storing liverock?

[treesprite]

What is the easiest way to store/maintain just liverock, keeping it "live" without having to pay attention to it or spend money on it? I'm guessing if there are micro stars or anything like that, they will need some sort of food once in a while.

[WishNewFish]

You need light, food once in a while and flow of water.

[mari.harutunian]

A source of ammonia that's relative to the amount of rock? Maybe?

 

 

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[treesprite]

I don't think critters that hide from light in the holes of liverock would need artificial light.

 

I guess if the stars are to live, there needs to be more flow than just bubblers. Usually when the electric is out, the micro brittle stars are the first things to react to what I assume is decreased oxygen level.

[zygote2k]

Is this a trick question?

[treesprite]

Not really.

 

Is it too stupid a question for me to be asking after this many years?

 

I have kept liverock in buckets of water with lids on them, with no circulation, for months at a time and still found bristle works crawling around. There is no evaporation with the lids on. Bristleworms live in sand and muck so they must not need much oxygen, and they eat the tiniest teensy things we can't even see so they live off of whatever organic material is on the rock for months. However, I want to keep more living than just bristleworms, and want to make sure I do enough while still doing almost nothing. I know that the stars need more oxygen, and even pods need more than bristle worms (I am basing this on the many times I left buckets of dirty salt water sitting around due to being too tired and too busy to clean up after cleaning the tank, and buckets with pieces of rock in them).

 

This is all because I don't have time to take care of a tank. I barely have time to look at a tank.... I am barely home anymore. However, I will set something back up in the future, and don't want to have to get new liverock (1. It is the hardest thing to get on a tight budget, and 2. pests on new stuff are too much of a risk).

 

I initially figured I would get rid of fish and just have corals, but then there wouldn't be anything moving in the water and the tank would possibly get boring. I might still do that, but Im not feeling enthusiastic.

[Jon Lazar]

I initially figured I would get rid of fish and just have corals, but then there wouldn't be anything moving in the water and the tank would possibly get boring. I might still do that, but Im not feeling enthusiastic.

 

IME a tank without grazing fish is just asking for a hair algae outbreak.  It's easy to preach, "Just control your nutrients," but it's much harder to do it non-stop without a slip-up.

[Bruleyii]

I've read of people curing live rock by having it in a trashcan with a heater and a power head. Not too sure if the starts and pods live through it though. I haven't read anything on that. I've read some people have live rock in situations like that for a few years.

[Origami]

Just a thought:  If you add light to the container, then it'll promote some algae growth which grazers (including brittle stars) can use for food. So make sure the temperature doesn't go to extremes, add some flow and maybe a little light. Manage evaporation however you want. The lid on a trashcan is not normally air-tight, so don't worry about gas exchange. If you had worries, drill a few holes in the sides of the trash can (up above the water line, of course) and It'll probably all work out. 

[treesprite]

I've read of people curing live rock by having it in a trashcan with a heater and a power head. Not too sure if the starts and pods live through it though. I haven't read anything on that. I've read some people have live rock in situations like that for a few years.

Not trying to cure it, just not kill it.

 

One thought if I do keep a light on for some random corals in little tanks, has been to put a molly in the tank, because they are supposed to be able to live completely off of algae without a need​ for meaty food, so the nutrient level would be low enough with minimal fuss (maybe have to give them notice). Problem is, then I would want to get something to keep flatworms and pods under control, like an occelated dragonet, so there would be more nutrient control needed. Last time I had a tank with no fish, there were flatworms in there everywhere, yet I wasn't seeing any at all in the DT it was connected to (via sump).

 

Do you see the problem I am having? I don't want to give up keeping corals, but it means I need controls that would create more work,and would tempt me too much, ultimately leading me to the same situation I am in... neglected tanks, which means inadequate care for the animals who might suffer as a result.

 

Of course if I had a bunch of money, I would just pay someone, but then I would have to be home at a certain time, which would probably be too hard to schedule.

Edited June 15, 2017 by treesprite

[Bruleyii]

Well if it can cure, im sure it can keep it alive.

[Origami]

Flatworms don't spontaneously appear. Nor do pods. They have to be carried in. FWE should take care of the worms. Rocks don't need a bunch of animals to remain loaded with bacteria. Algae will take care of itself. If you're just trying to keep the rock live and maybe some of the brittle stars, let the algae grow. Growth is self-limiting to the available nutrients, gasses and light provided temperature is reasonable. You may have to occasionally feed the tank a little something, but it shouldn't be much at all - nor would you want to. As long as algae is growing, there's plenty of nutrients in there. Think of the algae as an energy store that captures light, carbon dioxide, water, and a few other nutrients, converting them to sugars and proteins that can be made available for higher life forms to consume (or export if you're removing it).