Tank age question.

"Mark Cooper" wrote in message .. .
If you had a properly maintained system, with enough of a
cleaner crew, couldn't you run a tank indefinitely?

Unfortunatelly no. As you have read, populations of
micro-organisms inhabiting your live rock will diminish
over time. Mostly due to the lack of the environment
supporting reproduction and relativelly short live span
of animals living in and on the rocks... Also, many
animals compete with each other for food and space, so
when in the balance in the ocean, moved to a fish tank
this balance is easily broken and population crashes.
Our glass boxes with chopping powerheads are not
well forgiving for mostly planktonic larvae... and
compared to the ocean they are very poor in planktonic food.

One way to replenish your live rock fauna and flora
is to replace small amounts of rock at the time...
Instead of replacing whole rockwork just exchange
a rock or two every 6-8 months... This way you will not
detroy balance but have a chance intruducing new life.

Of course, here is another trouble: each addition of
live rock has a potential of being a source of infestation
of animals not considered beneficial, so it is kind of gamble.

Is it that important that you need a new piece every 6 months ?

What about Live Sand ?
Garf Grunge ?
What about just keeping a refugium ?

There has got to be other ways to keep life going in your tank without
running out
and buying a piece of Dead Rock....Please say it ain't so Psz

This is interesting...never thought about this....


"Pszemol" wrote in message
...
"Mark Cooper" wrote in message
.. .
If you had a properly maintained system, with enough of a cleaner crew,
couldn't you run a tank indefinitely?

Unfortunatelly no. As you have read, populations of
micro-organisms inhabiting your live rock will diminish
over time. Mostly due to the lack of the environment
supporting reproduction and relativelly short live span
of animals living in and on the rocks... Also, many
animals compete with each other for food and space, so
when in the balance in the ocean, moved to a fish tank
this balance is easily broken and population crashes.
Our glass boxes with chopping powerheads are not
well forgiving for mostly planktonic larvae... and
compared to the ocean they are very poor in planktonic food.

One way to replenish your live rock fauna and flora
is to replace small amounts of rock at the time...
Instead of replacing whole rockwork just exchange
a rock or two every 6-8 months... This way you will not
detroy balance but have a chance intruducing new life.

Of course, here is another trouble: each addition of
live rock has a potential of being a source of infestation
of animals not considered beneficial, so it is kind of gamble.

"TheRock" wrote in message news:HPv4g.10$W36.5@trndny08...
Is it that important that you need a new piece every 6 months ?

What about Live Sand ?
Garf Grunge ?
What about just keeping a refugium ?

There has got to be other ways to keep life going in your tank without
running out
and buying a piece of Dead Rock....Please say it ain't so Psz

This is interesting...never thought about this....

If you know a way - tell me about it... I would like to know, too :-)