is generally assumed that you’ll need more than fish and water to make your aquarium thrive. Rocks, sand, corals, and other “accessories” add both character and a healthy cleanliness to your aquarium. One of the best ways to keep your salt water fish tank up to par is to use live rocks and/or live sand. The salt water aquarium shown on our webcam features both of these elements.
What exactly are live rocks? Simply, live rocks are rocks that have been taken from the ocean and introduced to your salt water aquarium. In fact, most of these rocks aren’t rocks at all, but the skeletons and calcified remains of coral or other organisms that inhabit the ocean. Now that you know what live rocks are, I’m sure your wondering just what their function is. Well, live rocks are a natural biological filtration system. These rocks contain bacteria that aid in the nitrogen cycle, which filters waste. In addition to this, live rocks also help to maintain the pH of a salt water aquarium by releasing calcium.
Naturally you want your salt water fish tank to be pleasing to the eye, and a whole bunch of dead sea creatures sitting at the bottom of your tank may not be the most glamorous thing that you can imagine. However, living rocks can actually be quite beautiful, because remember, they were once pieces of coral. Thus, live rocks can be purple, red, green, and a hundred other colors in between.
When installing live rocks into your salt water aquarium it is important to remember that they are acting as a natural filtration system. Because of this function, you don’t want to place the rocks against an aquarium wall because this will hamper the flow of water through and around the rock. It is recommended that live rocks be placed in an open area of the tank. Some also say that live rocks work best when they aren’t directly placed on the bottom of the fish tank.
Live sand works in much the same way as live rocks. This type of sand is collected from areas around coral reefs and acts as a biological filtration system for your salt water fish tank. Live sand can get a bit expensive, especially if you are looking to line a large aquarium. Many experts recommend using a 50/50 approach to the installation of live sand. This means that you’ll use 50% live sand and 50% non-living sand in your aquarium. This also introduces “seeding” to the aquarium. Seeding is the process by which the live sand will eventually turn the non-living sand into true live sand.
Purchasing live sand and live rocks can get expensive, but I have it on good authority (from Matt, the owner of the salt water aquarium featured on this site) that he highly recommends live rocks. They came alive within thirty days of his order. Check out this Ebay store selling live rocks, and this separate Ebay listing for live sand for some of the best prices out there!
And there you have it, folks! If you are interested in learning more about live rocks or live sand, or you have more information on the subject, post a comment! The main purpose of this blog is discussion and helping individuals to start their own salt water aquarium, so let’s get talking (or typing, I’m not quite sure how to word that one). Adios, amigos!