Man made rock vs the rest.....

[Tony Thompson]

To make a blanket statement to not us LR is not a rational one. I just purchased some LR fromKP Aquatics. They lease a site from the state of FL and place dry rock that is mined from dead corals. They then let that rock sit for a couple of years and then harvest it. They are not damaging any coral reefs in the process. There are other companies that are doing the same. I agree, we should not be destroying live reefs to get rock.

Hi @KenO , first of all congratulations on choosing a sustainable alternative to what would generally be identified as "Live Rock". I am aware of KP Aquatics in beautiful sunny Florida. They are indeed an excellent sustainable company. These are the types of company that deserve our support.

Seeding dead rock in this way, if monitored and managed carefully is indeed a fine alternative. Like many things in this hobby, generic terms and naming can cause some confusion. In my previous statements , when I refer to "Live Rock" I was referring to the wild rock harvested directly from the ocean, with the only involvement by the company, being the collection part.

One proviso that I must add is, that the trade in farmed rock and corals need very close monitoring and regulation. If it is difficult to differentiate between a farmed product and a wild product then the temptation for less sustainably minded individuals to pass of Wild for Farmed becomes a great economic driver.

KP aquatics is a fine example how this problem can be monitored successfully. Their collection methods of both livestock and farmed rock is carried out by themselves with no chain of custody. This way I believe a company can truely stand by its statements on its collection practices. Well done KP Aquatics.

I think your comment that my statement is, irrational, is a little unfair. My points are always open for debate and IMO formed in a rational manner. My aim is never to simply garner agreement, but to develop awareness and debate. I therefore appreciate your involvement and respect your comments.

Happy reefing and once again well done on choosing a sustainable alternative.

 

[Dburr1014]

I have made my own rock from Portland cement and oyster shells. I have been asked before where did I buy it from because it looks like real rock and its side by side in my tank. I see bristle worms in my rock and pods crawling all over it. In the photo is a real rock and one I made. Tell me which one is fake, left or right?

 

[SFKINNC]

Really good work creating natural looking rock. BTW which one is it?

 

[Dburr1014]

The right is cement

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Check this out! I found this thread by a guy who makes rock with FRP. This looks cool! https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/i-make-a-rock-with-frp.205512/

 

[Vancjj88]

I have made my own rock from Portland cement and oyster shells. I have been asked before where did I buy it from because it looks like real rock and its side by side in my tank. I see bristle worms in my rock and pods crawling all over it. In the photo is a real rock and one I made. Tell me which one is fake, left or right?

I cant tell you wich one is which

 

[tiggs]

Personally, I'll always go with actual live rock. Using dry rock has definitely been the trend in recent years, but that's one of my few old school ways that I'll never deviate from. The rock I'm using currently is Fiji LR harvested in 2010 from a reef display tank that was being taken down after 12 years, so it's roughly 20 years in captivity.