Looking for certain liverock

[jDoSe]

Looking for certain maricultured artificial liverock. It is very recognizable (to me at least).

a lot of maricutured corals come on these rocks (but not all maricultured). i emailed liveaquaria but they couldn’t help me out.

I have attached a picture. It is often bubbly-looking with red and real purple/pink algae.

i know they sell the artificial maricultured liverock by itself. It comes in a limited amount of shapes, as I believe they use molds.
I am mostly trying to find just these exact rocks, but noone sells them without the coral.

 

[fishface NJ]

it looks like some of the pieces that I have from "Real Reef rock" brand. The rock is redish maroon. This one is that color with coraline algae on it

 

[MONTANTK]

Looks like “Real Reef” brand rock. I’m pretty sure you can order rubble pieces of it. My LFS has a lot of rubble from pieces breaking. Not sure whether they use molds but I have never seen two of the same piece

 

[Frostblitz20]

they sell kits to make your own shapes. also Liveaqura rocks are mainly broken from other shards of rocks.

 

[jDoSe]

Hi, i believe all the Real Reef Rock is just painted-on algae.
This rock is maricultured in the ocean and has real algae. I bought some a decade ago, but the lfs is no longer around.

i can probably make my own rock but i cant mariculture it across the world in the ocean.

 

[WheatToast]

it looks like some of the pieces that I have from "Real Reef rock" brand. The rock is redish maroon. This one is that color with coraline algae on it

I doubt it. OP’s rock resembles Walt Smith Fiji rock in my opinion, though the size does not match up (the molds resemble mushroom tops, they aren’t too jagged like Real Reef).
They sell the rock here in limited stock:
https://www.liverocknreef.com/catalog/live-rock-by-the-pound/fiji-saltwater-live-rock-7915.html

 

[fishface NJ]

Yes they are painted. Time will give it that look. Mine has the aged look to it with algae on it now.

 

[MONTANTK]

Hi, i believe all the Real Reef Rock is just painted-on algae.
This rock is maricultured in the ocean and has real algae. I bought some a decade ago, but the lfs is no longer around.

i can probably make my own rock but i cant mariculture it across the world in the ocean.

Maricultured live rock would be just regular live rock technically. The Real Reef algae is painted on but the real stuff will eventually grow over. It looks like that’s what happened in the picture. Not sure I have ever seen live rock come in with that much coralline on it

 

[MONTANTK]

I doubt it. OP’s rock resembles Walt Smith Fiji rock in my opinion, though the size does not match up (the molds resemble mushroom tops, they aren’t too jagged like Real Reef).
They sell the rock here in limited stock:
https://www.liverocknreef.com/catalog/live-rock-by-the-pound/fiji-saltwater-live-rock-7915.html

Actually on second though I agree. Looks like Fiji Rock. Real Reef is more purple

 

[fishface NJ]

I doubt it. OP’s rock resembles Walt Smith Fiji rock in my opinion, though the size does not match up (the molds resemble mushroom tops, they aren’t too jagged like Real Reef).

I have Reef Rock and mine now resembles the OP example cover it coraline algae

 

[jDoSe]

This rock was available over a decade ago, years before Real Reef Rock version 1 even existed.

Im not saying anything bad about Real Reef Rock. It just isn’t what I bought long ago and isn’t what I am looking for. The coralline algae was real. It also came with a ton of hitchhikers like crabs, shrimp, worms, etc.

It is artificial, but maricultured.
they make it with mortar and sand, throw it in the ocean for a while, then go and collect it later.
I believe the same guys mariculturing these corals for liveaquaria using these rocks are the same guys who make this rock.
I just need to find out who it is.

 

[WheatToast]

This rock was available over a decade ago, years before Real Reef Rock version 1 even existed.

Im not saying anything bad about Real Reef Rock. It just isn’t what I bought long ago and isn’t what I am looking for. The coralline algae was real. It also came with a ton of hitchhikers like crabs, shrimp, worms, etc.

It is artificial, but maricultured.
they make it with mortar and sand, throw it in the ocean for a while, then go and collect it later.
I believe the same guys mariculturing these corals for liveaquaria using these rocks are the same guys who make this rock.
I just need to find out who it is.

So, was it the Fiji mariculture rock or something else?

 

[jDoSe]

I doubt it. OP’s rock resembles Walt Smith Fiji rock in my opinion, though the size does not match up (the molds resemble mushroom tops, they aren’t too jagged like Real Reef).
They sell the rock here in limited stock:
https://www.liverocknreef.com/catalog/live-rock-by-the-pound/fiji-saltwater-live-rock-7915.html

Hi, the process looks similar to the rock Im looking for but I don’t believe that is it just by looking at the rock.

 

[WheatToast]

Hi, the process looks similar to the rock Im looking for but I don’t believe that is it just by looking at the rock.

Got it! I’m also interested in obtaining that “Liveaquaria” rock. I love the different coralline species that encrust it.

 

[jDoSe]

Got it! I’m also interested in obtaining that “Liveaquaria” rock. I love the different coralline species that encrust it.

Yah, I have some really old pictures I can post when i get home. (And see if i can msg Walt Smith to see if he thinks it is his rock). It still may be, because the process seems almost exactly how the rocks were made. Also, he’s been doing it since ‘98, so it fits the time period of around 13 years ago when i bought the rock.