Why Won't My Live Rock Turn Purple?
- 1). Set up the aquarium, light, heater and protein skimmer. Fill the tank half way with seawater so it doesn't overflow when you add the rock. The rock needs washing and scrubbing before it goes into the tank. After you place it in the tank, fill to the rim with seawater. Proper tank conditions will see the live rock turning color in about four to five weeks.
- 2). Cure the rock until all traces of ammonia and nitrites are gone. You need to test daily and try to maintain a pH of 8.0 to 8.2. Frequent water changes will reduce the ammonia. Use a pump siphon and bucket to remove half the water at a time. Then fill up with fresh seawater. The nitrites will peak and then drop down to zero when the cure cycle is finished.
- 3). Skim out dead organisms and debris daily as the tank cures. You should run the lights four hours a day and increase by an hour each week until you are running them for eight hours. The curing process will normally be done by then, and live bacteria will have infested the rock.
- 4). Encourage coralline formation by adding calcium supplements to the water according to the directions on the package. You should keep the levels of calcium at 400 mg/liter or .014 ounces per gallon. Coralline algae seeds within a month, and you will start to see the colors emerge. Coralline algae prevents the formation of other algae.
- 5). Clean out the skimmer daily. If you keep the ammonia levels down, add calcium and the tank gets adequate light, the coralline will multiply. They are the organisms that color the rock. They are usually purple or pink, but the colors can vary depending upon where the rock was harvested.
- 6). Pay attention to the smell of the tank and rock. It should not have a rank fishy or decayed odor after it cures. If it does and it is not changing color, there is something wrong with the water or the rock is dead. You can wash the rock and introduce a healthy piece of live rock that has coralline that will populate the old rock in a few months.
