Real ocean rock .

I didnt say its exact same thing, it's about trying to help create biodiversity in dry rock which is why we buy live rock .yea it would take longer but it's a step towards that direction for people that dont want to spend that kind of money and avoid hitchhikers .
As I didn’t state that you said it was exactly the same, I simply stated it would be no where close to live gulf rock. Even after a year and adding bottle bacteria and getting a few rocks from a few different friends tanks trying to get bio diversity(yes you will achieve some good biodiversity but nothing like Mother Nature). It is a step in the right direction, but would never measure up to the real deal.
 
I have a local lfs that sells live rock off the GBR.
My tank was cycled inside a month.
Week 5

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Marshal island still export rock.
unique corals had some for last last month but it sold out in a couple hours
Look up pristine marine. He just got 3-4,000lbs of Aussie rock in the other day. Stuff looks amazing. $35 per lb though.
I’m a bit cautious , if they put the rocks in the sump , or a holding that’s tied to a coral tank ,
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aussie rock.
dude is that yours where you get it and how much h a pound was it
 
The guys at my store explained to me at least here in Australia people are licensed to collect coral or rock by weight. So most collect coral due to the higher profit over the rock.
I paid $30 per kilo for my rock.
 
I’m a bit cautious , if they put the rocks in the sump , or a holding that’s tied to a coral tank ,

dude is that yours where you get it and how much h a pound was it
Pristine marine aquariums. And it’s 35$ a lb. That’s not mine. That’s some of what he just got the other day. Pricey, but for those with the pockets and want something better than florida rock it’s really the only option.
 
Pristine marine aquariums. And it’s 35$ a lb. That’s not mine. That’s some of what he just got the other day. Pricey, but for those with the pockets and want something better than florida rock it’s really the only option.
Yeah that is super pricey man
 
This is one year in my frag system.
Although they may not be live rock to start. After a year in a tub you could have nice coralline covered rocks. This would be much better than white dead rock, imo, and very easy to do.
If I can do it anyone can, lol.
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Don't overlook the availability of "used" rock from people breaking down their tank. Live sand is also a good way to seed rock that has been dry for a while.
 
Just saw your aiptasia farm lol . I definatley would take your advice
Yea so you acknowledge that I know what I’m talking about when I say that I would never do that sterile bottle bacteria route again. that dry rock path is what led to that disaster.
Also there’s no reason to be a ****** about it, but thanks anyway
 
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I didnt say its exact same thing, it's about trying to help create biodiversity in dry rock which is why we buy live rock .yea it would take longer but it's a step towards that direction for people that dont want to spend that kind of money and avoid hitchhikers .
By your logic tho, then my tank should have been fine. Started with dry rock and seeded with bottled bacteria and then added liverock from existing systems and after months of time it never settled into an established biome cables of keeping corals alive. But all it did was let any pest that happened to get in run rampant because there was absolutely no competition. Things reach balance when there’s a creature for every niche, if you don’t have that then things get out of whack quickly.
You do you, but I’m fine with saying I failed on the last tank, and have learned from it.
Thinking you know everything causes problems, maybe something you should take to heart.
 
The guys at my store explained to me at least here in Australia people are licensed to collect coral or rock by weight. So most collect coral due to the higher profit over the rock.
I paid $30 per kilo for my rock.
Same thing for exporting to the USA and it makes way more sense to send corals vs rock in that situation
 
By your logic tho, then my tank should have been fine. Started with dry rock and seeded with bottled bacteria and then added liverock from existing systems and after months of time it never settled into an established biome cables of keeping corals alive. But all it did was let any pest that happened to get in run rampant because there was absolutely no competition. Things reach balance when there’s a creature for every niche, if you don’t have that then things get out of whack quickly.
You do you, but I’m fine with saying I failed on the last tank, and have learned from it.
Thinking you know everything causes problems, maybe something you should take to heart.
I literally didnt type bottled bacteria anywhere . I've started several tanks with dry and if you throw in biospira or dry Tim's you're only getting certain bacteria to colonize . However what I did say was by adding things that have huge amounts of surface like marine pure blocks and spheres from a really established tank could help create more biodiversity initially then just bottled bacteria to bring down ammonia which is pretty much standard procedure. It's just silly to say that if I left 3 huge bricks ( which had the surface area of like 65 pounds of rock)in an established sump for 6 months that it wouldnt help seed some dry rock in a month. WILL IT BE THE SAME AS LIVE ROCK ? NO!! However it's going to have some sort of impact over dump and pray that dr tim can take you to mini great barrier reef .there is a reason people use marine pure bricks sometimes to start a qt because of the biodiversity it has on it. Will some of it be the same as found in dr Tim's probably !! Will there be others too, probably !
 
