• Does the Black Sea Living Stone have the right to exist?

  • John3432

In contrast to the parallel topic, the discussion is not about ordinary pebbles from the beach, but about full-fledged fragments of rock formations, which host a variety of macrophyte algae, sponges, crustaceans, fan worms, mollusks, and other living organisms. 99.9% of this entire population can be successfully acclimated to tropical salinity levels (for reference, the average salinity in the Black Sea is around 18 ppt), with the exception of annual/seasonal algae. The issue is not about the price (the price will be discussed in a "specific" case). The issue is about the use of the Black Sea Live Rock in general. Lately, with the current technologies (not to be confused with the current prices of tropical live rocks), I'm starting to ponder. PS. To this day, I don't have a single rock from the Black Sea in my aquariums. I don't count the photos of real rocks in the Tarkhankut, Fiolent, and Inet

Jade

It's better to cut the Red Sea stone. The Black Sea one is SAD, it's our own. We've had enough of rapans and pelengas.

Antonio

Off-topic, your energy needs to be directed into peaceful channels - the docks in Illichivsk are weak, they need to be deepened to 13-15m like in Odessa. Look, and the capesize ships will start coming in. Many have launched on the live sand from the Black Sea.

Caitlin3279

By the way, would the opposite work??? For example, to populate the Black Sea with aiptasia, simple corals, ksyukha, and regular umbrellas? It would be interesting to read about such an experiment, and only enthusiasts of marine aquaristics from the Black Sea coast could do something like that...

Kellie

As I see it, the correct live rock is dead coral. The main advantage is porosity. The lighter the stone, the more pores it has, and the more valuable it is. What does Black Sea live rock represent? Shell rock at best? And how does it fare with silicates and phosphates? There were options for making dry rock from cement, salt, and aragonite sand. Salt dissolves over time, creating pores; we place it in an active aquarium to bring it to life. Even on metal pipes and ropes, acropora grows, and even on plastic floats.

Curtis

Limestone is also quite porous. I agree, it's somewhat heavier than live rocks of tropical origin and coral skeletons, but it's nearby, and it can be transported in water (bucket, bag, barrel, anything...) it will be as alive as possible. There are no phosphates in it, silicates... yes, but current absorbers will remove them. This is not about "live" stones from a quarry, but about a fragment of a living rock. One could just as well use dry reef rocks from Yanovsky or revive them, why bother with cement, salt, and sand.

Shelby3182

Will you be the sponsor? We'll salt the Black Sea, bring in some kettles, and off we go.

Gene1948

We talk too much about J.K. (living stones), but the most important thing is to create the right movement of water through these stones. For example, how to create something like a tide. When not just streams of water move quickly, but the entire thickness of the water mass slowly moves like a wall first towards the shore and then away from it. Or a wave-like surf. That's where we need to dig.

Wendy2244

It's a matter of technique; there are streams, wave boxes, etc. As for the Black Sea, not once. In a marine aquarium, the main things are the right light, the right current, the right hydrochemistry, etc. Even the smallest nuance, which was treated with disregard, can skew the entire system, and as it turned out, it was also "main."

Crystal

1. Yes, all of this exists, but we still get rapid mixing of water, while in the sea it is much smoother (maybe this is not important, but it's just a fact). 2. The Black Sea has been talked about for a long time and has been successfully used for a long time. This leads to the thought... 3. A collider in every home. We need to take and try the Black Sea J.K. (living stones). Moreover, it can be delivered alive to the buyer without any dead ones.

Erica752

1. Today there are streams starting from Sun-Sun and boxes from NOXa and ending with Vortech, etc., so creating the desired mixing/flow/ebb/flow is not a problem. 2. They said they use it, and I agree that it is successful. However, either it is mixed in or later replaced (or am I confusing something), but I am talking about a 100% launch and further use of Black Sea J.K. (live rocks). 3. Why?

Amy

I think that yes, such sea anemones grow on the stones of the Black Sea (in natural conditions).

Randy

Well, in Africa, there are palm trees, we have peaches and cherries, and in the North, there is reindeer moss. You just have to try it; it's just the way it has been established that coral fish go with coral live rocks. But after I saw acroporas on plastic floats with my own eyes, I will believe anything. The main thing is to have good salt, closer to natural sea salt in composition. Or water from the sea.

Meghan

If it cannot be used as L.R. (live rock), it can always be dried and used as D.R. (dry rock). I read that even five years ago, people were throwing shell rock into large aquariums to reduce costs.

Diana8604

I have one living in my mini tank under the ЖК (living stones), I can't take a photo, and a blue-green anemone. I placed them on the bottom, but they escaped after 30 minutes.

