Go Live or Dead??

[andreasch]

Hello guys..
i got a new question for you. although am sure more people asked this before, and i read many articles about this, but i still would like to see your answers.
I am making my first ever reef tank. So am totally new to this.
I want to find out what is the best way for a beginner to go with the rocks. To use live or dead rock.
I know with live rock ill have less parameters peaks, my tank will cycle better, it look nicer, i can add fish faster, but the reason i hesitate to decide the live rock without a question (except from price), is all these bad pests and hitchhikers someone can get from live rock and which are not reef safe and have to be removed.
As i stated before i am new to the hobby so i dont know how easy is to handle these issues and what you can do about them.
So what is easier for a beginner after all? To go with dead rock and handle all these params up and downs issues and the long process of cycling, or go with live rock and handle pests and hitchhikers?
Thank you

 

[Ludders]

From my perspective I go dry rock now. When I started I had live rock, but it has potential to introduce unwanted hitchhikers.

You can do things to speed up the cycle process, but my advice is never be in a hurry and stock slowly and it won't be too bad.

I see some pictures of new tanks cycling on here and the uglies they have are way worse than anything I've ever seen in my tanks and this is considered "normal".

So long as you are disciplined and don't try any half measures or short cuts, you will be fine with dry rock.

 

[mike werner]

From my perspective I go dry rock now. When I started I had live rock, but it has potential to introduce unwanted hitchhikers.

You can do things to speed up the cycle process, but my advice is never be in a hurry and stock slowly and it won't be too bad.

I see some pictures of new tanks cycling on here and the uglies they have are way worse than anything I've ever seen in my tanks and this is considered "normal".

So long as you are disciplined and don't try any half measures or short cuts, you will be fine with dry rock.

I would go "dead"
After cycling and over time it becomes "liverock".With fresh rock it's not very likely the bad stuff we all avoid will show up.
SOAK IT FIRST FOR 24 HRS IN FRESH WATER! drain the water off and soak it a few more times and drain it a few more times.

 

[Jesterrace]

Hello guys..
i got a new question for you. although am sure more people asked this before, and i read many articles about this, but i still would like to see your answers.
I am making my first ever reef tank. So am totally new to this.
I want to find out what is the best way for a beginner to go with the rocks. To use live or dead rock.
I know with live rock ill have less parameters peaks, my tank will cycle better, it look nicer, i can add fish faster, but the reason i hesitate to decide the live rock without a question (except from price), is all these bad pests and hitchhikers someone can get from live rock and which are not reef safe and have to be removed.
As i stated before i am new to the hobby so i dont know how easy is to handle these issues and what you can do about them.
So what is easier for a beginner after all? To go with dead rock and handle all these params up and downs issues and the long process of cycling, or go with live rock and handle pests and hitchhikers?
Thank you

You can go with a couple of different routes. Dry Pukani would be an affordable choice but it will take a while to get set up. As a compromise you could use something like the Carribsea Life Rock:

https://www.amazon.com/CaribSea-Aquatics-008479003768-Caribsea-40-Pound/dp/B00IK5TJU4

It's man made with dry rock that has been seeded with a bacteria coating. So you get some beneficial bacteria to start without the potential nasties that come on regular live rock. This is actually what I have run in both my 36 gallon and my 90 gallon.

 

[savetheocean]

Id go dry rock. I have caribsea and I have heard they came out with some cool shapes. Don't go dead unless you will take the time to cure it.

 

[Chuk]

I used to go all live ~10 years ago when I started. My previous tank I did 100% dry and it took almost 18 months to start to steadily see the coralline algae take over the rock and for critters like pods and sponges to take up residence. This last time after I moved I went 99% dry and added 1 small thoroughly inspected piece of live rock. I think it helped spread the goodness of the live rock to my dry rock a bit faster than before this time it seemed to be about 6 months for the coralline and critters to start popping up.

 

[addo]

I would mix live and dead rock.

 

[Ludders]

I would mix live and dead rock.

Doe this strategy not defeat the objective?

 

[falconut]

I would mix live and dead rock.

This is the method I've done. Picked up some base dry rock & then added some cycled live rock. This way the dry rock get seeded by the live rock. Now, I did mine slowly. Added smaller amounts at a time and eventually filled nicely.

Keep in mind if you buy live rock online, you'll most likely have some die off, so it'll have to at least semi-cycle if not full cycle it.

I have friends that used full live rock to cycle their tanks Year's ago. Just have to watch for the hitch hikers.

