How trusting is it to buy live rock online and if so where?

Outlets710 · 03/13/2012, 01:22 AM

Do many people here buy live rock online or just cherry pick at LFS? I am nearing my project so needless to say funds are about tapped but if I can save 300+ I will. It's for a 75 gallon im just worrried about the rock being half dead, bulky pieces and loaded w aptaisas buying online. any suggestions , yea nae or a good site? Thank you much.

ken1977 · 03/13/2012, 01:26 AM

BRS, they have nice pieces too. Use dry rock it cost less to ship.

Outlets710 · 03/13/2012, 01:29 AM

Would only drawback be I would have to wait longer for it to cycle? Never used dry rock before

Outlets710 · 03/13/2012, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken1977

BRS, they have nice pieces too. Use dry rock it cost less to ship.

That's not bad looking at all, is it just imitation rock?

shelley120861 · 03/13/2012, 02:09 AM

You would have to allow the rock to cycle if it's not live. What you could do is place a few pounds of live rock in with the dry rock if you have any?

troyman · 03/13/2012, 03:58 AM

live aquaria nice stuff they stand behind it and usually no gorilla crabs in it

hoju74 · 03/13/2012, 07:02 AM

I love the rock I got from Premium Aquatics....tons of color and life on their rock.

shifty51008 · 03/13/2012, 07:13 AM

i bought 100lbs of Premium Fiji Totoka from http://www.aquatictech.com/livestock.html and was very happy with how it came in, very nice looking rock

username in use · 03/13/2012, 07:19 AM

If you have an LFS that has good live rock, I would order all the dry rock you need online, and then get a few really nice pieces from your LFS to seed it all with. It doesn't take all that much longer to cycle the tank that way than with all live rock to begin with.

stingray 125 · 03/13/2012, 07:23 AM

Outlets710
you might want to look at Marco rock also I used their rock, got nice sizes and shipped very well.

96p993 · 03/13/2012, 07:25 AM

I have used Marco for years and never had a problem. The nice thing about dry rock is you pay actual weight and not water weight. This gets you more more then you just supplement that rock with a bit of live rock. Using this method keeps pests out of your tank and its great rock

http://www.marcorocks.com/

Outlets710 · 03/13/2012, 08:19 AM

Thank you everyone for your input, I just might go with half & half.

This aquaculture rock I see, where they harvest it themselves, do you run less chances of "hitchhikers" or things you dont want in your tank? also the whole hitchhiker thing, does that happen often and how bad can it get?

Zach Vs Ponies · 03/13/2012, 11:55 AM

I just ordered 82 lbs of LR from Liveaquaria.. I can come back with a little review on it. The prices were significantly cheaper than my LFS, so I was happy to see that. I got vanuatu live rock, fiji premium live rock, and their "Fancy fused" live rock.

doctorgori · 03/13/2012, 12:10 PM

make sure you scratch "Live Rock Ranch" (or whatever thier current alias is) off your list...
I've seen that stuff 1st hand...looks like they throw some boulders in the ocean, yank them out a week later, take your money and call it even

Outlets710 · 03/13/2012, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorgori

make sure you scratch "Live Rock Ranch" (or whatever thier current alias is) off your list...
I've seen that stuff 1st hand...looks like they throw some boulders in the ocean, yank them out a week later, take your money and call it even

lol thanks, hell i wouldnt doubt it with some of these guys

Gangrene · 03/13/2012, 03:05 PM

Personally I would go LFS if they have good rock to choose from. I always prefer live rock because of the life it comes with and I'm not worried about "hitch hikers". This is especially true if you are dealing with a LFS...

One of my favorite things to do is watch all of the little guys that came with the live rock crawling around everywhere.

You might get some coral freebies, sponges, mini brittle stars, etc... It's a lot more than just rock, hence the cost.

Another reason for LFS is that you can transport the rock in water or very quickly so you get no die off and no cycle on your tank. Go all live rock and live sand and you won't have to worry about a cycle. Essentially you're just "changing the tank's glass" by moving an established tank into yours.

To keep costs down you could get some dry rock and some live rock...

