Base rock or Live rock?

[Tee]

Hi all,

I guess some of you might know this guy name Jian live in Ashburn. He is frequently posted tank, equipment for sale on Craiglist.

When I started my very first saltwater tank, I bought rock from him. He said he down side his tanks, so want to get rid of his "live rock".

This guy has about 20 plus tank in his basement. Even though he said he is trying to down side his tank, I think he lied. I think he get used tank from somewhere, and keep selling it. The same with his equipments. I know a couple of people bought "live rock" from him, turn out just base rock. He can't keep having 100 lbs of live rock every week, and claim that he's down side his tank.

For a newbie, I didn't know the different between live rock and base rock. It has been 8 months now, and my rock has no coralline. I have 46 gal tank, power compact light 192w.

My question is what else can I do to make to rock turn purple. Do I need to get a couple of real live rock to introduce the coralline to my rock? Or if I upgrade the lighting, it will help?

Thanks,

Tee

 

PS: This is one of his ad:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/for/525852146.html

 

He also claim on his ad that his location is Herndon, Reston, Ashburn, Tyson Corner, Centreville on each of his post, but he is the same guy.

[jnguyen4007]

Hi all,

I guess some of you might know this guy name Jian live in Ashburn. He is frequently posted tank, equipment for sale on Craiglist.

When I started my very first saltwater tank, I bought rock from him. He said he down side his tanks, so want to get rid of his "live rock".

This guy has about 20 plus tank in his basement. Even though he said he is trying to down side his tank, I think he lied. I think he get used tank from somewhere, and keep selling it. The same with his equipments. I know a couple of people bought "live rock" from him, turn out just base rock. He can't keep having 100 lbs of live rock every week, and claim that he's down side his tank.

For a newbie, I didn't know the different between live rock and base rock. It has been 8 months now, and my rock has no coralline. I have 46 gal tank, power compact light 192w.

My question is what else can I do to make to rock turn purple. Do I need to get a couple of real live rock to introduce the coralline to my rock? Or if I upgrade the lighting, it will help?

Thanks,

Tee

 

PS: This is one of his ad:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/for/525852146.html

 

He also claim on his ad that his location is Herndon, Reston, Ashburn, Tyson Corner, Centreville on each of his post, but he is the same guy.

 

 

Tee,

 

Read my PM to you concerning this guy.

 

James

[phisigs79]

He goes by Ranchu on here and has ripped alot of people off in the past

[lletellier]

don't do business with him, he will rip you off

[Tee]

My intend wasn't mean to point him out. I just want to know how can I get coraline on my base rock (suppose to be live rock). I thought that after 8-9 months, it should give me some purple. But there is no purple coraline on my rock now. I guess all I got from him is just a bunch of base rock. Maybe I need some real live rock with coraline to introduce the coraline to my base rock.

Thanks for the help in advance,

Tee

 

PS: I was a newbie to saltwater, and still am. I didn't know about Wamas until I bought a bunch of junk from him.

Edited January 2, 2008 by Tee

[jnguyen4007]

Tee,

 

I have a small 30 gal tank and most of my live rocks are small, but I should be able to pull out one or two from the back of the tank to give you. It's not much but the rocks are live and the tank is well established. They're yours if you want them.

 

James

[dhoch]

Tee,

 

A good Calcium and alkalinity level and a little Coralline to get you started... thats what you need to turn it purple.

 

Coraline you should be able to get from almost anybody (I have to scrape it off my tank walls regularly).

 

Mainting a calcium level of ~400 and a alk level ~10 will make it really grow.

 

Dave

[djcerna]

beat me to it dave...

I was going to say,

Make sure your alk is up 8-12 dkh, CA around 400 and low phosphate. Then your Coralline will grow.

Davd

[Tee]

Thanks a lot for the advice guy. What do you use to measure Alk, Cal?

Tee

[jnguyen4007]

Thanks a lot for the advice guy. What do you use to measure Alk, Cal?

Tee

 

 

I think most people here use Salifert test kits. I bought a different brand to test my alk from BRK because they ran out of the salifert. Johnny recommended it so I bought it and been using it. It's a bit more complicated to use than the salifert but just as effective.

 

James

[djcerna]

Salifert KH and calcium kit available at most LFS or online.

[jamesbuf]

He goes by Ranchu on here and has ripped alot of people off in the past

 

 

don't do business with him, he will rip you off

 

You guys beat me to it. I've only heard bad things about this guy, from shady business practices to selling wet baserock as real liverock. STAY AWAY!!!!!

