If you’re a budding aquarium enthusiast, you might have heard of the concept of “live rock”. Have you wondered what that actually means?
Well, to start, live rock isn’t actually alive. So that’s confusing, right? You might have heard that coral is kind of like a living rock, but live rock isn’t coral. Well, it was coral. Live rock is made from corals that are now dead, leaving a porous-looking rock.
So why would you want one in your aquarium? Live rocks come from the ocean, but are really helpful to have in your saltwater aquarium. There are two reasons for this: first, there are many organisms that live in the porous surfaces of live rock. These tend to be beneficial to the saltwater aquarium ecosystem, because they act as a natural filter, taking waste such as ammonia, nitrates and phosphates from the water and converting them into harmless compounds. It also helps to balance the pH of your aquarium.
However, if you are now thinking that you should be careful when you introduce new organisms into your aquarium, you’d be correct. It’s not recommended for you to actually go and get a random live rock on your next ocean vacation and then put it in your tank. Instead, ask us, and we can help you make sure that the live rock you get for your tank will work well with the rest of its inhabitants.
