Live rock
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Live rock is a usually coralline rock with marine organisms living on or within the rock, and is a term used mainly in the aquarium trade. Live rock is used in saltwater aquariums as the main source of nitrifying bacteria, important roleplayers in the nitrogen cycle that processes waste from aquarium inhabitants into less toxic forms. Live rock is also usually the main decorative element in a saltwater aquarium, and can be used to build caves, arches, overhangs, or other structures in the tank.
Live rock is harvested for use in the aquarium trade; it may be collected wild from near reefs where it has become detached from the main body of coral, or small coralline rocks may be "seeded" by an aquaculturalist in warm ocean water, and harvested later. Live rock harbors a wide variety of corals, algae, sponges, and other invertebrates, when they are collected. Not all of these are desirable, and through a process known as curing, live rock is usually kept in observation tanks for several weeks to attempt to remove all undesirable organisms before the rock is placed in a display aquarium.
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