Dry Rock v. Live Rock: Q's

happyclam · 05/28/2009, 03:55 PM

Hey everybody. Right now I'm currently tankless and would like to set-up a nano. I'm trying to decide between dry or live rock.

Dry Rock: Pros
-already have some from previous tank
-cheap
-many different aquascaping poosibilities

Dry Rock: Cons
-rock was infested with Aiptasia
-rock was sitting outside so could have farm chemicals on it
-could be troublesome/expensive/time-consuming to seed it

Live Rock: Pros
-get great diversity of life
-don't have to seed it

Live Rock: Cons
-can be expensive
-have to cycle
-can introduce pests

As you can see I need some help deciding, so please give any and all input.

Electrobes · 05/28/2009, 04:27 PM

I am going to assume this dry rock you speak of is in your possession. If you get dry rock from a company (Like Marco rocks) or have it DIY the cons of it being prior infested with aptasia or it sitting outside or saturated with chemicals shouldn't be listed at all.

The problem (With good dry rock) would be cooking it or curing it.. which involve some materials (not much) but definitely time.

Now assuming you knew the dry rock was infested with aptasia.. it still won't be a problem. With dry rock.. you should blast it with water (A pressure hose does wonders) or just do a light brush scrub. But it having dead aptasia on it that comes back to life... that's a myth IMO. You would be more worried about dead organics polluting the tank.

I wouldn't trust dry rock coming from a person I don't know. I would worry about it's history with a possible bad location or what chemicals it has come in contact with (As you mention).

I whole heartily would go for dry rock and seed it. Patience in this hobby goes a loooong way. Not having to worry about pests, shedding organics, expense, etc is definitely worth the time to cure it IMO.

jubjub · 05/28/2009, 05:49 PM

im setting up my new tank and im throwing out all my live rock, and ordered 100lbs of marco rocks(base dead rock) then went to few different LFS's and friends added like 5lbs of seed rock let it cook for almost 1.5months now...definately cheaper my marco was like 2$lbs vs i seen some outrageous prices.

happyclam · 05/30/2009, 08:13 AM

What would you reccomend to seed it (LR ruble, cultures from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, other)? But also since this will be a nano (less than 10g) would the reduced expense of dry rock really make a difference?

Thank you for help!

Electrobes · 05/30/2009, 10:28 AM

I would use highly inspected (By you) rock rubble to seed the base rock with.

Even with a nano I would use base rock (High quality stuff.. porous etc). It goes a long way in avoiding pests, dead organics being a problem, etc. Besides in a nano, the progress and results will be more rapid than in a larger aquarium. You could definitely be patient without needing to be THAT patient, if you know what I mean.

View Poll Results: What type of rock do you use?
Live Rock	6	54.55%
Artificial/Dry Rock	5	45.45%
Voters: 11. You may not vote on this poll

05/28/2009, 03:55 PM	#1
happyclam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,012	Dry Rock v. Live Rock: Q's Hey everybody. Right now I'm currently tankless and would like to set-up a nano. I'm trying to decide between dry or live rock. Dry Rock: Pros -already have some from previous tank -cheap -many different aquascaping poosibilities Dry Rock: Cons -rock was infested with Aiptasia -rock was sitting outside so could have farm chemicals on it -could be troublesome/expensive/time-consuming to seed it Live Rock: Pros -get great diversity of life -don't have to seed it Live Rock: Cons -can be expensive -have to cycle -can introduce pests As you can see I need some help deciding, so please give any and all input. Last edited by happyclam; 05/28/2009 at 04:03 PM.

05/28/2009, 04:27 PM	#2
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	I am going to assume this dry rock you speak of is in your possession. If you get dry rock from a company (Like Marco rocks) or have it DIY the cons of it being prior infested with aptasia or it sitting outside or saturated with chemicals shouldn't be listed at all. The problem (With good dry rock) would be cooking it or curing it.. which involve some materials (not much) but definitely time. Now assuming you knew the dry rock was infested with aptasia.. it still won't be a problem. With dry rock.. you should blast it with water (A pressure hose does wonders) or just do a light brush scrub. But it having dead aptasia on it that comes back to life... that's a myth IMO. You would be more worried about dead organics polluting the tank. I wouldn't trust dry rock coming from a person I don't know. I would worry about it's history with a possible bad location or what chemicals it has come in contact with (As you mention). I whole heartily would go for dry rock and seed it. Patience in this hobby goes a loooong way. Not having to worry about pests, shedding organics, expense, etc is definitely worth the time to cure it IMO. __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

05/28/2009, 05:49 PM	#3
jubjub Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: vacaville, cali Posts: 2,698	im setting up my new tank and im throwing out all my live rock, and ordered 100lbs of marco rocks(base dead rock) then went to few different LFS's and friends added like 5lbs of seed rock let it cook for almost 1.5months now...definately cheaper my marco was like 2$lbs vs i seen some outrageous prices. __________________ "The world holds two classes of men - intelligent men without religion, and religious men without intelligence." - Abu Ala Al-Maari

05/30/2009, 10:28 AM	#5
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	I would use highly inspected (By you) rock rubble to seed the base rock with. Even with a nano I would use base rock (High quality stuff.. porous etc). It goes a long way in avoiding pests, dead organics being a problem, etc. Besides in a nano, the progress and results will be more rapid than in a larger aquarium. You could definitely be patient without needing to be THAT patient, if you know what I mean. __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

05/30/2009, 08:13 AM	#4
happyclam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,012	What would you reccomend to seed it (LR ruble, cultures from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms, other)? But also since this will be a nano (less than 10g) would the reduced expense of dry rock really make a difference? Thank you for help!