“Caribbean Chris” and I are very frequently asked whether it’s okay to add new pieces oflive rockdirectly to an established system. Ever erring on the side of caution, we generally discourage this practice. Instead, we recommend curing them in a separate saltwater-filled tank, vat, tub, bin, or other suitable vessel with heating and circulation provided for several weeks before adding them to an established system. The rocks can be considered ready for the display tank only after there isno measurable ammonia or nitriteand the nitrate level has stopped rising.
这就是为什么我们推荐这样做的原因:
Deadly die-off
The handling involved in transporting live rock from the ocean floor to your aquarium half a world away causes many of the organisms on it to perish. As these organisms die and decompose, they may produce enough toxic ammonia to overwhelm your system’s biofilter. It’s much better to manage this die off in a separate container where it won’t put any livestock at risk.
What about cured rock?
即使您购买了固化的活岩,也可以在现场摇滚操作员设施的受控条件下进行掩盖生物的大部分消失,但仍然最好避免将其直接放置在您既定的系统中。原因是,无论您购买腌制的或未经许可的活岩,都不可避免地会造成生物体的额外死亡。即使是岩石对光或水流方向的变化似乎很小的因素也会导致额外的死亡。
Now, there’s no question that this occurs to a much lesser degree with cured rock than with uncured rock, but even a small amount of die-off can potentially yield more ammonia than your biofilter can manage.
What about larger tanks?
显然,系统越大,添加活岩的潜在影响就越低,而无需进一步固化 - 以相同的方式在大型系统中留下死亡,分解的鱼is much less of an issue than leaving the same fish to rot in a desktop nano. But why take the risk when your precious livestock is on the line?
Besides, ammonia isn’t the only issue you might have to deal with if you put newly acquired live rock directly into an established system. You also have to worry about…
Pesky hitchhikers
In addition to being a source of beneficial micro- and macrofauna, live rock can bring with it a variety of potentially irksome organisms, such as majano and Aiptasia anemones, mantis shrimps, crabs, flatworms, hair and bubble algae, etc. Observing the rocks in a separate container for several weeks will greatly enhance your odds of detecting and removing these pests before they hitchhike into your display tank.