Artificial Rocks

[raymondpua]

Seen artifical rocks, nicely created into shapes, at Upp Serangoon's Golden Octopus.

Owner says just need to soak in normal water for 2 days and change water to get rid of any possible manufacturing dust/toxic and can be used like LR. This is better than LR cos sure no bristle worms etc. If there are bristle worms then it is definitely from coral's base.

What he says may be true but what about those good baterial that inhibits on LR? Will they also inhibit on these artificial stuff?

[cedricang]

Yes, artificial rocks are nice in shape, in fact very nice.

The advantage is that they are very nature looking structure but also free of unwanted natural pest.

But you need to beware of the type of artificial rocks (AR) which you are getting, are those AR hollows inside or solid. If the AR are solid type which is heavy enough to submerge in salt water it will be better. If the AR is hollow inside, then the only way for it to be place inside the tank is to allow water to fill up the AR so that it can submerge. The potential problem with a hollow AR is that the water that is trap inside the AR does not get circulated, which in turns becomes a potential nitrate factory.

If you are gonna be keeping sensitive corals like SPS, i would urge you to consider using a solid AR instead of a hollow type AR. This will eliminate potential nutrient problems in the future.

As for the housing of bacterial, this can be solve by having either a good quality ceremic chips and / or sand bed in your sump tank. Of course, if you have some LR in your main tank, that would be even better.

Perhaps a good mix of LR and AR ( try to get the solid structure type) would be ideal.

[Ketchup]

ya, i think what cedric says is true... also, the risky part is when you move the artificial rock or remove it and put back into the system.

[cedricang]

Well, the scenario of moving the hollow artificial rock around after it has been in the tank for sometime (say during a rescaping ) is similar to churning up a portion of the sand bed where there will most likely be a nitrate spike. A natural live rock or a solid artificial rock would not have this problem.

I have tried lifting a hollow AR out of my tank before, and the amount of trapped detritus and the slightly foul smell water that flows out from the AR came as an awakening to me that it is not an ideal thing to have in a proper reef tank.

Of course, having know the potential issue, one can still go ahead and use the hollow AR as long as he has a super efficient nutrient export system and a regular water change regime to tackle the issue of a hollow AR.

On a side note, if the hollow AR is very nice in shape and you can't resist using it, you can try to fill up the hollows by means of injecting either cement or epoxy into it. As long as the overall weight is heavy enough to be submerge into water, seal up any empty holes or gap which water might gets into it. That way you will be able to use it with a peace of mind.

[Ketchup]

aiya... use live or dead rock still the best, esp those that are very porous.. light and yet nicely shaped

[McNugget]

Yes, artificial rocks are nice in shape, in fact very nice.

The advantage is that they are very nature looking structure but also free of unwanted natural pest.

But you need to beware of the type of artificial rocks (AR) which you are getting, are those AR hollows inside or solid. If the AR are solid type which is heavy enough to submerge in salt water it will be better. If the AR is hollow inside, then the only way for it to be place inside the tank is to allow water to fill up the AR so that it can submerge. The potential problem with a hollow AR is that the water that is trap inside the AR does not get circulated, which in turns becomes a potential nitrate factory.

If you are gonna be keeping sensitive corals like SPS, i would urge you to consider using a solid AR instead of a hollow type AR. This will eliminate potential nutrient problems in the future.

As for the housing of bacterial, this can be solve by having either a good quality ceremic chips and / or sand bed in your sump tank. Of course, if you have some LR in your main tank, that would be even better.

Perhaps a good mix of LR and AR ( try to get the solid structure type) would be ideal.

I dont really get it, there is no circulation within a hollow AR... likewise for a LR which is hollow right??

[Jameshong]

I dont really get it, there is no circulation within a hollow AR... likewise for a LR which is hollow right??

True LR is solid !

I prefer LR than Artificial rock due to the weight, natural look and less problem in the long run !

Btw, just curious whether will the artificial rock peek off first layer(colour) if you take out the corals that glued on it ?

[Ketchup]

True LR is solid !

I prefer LR than Artificial rock due to the weight, natural look and less problem in the long run !

Btw, just curious whether will the artificial rock peek off first layer(colour) if you take out the corals that glued on it ?

Not true... otherwise the live rock will weigh the same dry or wet.

As for the colour of the artificial rock, so far don't see the colors coming off.

[Jameshong]

Not true... otherwise the live rock will weigh the same dry or wet.