I literally didnt type bottled bacteria anywhere . I've started several tanks with dry and if you throw in biospira or dry Tim's you're only getting certain bacteria to colonize . However what I did say was by adding things that have huge amounts of surface like marine pure blocks and spheres from a really established tank could help create more biodiversity initially then just bottled bacteria to bring down ammonia which is pretty much standard procedure. It's just silly to say that if I left 3 huge bricks ( which had the surface area of like 65 pounds of rock)in an established sump for 6 months that it wouldnt help seed some dry rock in a month. WILL IT BE THE SAME AS LIVE ROCK ? NO!! However it's going to have some sort of impact over dump and pray that dr tim can take you to mini great barrier reef .there is a reason people use marine pure bricks sometimes to start a qt because of the biodiversity it has on it. Will some of it be the same as found in dr Tim's probably !! Will there be others too, probably !
I’m gonna respectfully disagree with you.
sure for a small QT tank that may work but tossing a brick or 2 into a 250G or larger system won’t do much of anything. I know, I did that also
 
Figi live rock you can still get liverocknreef has it ,sometimes they have Marshall also ,Australia live rock was on ultacorals a few weeks ago that went fast .look for it ,it is out there .might have to pick up at airport.There's people online that sell all kinds of live rock from ocean worldwide question is are you willing to pay for it at top price and do research to find it online.
 
I’m gonna respectfully disagree with you.
sure for a small QT tank that may work but tossing a brick or 2 into a 250G or larger system won’t do much of anything. I know, I did that also
Not everyone has a 250 gallon tank and as far as surface area its has 1000% times the surface area . There are a lot moving parts , did you use enough?, did you get it from a healthy thriving system ,how long was it in there ? How long did you leave it in there ? The idea is it's better than nothing . We're just having a debate and throwing out ideas that can potentially help people .
 
Just throwing it out there that I started with Caribsea rock and sand (not dry) + BioSpira, and have since decided next time I set up a new tank I will add some real live ocean rock. That said, I'm pretty happy with how my tank has been developing. There are other ways to add biodiversity if you didn't start w/live rock and I've been exploring some. Inverts and corals that were collected from the ocean help, and I've added some macroalgae, as well as dosing Fiji mud (AF Life Source) and probiotic bacteria. I have very minimal hitchhiker pests and an explosion of coralline all over the rocks. In fact, the only pests I've found -- 2 aiptasia and a few bubble algae -- came from frags and were easily dealt with. I see a few more bubble algae rn but am not overly concerned b/c there is so much else outcompeting it.

I started my tank before I understood how important biodiversity is, and what live rock can do for a new tank. But once I learned more, I took extra steps to make sure I was helping my tank to mature well. I don't expect that it's the same as if I'd started with live rock, but I'm definitely happy with the way it is maturing. I also really love the way the rocks look w/all that real coralline on top of that fake purple stuff!
 
Not everyone has a 250 gallon tank and as far as surface area its has 1000% times the surface area . There are a lot moving parts , did you use enough?, did you get it from a healthy thriving system ,how long was it in there ? How long did you leave it in there ? The idea is it's better than nothing . We're just having a debate and throwing out ideas that can potentially help people .
I get it dude, you’re beating a dead horse tho.
I just don’t agree with you based on my experiences. No amount of you talking is gonna change that, and doesn’t make my experience or opinion invalid.

far more people will do far better off with real rocks.
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

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