Poll: Rock Preference for New System

[squampton]

I prefer live rock, but as it's difficult to find in my part of Canada. So I went with a mix of real reef rock and dry rock I had laying around.

I would also settle for aquaculture live rock that is cultured in the ocean, like the Florida stuff, but can't find that either.

Sometimes it sucks in Canada...lol

 

[madweazl]

The 75g I have now was done with dry rock (BRS Reef Saver) but the five tanks that preceded it all had Fiji live rock; actually, I take that back. The last one had rock I snatched from the shores of Okinawa (don't tell anyone...). I cant say that the health of the tank was better or worse in any of them so I don't know that it made much a difference in the end. I never had phosphate issues with the BRS Reef Saver so that wasn't an issue either (I did nothing to cure, just tossed it straight in and ran with it). Some of the others may be more problematic in that regard because of how/where they're sourced.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I did have two piece of Fiji live rock in the 75g as well (5 or 6lbs I believe). I used it to help seed/kickstart the nitrogen cycle and hoped some life would sprout as well.

With that said, the things you find in and on live rock are just amazing. Being somewhat environmentally conscious, I wanted to stick with dry rock but I'll likely use a mix of dry and TBS rock for the 150g (originally grabbed 100lbs of Marco but will probably use 50lbs of that with 50lbs of TBS).

 

[NY_Caveman]

With that said, the things you find in and on live rock and just amazing.

I agree. I think the critters in the rock are my favorite part of reefing.

My comments earlier about dry rock were directed more to those new to reefing. Certainly an experienced reefer like yourself knows the difference.

EDIT: and thanks for sharing your experience with dry rock

 

[Ashish Patel]

Live rock all the way if you can find it (Luckily I have an LFS that air freights from overseas. Pricey though). Florida or Gulf aquacultured is also good. One should try to maximize biodiversity.

Dry rock is fine too, but...

The problem I see mostly is people start with dry rock and then proceed as if they were using live rock. Cycle for a month and then start loading in fish and corals. The trick to making dry rock or dead rock work, in my humble opinion, is

• a long curing process
• a cycle period
• a LONG maturing process where the cycled rock is seeded with life (pods, stars, worms, etc.) either from addition of these creatures themselves or from adding some established live rock

It seems many dry rock users get past the cycle stage and think they are done. For the best long term success I recommend letting that rock mature as long as possible with a variety of life.

You hit all the right points. Dry rock won't turn into LR magically on its own and Im shocked that someone has not created clean LR rubble for sale. I started with all dryrock and seeded with some LR rubble but it was not filled with any visible sponges or pods so I eventually found a local hobbyist who sold me a good amount of LR that was 10+ years. I added it to the sump in a cryptic chamber -2 months later acros where growing!

 

[Ashish Patel]

And another thing I feel is misleading to newer hobbyist is vendors marketing purple colored dry rock as LR. I mean come on seriously?? lol

 

[jda]

It is purple colored concrete.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Dry rock is the single worst this to happen to reefing. Live rock all the way.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Interesting that dry rock is winning the poll. I wonder if it is the aspect of control, or past bad experiences with hitchhikers. I guess these two may be related as well.

EDIT: It may also be a pricing issue.

 

[madweazl]

Interesting that dry rock is winning the poll. I wonder if it is the aspect of control, or past bad experiences with hitchhikers. I guess these two may be related as well.

EDIT: It may also be a pricing issue.

Cost was a consideration in my choice.

 

[madweazl]

Dry rock is the single worst this to happen to reefing. Live rock all the way.

Perhaps to some (not the case for me) but going forward, it will likely be one of the single largest items that makes it possible for people to have a reef due to the environmental impact of live rock.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

This is complicated.

Take aquacultured live rock.

Tampa Bay Saltwater is aquacultured by hauling it out to an ocean site and letting it age.
Technically, if your LFS keeps live rock in a tub in their store, it is aquacultured.
These two types of aquacultured live rock are no where near the same. IMO there is little difference between rock aquacultured in tubs or troughs and adding bottled bacteria to dry rock.

I believe you could call that Tampa rock "maricultured." That, or live rock for me. Bottle bacteria can only do so much.

 

[jda]

I have never had a hitchhiker survive a cure. Ammonia gets way high. ...maybe from the TBS stuff that the ship in water.

Nobody can afford bad dry rock. The thing is that you do not know if it is bad, or not, for a little while.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Perhaps to some (not the case for me) but going forward, it will likely be one of the single largest items that makes it possible for people to have a reef due to the environmental impact of live rock.

Environmental is one concern, but dry rock is nothing but a brick of phosphate from all the fossilized organics. Plus, what leached thru the ground water into that rock? It also takes years to get dry rock to the point live rock is as soon as it comes out the ocean. I don't have years to sit and look at an empty tank. I'll end up shutting it down and selling everything if I have to do that.

Maricultured rocks don't come from the reef, and have the same benefits as live reef rock.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Cost was a consideration in my choice.

Right. Other reasons would be availability (like our Canadian friends), or wanting specific shapes like shelves or branches. I am not against dry rock, but I would mature it with life for a long time.

 

[chefjpaul]

I love live rock and always add to my tanks for the life and goodies, but.....

I personally like to make unique aquascapes that are not easily able to construct using live rock.

Plus it is getting more and more difficult to find a great live product.

Another reason is the conversation part.

 

[Brew12]

I believe you could call that Tampa rock "maricultured." That, or live rock for me. Bottle bacteria can only do so much.

You could, but they call it aquacultured.

I agree that bottled bacteria is very limited in what it can do. But, some of this "lab grown" live rock and sand is basically the same as dumping in a bottle of the stuff.

 

[NY_Caveman]

You could, but they call it aquacultured.

I agree that bottled bacteria is very limited in what it can do. But, some of this "lab grown" live rock and sand is basically the same as dumping in a bottle of the stuff.

Right. There is live rock, from the ocean and cycled rock that many LFS have that is basically bacteria rock.

 

[NY_Caveman]

And by the way, that bacteria rock often started as dry rock and sometimes you will have Phosphate issues just like dry rock. I would definitely cure it and test it before use.

 

[madweazl]

Environmental is one concern, but dry rock is nothing but a brick of phosphate from all the fossilized organics. Plus, what leached thru the ground water into that rock? It also takes years to get dry rock to the point live rock is as soon as it comes out the ocean. I don't have years to sit and look at an empty tank. I'll end up shutting it down and selling everything if I have to do that.

Maricultured rocks don't come from the reef, and have the same benefits as live reef rock.

I didn't wait years nor did I have anything alarming leaching from the rock.

This sequence is from a new piece I added to the tank to replace one that was covered in cyphastrea that was assimilating everything in it's path at an alarming rate. Once the tank is established, the transformation is rapid but it did take about a year before most of the rock looked like this initially.

Jan 2nd

Jan 15th

Feb 3rd

Feb 20th

Mar 15th

28 Mar (one for today)

 

[JoshH]

Interesting that dry rock is winning the poll. I wonder if it is the aspect of control, or past bad experiences with hitchhikers. I guess these two may be related as well.

EDIT: It may also be a pricing issue

Dry rock for me and cost was definitely the biggest factor, locally live rock for me is 4-5x the cost of dry rock.