Cards

5. The highest grade of metamorphosed mafic volcanics are the pyroxene granulites which are course rocks containing pyroxene and Ca-plagioclase. High grade metamorphic rocks of the Granulite Facies form at temperatures >700 oC and pressures ranging from 4-10 kb.

When granite is subjected to intense heat and pressure, it changes into a metamorphic rock called gneiss. Slate is another common metamorphic rock that forms from shale. Limestone, a sedimentary rock, will change into the metamorphic rock marble if the right conditions are met.

Gneiss

Geologists use index minerals that form at certain temperatures and pressures to identify metamorphic grade. These index minerals also provide important clues to a rock’s sedimentary protolith and the metamorphic conditions that created it.

schist

Sedimentary rocks

Rocks never die, they just change form. So they don’t have a lifespan. Rocks are always changing form, but too slowly to notice with you’re eyes. In fact; rocks aren’t even classified as living things.

Coralline algae is a hard crust-like algae that is purple in color and grows over live rock. Another method is to seed your tank with coralline algae and/or use a booster to help accelerate growth. CaribSea Purple Up is a good accelerator.

If a purple coraline strain is introduced there is no guarantee it will grow. If it does grow it might be on your glass and not the rock. In most tanks I have had with dry rock, it takes from 6 months to a year before I start to see it on the rock.

Coralline Algae (Red Algae Rhodophyta) Coralline Algae is a type of red Algae in the order Corallinales. Coralline algae takes up real estate on live rock and out-competes other nuisance algae like hair algae, green algae, diatoms, and mat algae.

Live Rock Acclimation and Curing Guide

1. Place the live rock in a new 30-gallon plastic garbage can.
2. Completely cover the rock with freshly mixed saltwater, with a specific gravity of 1.021 – 1.025.
3. Use a heater and keep the water temperature near 80 degrees to speed die off.
4. Provide constant water movement with a power head or airstone.

Live rock from warm waters . . . will die in cold water. That’s why you can’t use live rock to cycle a cold water tank. Live rock may tolerate brief periods of cold, but extended cold will nuke it.

Life Rock by CaribSea is the ecologically responsible (and budget conscious) alternative to wild live rock. Life Rock requires no cement or curing and will not cause pH spikes.

If it smells like the ocean or a jetty at low tide your good to go, if it smells like rotten fish it will need to be cured. The more scientific approach is to place your new live rocks in a container of salt water for 12-24 hours then test for ammonia, if ammonia is high your rocks will need to be cured.

Yes. If your rocks are actually limestone, they are the cause for the pH elevation in your aquarium water. Limestone is calcareous (contains calcium) and is known for its ability to both harden the water and increase the pH. If the tank pH stabilizes, you’ve found the culprit.

Well-Known Member Yeah, you have a window of about 24 hour before you have serious loss to bacteria. Keep it moist with wet towels from that water it is in now and you should be fine.

If you want to completely clean up rock that has a bunch of unwanted aiptasia, majano, algae, trash palys, etc and don’t care if you kill the bacteria in the rock, a bleach bath ( 2-3 cups per 5 gallons of fresh water ) for 24 hours. Repeat if needed.