live rock

Wolv18 · 09/11/2014, 08:11 PM

HI everyone in getting ready to finally start adding live rock. The lfs told me today that all live rock arrives to the store dead or mostly dead and then they let it cure to bring the life back. He also told me that those that claim to have it shipped air to arrive sooner, that it is also dying. How true is this?

d2mini · 09/11/2014, 08:34 PM

Not true at all if you go with somebody like www.tbsaltwater.com, one of our sponsors.
Brought out of the ocean in NSW, transported back to the shop in NSW, stored overnight in his NSW system, and then shipped out the next morning in NSW, arriving at your local airport later that afternoon and into your tank.
Get "The Package" and you will be like a little kid on Christmas morning.

See my build thread for pics...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...2#post20575742

But yeah, go to your LFS and you are not buying live rock, you are buying "mostly dead rock", at premium prices.

Wolv18 · 09/11/2014, 09:25 PM

Thanks for the advice. I checked out that website and they are the same price per lbs as the lfs thanks alot.

Rob6311 · 09/11/2014, 09:26 PM

The only thing curing does is just basically washes off all the die off, idk that's the best way I can explain it

Wolv18 · 09/11/2014, 09:49 PM

What are the shipping fees? It says it can range from .65 cents per pound to a dollar a pound with a 100 pound minimum charge. That's a pretty big range. Has anyone bought fromt hem lately?

California Crow · 09/12/2014, 04:58 AM

Post in the TBS forum, and Richard will will help you out. Count on close to that $1 per pound figure, and remember that the 100lb airline minimum applies twice, since the package comes in two separate shipments. That means that small orders really take a hit on the shipping. I'm looking right now for someone in the Sacramento area to combine orders with me, as I only need rock and sand for a 10gal.

Great rock, though. I set up a 110gal with it many years ago.

CC

d2mini · 09/12/2014, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolv18

What are the shipping fees? It says it can range from .65 cents per pound to a dollar a pound with a 100 pound minimum charge. That's a pretty big range. Has anyone bought fromt hem lately?

Quote:

Originally Posted by California Crow

Post in the TBS forum, and Richard will will help you out. Count on close to that $1 per pound figure, and remember that the 100lb airline minimum applies twice, since the package comes in two separate shipments. That means that small orders really take a hit on the shipping. I'm looking right now for someone in the Sacramento area to combine orders with me, as I only need rock and sand for a 10gal.

Great rock, though. I set up a 110gal with it many years ago.

CC

Yep, the shipping isn't exactly cheap since all that rock, water and sand is pretty dang heavy. But the rewards are great. And The Package still ends up to be a pretty good deal because you get soooo much stuff and Richard always includes awesome extras. Colorful sponges, gorgonians, sea stars, etc.

Fallling · 09/12/2014, 11:08 AM

Anytime you get live rock shipped whether via ground or overnight, there's going to be some die off. However, that doesn't mean all of it is going to be dead by any means. I went with Florida Live Rock (very similar to TBS, but also offers different grades of rock including premium, hand picked). I went with the premium stuff, and the amount of life was incredible including a dozen brain corals, several gorgonians (one that was 8"), sponges, macroalgae, ect. Most of the big stuff survived, but there was definitely enough die-off to get a good cycle started.

I haven't used TBS myself, but have read great things. Even with shipping, the quality live rock is better than most lfs, so it really is a better deal. The only thing about Caribbean rock is that it's rather dense... you might look into mixing it with some more porous, dry rock. Porous rock is going to have more overall surface area for bacteria to colonize and is also more cost effective than doing 100% live rock, especially if you have larger tank.

Wolv18 · 09/14/2014, 07:44 AM

Hey thanks for the advice I was thinking about putting in some cheap base and then getting some live rock shipped in and forget about the lfs. This guy at the lfs is really turning out to be an idiot. He gave me 60 gallons of dusty saltwater the other day. It looks like ill be getting all my stuff online for my new tank.

09/11/2014, 08:11 PM	#1
Wolv18 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Greensboro NC Posts: 79	live rock HI everyone in getting ready to finally start adding live rock. The lfs told me today that all live rock arrives to the store dead or mostly dead and then they let it cure to bring the life back. He also told me that those that claim to have it shipped air to arrive sooner, that it is also dying. How true is this?

09/11/2014, 08:34 PM	#2
d2mini Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 10,344	Not true at all if you go with somebody like www.tbsaltwater.com, one of our sponsors. Brought out of the ocean in NSW, transported back to the shop in NSW, stored overnight in his NSW system, and then shipped out the next morning in NSW, arriving at your local airport later that afternoon and into your tank. Get "The Package" and you will be like a little kid on Christmas morning. See my build thread for pics... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...2#post20575742 But yeah, go to your LFS and you are not buying live rock, you are buying "mostly dead rock", at premium prices. __________________ -dennis Elos Diamond 120xl \| Elos Stand \| Radion G4 Pros \| GHL Profilux Controller \| LifeReef Skimmer \| LifeReef Sump Photos taken with a Nikon D750 or Leica M.

09/12/2014, 11:08 AM	#8
Fallling Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 455	Anytime you get live rock shipped whether via ground or overnight, there's going to be some die off. However, that doesn't mean all of it is going to be dead by any means. I went with Florida Live Rock (very similar to TBS, but also offers different grades of rock including premium, hand picked). I went with the premium stuff, and the amount of life was incredible including a dozen brain corals, several gorgonians (one that was 8"), sponges, macroalgae, ect. Most of the big stuff survived, but there was definitely enough die-off to get a good cycle started. I haven't used TBS myself, but have read great things. Even with shipping, the quality live rock is better than most lfs, so it really is a better deal. The only thing about Caribbean rock is that it's rather dense... you might look into mixing it with some more porous, dry rock. Porous rock is going to have more overall surface area for bacteria to colonize and is also more cost effective than doing 100% live rock, especially if you have larger tank. __________________ A really expensive cat TV. Current Tank Info: 40"L x 24"W x 30"H 125 gallon mixed reef \| 40 gallon sump \| Pacific Sun Pandora S T5 / LED \| RLSS R8-I protein skimmer

09/11/2014, 09:25 PM	#3
Wolv18 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Greensboro NC Posts: 79	Thanks for the advice. I checked out that website and they are the same price per lbs as the lfs thanks alot.

09/11/2014, 09:26 PM	#4
Rob6311 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 704	The only thing curing does is just basically washes off all the die off, idk that's the best way I can explain it

09/11/2014, 09:49 PM	#5
Wolv18 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Greensboro NC Posts: 79	What are the shipping fees? It says it can range from .65 cents per pound to a dollar a pound with a 100 pound minimum charge. That's a pretty big range. Has anyone bought fromt hem lately?

09/12/2014, 04:58 AM	#6
California Crow Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 170	Post in the TBS forum, and Richard will will help you out. Count on close to that $1 per pound figure, and remember that the 100lb airline minimum applies twice, since the package comes in two separate shipments. That means that small orders really take a hit on the shipping. I'm looking right now for someone in the Sacramento area to combine orders with me, as I only need rock and sand for a 10gal. Great rock, though. I set up a 110gal with it many years ago. CC

09/14/2014, 07:44 AM	#9
Wolv18 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Greensboro NC Posts: 79	Hey thanks for the advice I was thinking about putting in some cheap base and then getting some live rock shipped in and forget about the lfs. This guy at the lfs is really turning out to be an idiot. He gave me 60 gallons of dusty saltwater the other day. It looks like ill be getting all my stuff online for my new tank.