dry rock ??

[knap_123]

when you buy base rk. is it dry or wet? i went to petco and the guy there said dry, dry, rk. is not what you want. they kept theres in a barrel. i was looking at some dry reaf or coral they had.

[Biocubehqi]

Dry. Live rock is the only one kept wet.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I wouldn't buy dry rock from Petco. You'll be paying much more than you would if you bought online. Look at Bulk Reef Supply or Marco Rocks for quality dry rock.

[funkyfish77]

+1 ΔΔ bulk reef supply has nice rock. I just got 20 lbs of pukani from them nice rock fast shipping.

Funky

[bigj_51]

Jusr got 100 lbs from marco and it was dry, but it had a little bit of dampness to it. Although it was sitting in the TX sun for several hours

[SaltyWenStirred]

I bought the Macro rock:

http://www.marcorocks.com/25poundbox...inentalus.aspx

Free shipping and is $2.48/lb. I love it. I almost bought the Pukani rock, because I liked the look better. But I went with the Marco because it was pre-cured.

Note on curing: (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=76703)

"To get your dry rock ready for use in your aquarium, soak it in freshwater about 3 weeks (don’t forget to de-chlorinate). Use a container that is safe for this purpose. I personally prefer to use my quarantine tank for this. Add a power head to the container to get water movement around the rock. After you have your rock soaking for two days, use a fresh water test kit to check the nitrate and phosphate levels. If the nitrate goes higher than 5ppm, or the phosphate goes higher than 1ppm, change at least 50% of the water. Test the water about every second or third day. At the end of each week, change at least 75% of the water. No need for a heater as there is no BB on the dry rock. When your test results come back at a consistent 0ppm for nitrate and phosphates, your rock is now ready to be placed in your aquarium. You can add your soaked (cured) dry rock to your aquarium at any time without risk."

I just didn't want to do it. Wanted to toss my rock into the aquarium with some live rock and go.

I love the Marco rock I got. Came right to the front door. Each piece was individually bubble wrapped. I also got 10 lbs. of prime cut rock too. Ultimately, I wound up with 35 lbs. of dry rock for a 38 gallon tank and had to leave one big piece out. It wouldn't all fit.

Here's my rock so you can see what you get. BTW, it was bright white when it arrived, not yellow like in their picture.

[tanzer16]

that really is some nice looking rock.....was considering that myself.....both brs and marco are equally nice

[Augster]

Originally Posted by SaltyWenStirred

Note on curing: (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=76703)

I am definitely going to use this procedure for curing my dry rock! Much simpler and efficient without wasting a lot of saltwater mixes with constant water changes.

[KafudaFish]

1. Don't put your rock into your QT and then put it into the display tank if you have ever added copper to the QT.

2. Putting dry reef rock into freshwater does not cycle or cure it in any way so that is wrong.

I could pressure wash it to remove dust and detritus and then do a 15 minute muric acid soak, rinse it again, and be far ahead of the author of that article.

[SaltyWenStirred]

I would believe anyone who had anything to add about curing. One of the problems I am having with this hobby are the vast amount of opposing opinions on just about every topic.

On the topic of curing, again, I saw lots of opinions on the subject. Too many for me. The bottom line for me was... I could skip the process entirely if I bought pre-cured. It worked for me, but I'm new, so I don't know much.

I don't like using muriatic acid unless I have to. Screwed up my concrete front porch with it. And then there's the issue of where and how to dispose of it. Plus I'm afraid of losing an eye.

[lespaul339]

Originally Posted by SaltyWenStirred

One of the problems I am having with this hobby are the vast amount of opposing opinions on just about every topic.

I hear you there. It's very frusterating for someone with no experience who is just starting out. That being said I do take everyones opinions into account and then decide which opinion I tend to agree with more.

[KafudaFish]

You both bring up very good points about this hobby. There is a wealth of knowledge but there are many areas that we need to gain a better understanding. Sometimes people will post what worked for them and it maybe old school but it is a tried and true method.

Also there are multiple ways of achieving the same end point such as buying pre-cured rock. Ten years ago you could buy beautiful cured rock with all types of life on it for $4-5 per pound from the LFS i .e. hand pick it and they would save it for you until it was cured. Now the only way to buy LR at that price is find someone who has been in the hobby for that long and is getting out. There is one LFS that sells "premium Fiji LR" for $15 a pound and it looks like they took chunks of I-40 and threw them into the tank.

