live rocks

Question
hello, i have a 2000l reef safe saltwater tank,it's been working for 2 months,i havent changed the water yet i'm waiting for until it's been six months to change it...i only have fish and liverock in the aquarium,i don't use any medicines or anything else for the tank,only bacteria and i put that in along time ago..
the problem is iwhen i put the live rock in the tank they were whit and they started changing color to brown i know thats what should happen,but now the colors is turning back to white,could there be something wrong or is that normal..and if not normal what should i do,is there anything i can use to fix the problem???
my second question is, for the fish .should i put in any minerals in the tank every once in a while or not..if yes ,every how long?

i would be greatful if u can help me.
thank you

Answer
Hello eman,

You should change your water regularly...  If you want to know exactly when to change the water, you shoudl test for ammonia...and for nitrates...

I change 10% of the water every two weeks...  (as do a lot of saltwater reef keepers)

As for your live rock... it is normal for them to change color... usually they will turn a purple color over time... this is 'coraline algae'.. itis hard and will eventually cover the rock,  (and yes, there are other colors, but purple is the most common)

Sometimes there are critters that will eat the coraline and strip the rock of this color... they actually arent eating the coraline, or the rock, they are trying to eat the algae... but digest and expel the rock as sand...

They usually leave trails, so it is easy to see where they have been...

If your rock is not being 'eaten' then there could be problems with your water, which would need water test for pH, temperature, salinity, etc....


As for minerals, I would not add anything unless you KNOW that your tank water is deficient / lacking in those minerals/suppliments... it would suck if you paid money for something, added it, and then found out you already had too much... and you just basically just wasted the money... not to mention the risk of poisoning or raising the levels beyond what is healthy...


So, I guess my suggestion for you now is to test your water, do some water changes and let me know so we can continue this discussion...

thanks and good luck, and i hope to hear from you soon.



bill