Live rock? What is the difference? What is best?

csmith112 · 03/06/2015, 09:47 PM

Hello I'm completely new to the hobby and I'm starting to look at live rock. It seems there are 3 main options Fiji live rock, reel reef live rock, and Florida live rock. I'm looking to put together a tank with some clowns, coral beauties, and tangs to start. What rock is best for what I'm looking to do, and why? What is the difference between the 3 rock types?

Please help this is confusing and I want to do it right the first time.

Thanks,

Chris

FraggledRock · 03/06/2015, 10:48 PM

the types of rock is just the look.

anything can be used to scape your tank.

fiji i believe is much more porous, as you want the most porous rocks possible for bacteria to grow on and in. please less porous rock is denser and heavier for no reason.

don't go by weight. go by what you like =)
i would recommend getting dry rock

which means uncycled rock.

eventually it will become "live".

gone fishin · 03/07/2015, 07:35 AM

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

I think this may help. If you scroll down the link you will see a section about live rock. Good luck, BTW the link is at the top of this forum.

LauraBay · 03/07/2015, 08:37 AM

That link has information on tank sizes for tangs also. Would be a good section to read if you're considering adding tangs.

gerryhine · 03/07/2015, 08:42 AM

I have found over the years that with proper lumens a foundation of dry porous base rock with a few pieces of good looking live rock will turn into a beautiful aquascape within three months. Remember to flush your rock as often as possible to keep the pores open.
Gerry

Goldndoodle · 03/07/2015, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerryhine

I have found over the years that with proper lumens a foundation of dry porous base rock with a few pieces of good looking live rock will turn into a beautiful aquascape within three months. Remember to flush your rock as often as possible to keep the pores open.
Gerry

Here's hoping you're right (which my research suggests you are ...) because that's exactly how I rocked my new tank.

Cured / wet live rock from any LFS in the area ranged from $9 - $20 per pound. The dry rock I used was $3 per pound. Considering I figured I needed 100 lbs of rock for my tank - and dry rock weighs less per cubic inch than wet rock - I both saved a lot of money, and got a larger volume of rock. I seeded my dry rock with 5 baseball sized pieces of fully cured, heavily corallined live rock, then started cycling.

Obviously the cycle took a lot longer than if I had used nothing but fully cured live rock, but the extra $600 - $1400 I still had in my wallet softened that quite a bit!

jbvdhp · 03/07/2015, 10:05 AM

Do you have a local reef forum? Here in San Diego, there's a guy who breaks down tanks and has bins of fully cured, choice pieces of LR for sale for $2/lb at times. Fiji, Marshall, BRS, LOCAL live rock, Tonga ($4-5/lb), you name it. Point is, look locally too

FraggledRock · 03/07/2015, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerryhine

I have found over the years that with proper lumens a foundation of dry porous base rock with a few pieces of good looking live rock will turn into a beautiful aquascape within three months. Remember to flush your rock as often as possible to keep the pores open.
Gerry

what yo mean "flush " the rock? like with a turkey baster?

csmith112 · 03/07/2015, 10:45 AM

Thanks for all the posts. Very helpful keep them coming.

dkeller_nc · 03/07/2015, 11:20 AM

In post number 33 to this thread, I detail the pros and cons of dry vs. live rock, and why buying man-made artificial "live rock" isn't as eco-friendly as it would seem.

Since you mentioned it by name, I'd strongly advise you not buy or use "Real Reef Rock". Not only are there some ethical problems with the selling points that the company claims, there's no reason to spend $7 per pound for a product that's chemically inferior and doesn't offer any advantages over natural dry rock that can be had for $2-$3 per pound.

If you're going to go the truly live rock route (i.e., rock harvested from the ocean and shipped wet), there's a couple of things to be aware of. "Fiji" rock isn't necessarily created equal. There are vendors like Premium Aquatics that get rock harvested from Fiji waters and have it shipped to them air-freight, and there are also LFS and on-line vendors that have Fiji "boat rock". This is rock that's been harvested from Fiji waters then packed and shipped by sea and generally most everything on it is dead except for bacteria by the time it gets to the US.

If you'd like Florida live rock, many of us would tell you to deal with Richard at Tampa Bay Saltwater (at this link). Not only is Richard a forum member and sponsor (handle is "live rock" on Reef Central), but his rock has been in gulf waters for more than 20 years, and he's one of the only dealers in Florida aquacultured rock that ships in water (so there's very little die-off). He's also a stand-up guy by all accounts, and has supported school-children's education in marine biology with substantial donations of his product. Highly recommended.

Edit: You can view some pictures of Richard's product and read about the Awesome Squad project here (scroll to post #10). In this thread, you can see quite a number of pictures of Richard's operation and his product (start at post #289).

cloak · 03/07/2015, 11:30 AM

Here's another article regarding live rock.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

HTH.

csmith112 · 03/07/2015, 07:10 PM

Thank you everyone. It seems for live rock if I go to the lfs I need to find out if it is boat rock or shipped in by air.

dkeller_nc · 03/08/2015, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith112

Thank you everyone. It seems for live rock if I go to the lfs I need to find out if it is boat rock or shipped in by air.

That might be tough to do. "Boat rock", while perfectly descriptive, would be considered a derisive term. Whether or not you get a straight answer depends on how good your LFS is. You might also be able to tell the difference based on price. If your LFS is selling "live rock" for $6 - $8 per pound, it's likely boat rock. $12 - $15 per pound is likely air-shipped, though obviously that depends on where you're located. New York city prices, for example, are going to be a great deal higher than Los Angeles simply because of the proximity to the import point.

