Many salt water aquarium fish keepers swear by the fact that live rock is absolutely necessary and a marine without live rock is incomplete and difficult to handle. You must be wondering what is live rock and why should I use it in my aquarium? This article will elaborate on what is live rock and why is it so important. Many salt water aquarium fish keepers swear by the fact that live rock is absolutely necessary and a marine without live rock is incomplete and difficult to handle. You must be wondering what is live rock and why should I use it in my aquarium? This article will elaborate on what is live rock and why is it so important.

Live rocks are parts of ocean reefs and when they break off they drift away from the main reef and accumulate coralline algae and marine sponges. Live rock is basically made of calcium carbonate. Live rock is made from dead skeletons of corals and other organisms. This rock is not live in itself but is a home to microscopic organisms that can help improve the biological filtration of your salt water aquarium. Live rock has often been known as the best biological filtration system and can improve your saltwater aquarium’s water quality tremendously.

Live rock is expensive but since it is so important many aquarists use it generously in their aquarium. Live rock is absolutely necessary in a reef system. If you are planning to build a reef system on a budget then it would be a good option to use dead rock fir at the base and live rock on top. Since dead rock has absolutely no beneficial organisms it should be used only as a base and not as the main part of the reef.

Live rock that is available on the market is of two kinds. The first kind of live rock is known as cured live rock and has a host of beneficial organisms in it. Cured live rock can be added immediately to your aquarium since it has been stabilized for aquarium water and minimal procedures have to be followed before introducing it into your aquarium. The other type of live rock is known as uncured live rock and needs to be seeded with beneficial organisms. Seeding uncured live rock is a long procedure and if you do not have the expertise to seed it, then it is recommended to opt for seeded live rock.

While buying live rock it is always recommended to opt for live rock that is submerged in water and does not smell. Live rock that has a foul ordor is often dead and is not of any value, in fact using this rock in your reef aquarium can harm your fish.