As for the colour of the artificial rock, so far don't see the colors coming off.

Hi bro,

What I meant is the weight of the artificial rock is much much lighter compare to true LR whether it's in or out of the water..am I right? So What do you mean " the live rock will weigh the same dry or wet"?

[Ketchup]

articial rocks weight a lot in water.. if you don't believe you can soak in water and try and remove it. It traps the water as it's vacuum inside. It probably traps more water than the most porous live rocks.

[Jameshong]

articial rocks weight a lot in water.. if you don't believe you can soak in water and try and remove it. It traps the water as it's vacuum inside. It probably traps more water than the most porous live rocks.

Okok..understand ..the water will suck into the AR and trap inside.

Now then I know what bro Cedricang mentioned at Post #4 and I'm fully agreed to his concern !

Well, the scenario of moving the hollow artificial rock around after it has been in the tank for sometime (say during a rescaping ) is similar to churning up a portion of the sand bed where there will most likely be a nitrate spike. A natural live rock or a solid artificial rock would not have this problem.

I have tried lifting a hollow AR out of my tank before, and the amount of trapped detritus and the slightly foul smell water that flows out from the AR came as an awakening to me that it is not an ideal thing to have in a proper reef tank.

Of course, having know the potential issue, one can still go ahead and use the hollow AR as long as he has a super efficient nutrient export system and a regular water change regime to tackle the issue of a hollow AR.

On a side note, if the hollow AR is very nice in shape and you can't resist using it, you can try to fill up the hollows by means of injecting either cement or epoxy into it. As long as the overall weight is heavy enough to be submerge into water, seal up any empty holes or gap which water might gets into it. That way you will be able to use it with a peace of mind.

[zico]

I bought small piece from GO to try earlier today.

They only sell those hollow artificial rocks.

Cedric, where to buy those solid ones that you mentioned?

They have those rocks shaped like a pizza. Size of a medium pizza. Flat with holes big enough for frag plugs to go in.

Ahh... how nice it will be if I plug them with nice zoas and it grows into a garden.

[christan1959]

GO's display tank speaks volumes. It uses artificial rock. Without sounding condescending, I think the outcome is horribly sub-standard.

We are trying to replicate a piece of nature. Hence it stands to reason we should use as much natural materials as possible. btw, bristle worms are ugly and nasty to the touch, but they are actually relatively harmless to a healthy reef.

[zico]

Ok, after trying out the arti rock from GO, I can appreciate what Cedric is telling us in the previous post.

The rock is like a water bottle. Its hollow inside.

There are about 6 or 7 small holes on that smallish piece of rock that I bought.... and I seriously doubt that the water within the rock can ever be circulated. Which means it is a stale area for nutrients to propagate.

Now my headache is , what am I to do with my artificial rock now!

[noelng33]

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[noelng33]

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[noelng33]

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[inanity]

would it be possible to fill the inside with sand and then use epoxy to shut the hole permanently?

[stevenchia]

My full Replica Loads...

[zico]

Not possible to fill the rock with sand. The hole is too small.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[rovtim]

I was at GO last night and was impressed with the AR, but have same concerns as above over stale water, was thinking of getting a few pieces to go with my LR to compliment it..........

After reading this maybe just stick to LR.

[braincoral]

Might as well get dead rocks vs AR..

Cheaper ...

[BFG]

It depend on each own opinion. Live rock may be cheap but is it ecologically friendly? When I started my marine hobby, I purposely choose to buy 2nd hand live rock to lessen the impact of harvesting live rock from nature. After the hobby expanded and artificial rocks were created, gave away my live rock to my buddies and jump into the artificial rock scene. Now my tank is fully stocked with artificial rock, only live rock are those stuck with corals when I purchase them. The bacteria reside in medias that I placed in the sump.

The stale water issue can be overcome by doing regular water change but it depend on how you placed the artificial rock. Currently, mine is placed vertically ie standing. Doing waterchange from 3/4 to 1/2 the height of the artificial rock would remove some of the stale water while replacing the void with new salt mixed water. I have cut holes for water circulation for my large artificial rock that permits fish to go in and out and to use it as a hiding place at night. User should take the time to prepare their artificial rock before placing them in their tank so as not to encounter terrible after effect.

Another way is to fill the void in artificial rock with aquarium grade silicone instead of using sand. This should add weight but does not have similar effect like a dsb does or maybe have little effect.

Hope this helps!

Edited June 18, 2012 by BFG