live rock

[b-gin-86]

hi everyone I am new to R2R and new to the saltwater hobby as well. I have my tank set up and it is full of water. Now I am wanting to add the rock. I read online that I should use live rock and I also read I should use dry rock. Does anyone have any recomondations? Also where is a good place to buy rock? Thanks!!!

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Check your local fish store and see what they sell. I like live rock, but dry rock will become live rock over time.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Dry Rock will not get you the pesky hitch hikers that come with Live Rock. Fully Cured Live Rock on the other hand will cycle your tank in a matter of days, instead of a matter of weeks, using dry rock.
You can always get coralline algae via scrapings off another piece of LR from somewhere else.
I prefer Macro Rocks myself, no problem critter attached to this stuff, and it looks great.

 

[Waters]

I also prefer live rock....my tank skipped the initial cycle due to the live rock. Plus I seem to be one of the rare people that find great enjoyment in discovering the hidden life that comes with high quality rock. I don't know if this site has restrictions on posting links to vendors so just do a search for live rock and you will get a ton of places that sell it.

 

[TBAquaculture]

There are many types of Rock you can get, Dry rock, which was talked about earlier, Live Rock from a LFS, (most of what I see is wet dry rock or Import rock) and Aquacultured Live Rock.

We have top quality Aquacultured Live Rock, this is rock that has been placed in the ocean on a spot designated by the National Marine Fisheries for this purpose and let set for years, this creates a reef and it is inhabited by all sorts of marine creatures. Some people do not like the creatures and they choose to use dry rock, however I would suggest my rock or any Aquacultured Rock if your new to the hobby, if for no other reason than the learning experience you get trying to identify all the creatures.

 

[b-gin-86]

the LFS around where I live they seem to only have rock that is probably cured but with no coralline algea. Also the rock that I have seen so far is small rounded pieces which are great and all but I would like a little variation in my tank. im setting up a 92 gallon bow front. I was thinking maybe buy some of the round cured rock and order some different pieces of dry rock. I read that the critters that can come with the live rock can harm or kill corals and fish. That its best to know what goes in my tank and not leave anything to chance. feedback is greatly appreciated. thanks

 

[Karen]

I have set my tank up with a mixture of live rock and dry rock. About 50/50. It has worked out well for me, except that I did have to rid myself of a predator crab from one piece of live rock. I buy from the LFS.

 

[Waters]

My rock was 100% live rock ( shipped damp) and I have not any issues at all. I had an immediate biological filter and the addition of various polyps along with a huge pod population . I realize not everybody is that lucky but it has worked for me.

 

[TBAquaculture]

Yes sometimes you get "bad" Hitchhikers along with good ones.
They are very common and there are so many threads on how to get them out of your tank or what to do with them, like this one where they put the Gorilla Crab to work for them. [url]https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-invert-forum/173310-gorilla-crabs-work.html
[/URL]Getting Real Live Rock is not as bad as some people make it out to be, in fact for most people new to the hobby is a great learning experience.
The biggest complaint I get is the cost, so use code 20OFFROCK and save 20% off our Live Rock.

 

[ammari33]

I advise you to depends on dry rock and put small pieces of live rocks to seed the dry rock. From experience, if you do not add a small pieces of live rock the bacteria will take 2 months (maybe more) to come to eat the ammonia.
Be carful when you select live rock

 

[saltyphish]

Yes you can get some bad hitchhikers on live rock, but I believe you can spray the rock with a high salinity solution to remove them and keep the ones you want. The thing about live rock at least in my experience is sometimes you may not notice all of the hitchhikers on your rock for quite some time. It took 6 mths for me to realize I had a bristleworm in my tank and a micro featherduster.

 

[Karen]

I am seeing some feather dusters now about six months later, too.


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[b-gin-86]

is there any live rock that does not contain unwanted future problems.lol basically can I purchase live rock with just coralline algea on it. also where is a good online store to purchase nice dry or live rock. All I have seen is rounded rock without any character.

 

[Karen]

All live rock is live, which means that it has life on it.

I would search each lfs in the area. Mine has come from three different stores, all hand picked to fit into my aquarium in a certain way. I certainly would not just order online and allow whomever to send whatever is easiest for them.

 

[TBAquaculture]

Karen, I guarantee that you would be way more satisfied with "what ever is easiest for me" than what you get at your lfs, unless yours are far better than the ones around me.

 

[Karen]

I just like to see what I am getting and having a nano I have to get it to fit just right.

As it is. I misjudged the size of one rock and it is too long. Still considering whether I need to break it in half.

No offense I tended to you.


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[Karen]

I have found some very nice live rock around here, although it does take some searching. I went to about five or six different stores and bought from just three. I also hate paying shipping. I would rather the lfs buy in bulk and pay whatever shipping, and yes I do understand that that charge is figured into what they are charging me.


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[b-gin-86]

if I do buy live rock can I dip it in colder water or let it sit in a higher salinity tank for awhile or will that kill all the beneficial bacteria also?

 

[b-gin-86]

what are some reputable vendors? also what is considered quality live rock? thanks

 

[Karen]

When I started out, I was told that you want live rock that is porous. I like to see some shape to it and of course some nice coloration. As for dipping it in cold water or higher salt content, I don't know. I don't worry about getting rid of critters unless I have to.

I also don't deal with online stores for reasons listed above. I like my instant gratification of taking it home with me if I purchase it. I know that people are always saying good things about Live Aquaria (Drs Foster and Smith) and I think it is called Barrier Reef Supply. Hope you can find what you need.