Dry is cheaper when you can find it but with it brings a maturing time. Just how it works. Not that it is bad but, well, that whole patience thing
I'm on month 5 of my 150 lbs dry Pukani and probably have another 5 or 6 months I'm guessing before it looks anything like what my live rock looked like.
With regards to live I think has noted above you will be sourcing from the gulf / Florida area. That leaves TBS (Tampa Bay Saltwater) and probably KP Aquatics. May be others, probably are, but TBS and KP are probably the more well known. TBS ships completely submerged under water and ships to air freight overnight for you to pick up. So less than 24 hours, fully submerged under water, equals the least amount of die off possibly. Search for those who ordered from KP to compare although I don't think they ship submerged. You are going to pay a bit more for this rock but being honest, if we are all that is, then these two sources are your best bet. Real rock, from the ocean, diversity, already present biological filters, good and bad hitch hikers, what more can you ask for. Just get your tank set up, substrate, lighting, skimmer, etc all set up with proper water and temp, add, and you are golden. That simple. I think any searching will show how good either of those two companies are and again being honest, Richard @ TBS is a swell guy to talk to. KP I've only ordered corals, not rock, and they are also nice. You probably can't go wrong with either.
In 2000 I ordered live rock from Harbor Aquatics. They sourced directly from Fiji back in the day and it was shipped 2 day air wrapped in wet newspaper. Rock was great, sponges, algae, lots of life but also some die off due to shipped and it sort of drying out. So I had a mini cycle. I still had my fair share of hitch hikers that made it in the form of crabs of sorts. Easy enough to catch and deal with and I still have some of that rock to date. Really good stuff which leads me back to why live. To me the diversity it comes with outweighs the possible bad hitch hiker or two.
Please note that I have not used TBS rock but have spoken to Richard a lot about diving and other things not so much reef related but have always wanted to purchase from him. Setting up a 210 gallon tank with two in college just means I had to go another route thus my use of 150 lbs of dry Pukani before it was stopped being sold. Great rock, great shapes, sizes, etc. However, it takes time to mature when starting from scratch. In about a year I'm sure it will be fine. But has I look at my tank today I can see the rock from Fiji of years past looks a lot better than the Pukani I have now. Yes the Pukani will color up, mature, etc. But the sponges and other things will take time.
TL;DR - TBS or KP Aquatics. If it is in your budget go for it. You won't be disappointed.
