transporting live rock
- Thread starter Seawitch
- Start date
- Tagged users None
I have transported numerous times in wet newspaper in a bucket with no issues. I did not worry about heating it.
Being wet for 24hrs should suffice. Are you planning on taking it inside or leaving it in the car? While you probably don't face below freezing temps on Vancouver Island, it probably does still get pretty cold at night. If this is live rock from a running reef tank I would bring a powerhead and keep circulation going and have it at room temp. If it's just from a vat or some other tank that is not running as a reef even covering it in wet towels would suffice if it's impossible to submerge it. You don't mention how much rock. Obviously if you are transporting hundreds and hundreds of pounds it will be a lot harder to keep wet and warm then what fits in a 5 gallon bucket.
OP
OP
Seawitch
Water, water everywhere,
Thanks @andrewkw and @hdsoftail1065 I'd prefer not to have add circulation if possible. It's the difference between being able to walk on to the ferry or drive on. If I can just walk on, I can take a suitcase on wheels and just make sure everything is wrapped in plastic for the ferry ride. Yes, I can keep it indoors. I think it's too cool at night to leave it outside.
Getting the rock! One step closer to calling 1-800-im-addicted! 
Brew12
Electrical Gru
How "live" is this live rock?
If you are trying to keep sponges, algae, and some critters alive you may need to keep it heated and well circulated. If you are only worried about the bacteria, just keep it from freezing.
OP
OP
Seawitch
Water, water everywhere,
I don't know. I'm heading to the big city to visit my daughter for the weekend. I'll have an opportunity to visit some big reef LFS in the Vancouver, BC area, population 2.5 million. So, I thought I might as well pick some up and start curing it. But it's a long trip involving a 1.5-hour ferry each way. Keeping it heated would be almost impossible.
I mean when live rock is shipped to the US from SE Asia, it's not heated is it?
Brew12
Electrical Gru
I don't believe we get rock from Asia anymore. The rock that is cultured in the Gulf of Mexico is shipped without heaters but they do ship with a large water volume and only do airline direct freight shipping to minimize time in transit. You have to pick it up at the airport.
If you have enough water volume then you won't need heaters for a short trip. It would still help to have an idea of just how "live" you want expect it to be.
If you go to J&L or probably any of the other reputable shops they will package the rock well in a foam box with a few layers of plastic to prevent them from leaking. Make sure you tell them that you are planning on keeping it in the box for 24hrs. They will probably have newspaper to wrap it in, but it wouldn't hurt to get some cheapo towels or even a roll of paper towels and have the rock wrapped in them. I suggest J&L because they have lots of shipping experience but not sure what else is out there on your side of the country.
Have fun, while I do occasionally order from them I haven't been to the physical shop in about 10 years. I got the clown fish in my avatar shipped to me from them back in 2006, she will be a teen in a few months!
Have fun, while I do occasionally order from them I haven't been to the physical shop in about 10 years. I got the clown fish in my avatar shipped to me from them back in 2006, she will be a teen in a few months!
Mastiffsrule
Where ever you go, there you are, so be nice 2 you
For me, I would wrap it in tons of newspaper, drench the paper, pack it in styrofoam cooler with tight fitting lid, add as much water as possible and go.
Scotty Buttons
Valuable Member
You could always put some hands warmers in with the rock to keep it warm if your worried about it. Keep in mind those hand warmers need air to work so if there sealed in a bag they won't work.
OP
OP
Seawitch
Water, water everywhere,
I think we do get some live rock from Asia in Canada. How live? That's impossible to answer because I've never bought LR before. I want to see it. If it looks just like wet dry rock, then forget it. It needs to looks like it has a lot of stuff on it. And I expect die-off. Otherwise, I'd rather arrange to buy stuff that just came off the plane and have it shipped to me. I'm not going to break my neck carting rock onto the ferry unless I'm very impressed with what I see.
@andrewkw I'm hoping to visit 2 or 3 reef LFS, but I'll see what my daughter has planned for me. I'll be her prisoner. @Mastiffsrule I think I have a cooler on wheels, so that's a possibility. @hdsoftail1065 yes, things may get wet here next week. We'll see what the rock looks like.
