Live rock vs dry rock?

[tmccaffery]

I am about to purchase rock and banging my head.

I looked at Caribsea Life Rock looks pretty nice anyone use this rock?

Dry Rock I looked at Bulk Reef Supply seems to be good reviews.

I had Tampa Bay Saltwater rock before very nice rock, but afraid of nasty hitchhikers so not sure this time around.

Any suggestions?

I have 40 Gallons and 20 Gallons sump; How much rock I need? Debating on sand or bare bottom; Sand in fuge possible if that helps any not sure.

[~RuSh~]

Depends on how fast you want to be up and running. If you want to stock the tank within a few days of having your rock, then I would go live rock. If you have patience and don't mind waiting for the cycle to complete itself, I would do BRS reef saver.

I have around 50 pounds of LR in my 40 breeder.

[shrimpinator123]

I have used dry rock for both of my tanks, definitely better price wise. I agree with rush, it just depends on how fast you want to start up. You could do a combination as well.

[Ghost25]

I'll say upfront that I have only setup one tank and I used BRS Pukani dry rock. I like the look of the rock and it's been going fine for me.

That said I regret not getting Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock or a similar aquacultured rock. I didn't do it purely for cost reasons. But I love looking at all the little inverts and microfauna and critters that are on the rocks and in the tank and I know I would have gotten way more of that if I had gone with real live rock from the ocean.

For comparison I got a cheap Chinese LED instead of a Kessil and I don't regret that.

[tmccaffery]

I am leaning towards Tampa Bay. but worried about pests not sure what is bad or good; lol. I know dont like any crabs rather have all snails.. Thanks guys

[monkeysee1]

Dry rock. No brainer. With it there's NO chance of introducing nasty hitchhikers or parasites.
Seed it with bacteria n a tub of water at 78 or so degrees with good flow. Then you're all set to put it in your tank.

[j.falk]

Reef Cleaners dry rock! Phosphate free and very affordable!

[Uncle99]

No hitchhikers!
You never get them out.
Dry is so worth the wait...

[Jesterrace]

I have used the life rock in all my tanks. Not as cheap as the dry rock, but you do get the added benefit of a bacteria coating on dry rock (so you get live bacteria without the pests). It's all about on how much you want to wait vs cost.

[Tall]

Dry all the way.

I love the idea's of live rock, and seeding... But won't risk the chance for hitch hikers.

I believe you can have a tank of faster with dry rock then with live rock. Live rock you have a lot of die off when you first receive them that you have to way out.

I've used Macro Rocks, put in some of Dr. Tim's one and only; used ammonia drops, and had a tank cycled with fish in less then a week.

Currently I am cooking some pukani rock for my next build.

[tmccaffery]

Here is a stupid question if I go dry, how do you get bristleworms, spaghetti worms, pods, etc into your tank?

[Bpb]

Those kinds of things make their way in as you acquire corals. If you only purchase tiny frags on brand new plugs, you won't get many hitchikers. If you buy from locals and have decent sized piece you're acquiring that are attatched to mature pieces of rock rubble, then those types of inverts will find their way into your tank.

The issue of dry vs live rock also comes down to how selective you are about what you put in the tank after its running. If you go to all the painstaking labor of building an intricate aquascape with dry rock, adding all the bacterial supplements, and have the patience to wait out a lengthy cycle and maturation process (speaking more than just the nitrate cycle, but the development of anoxic denitrifying bacteria); you better be careful about everything you add from then on. You've gone to great lengths to avoid pest aiptasia, mejano, hydroids, algaes, ect. That can ALL be for not with a single careless frag addition.

