Live Rock

3/5/04
The fetid smell of rotting “live rock” fills my nostrils. I put the Fiji live rock in the tank 3 days ago, and the odor has gotten worse everyday. The theory is that in a few months, the spores and residues of living things that somehow survived the trip from Fiji will blossom and make a healthy marine ecosystem. Meanwhile, I worry about the rock placement: was it sufficiently supported, will it stay in place when creatures start burrowing beneath it. I fret about the small stuff—the ph is low, the alkalinity is low, the ammonia is high—I wish I had taken chemistry after all.