Live rock in freshwater
- Thread starter Shark123
- Start date
If you want the look, use base rock. As Chub_by said, the organisms in live rock wouldn't survive and their death would cause an ammonia spike as they decompose. Base rock is the same thing as live rock but it is inert and unseeded. Given enough time, freshwater BB would eventually take hold.
Put regular rocks in your tank, rock that are porous, and eventually you will have "live" freshwater rocks.
Pretty much this.
I wouldn't use dead coral or marine rocks though, unless you are running a African cichlid tank, as they will buffer your pH
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There are plenty of animals that inhabit fresh water rock crevices, sunken logs or sand substrate, although they would not be the same species as their salt water cousins.
There are fresh water sponges, mollusks, worms, plants, algae and crustaceans.
Because many would prey animals for my fish, I put some in separate planted sump/refugiums.
some can also become fish parasites or predators like this dragonfly nymph I pulled from a tank that once had fry, so care is needed. A member of the Milwaukee Aquarium Society has some of the native freshwater Great Lakes sponges and called them a nuisance as they encrust everything, and says once established, they are very hard to get rid of. .
Some of the fresh water sponges are known to emit a toxin when stressed, and can wipe out a tank.
There are fresh water sponges, mollusks, worms, plants, algae and crustaceans.
Because many would prey animals for my fish, I put some in separate planted sump/refugiums.
some can also become fish parasites or predators like this dragonfly nymph I pulled from a tank that once had fry, so care is needed. A member of the Milwaukee Aquarium Society has some of the native freshwater Great Lakes sponges and called them a nuisance as they encrust everything, and says once established, they are very hard to get rid of. .
Some of the fresh water sponges are known to emit a toxin when stressed, and can wipe out a tank.
Funny, I'm hoping to get dragonfly nymphs this spring/summer- my sunfish'll love 'em! But, yeah, they'd be bad news in a fry tank.
Lava rock is extremely porous and will host a lot of bacteria performing a similar function as live rock does in a SW tank.