For some reason, and it probably has to do with our dealing with life, is what works for one person may not work for you. Often beginners get frustrated at this and give up.

My way certainly isn't the only way of using rock but I have used cured LR, dry rock and DIY rock over the years. Each has its pros and cons.

[jinks]

I would just buy the dry. Give it a good rinse and drop it in. That article looked like a lot of overkill unless it's DIY rock.

[scsdukefan408]

Bulkreef is a great place to get dry rock

[planedoc]

Some dry rock can benefit from being cured or cycled. Marco rock is pre cured and ready for your tank. Pukani can have some dead dried up life on it and can benefit from a curing process. I think if added to a new tank I would cycle it in the new tank. If adding to an established tank I would just add it, the tank can handle it. If I received the rock and upon inspection found a lot of organic matter on it I might cure it in a separate tank.
I added 130 # of Marco and 30 # of fully cured live rock to my new tank. I never saw a cycle and added 15 fish after 30 days. It's been 4 months and Ive never had ammonia, nitrates or nitrites at detectable levels. I did have a good diatom bloom after first week but a few snail and all was gone.

[lespaul339]

I'm going to be setting up a 56 gallon tank as soon as my aquarium arrives. What do you guys think about if I bought 45 lbs of live rock, and the about 30lbs of dry rock and cured the dry rock in my tank with the live rock. Would the dry rock get "seeded" from the live rock? Also, how many pounds would be ideal for a 56 gallon tall tank? Tank dimensions 36x15x24.

[lespaul339]

I guess let me reword that, would dry rock benifit from being cured with live rock? Or would it really matter?

[jinks]

The dry rock will start to grow over time what the live has on it. Putting it in while the live cures will give it time to grow bacteria before you add fish. The last tank I set up was all dry rock and some live rubble (maybe 1lb). The more live you use the faster it will start to look nice. If you don't mind the wait then it doesn't matter.

[KafudaFish]

Yes, the live rock will seed the dry rock and it will become live rock after a period of time. It is easy to put it all in and scape it so that you find a structure you like.

The live rock has the bacteria that will process the wastes from your tank. You will get other life forms from the live rock to the dry such as feather dusters, pods, bristle worms, sponges, and tunicates just to name a few.

The rock will also seed your sand which will become live sand too.


It is hard to say the perfect amount for the tank.
If you go minimal then 30 - 45 pounds.
If you have a large structure then 75 pounds.
You can always put some of the rock in your sump if you like your design and have rock left over.

[lespaul339]

After pricing dry rock it isn't really that much cheaper than live rock is. Plus my tank would be more mature faster if I cycled it with all live rock.

[planedoc]

Just remember not all live rock is created equally. Rock can take many paths on its way to you house. Here is good article on live rock http://www.livestockusa.org/LIVEROCK.html
The best bet is find someone like premium aquatics that receives live rock and cures it to make it ready for you. Still if shipped you will have more die off

[coralsnaked]

Originally Posted by planedoc

Some dry rock can benefit from being cured or cycled. Marco rock is pre cured and ready for your tank. Pukani can have some dead dried up life on it and can benefit from a curing process. I think if added to a new tank I would cycle it in the new tank. If adding to an established tank I would just add it, the tank can handle it. If I received the rock and upon inspection found a lot of organic matter on it I might cure it in a separate tank.
I added 130 # of Marco and 30 # of fully cured live rock to my new tank. I never saw a cycle and added 15 fish after 30 days. It's been 4 months and Ive never had ammonia, nitrates or nitrites at detectable levels. I did have a good diatom bloom after first week but a few snail and all was gone.

With a new tank you can really do any of the above. Dry rock - pre cured - fully cured. It really depends on your pocket book and your patience. Instant gratrification ( a few days) means your local LFS who fully cures by fresh water rinsing to remove the living unwanted creatures, then fully curing by saltwater soaking under a power head and routinely scrubbing the rock for a more polished look. This is about $7 /pound in many LFS. Personally I like what I call full on grunge rock meaning fully cured but no scrubbing. I like the way it cycles the new tank, but in adding new fully cured rock to an existing tank the rule of thumb is never more than 10% of existing tank rock at any one time or you will most likely get NTS and experience a mini cycle complete w/ algea bloom. In adding to an existing tank I would only use fully cured polished rock. No NTS.