Live Rock?

[MT_is_a_Pisces]

I'm a novice, relatively new to marine aquariums. Less than 2 years in the hobby. I have a question. What is the purpose of live rock if you are going to kill it? All the forums, YouTube videos suggests dry rock. So why do LFS stock live rock? I have seen the devastation the a mantis shrimp

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[gffpm1247]

I used 60%ish live rock.. purchased and placed right in the tank. Then purchased another piece 2 months later and placed it in. I didn't scrub it for pests or anything of the like. Many will frown upon that but I have had no problems

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[Gladmaker]

I prefer getting live rock fresh from the Gulf. There are those that lease Gulf sites and seed them with rock and then harvest it several years later. I got some of those and put them directly in my tank. I looked them over and took off anything that looked dead. I like how they have turned out. There is some risk of unwanted hitchhikers, but I got several good hitchhikers that I didn't have to pay for. The problem with all dry rock is that it takes so long to colonize it. If you use dry rock, at least use some live rock. Live rock is a good filtration for the tank.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by MT_is_a_Pisces

I'm a novice, relatively new to marine aquariums. Less than 2 years in the hobby. I have a question. What is the purpose of live rock if you are going to kill it? All the forums, YouTube videos suggests dry rock. So why do LFS stock live rock? I have seen the devastation the a mantis shrimp

Why do you think people kill it? They don't...
If you purchase live rock you put it right into your tank and use it like that..
Its usually shipped either fully submerged in water (if you are lucky and use something like TBS) or its kept "damp" with paper towels or similar..
The "damp" stuff usually has a little die off so it can require curing/cycling but still has plenty of bacterial life and other life still on it..
"wet" can be placed right into a tank..even an existing/established tank.. ..

The "negative" to live rock is that you can bring in numerous "hitchhikers",etc... so many just start with dry rock and make it live via cycling...

[MT_is_a_Pisces]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Why do you think people kill it? They don't...
If you purchase live rock you put it right into your tank and use it like that..
Its usually shipped either fully submerged in water (if you are lucky and use something like TBS) or its kept "damp" with paper towels or similar..
The "damp" stuff usually has a little die off so it can require curing/cycling but still has plenty of bacterial life and other life still on it..
"wet" can be placed right into a tank..even an existing/established tank.. ..

The "negative" to live rock is that you can bring in numerous "hitchhikers",etc... so many just start with dry rock and make it live via cycling...

Okay so I was under the impression that all rock should be curred. Let me ask the question another way. Does the benefit put weigh the risk, especially if time isn't important?

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[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by MT_is_a_Pisces

Okay so I was under the impression that all rock should be curred. Let me ask the question another way. Does the benefit put weigh the risk, especially if time isn't important?

The process of curing isn't killing anything either..
curing is cycling.. Just another name for it really..
curing is just cycling rock outside of an established tank basically..

Curing is just a process required when the live rock has sufficient "die off" from shipping and you aren't currently cycling your own tank or have one thats already established..
Then you cure outside of the display tank it so it cycles on its own and the die off doesn't cause an ammonia spike..

The risks aren't that great either IMO to live rock..
But I'm not one to answer that as I don't quarantine anything and I enjoy the life that I find in a tank that I didn't put there..
Most if not all "hitchhikers" problems are simple to solve so I don't worry..

But I don't think there are many benefits to most "live rock" either expect for the obvious potential quicker cycle..

Now Tampa Bay Saltwater rock or similar is a different story.. That live rock from what I've seen is teaming with interesting life and some even find fish,etc.. with it.. Most "live rock" is little more than dry rock thats been sitting in a vat of saltwater and really doesn't have much if any other "fun stuff" growing on it.. Not that thats what makes live rock live.. But it does make it interesting..

[OldReefGuy]

If time is not an issue, invest in cheaper dry rock and buy a couple of pounds expensive LR to seed the rest........

and what McGyvr said

[MT_is_a_Pisces]

Originally Posted by OldReefGuy

If time is not an issue, invest in cheaper dry rock and buy a couple of pounds expensive LR to seed the rest........

and what McGyvr said

Decisions, decisions. Thanks for the tips

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[gffpm1247]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

The process of curing isn't killing anything either..
curing is cycling.. Just another name for it really..
curing is just cycling rock outside of an established tank basically..

Curing is just a process required when the live rock has sufficient "die off" from shipping and you aren't currently cycling your own tank or have one thats already established..
Then you cure outside of the display tank it so it cycles on its own and the die off doesn't cause an ammonia spike..

The risks aren't that great either IMO to live rock..
But I'm not one to answer that as I don't quarantine anything and I enjoy the life that I find in a tank that I didn't put there..
Most if not all "hitchhikers" problems are simple to solve so I don't worry..

But I don't think there are many benefits to most "live rock" either expect for the obvious potential quicker cycle..

Now Tampa Bay Saltwater rock or similar is a different story.. That live rock from what I've seen is teaming with interesting life and some even find fish,etc.. with it.. Most "live rock" is little more than dry rock thats been sitting in a vat of saltwater and really doesn't have much if any other "fun stuff" growing on it.. Not that thats what makes live rock live.. But it does make it interesting..

I also dont quarentine anything. I have enjoyed looking for all the life the live rock brought in. Most of the live rock I have purchased through my LFS is covered with Coraline algae too so it adds a bunch of color.

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