Where to buy reef rock

slipstream · Sep 26, 2022

I’m ready to rock scape my mix reef tank. Any good recommendations on where to get the rock? I bought some off a guy on Craigslist that swore the rocks had been cycled and cleaned but tested through the roof on phosphate when I got it home. I’ve always had good experiences when dealing with people in the hobby back 15 yrs ago. Hope this is an isolated incident and not a sign of the times.

livinlifeinBKK · Sep 26, 2022

Get real live rock from TBS or another company that sells maricultured rock from the gulf

GobyGuy · Sep 26, 2022

I think a local LFS/tear down sales would be good, fb marketplace too - I had a hard time finding live rock and ended up using Carib sea life rock lol

def recommend KP/TBSaltwater ^^^

Reefing102 · Sep 26, 2022

Are you looking for dry or live? It almost seems like you’re looking for live, in which case I’d look at KP Aquatics, TampaBaySaltwater, or Gulf live Rock for aquacultured live rock from the ocean or @uniquecorals or Among The Reef/Tank Stop @Eric Cohen for Australian Live Rock

bnord · Sep 26, 2022

Reefing102 said:
Are you looking for dry or live? It almost seems like you’re looking for live, in which case I’d look at KP Aquatics, TampaBaySaltwater, or Gulf live Rock for aquacultured live rock from the ocean or @uniquecorals or Among The Reef/Tank Stop @Eric Cohen for Australian Live Rock

have had multiple deliveries over the years from KP and so far only one mantis, which now has its own tank

slipstream · Sep 26, 2022

bnord said:
have had multiple deliveries over the years from KP and so far only one mantis, which now has its own tank

Oh that’s awesome, was it a peacock mantis?

fishface NJ · Sep 26, 2022

KP Aquatics live rocks have no aiptasia

bnord · Sep 26, 2022

slipstream said:
Oh that’s awesome, was it a peacock mantis?

no

in the trap used to pull it out

Reefing102 · Sep 26, 2022

I had once yellow mantis on my KP rock. Put it in my sump, haven’t seen it since. Lots of feather dusters and bivalves, and other misc hitchhikers

Eric Cohen · Sep 26, 2022

slipstream said:
I’m ready to rock scape my mix reef tank. Any good recommendations on where to get the rock? I bought some off a guy on Craigslist that swore the rocks had been cycled and cleaned but tested through the roof on phosphate when I got it home. I’ve always had good experiences when dealing with people in the hobby back 15 yrs ago. Hope this is an isolated incident and not a sign of the times.

Hey there....I do have live rock from Australia that's really nice and super light weight.....I've posted a few threads about it with some good photos.....Im happy to make sure you get what you're after. My website has it listed there.......

https://amongthereef.com/collections/in-stock/products/australian-premium-live-rock-1lb

slipstream · Sep 26, 2022

Eric Cohen said:
Hey there....I do have live rock from Australia that's really nice and super light weight.....I've posted a few threads about it with some good photos.....Im happy to make sure you get what you're after. My website has it listed there.......

https://amongthereef.com/collections/in-stock/products/australian-premium-live-rock-1lb

A bit too rich for my blood. Rocks look amazing though.

bnord · Sep 26, 2022

Reefing102 said:
I had once yellow mantis on my KP rock. Put it in my sump, haven’t seen it since. Lots of feather dusters and bivalves, and other misc hitchhikers

and I still do not know what a gorilla crab looks like in person (smile)

Eric Cohen · Sep 26, 2022

slipstream said:
A bit too rich for my blood. Rocks look amazing though.

I hear you, but honestly.....when you see how much rock you get for each pound, especially compared to heavy rocks that are mostly available, it's really about half the price you think. Each piece of a medium sized piece is just about a pound. I just weighted 7 lbs out for a customer and it filled an entire box that is 16" x 11" x 10". I always add a pinch too to give you a little extra.

So the volume of rock you get make the rock like 50 - 70 percent cheaper than the listed price....you can see in the photos how open the rock is, and the skeleton of this rock is very porous.

d2mini · Sep 26, 2022

Tampa Bay Saltwater!
www.tbsaltwater.com
Look up my build threads for lots of pics.

edd59 · Sep 26, 2022

Eric Cohen said:
I hear you, but honestly.....when you see how much rock you get for each pound, especially compared to heavy rocks that are mostly available, it's really about half the price you think. Each piece of a medium sized piece is just about a pound. I just weighted 7 lbs out for a customer and it filled an entire box that is 16" x 11" x 10". I always add a pinch too to give you a little extra. So the volume of rock you get make the rock like 50 - 70 percent cheaper than the listed price....you can see in the photos how open the rock is, and the skeleton of this rock is very porous.

im sure he is right. most of that ocean rock is nothing but dyed cement and does weight almost double compared to real rock.

fishface NJ · Sep 26, 2022

reefmountain said:
im sure he is right. most of that ocean rock is nothing but dyed cement and does weight almost double compared to real rock.

KP Aquatics live rock is ocean rock and it's not painted/dyed

Eric Cohen · Sep 26, 2022

reefmountain said:
im sure he is right. most of that ocean rock is nothing but dyed cement and does weight almost double compared to real rock.

not just any real live rock either. This rock I specifically requested be collected for me because I knew at this price point it had to be light to give value. The last thing I wanted was some sold canon ball that would weigh a ton. I’ve been in the rock game pretty much since the beginning and was lucky enough to help develop the Fiji live rock trade. This stuff is about as light a rock as I’ve ever seen. If anyone has any questions about how we got started in Fiji or wants to know the history of Fiji live rock, it’s a fun discussion to have.

Double monti 61 · Sep 26, 2022

Pretty sure my s#+ t is manmade but I have good growth in my 15 gallon tank.

TopClamSkoo · Sep 26, 2022

Unique corals just got in a fresh batch of Australian live rock

Australian Aussie Liverock- Sold in 5 lb increments

Now sold in 5 lb increments due to the high overnight costs. (For 10 pounds please order a quantity of 2, etc.) While this technically is a Non WYSIWYG item we are now offering a limited courtesy wysiwyg option. , After your purchase, if you would like to see pictures or a quick video call to...

uniquecorals.com

TopClamSkoo · Sep 26, 2022

I think they also sell by the pound havent navigated the website to see but last time I bought some which was 2 months ago. It was by the pound.

Great stuff! Had several zoa's pop up which was nice and got two pistol shrimps!
No aiptasia so far. Lots of spaghetti worms and feather dusters!

Got one gorilla crab. A tiny one.. but that lil bast#** got it bad after I dipped the rock to get rid of em. Never saw him again in the morning or at night like I used to.

Best advice I can give is either hunt each night for pests with tongs and a red flash light, traps if have patience, or do a hyposalinity dip... But be warned.. I killed off a whole lotta life and really regretted doing it.. but luckily a lot of life survived including a small batch of zoas on the rock and other life I mentioned.