 

[tom39]

I would recommend starting with dry rock and dry sand. A clean start in my opinion is better than finding out or dealing with the unknowns.
Diversity of bacteria and critters will usually get added to a system over a period of time with the addition of corals, rock or livestock.

 

[addo]

Doe this strategy not defeat the objective?

The main reason I like dry rock is because its much easier to scape, when you can take your time and not worry about anything in the rock dying. But i still find the microorganisms from LR beneficial and interesting so i would ad a few pieces of quality LR to seed the tank. For my next tank I'll keep the LR under observation in a quarantine tank for a couple of months to avoid pests though.

 

[samnaz]

Both. The life that comes along with live rock is mostly good, as well as fascinating and it’s fun to discover them. Most pests can be taken care of so I don’t consider that a reason to rule out live rock completely. It’s difficult to aquascape though, so I’d use some dry rock to make some interesting shapes.

 

[Oldsalt01]

And there you have it: 8 different opinions on what you should do. That's what makes this "hobby" interesting. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. So you have to get a bunch of opinions and take the consensus. Just remember, it's much easier to keep nasty's out of your tank than it is to get them out of your tank. As for myself, I've done tanks 3 ways: LR from a vendor (wonderful biodiversity, but some die-off and nasty's too), dry rock (seemed to take forever for the tanks to start to mature), and cycled rock from my LFS (did this last and have had very good luck with it so far). Yah, I know. I didn't really answer your questions either, but at the end of the day it is entirely up to you.

 

[Ludders]

The main reason I like dry rock is because its much easier to scape, when you can take your time and not worry about anything in the rock dying. But i still find the microorganisms from LR beneficial and interesting so i would ad a few pieces of quality LR to seed the tank. For my next tank I'll keep the LR under observation in a quarantine tank for a couple of months to avoid pests though.

That makes sense

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Live rock all the way for me. It takes years (and some say it never happens) for dead or dry rock to become truly "live". The surface will get covered in bacteria fairly quickly but the stuff deep in the rock is what takes a very long time. Try breaking or cutting a live rock in half and see how deep the life goes. It is truly incredible. Yes you have to watch for hitchhikers, but honestly they seem to get in there eventually no matter what you start with. They come in on frags etc. The first year of my tank with its live rock was one of my favorite times. Seeing some new life form popping up that I had never seen before was lots of fun and almost all of it was harmless or beneficial.

 

[Fourstars]

I second the live rock with dry base. Saves money.

 

[cracker]

Live rock has all kinds of cool surprise critters.It could be a year & all a sudden something new pops up. Not to mention a much greater variety of benny bacteria . If you use half & half You get 50% less chance of nasty's & more good bacteria.

 

[Literallyhydro]

I've always used dry rock with just a few pieces of cured live rock to seed the tank.

Dramatically reduces the risk of nasty hitchhikers while still giving me reasonable cycle times.

 

[anit77]

You should consider a mix. Do the majority dry, Pukani is very good and maybe some Marco type for the base structures that will be partially under the sand. Then add a few pieces of live that you have QT'd for a month or more. This will give you the time to identify and remove any undesirable hitchhikers. If you can find one or more people near you that are interested you can split up a Tampa Bay rock order. Lots of good stuff in their rock, but some bad too. But feather dusters, porcelain crabs, sponges and many other good things. The nice thing about doing this is it gives you a chance to see all the life that comes with the rock while your getting your main tank ready. It will fill the desire for instant gratification while still taking your time on the display and doing it right... slowly.

With the sand, go dead and dry. Then once in place add a couple cups of sand from a local reefer that is known to be pest free. You can also buy some marine pure balls and ask someone local to put them in their sump. This will give you a lot of diversity and be relatively safe doing it.

Take your time and enjoy the build. This is one of the best parts of the hobby. Good luck and have fun with the build!

 

[Tautog]

I used Live Rock. My tank never cycled. Tank maturity I believe is key. Any pest that comes with LR will surely arrive with corals you buy. There’s too many pros with LR, but the knowledge gained dealing with pests is priceless. I’ve added Dry/Live Rock Shelving from BRS. They have a video for curing Dry Rock. It’s easy, just put all Dry rock into a garbage pail big enough to cover all rock with water. I used old water from a WC. Add a small pump to circulate, small heater to keep the water warm, and cover well to keep in total darkness. Change the water every 2 weeks. During the WC, inspect all rock for loose dead stuff and remove. After 6 weeks your rock is ready for the DT, and 3-4 weeks later, Coraline will start, but the rock will have NO algae issues. I’ve done this twice, and works great.