Live rock question

[Acan_Fan]

I am not necessarily new to reefing, but I am new to owning a drilled tank and running a sump.

Main question...

Which supplier has the cleanest most established live rock that is pest free? Or at least APTASIA and Mojano free? And when I build my scape is it ok to mix live and dry while I cycle?

 

[Dragon52]

I'm not sure you can get true pest free Live rock. I'm sure others will chime in that have gotten LR from places that sell it. If you do a search here you can find alot of info about it.

 

[Murica]

I would personally buy all dead rock, then use a small piece of live rock that you know is safe to seed the dead

 

[lapin]

Live and dry mixed is fine while cycling.

If the rock is placed in the ocean to become live rock, it will not be pest free. If you are buying live rock that has been soaking in salt water at your LFS you cannot be sure it has no pests, if it has been exposed to their systems water.

 

[Acan_Fan]

I know its never 100 percent pest free. Just want to avoid aptasia and mojanos. Thinking about loading the first chamber in the sump with crumbled live rock. And seeding the dry rock with live rock i watch in a quarantine tank. Has anyone had issues with reef saver rock leaching at all?

 

[lapin]

I know its never 100 percent pest free. Just want to avoid aptasia and mojanos. Thinking about loading the first chamber in the sump with crumbled live rock. And seeding the dry rock with live rock i watch in a quarantine tank. Has anyone had issues with reef saver rock leaching at all?

Reef Saver is Marco Rock
I have bought a ton. I mean the big box (pickup load) straight from Marco.
It does not leech anything. It does have a quite a bit of dust that will come off. Hose it off or pressure wash it. Then soak it. Before placing it in your tank rinse it off again with a hose.
The only issue I heard is that for the first month or 2 some people notice it sucks up alk until it gets stable. I dont know if this is the rock or stuff growing on it. I was thinking about a thread on alk and dry rock

 

[BeejReef]

Don't think there is a pest free live rock, other than that you make yourself.
Peeps don't even agree on what are pests and what are not... i.e. bristleworms or spaghetti worms.

The benefit of live rock, be it maricultured or aquacultured, is the diversity of life and bacteria. FWIW, I wouldn't be terrified of aptasia. I got to watch one get eaten by three berghia just last night... probably the coolest thing I've ever seen in the tank.

 

[Acan_Fan]

I will upload a pic after work to show why im terrified of them. Nothing has worked!

 

[BeejReef]

I didn't have them too bad, probably a dozen with heads ranging from the size of a dime to a nickel. Some were buried in zoa frags, others out and proud on the rockwork. Then there were another two or three the size of quarters and one that's golfball sized.. lol. I put in three berghia sometime in early November and the prob is 60% solved already. Just the shipping is stupid expensive when you buy 4, it's more than the product. If I was to do it again, I'd buy 25, keep 5, and sell the others locally. People are always on the local fb looking for them.

 

[Acan_Fan]

i have them everywhere. Kill 1 and 20 pop up. Got nudibranchs and they only clear out rocks around the bottom. I know the nudis are breeding since they lay eggs everywhere.