Buzz1329 · 03/13/2012, 03:42 PM

After agonizing research, I was ready to go with Premium Aquatics cured live rock (LR). But then I tripped 50 messages and found someone local on the RC livestock selling forum leaving the hobby and selling his LR at $2 a pound. I'm VERY happy with it. No shipping and a boatload of rock. So you may want to wait until you reach the 50 posts to check out your options.

Not to say the LR was perfect. I ended up hacking off pieces that were hair algae (HA) infested with a hammer (after the hydro peroxide treatment did not work for me), but I still had more than enough for my 75g DT and the 12g refugium section of the sump. No cycle. None! I added a Foxface and it destroyed any remaining nuisance algae in the DT. Still seeing HA in the LR in the refugium but it does not seem to be spreading to the DT.

But there may be some advantages to buying the LR online as you may get a more diverse selection of microfauna. Good luck.

Outlets710 · 03/13/2012, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buzz1329

After agonizing research, I was ready to go with Premium Aquatics cured live rock (LR). But then I tripped 50 messages and found someone local on the RC livestock selling forum leaving the hobby and selling his LR at $2 a pound. I'm VERY happy with it. No shipping and a boatload of rock. So you may want to wait until you reach the 50 posts to check out your options.

Not to say the LR was perfect. I ended up hacking off pieces that were hair algae (HA) infested with a hammer (after the hydro peroxide treatment did not work for me), but I still had more than enough for my 75g DT and the 12g refugium section of the sump. No cycle. None! I added a Foxface and it destroyed any remaining nuisance algae in the DT. Still seeing HA in the LR in the refugium but it does not seem to be spreading to the DT.

But there may be some advantages to buying the LR online as you may get a more diverse selection of microfauna. Good luck.

Grt call. It won't be up in the next 5 months anyway, maybe I will find a deal.

DHyslop · 03/13/2012, 07:51 PM

If you buy from your LFS take a water sample and check for phosphate first.

Psirex · 03/13/2012, 08:17 PM

macrorock.com

marty9876 · 03/13/2012, 08:35 PM

I picked up 90 lbs premium large figi from liveaquaria.com, not thrilled with it. Decent size, most over 10". Pretty fricking white right not, not sure how it's going to work out. $4.70/lb in the door.

I picked up 10 lbs of BRS just to try out, seems decent enough for just dry rock. Shipped it's still $3.x+ for the fancy stuff, for that price would pick liverock myself.

03/13/2012, 01:22 AM	#1
Outlets710 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 321	How trusting is it to buy live rock online and if so where? Do many people here buy live rock online or just cherry pick at LFS? I am nearing my project so needless to say funds are about tapped but if I can save 300+ I will. It's for a 75 gallon im just worrried about the rock being half dead, bulky pieces and loaded w aptaisas buying online. any suggestions , yea nae or a good site? Thank you much. __________________ 30g AIO peninsula 4bulb ATI primarily SPS

03/13/2012, 01:29 AM	#3
Outlets710 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 321	Would only drawback be I would have to wait longer for it to cycle? Never used dry rock before __________________ 30g AIO peninsula 4bulb ATI primarily SPS

03/13/2012, 02:09 AM	#5
shelley120861 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Louisiana Posts: 9	You would have to allow the rock to cycle if it's not live. What you could do is place a few pounds of live rock in with the dry rock if you have any? Last edited by Dino; 03/13/2012 at 04:22 AM.

03/13/2012, 07:13 AM	#8
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	i bought 100lbs of Premium Fiji Totoka from http://www.aquatictech.com/livestock.html and was very happy with how it came in, very nice looking rock __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

03/13/2012, 07:19 AM	#9
username in use Sciencing Daily Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 6,560	If you have an LFS that has good live rock, I would order all the dry rock you need online, and then get a few really nice pieces from your LFS to seed it all with. It doesn't take all that much longer to cycle the tank that way than with all live rock to begin with. __________________ Joshua "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house

03/13/2012, 01:26 AM	#2
ken1977 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 706	BRS, they have nice pieces too. Use dry rock it cost less to ship.

