When people have a beginner salt water fish tank, they often shy away from live rock because they don't understand what it is or why it costs so much. It doesn't make much sense to spend a lot of money on a simple rock when setting up a salt water fish tank, right? Well, live rocks are more than what they seem, and they can add a great deal of beauty and depth to salt water fish tanks, whether they are reef or fish-only.
Of course, when you add a live rock to a beginner salt water fish tank, the rock itself isn't alive. The rock does contain bacteria, algae and other microorganisms that are very beneficial when setting up a salt water fish tank. These organisms consume waste in salt water fish tanks, and they also produce oxygen and even provide a food source for certain fish. In reef-only setups, the live rock and a simple skimmer can even perform all of the filtration, so no special equipment is required.
When choosing live rock for a beginner salt water fish tank, hobbyists can choose between cured and uncured rocks. Cured rocks have been held somewhere for a few weeks, while uncured rocks weren't. Many people prefer to use cured rocks when setting up a salt water fish tank because some damaged or unsalvageable life forms perish during the curing process, which make the tank cloudy and smelly. Rocks that have already been through this process are ready to add beauty and life to salt water fish tanks, without any special preparation.