You didn't mention how large your tank is; if it's 100 gallons or more, you'd be well-advised to order live rock from Premium Aquatics, Livestockusa.org (a direct importer in L.A.) or Tampa Bay Saltwater. One other pitfall - there's a product on the market called "Walt Smith Premium Live Rock" - this is artificial live rock made from a binder and volcanic rock that's been aqua-cultured in Fiji for a couple of months.

Tin Man · 03/08/2015, 07:38 AM

Save your money - buy dry rock

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-d...k.html?cat=210

FortuneFavours · 03/08/2015, 03:01 PM

+1 to the dry (base) rock clan. That's the route I went down for my 300G and don't regret it one bit (tank is 4 months old now and rocks are colouring up nicely).

I didn't seed the rock using live rock, just dosed ammonia for the cycle.

03/07/2015, 07:35 AM	#3
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074 I think this may help. If you scroll down the link you will see a section about live rock. Good luck, BTW the link is at the top of this forum. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

03/07/2015, 08:37 AM	#4
LauraBay Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Cedar Rapids, Ia Posts: 315	That link has information on tank sizes for tangs also. Would be a good section to read if you're considering adding tangs. __________________ 180 FO 75 Reef Current Tank Info: 75 reef

03/07/2015, 10:05 AM	#7
jbvdhp Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,131	Do you have a local reef forum? Here in San Diego, there's a guy who breaks down tanks and has bins of fully cured, choice pieces of LR for sale for $2/lb at times. Fiji, Marshall, BRS, LOCAL live rock, Tonga ($4-5/lb), you name it. Point is, look locally too __________________ This hobby = no more money Current Tank Info: 8' 240 gallons of headache

03/08/2015, 07:38 AM	#14
Tin Man Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 112	Save your money - buy dry rock http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-d...k.html?cat=210 __________________ 29g Biocube, LR, LS, Tunze ATO, Tunze 9004, Intank Media Basket, Jebao WP-10, 1 fish, LPS 125g 6' Acrylic, 850gph external pump, power heads, skimmer, GFO Reactor, LEDs, fuge

03/08/2015, 03:01 PM	#15
FortuneFavours Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: London, UK Posts: 170	+1 to the dry (base) rock clan. That's the route I went down for my 300G and don't regret it one bit (tank is 4 months old now and rocks are colouring up nicely). I didn't seed the rock using live rock, just dosed ammonia for the cycle. __________________ Working on my 300G... "Fortune favours the brave!" said a poor, brave man.

03/06/2015, 09:47 PM	#1
csmith112 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 20	Live rock? What is the difference? What is best? Hello I'm completely new to the hobby and I'm starting to look at live rock. It seems there are 3 main options Fiji live rock, reel reef live rock, and Florida live rock. I'm looking to put together a tank with some clowns, coral beauties, and tangs to start. What rock is best for what I'm looking to do, and why? What is the difference between the 3 rock types? Please help this is confusing and I want to do it right the first time. Thanks, Chris

03/06/2015, 10:48 PM	#2
FraggledRock Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: New York, New York Posts: 2,185	the types of rock is just the look. anything can be used to scape your tank. fiji i believe is much more porous, as you want the most porous rocks possible for bacteria to grow on and in. please less porous rock is denser and heavier for no reason. don't go by weight. go by what you like =) i would recommend getting dry rock which means uncycled rock. eventually it will become "live". __________________ “For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.”― Jacques-Yves Cousteau MarineBio.org Current Tank Info: 40 Gallon Breeder w/ Bean Animal Overflow 20G Sump, Mixed Reef.

03/07/2015, 08:42 AM	#5
gerryhine Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Winooski, VT. Posts: 2	I have found over the years that with proper lumens a foundation of dry porous base rock with a few pieces of good looking live rock will turn into a beautiful aquascape within three months. Remember to flush your rock as often as possible to keep the pores open. Gerry

03/07/2015, 10:45 AM	#9
csmith112 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 20	Thanks for all the posts. Very helpful keep them coming.

03/07/2015, 11:20 AM	#10
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	In post number 33 to this thread, I detail the pros and cons of dry vs. live rock, and why buying man-made artificial "live rock" isn't as eco-friendly as it would seem. Since you mentioned it by name, I'd strongly advise you not buy or use "Real Reef Rock". Not only are there some ethical problems with the selling points that the company claims, there's no reason to spend $7 per pound for a product that's chemically inferior and doesn't offer any advantages over natural dry rock that can be had for $2-$3 per pound. If you're going to go the truly live rock route (i.e., rock harvested from the ocean and shipped wet), there's a couple of things to be aware of. "Fiji" rock isn't necessarily created equal. There are vendors like Premium Aquatics that get rock harvested from Fiji waters and have it shipped to them air-freight, and there are also LFS and on-line vendors that have Fiji "boat rock". This is rock that's been harvested from Fiji waters then packed and shipped by sea and generally most everything on it is dead except for bacteria by the time it gets to the US. If you'd like Florida live rock, many of us would tell you to deal with Richard at Tampa Bay Saltwater (at this link). Not only is Richard a forum member and sponsor (handle is "live rock" on Reef Central), but his rock has been in gulf waters for more than 20 years, and he's one of the only dealers in Florida aquacultured rock that ships in water (so there's very little die-off). He's also a stand-up guy by all accounts, and has supported school-children's education in marine biology with substantial donations of his product. Highly recommended. Edit: You can view some pictures of Richard's product and read about the Awesome Squad project here (scroll to post #10). In this thread, you can see quite a number of pictures of Richard's operation and his product (start at post #289). Last edited by dkeller_nc; 03/07/2015 at 11:35 AM.

03/07/2015, 11:30 AM	#11
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Here's another article regarding live rock. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php HTH.

03/07/2015, 07:10 PM	#12
csmith112 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 20	Thank you everyone. It seems for live rock if I go to the lfs I need to find out if it is boat rock or shipped in by air.