Newbie Live Rock question

[Steve]

I have a 55 gal marine (fish only) aquarium. I had to move my tank due
to getting new carpet. I was having problem with a purplish brown
algae and losing fish anyway, so I emptied the tank to move it and
start over. I have about 10 lbs of live rock that I put in a 5 gal
bucket filled with sal****er out of the aquarium. Does Live rock
"die"? The live rock has been out of the aquarium about 3 weeks now
w/o any kind of airation or filtration.

A second question: The aquarium is on an inside wall, but it is 12 ft
across from a south facing picture window. How much of a concern
should this be? I was wondering what the source of the purplish alage
could have been. It even collected on the live rock. I have a Skilter
250 and undergravel filtration with 2 powerheads.

Thanks in advance.

[Don Geddis]

(Steve) writes:
> I have about 10 lbs of live rock that I put in a 5 gal
> bucket filled with sal****er out of the aquarium. Does Live rock
> "die"? The live rock has been out of the aquarium about 3 weeks now
> w/o any kind of airation or filtration.

Yes, the creatures living in live rock certainly die. The fact that you kept
it in water might let some of them live. But the rock will probably need some
time once it gets back in an aquarium, for its ecosystem to reestablish itself.

> I was having problem with a purplish brown
> algae and losing fish anyway, so I emptied the tank to move it and
> start over.
> I was wondering what the source of the purplish alage
> could have been. It even collected on the live rock.

You don't describe this algae very well, but it sounds like coraline algae.
Is it a flat, encrusting kind that grows over the rocks and glass?

If so, this is a _good_ think (it's part of the live rock/sand biological
filtration), and a sign that your tank was doing well.

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/

[BiG_Orange]

>Does Live rock
> "die"?

Everything alive dies eventually.