Andrea

It is specifically about J.K. (living stones), i.e., a fragment of rock taken from underwater, inhabited by all sorts of things, to dry it in case of failure...????? It is easier to take a quarry stone - already dry and without the presence of organic matter. Who "took it upon themselves"?

Pamela

Sellers of Premium Live Rock. Although real live rock should be in the aquarium for at least Coraline! With real live rock, a lot of aquaculture should settle and reproduce in the aquarium. (Not counting Aiptasia, palolo, planaria, and other joys.) By the way, on dry rock, Coraline spots can turn red for years, but then it doesn't come back to life. Here is a friend that was launched on dry rocks. I would like to draw attention to the phrase: "Recently, many different animals from the Red Sea are ending up in the Mediterranean." And soon in the Black Sea, and then up the Dnieper.

Laurie3842

Corallina is also present on the Black Sea stones (this algae also grows here). What problems? So much interesting stuff can come out of the Black Sea. Yeah, and it has a habitat that is just perfect for launching on dry stones. But we shouldn't mention this to the people from Kyiv, or else the supplies from Asia will be disrupted.

Elizabeth1221

By the way, regarding the issue of Black Sea live rocks. Here is a quote: "No specimen of acropora should be placed in an aquarium that is less than 1 year old. These corals need a stable 'mature' aquarium with excellent water quality." What is meant by the term "mature aquarium" that is at least 1 year old, and can it mature with Black Sea live rocks? We are not considering the keeping of simple soft corals for now.

Cynthia6578

Off-topic, since I'm not a diver, it's easier for me to just buy either S.R.K. (dry reef stones) or Red Sea J.K. (live stones). What’s lying on the shore in Odessa is complete junk and also heavy. Shere Khan had some Black Sea J.K. (live stones) in his aquariums (as far as I know) - if that's the case, he'll write when he sees it.

Brandy1134

Sure, you can tell this to... let's say Tatiana (Taka) or AiRif. Who else did I forget (the key phrase is "less than 1 year")? Only the Black Sea residential complex (live stones) is relevant here. And why not? A fragment of live rock is taken from a depth of about 2-3 meters, carefully transferred to a prepared aquarium for launch, and then we've all been through this... So what would prevent the aquarium from "maturing" to the desired condition in this case? Let's start with the fact that there is no sea in Odessa; there is a certain body of water that is mistakenly called a sea.

Scott8536

So, the topic is about Black Sea live rocks or where? Simply put, can we make soup from a hatchet? Or, can Acropora live in the sea solely on Black Sea live rocks without any miraculous additives? Sand, water, salt, Black Sea live rocks, and Acropora? Is there a desire to test this?

Amy1672

I mean, trying to transfer the most stubborn marine life to the Black Sea climate and environment... That would be interesting, and who knows, maybe in 20 years we will have our own reefs and people will come to us for diving. I think many corals can adapt to both the salinity of the Black Sea and the temperature regime... Natural adaptation is still a thing, it just depends on the sailors from the coast... I would love to observe such a topic, even in a 20-liter mini tank...

Nicole2404

Yes, don't mention it, the reservoir on one side is Odessa, on the other side is Crimea - from the side of Odessa, you can swim normally, but from the side of Crimea... there are only rocks in the water, that's why all the more or less Black Sea J.K. (living stones) ended up in your Crimea.

Brooke

The topic of Black Sea stones, axes, and acropolises is currently on the shelf. Now there is. But here the question is quite the opposite - Black Sea stones in the tropics. And also, we do not have the Danube, Southern Bug, and Dnieper; we are luckier.

Lindsey3628

So, what are we checking? Will Sarcophyton or Lobo fitum with Sinularia live in an aquarium with Black Sea live rocks? They will live on dry too... But Acropora is a completely different story.

Melissa3200

Well, only with pure Black Sea live rocks, it’s interesting how the bacteria will behave in the Black Sea, more precisely the reaction... will the aquarium with pure Black Sea live rocks be able to maintain the necessary parameters and for how long...

Martin3206

While reading, a question arose - are the small creatures, worms, various bugs, and bacteria from the Black Sea similar to those in tropical regions? If so, does that mean the only issue is salinity? I don't quite understand if corals from the tropics can survive on the basis of Black Sea bacteria and everything else. I hope I conveyed the essence of the question correctly.

Barbara

The nature reserve "Cape Alchak" is located east of the city of Sudak (declared a reserve in 1988). Alchak (translated as "low") is the smallest of the peaks surrounding the Sudak valley. Its height is 152 meters above sea level. Like a giant stone idol, it rises above the Black Sea. It is formed from Upper Jurassic limestones, consisting of fossilized corals, sea urchins, and various shells. This is an ancient coral reef, like many other nearby peaks - Fortress, Falcon, Eagle.

