Live rock or dry rock. Which do you prefer and why?

[Tiki Feet]

From my perspective, both have their benefits and their problems. I prefer a mix of 75% live rock to 25% dry rock. I agree with Trex 5 -10 years ago live rock was an adventure what will this piece reveal to me? Lately all I see in LFS is pale brown grey rock I call base rock.(stuff that is rejected by the previous pickers) I strive to set my tanks up to recreate as complete a microcosm as I can. So I prefer my rock pulled from the South Pacific and overnighted to the wholesaler, who then sells it to my LFS who will give a sweet unopened box price. I take it upon my self to pick and clean the rock. But I also have a tank for quarantine and curing of the rock so I can find the mantis shrimp, monster bristle worms and hairy crabs. That's the wonder and fun of the hobby.

I do believe in farms aquaculturing dry rock in coastal waters like in Florida, and Fiji so that ecosystems do not get ruined. Pacific cultures built saltwater ponds to farm food fish for their tribes, why not live rock?

I just feel using all dry, dead rock is like putting bleached coral skeletons in your tank and then attaching a frag in the hope that it will over grow the dead skeleton and look like the dead skeleton was reincarnated. It may happen and look pretty good but it will take awhile. If a hobbyist doesn't have the patience to check their live rock, How long till their patience runs out waiting for coralline algae, sponges, etc to repopulate their dry rock?

Just my perspective, a hui hou.

 

[shred5]

I just feel using all dry, dead rock is like putting bleached coral skeletons in your tank and then attaching a frag in the hope that it will over grow the dead skeleton and look like the dead skeleton was reincarnated. It may happen and look pretty good but it will take awhile. If a hobbyist doesn't have the patience to check their live rock, How long till their patience runs out waiting for coralline algae, sponges, etc to repopulate their dry rock?

Just my perspective, a hui hou.

I have to disagree... Dead rock you can start adding stuff much sooner because you do not have to wait for die off or ammonia spike. With dead rock you just have to wait for bacteria populations to increase you dont have any nitrogen cycle. You do have to take it slow. After several months you cant tell its dead rock.

Plus Most live rock after a year or more has almost nothing left on it because most of the critters on live rock dont survive in our tanks except it seems the stuff you dont want. You also spend all this money on live rock and setting it up to look all nice and after 2 years a mature tank you dont even see the rock anymore, its nothing but a base for corals.

I agree I miss looking at my tank at night seeing all the cool things that come in on live rock but I dont miss all the pests either.


This pic is less than 6 months after the tank was set up with marco rock. Its an old pic, I actually just tore the tank down. There was no live rock added at all to this tank. All the coraline came from the plugs on the frags.