Saltwater Reef Aquariums - pt.2
This method of keeping reef aquaria started in Berlin, as might be guessed and is an offshoot of the method used by the first reefs kept in history. Essentially it consists of a tank that is equipped with a protein skimmer, and then has a good amount of live rock added to pick up some of the filtration duties.
The premise is this: wastes produced by the various organisms in the tank are sent mainly to the protein skimmer, which removes much of the protein and organic waste from the water before it breaks down. This alone is very efficient, but there will be some waste that breaks down into ammonia and this is taken care of by the live rock.
The live rock is rock that is picked up off of a reef slope in (generally) the South Pacific. The rubble that collects is picked up, boxed and sent across the world for use in reef aquariums. Live rock performs a filtration function due to the bacteria living on and within the rock itself.
Since it is collected from the reef itself, it provides a structure that is very similar to what a reef looks like. Additionally, it is generally found to be “attractive”, so that decorating a tank with it looks good. The rock also provides structure for fish and invertebrates to swim in and around and make a home in them.
Because the rock is taken from the wild, there are a multitude of animals living on the rock that make the trip with it. First, it contains Zooplankton and phytoplankton, the beginnings of the food chain in the oceans. The other items that can be found include corals, algae, snails, crabs, shrimp, worms, bacteria and more. Adding them instantly adds diversity to an aquarium. Some of these will become food for other animals, while others may be an added benefit from the rock.
Live rock is loaded with aerobic bacteria and they will live in and on the rock in the aquarium as well as they do on the reef. All they need is some water currents to bring food to them and whisk wastes away. These bacteria can perform an amazing amount of filtration in a reef aquarium. The live rock and the diversity of life it brings lend an inherent stability to the aquarium.
