natural live rock and the tank's microbiome

[dontbuyxenia]

I am curious if other people have noticed the difference in their tank's health with using man-made dry rock or natural live rock. All the tanks I set up with natural rock many years ago never seemed to have the algae issues I have now with man-made rock tanks. I hypothesize that the lack of microbiome diversity in man-made rock tanks makes it easier for algae to take hold. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this difference.

 

[ti_lavender]

Absolutely yes. I used ocean rock on my most recent tank and skipped all the nasties. I wonder if Eli from Aquabiomics has any tests to show for the bacteria composition of a new tank with different rock sources.

 

[lil sumpin]

Sure LR is the way to go to have a smooth, strong start but dry rock starts will achieve the same thing overtime. You’ll need to take measures to make the sterile rock turn live. I’m 10 months in, started dry and I still have nuisance algae growth but it’s not bugging my livestock or me out, just a part of the process.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

This has been noted regularly, and it's one of the main reasons people recommend using live rock instead of dry rock, yes. The dry rock gets there in time, but it seems to take more than a year in most cases.

Absolutely yes. I used ocean rock on my most recent tank and skipped all the nasties. I wonder if Eli from Aquabiomics has any tests to show for the bacteria composition of a new tank with different rock sources.

I think they did - it's discussed in post 157 of the thread below:

"Biodiversity is dead, long live biodiversity" 10 month microbiome data from BRStv.

I've meant to start this discussion thread for a while... so here we go. Reef hobbyists have a lot of ideas about biodiversity and what it means in a reef system. A lot of these ideas (mine included) are reasoning from personal experience of myself and others, and how we think it ought to work...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Ironwill723]

Live rock is always better than dry in my opinion. Even though it is not trendy, I would never try to start a tank with all dry rock as most do today.

 

[RedReefer]

Tried a dry rock display years ago, it sucked algae issues. I only use live rock from the ocean.

 

[tzabor10]

Live rock has so much to offer. I am enamored with the squirts and barnacles.

Squirts and barnacles

 

[Serpentman2024]

I have to say, I'm not a fan of the man made rock. I get the idea is to control what you have coming into the tank but personally don't like the sterility. I love seeing what "creepy crawlies" pop up. And you have less issues with leeching of things like silicates.

 

[taricha]

All the tanks I set up with natural rock many years ago never seemed to have the algae issues I have now with man-made rock tanks. I hypothesize that the lack of microbiome diversity in man-made rock tanks makes it easier for algae to take hold.

Just for the sake of discussion, here's an alternate hypothesis of why Live rock back in the day may have outperformed dry rock available more recently. This hypothesis has minimal emphasis on bacteria and diversity.

When you added quality "live rock" back in the day, you were adding something that organisms had already been pulling the nutrients out of for years and years. It had almost no leftover nutrients capable of driving nuisance growth anymore.
Now, you add dry man-made rock that's never been exploited by nuisances before. It's fresh and nuisances are well adapted to make use of whatever nutrient goodies are there.

Maybe "mature" surfaces are mostly just surfaces that have already had everything that can drive nuisance growth used up already.

 

[Formulator]

Just for the sake of discussion, here's an alternate hypothesis of why Live rock back in the day may have outperformed dry rock available more recently. This hypothesis has minimal emphasis on bacteria and diversity.

When you added quality "live rock" back in the day, you were adding something that organisms had already been pulling the nutrients out of for years and years. It had almost no leftover nutrients capable of driving nuisance growth anymore.
Now, you add dry man-made rock that's never been exploited by nuisances before. It's fresh and nuisances are well adapted to make use of whatever nutrient goodies are there.

Maybe "mature" surfaces are mostly just surfaces that have already had everything that can drive nuisance growth used up already.

If anything I would think live rock has more “nutrients” since those would be organics. Dry rock shouldn’t contain any of those things. Also, rock is just a substrate. Algae and other nuisances are pulling stuff out of the water. The biofilm covering live rock outcompetes and helps prevent nuisances from getting a foothold.

I’m just hypothesizing with you. Feel free to refute.