Courtney4094

In principle, there are plenty of such places in Crimea. However, some judge the stones by looking at the beaches of Yalta or Evpatoria.

Robert800

It's almost indistinguishable. Of course, if you pour Black Sea J.K. (living stones) directly into tropical salinity (i.e., from 18 to 33 ppt) - very little will survive, but if you stretch the salinity increase over a couple of weeks/months - almost everything will survive. Bacteria are bacteria, whether in Africa or anywhere else; they are not categorized into tropical or any other types.

Michele

+100 This is one of the most viable forms of life on Earth. They were the first.

Dana4701

then the question arises about adaptation to salinity

James8887

I read it, developed, and? Go and chip off a piece? But this is a nature reserve? Or should we sign to sell it for cheap? One thing is reassuring, there won't be any aiptasia on this rock, and that's already good! By the way, bacteria can tolerate salinity, but what about temperature? I shouldn't have brought up this topic. It will be like in Israel - the Red Sea is right there, but taking anything from it is prohibited. It will be the same with the Black Sea. You can't say such things out loud; you should chip away quietly and make us happy. Otherwise, they might break it.

Natasha7622

What will happen to them?

Charles894

Well, who knows, some are cold, others are hot. They are gasping from the heat and saying hello. They write that corals used to live here, but now they don't. In general, it's a valid topic, it needs to be tried.

Nicholas5194

Everyone has already tried it before us! So we won't see any laurels, we've been testing such technologies with Lesha for a long time, everything works. I once saw the Black Sea soil at Lesha's, and I asked him to send it, but it didn't work out to send it alive with water. And Black Sea fish and shrimp live excellently in tropical salinity (I had a dog and polychaetes living there), and you talk about bacteria...

Marie5735

I don't need much glory, just a bunch for the broth. But it's well known that raising the temperature in an aquarium above +30 is fraught with complete disaster. Even in the Mediterranean Sea, corals are not growing en masse, and there are no reefs along the coast, and consequently, no coral fish. It could be the temperature, the salinity, or maybe bacteria... And regarding the words - you have to try, I had commercial catch. As for the Black Sea bottom, aragonite sand is more suitable for the sea, it looks more natural.

Gabrielle5053

The Black Sea looks completely natural.

Stephanie3084

Off-topic. My God, the handsome guy in the last photo, no words. Is he also from the Black Sea?

Amanda5586

One of the Black Sea rays, the "Sea Fox," unfortunately grows up to 1 meter and larger. I kept a 35 cm juvenile and then donated it to an exhibition in a pool. - Various polychaetes, mysids, and amphipods are also represented here in a wide variety. - Coralline algae are quite common in the Black Sea, as are the "other" delights. Coralline algae are most often noticeable on the shells of mollusks (in the photo, the purple spots on the shells are indeed coralline), while it is harder to spot on rocks due to the abundance of macroalgae. I will think about it.

David

What is there to think about... We've been working with Alexey for ages, and we are satisfied with the results... so let's move forward and only forward... (I can only imagine what stones can be carved in the reserves, and not just there. I remember back in the 90s, in the Sudak Reserve, after practicing with a blacksmith's chisel and a sledgehammer, we brought back stunningly beautiful J.K. (living stones), with ulva and so on... There was so much joy... although the ulva was gradually eaten by the surgeons (by the way, it feels great in the reef), but the stones are still standing to this day, although the macro organisms that were there are long gone, but now there are discocomas and protophyllum along with parazoanthus.)

Cynthia

I am about commerce.

Erica

Is there any filamentous algae or bryopsis coming out of them?

Katherine

I think that over time this live rock will find its rightful place. I have a setup where in a 1200-liter marine reef aquarium, 85% of the entire reef consists of live rock from the Black Sea. It has all the "attributes," and tropical live rock has long adapted, gradually displacing the Black Sea variety. However, it has made a significant contribution to the stabilization processes of live rock in the tropical reef aquarium. So, in my opinion, the commercial aspect is quite solvable as well.

Gregory

This nasty thing, if introduced into an aquarium, will successfully sprout on bare glass, not to mention "rock" substrates. Yeah. You won't be able to expect any intricate shapes there. Then I'll wait for spring and give it a try.

Hannah

file in hand...

Joseph8842

For special "gourmets" and connoisseurs of Black Sea J.K. (living stones), a file will be included in the package or sent later.

Frank7213

Where is the stone? How much is the opium for the people?