Say you visit a local from your reef club that is selling some corals he/she is over or bored with, or taking their tank down. For example, they want to sell you a nice big 20 head duncan or hammer coral colony for pennies on the dollar. You think, "SWEET!! A huge coral I dont have to wait years to grow, and for only $20!" and you toss it in your tank. What you may not have seen is a tiny pinhead sized aiptasia nestled into whatever piece of rock or skeleton the coral is attatched to. You add it to your tank. It's oriented in such a way you cannot see it directly. After a couple weeks its dime sized. You see it. You panic and post pictures on here asking how to get rid of it. Unfortunately now it is mature, and it has likely released dozens and dozens of gametes in the water that have settled into rock pores all over the tank. That fresh, clean, virgin rock that has real estate galore. Weeks go by and now you see them popping up everywhere. So you're a couple months in. With stubborn dry rock that doesn't have all the GOOD parts of live rock, and now you have an aiptasia problem.

The above anecdote is not an extreme situation. It's super common and likely to happen. And you can replace "aiptasia" with bubble algae, bryopsis, mejano anemones, or really any pest imaginable, because they all start off too small to see with the naked eye.

That being said. I'm on the fence. There are good and bad about each choice. My next tank will be set up using 100% dry rock. I've done both. Live rock makes for a much faster setup. Your tank will be supporting even SPS (if you're up for it) within weeks. If you go dry rock it can take a while for the tank to hit its stride. Dry rock will absorb/leech phosphates at rates that can be astonishing if you're not ready to deal with it. Dry rock tends to grow nuisance algae alot easier and quicker than it does coraline or sponges. You will have very little biological diversity for a long time with dry rock. But...If you're diligent you will have less worry about pests.

I know some people will say "pests arent that big of a deal" but to some of us they are. My tank is an SPS dominant that is very very healthy and my acros grow well and look good, but I have several hundred discosoma mushrooms, hydroid colonies, and aiptasia anemones that are far beyond my control at this point. I will never be able to eradicate them and I have to go in constantly with kalk paste and clippers and smother/cut out pests that sting my desirable corals. It's life on the reef, but it makes for ALOT of extra work. On my next tank, like I said, I will use only dry rock, seeded with alot of bacteria, I'll use lanthanum chloride liberally to prevent excessive phosphate uptake of the rocks, and to deal with any potential phosphate leeching from the rocks, and I will only be stocking acropora purchased from reputable aquaculture sites (battlecorals, jason fox, wwc, and the like). I realize you can never be 100% safe from pests, but if you can avoid buying from too many locals or bargain bins at the lfs, you'll greatly reduce your chances of problems.

[mcgyvr]

To each his own..
I want some TBS rock only because of the potential "stuff" that may come in on it and really the excitement I get from seeing that stuff for the first time... Good or bad I don't care and for the most part easily addressed if bad...

Other than that its really no different from any other rock though..
It 100% will not make or break a tank.. If you are really concerned about potential hitchhikers,etc... then the answer is super easy.. Just get dry rock (reefcleaners has good basic stuff without phosphates,etc..).. In time it will do exactly...exactly what any "live rock" will do..

To me one of the best parts of this hobby is seeing things living/growing,etc... in a tank that I did not specifically put in there...

[Bpb]

I don’t disagree there. My current tank has some pieces of Tampa bay rock in it. Unfortunately most of the good stuff has died off and it now looks like the rest of the rock in the tank. I know the hobby is expensive but on a big enough tank, actual live rock, especially Tampa bay rock can get prohibitively expensive. At least to fill the tank. I simply couldn’t afford to do that. Plus no airport within 3 hours of me will accept freight pickup. I was lucky enough that a friend sold me some of his extra from his “the package” order. Very nice rock indeed. I don’t find aiptasia to be a real issue with Tampa bay rock. The only two concerns I have with it are mantis shrimps and isopods


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[tmccaffery]

About to purchase rock from reefcleaners 30lbs I guess start with and add more if needed.

[AlSimmons]

Originally Posted by tmccaffery

I am about to purchase rock and banging my head.

I looked at Caribsea Life Rock looks pretty nice anyone use this rock?

Dry Rock I looked at Bulk Reef Supply seems to be good reviews.

I had Tampa Bay Saltwater rock before very nice rock, but afraid of nasty hitchhikers so not sure this time around.

Any suggestions?