[Nitro Junkie]

I've had tremendous results from Purple Up, i had a few pices of base rock when I first setup up my 75 about 6 months ago and they are covered in coraline now.

[treesprite]

Tee,

don't feel bad about "pointing him out".... I knew who it was the second you said Craigs List and as you can see, so did others here. The more people that know about his game the better.

[davelin315]

This post has managed to stay civil, but please remember that the point of this thread is how to grow coralline. We have already been through this issue once before, so please do not make any personal attacks here. If you have something constructive to add to the conversation, by all means add it, but be warned, if this thread develops like the last one did, it will be closed and appropriate other actions will be taken.

 

As far as coralline, you can also simply scrape some from someone else's rock and add it to your system. If your conditions will allow it to grow, it will grow.

[jamesbuf]

I've had tremendous results from Purple Up, i had a few pices of base rock when I first setup up my 75 about 6 months ago and they are covered in coraline now.

 

I agree. When I first started up I used Purple up and it worked great. I know you just need the high Ca and ALK, but that stuff really worked well for me.

[martin]

It seems to like lower light as well, I don't get much growth under direct MH, but the shady spots grow purple.

 

Never heard of that guy, glad it was mentioned.

[Tee]

Cool, I did a search on "purple up", and I think this is what you mean:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...fm?pcatid=12799

 

I'll order a bottle and try it out. Anybody in the Burke, Springfield area can scrape coraline off the glass that I can have some?

Thanks,

Tee

 

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I agree. When I first started up I used Purple up and it worked great. I know you just need the high Ca and ALK, but that stuff really worked well for me.

[lanman]

Cool, I did a search on "purple up", and I think this is what you mean:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...fm?pcatid=12799

 

I'll order a bottle and try it out. Anybody in the Burke, Springfield area can scrape coraline off the glass that I can have some?

Thanks,

Tee

 

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I live in Manassas... but you can have all the coralline you want to scrape off my 58! I've been a little busy with my new 240....

 

Actually - I have no idea how you would catch it... in a net? Recommend borrowing a piece of purple rock from someone, and scraping it into your tank... then leave the rock there for a week.

 

The rock from my sump (pure white after 8 months in the sump) is already purpling up in my 240 - only started running it on 10 December. So it shouldn't take long if you have the conditions, and a little 'seed algae'. In my first tank (24g), the only purple rock I had in there was what I purchased frags on. Took several months for that tank to start coloring up.

 

bob

[dhoch]

To get the coralline, scrape some off with scraper catch in tupperware give to another person

 

Dave

[davelin315]

I read something on here where someone said they had read on RC that someone else had said that purple up was just coralline in water... Confused enough?

 

Just use a scraper and scrape upwards and catch what is removed on your hand. Sprinkle this on your rock and it should grow just fine. Or, find someone with a dense growth of it and see if you can simply flake it off. By the way, I don't think there's really a difference between base and live rock, it's all alive. The difference is really just nomenclature (hope I'm using that right!). Base rock has a tendency to be heavier, denser, and not as pretty to look at, so people generally use it underneath to support their structures, hence, base rock.

[Tee]

Hi all,

My tank is pass it's one year birthday. I have a lot of coralline now. Unfortunately, most of it grow on my glass, and overflow, WTH? The rock still not have as much coraline as I wanted. I used a credit card to scrap it off, but it's so hard to get it out of my glass. What do you guy use to clean the coralline off your glass tank. I am afraid to use something that will scratch my glass.

Man, with the saltwater tank, stuff that I want to grow, don't grow. Stuff like bad Anemone, and red slime algae grow like weed.

 

Tee

 

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I read something on here where someone said they had read on RC that someone else had said that purple up was just coralline in water... Confused enough?

 

Just use a scraper and scrape upwards and catch what is removed on your hand. Sprinkle this on your rock and it should grow just fine. Or, find someone with a dense growth of it and see if you can simply flake it off. By the way, I don't think there's really a difference between base and live rock, it's all alive. The difference is really just nomenclature (hope I'm using that right!). Base rock has a tendency to be heavier, denser, and not as pretty to look at, so people generally use it underneath to support their structures, hence, base rock.

[Origami]

You could use a razor blade. I use a stainless steel edged Kent scraper with a short handle. (The long handled scraper that I have just doesn't give enough leverage.)

 

I've read that coraline doesn't grow as well under bright light. I've noticed that in my tank, where the coraline growth is pretty good, that it tends to grow on darker surfaces and areas with good flow (like on my pump housings) as well as my rock.