03/13/2012, 03:58 AM	#6
troyman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: troy ny Posts: 1,025	live aquaria nice stuff they stand behind it and usually no gorilla crabs in it

03/13/2012, 07:02 AM	#7
hoju74 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: New Lenox IL Posts: 304	I love the rock I got from Premium Aquatics....tons of color and life on their rock.

03/13/2012, 07:23 AM	#10
stingray 125 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 13	Outlets710 you might want to look at Marco rock also I used their rock, got nice sizes and shipped very well.

03/13/2012, 07:25 AM	#11
96p993 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Mckinney, Tx Posts: 1,130	I have used Marco for years and never had a problem. The nice thing about dry rock is you pay actual weight and not water weight. This gets you more more then you just supplement that rock with a bit of live rock. Using this method keeps pests out of your tank and its great rock http://www.marcorocks.com/

03/13/2012, 08:19 AM	#12
Outlets710 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 321	Thank you everyone for your input, I just might go with half & half. This aquaculture rock I see, where they harvest it themselves, do you run less chances of "hitchhikers" or things you dont want in your tank? also the whole hitchhiker thing, does that happen often and how bad can it get? __________________ 30g AIO peninsula 4bulb ATI primarily SPS

03/13/2012, 11:55 AM	#13
Zach Vs Ponies Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Mississippi Posts: 108	I just ordered 82 lbs of LR from Liveaquaria.. I can come back with a little review on it. The prices were significantly cheaper than my LFS, so I was happy to see that. I got vanuatu live rock, fiji premium live rock, and their "Fancy fused" live rock.

03/13/2012, 12:10 PM	#14
doctorgori Moved On Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Simon Bar-Sinistar Posts: 1,097	make sure you scratch "Live Rock Ranch" (or whatever thier current alias is) off your list... I've seen that stuff 1st hand...looks like they throw some boulders in the ocean, yank them out a week later, take your money and call it even

03/13/2012, 03:05 PM	#16
Gangrene Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Fremont, Ohio Posts: 90	Personally I would go LFS if they have good rock to choose from. I always prefer live rock because of the life it comes with and I'm not worried about "hitch hikers". This is especially true if you are dealing with a LFS... One of my favorite things to do is watch all of the little guys that came with the live rock crawling around everywhere. You might get some coral freebies, sponges, mini brittle stars, etc... It's a lot more than just rock, hence the cost. Another reason for LFS is that you can transport the rock in water or very quickly so you get no die off and no cycle on your tank. Go all live rock and live sand and you won't have to worry about a cycle. Essentially you're just "changing the tank's glass" by moving an established tank into yours. To keep costs down you could get some dry rock and some live rock...

03/13/2012, 03:42 PM	#17
Buzz1329 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Staten Island Posts: 2,414	After agonizing research, I was ready to go with Premium Aquatics cured live rock (LR). But then I tripped 50 messages and found someone local on the RC livestock selling forum leaving the hobby and selling his LR at $2 a pound. I'm VERY happy with it. No shipping and a boatload of rock. So you may want to wait until you reach the 50 posts to check out your options. Not to say the LR was perfect. I ended up hacking off pieces that were hair algae (HA) infested with a hammer (after the hydro peroxide treatment did not work for me), but I still had more than enough for my 75g DT and the 12g refugium section of the sump. No cycle. None! I added a Foxface and it destroyed any remaining nuisance algae in the DT. Still seeing HA in the LR in the refugium but it does not seem to be spreading to the DT. But there may be some advantages to buying the LR online as you may get a more diverse selection of microfauna. Good luck. __________________ Current tank info: 180 mixed reef

03/13/2012, 07:51 PM	#19
DHyslop Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: RI Posts: 1,085	If you buy from your LFS take a water sample and check for phosphate first.

03/13/2012, 08:17 PM	#20
Psirex Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Albany, NY Posts: 1,934	macrorock.com __________________ SALINITY NOW....

03/13/2012, 08:35 PM	#21
marty9876 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 213	I picked up 90 lbs premium large figi from liveaquaria.com, not thrilled with it. Decent size, most over 10". Pretty fricking white right not, not sure how it's going to work out. $4.70/lb in the door. I picked up 10 lbs of BRS just to try out, seems decent enough for just dry rock. Shipped it's still $3.x+ for the fancy stuff, for that price would pick liverock myself.