I have 40 Gallons and 20 Gallons sump; How much rock I need? Debating on sand or bare bottom; Sand in fuge possible if that helps any not sure.

Do you have any LFS in your area? Sometimes the live rock they have will work out just fine. FWIW this is all I've ever used and have been very happy. Plenty of sponges, pods, worms etc. It sure didn't look like TBS rock, but how much life do you really need? Your going to be covering up half that stuff with corals anyways. Just something to think about. GL.

BTW I would skip the refuge, get yourself an efficient skimmer and add about 1" of sand to the DT. Maybe start off with 25 pounds of rock or so and go from there. Keep it simple.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by tmccaffery

About to purchase rock from reefcleaners 30lbs I guess start with and add more if needed.

I wouldn't recommend anything less than 1lb per gallon..

Typically 1.5-2lbs from my experience negates the need for other equipment totally and provides sufficient surface area and the bacteria does all the work.. No need for skimmers/reactors,etc...

[sde1500]

First tank I started with live rock from my LFS, it was a 10 gallon nano. Came with aiptasia that is still in my current tank 3 years later, but they come and go, never get too bad of an infestation. Second tank I started with the 10lbs from the nano and another 50 dry. Both I used live sand. I definitely have some diversity, there are worms, multiple types of copepods, amphipods, and a snail or two I know I didn't add. But not great diversity. I'd love to have more. If I could restart my current tank, I'd use TBS. I love the diversity of life you can see in the tanks that have TBS rock. I don't aim to have a sterile box of water with pretty corals in it. I want a cool tank, and to me part of that cool factor is all the tiny living things in the tank.

[on the spot]

Originally Posted by tmccaffery

...if I go dry, how do you get bristleworms, spaghetti worms, pods, etc into your tank?

you can order them too. couple outfits specialize in this sort of thing.

I prefer to start with a clean slate. currently working on the re-re-re-re-do of my current tank, traded away my livestock and killed the rock w/ an acid bath for nothing but aesthetic reasons.

and because I want to share more than I should I'm leaning towards a goby centric display this iteration.

[j.falk]

Originally Posted by tmccaffery

About to purchase rock from reefcleaners 30lbs I guess start with and add more if needed.

I put 50 lbs. in my 34 gallon column (18" x 30" footprint). It was just the right amount. Also when you checkout you can specify in the notes if you would like bigger or smaller pieces. I picked bigger so it would better fill the tank.

[tmccaffery]

I just ordered the 30lbs from reefcleaners; thanks everyone for your help in my decision. When I get this rock should I wash it off with ro/di water?

[Bruce51]

I have 50 pounds of marco rock(dry), and another 35 pounds of Fiji dry rock bought off of craigslist. I looked at TBS, but the shipping was just too much. The marco rock was extremely clean on arrival, but i did acid wash it and the Fiji. DT is 40 Breeder with a 40 breeder sump, I estimate 65 gallons of total water volume. When I ordered the marco rocks I asked for softball size to soccer size rocks and that's exactly what I got.

[AlSimmons]

Originally Posted by tmccaffery

I just ordered the 30lbs from reefcleaners; thanks everyone for your help in my decision. When I get this rock should I wash it off with ro/di water?

Is it live rock or dry rock? If it's dry I would just give it a good rinse under the faucet and then add it to the tank. It's not like your going to avoid an algae bloom if you use RO/DI water instead.

[Fraq]

I personally like haitian live rock that my LFS carries, the dry rock is nice too, but if you need it quickly, it would likely not work out for you. The Brs rock and haitian rock look totally different, so as long as you like the look and have patience go dry, otherwise go live rock route.

[Valentini89]

I just bought rock for my 150 tall and bought both live and dry. A good amount of both, all from a LFS. I like being able to pick out each piece. Plus I know I don't get any aiptasia. (Yes I did see some live rock there that had some on it) I bought several types, as well as many of the live pieces being coralline encrusted and I also purchased 3 really nice, really large multi branch Tonga branches. I'm very happy with the way the scape came out. (I let one of the guys that set the tank up just do his thing). I also used live sand.