fastest growing live rocks?

[sunnymittu]

i am looking to order 250 pounds of live rock
i have these options
1-dried dead live rock
2-freshwater dead live rock
3-uncured raw live rock
4-cured live rock
the question is in which category i will get maximum corals etc growing on my rocks with minimum light and no supplements

does corals grow on live rock?
and how much time will it take to grow acropora etc corals on my rock....months?or years?
please suggest

 

[Lorna]

firstly anything that says dried or dead is NOT live rock

The only thing that is live rock you mentioned is
cured or uncured.

Both have equal chances of having any hitchiker corals on them but the chances of getting any acropora on live rock is minimal and probably nonexistent. You may possibly get some polyps or soft corals that may sprout on the live rock but it would have to be almost ocean to tank without being exposed to air for any length of time. Corals need to be purchased and placed on the rock the rock doesn't grow the coral. The "Live" in live rock refers to the beneficial bacteria that inhabit the rock not the fact that there is any visual live organisms on the rock.

 

[TRe]

best quality would be cured... with that said to save money you can go with 200lbs dry rock and seed it with the 50lbs of the cured (thats what i would do) like lorna said the corals like acropo once the tank is established and you have the proper lighting youll have to get those seperate and glue them to the rocks and eventualy itll start to grow and cover the rocks

 

[AnimalBabe]

Can you explain what acropo is exactly? Also, I just found LFS (so excited!) that sells coral frags and was hoping to get one after my LR is set up. What do you use to glue them to the LR? Also, just curious, but how long does it take to grow? They're pretty small in the LFS.
Thanks!

 

[Lorna]

Acro or acropo is short for Acropora a type of stonly sps or small polyp stony coral. There are many species and this is just one. Please research the needs and requirements of these types of coral prior to your purchase to ensure success in your system. They require high light, very stable conditions and utilize large amounts of calcium building their skeletons. There is a good book by Eric Borneman on coral husbandry and I recommend reading it prior to purchasing any...... good luck!