Looking for some Honest opinions

[Mx51]

My wife and I are buying a new house next month and I will be setting up 180 gallon mixed reef tank. I have had some bad experience using live rock in the past with bubble algae an aptisia. So I have some concerns about going with live rock again, would I be better off doing dry rock and adding bottled bacteria or just seeding it with a little piece of live rock. I really don’t want to have to battle all the bad you get with live rock but I love all the good that comes on it. What would all of you do?

 

[VJM 21]

My wife and I are buying a new house next month and I will be setting up 180 gallon mixed reef tank. I have had some bad experience using live rock in the past with bubble algae an aptisia. So I have some concerns about going with live rock again, would I be better off doing dry rock and adding bottled bacteria or just seeding it with a little piece of live rock. I really don’t want to have to battle all the bad you get with live rock but I love all the good that comes on it. What would all of you do?

Just my 2 cents, but I’d rather deal with a little bubble algae and aiptasia than deal with dinos from starting with dry rock.

 

[WVNed]

I went with 50/50 a year ago. I would go with 25 percent live and 75% dry if I had to do it again.

 

[Mx51]

Just my 2 cents, but I’d rather deal with a little bubble algae and aiptasia than deal with dinos from starting with dry rock.

What are dinos?

 

[Vette67]

With a 180 you have many options for bubble algae. My foxface devours it, so does my purple tang. Aptasia can be handled with peppermint shrimp or berghia nudibranchs. So the benefit of live rock vastly outweighs the risk of pests. You don’t need to do all live rock, but I would get as much as your budget allows.

 

[NashobaTek]

Going with live rock on the next aquarium. I think it will be a lot better than dry rock I started the first one with. May even add a little to the older aquarium

 

[Billldg]

I am currently upgrading and I will use 170 pounds of Marco Shelf rock and 60 plus pounds of live rock. I have seen a Dino outbreak recently and the common theme is that we all used 100 percent dry rock. Dry rock by itself isn't the issue, its just that the bacteria that live rock brings is second to none. I will use most of the live rock in my sump, but I will place several pieces in my DT to help seed the dry rock.

 

[deahttub]

Just my 2 cents, but I’d rather deal with a little bubble algae and aiptasia than deal with dinos from starting with dry rock.

This...

 

[Chef Mateo]

You could also use that fake live rock like the Fiji Real Reef Rock, I Believe it's called.

 

[Devaji]

my 2 cents...
I like the real reef rock looks like live rock great shaps and scaping with it.
that and some bottled bac, has done me well.

that said I have started two tanks with real live rock one from TBS and the other KP aquatics
TBS is heavy so you dont get a ton for your money , but the life on it it amazing ships in water and your tank is ready to do supper fast. @ 5 bucks a pound i think its worth thinking about,
but if you are dead set ( pun intended) I would go with real reef rock. so I nice mix of both

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Live rock>dry rock

Need I say more?

 

[pcon]

I would never put live rock in my tanks. Dry rock requires more patience but down the road achieves the same results without any risk of the nasty live rock pests.

 

[Mx51]

I would never put live rock in my tanks. Dry rock requires more patience but down the road achieves the same results without any risk of the nasty live rock pests.

I value all of your opinions I do love the look of live rock and the good hitchhikers you get with it. But the bad hit hitchhikers and pass or what concerns me

 

[Mx51]

Opps That didn’t come out right the bad hitchhikers and pests are what concerns me

 

[vetteguy53081]

What are dinos?

Dino is a slimy bacteria that is ugly and will cause issues with water quality and eradication. It requires a battle to get rid of it. Best to avoid it all together and I would use a 50/50 mix of dry and live rock with addition of Dr. Tims “one and only”

 

[Debramb]

My 2 cents, these came w/LR, took a year to start growing, we have tons of mushrooms and didn’t really do anything!