Life Rock™ by CaribSea - Should I?

allendehl · 08/16/2017, 03:15 PM

Hello guys,

I am putting the pieces of my very first salt water aquarium and while I'm trying to save some cost I also want to build something good, so I am trying to find a good balance.

Around where I live rocks are selling for about $6/Lb. I found that Dr. Foster and Smith is selling this "alternative" much cheaper and is allegedly very good (it also has great reviews). Now my question is if this is a bad corner to cut or if it is a good and valid alternative? I don't want to cheap out in something I'll regret later on.

Thank you!

Nick_Northern · 08/16/2017, 03:21 PM

I used life rock for my reef and am happy with it, interestingly the colour seems to fade over time but only in areas exposed to direct light, shaded areas seem to retain the colour, no idea why! coralline soon takes over though so I have not found it to be an issue. I seeded mine with a couple of chunks of real reef rock from the lfs LR tank, had no end of pests from doing this so my advise would be to just stick with dry life rock, unless you plan to keep species which rely on microfauna from LR, dragonets, some wrasse etc

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slyseekr · 08/16/2017, 03:30 PM

I used the new Life Rock Shapes in my tank (left side on the photo). No real complaints about the rock itself, it has nice coloration, though my tuxedo urchin has basically eaten most of it off.

Unfortunately, it was shipped poorly and all the large, long pieces were basically broken in half when they arrived. Wasn't able to really scape the way I wanted, but was happy with the final result at the end.

It supposedly comes with a type of cycling bacteria painted on to the rock, didn't notice if it had any impact on my cycle. I do think I experienced fewer algae blooms in the long run b/c of the Life Rock. No algae really took hold on the rock, while it grew like weed on the dry rock / coral skeleton (right side of tank)

It is very expensive compared to dry/pukani rock, but doesn't need to be cured.

mcgyvr · 08/16/2017, 05:05 PM

"dry" rock is totally fine..
It will eventually be live rock anyways..
Just might not have as many interesting creatures to be found..

But much of the "live rock" is just dry rock thats sat in a vat of saltwater in the store anyways and isn't really populated with other "creatures,etc.." that you might get with "REAL" live rock straight out of the ocean (like Tampa Bay Saltwater.. shameless plug)

Give Steve a call here..
http://reefrocks.net/ (careful.. very talkative good guy

)
Not sure if he is still around/doing business but very hard to beat his pricing.. (can take a week or two for shipping) but well worth it... 99% of my rock is from there and has been used in numerous tanks I've had.. Never had any problems with it.. good porous stuff..

Georb · 08/17/2017, 05:58 AM

Loved using Carib Sea, I had 0 phosphate leeching unlike the brs I planted in my back yard after 3 months.

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allendehl · 08/17/2017, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

"dry" rock is totally fine..
It will eventually be live rock anyways..
Just might not have as many interesting creatures to be found..

But much of the "live rock" is just dry rock thats sat in a vat of saltwater in the store anyways and isn't really populated with other "creatures,etc.." that you might get with "REAL" live rock straight out of the ocean (like Tampa Bay Saltwater.. shameless plug)

Give Steve a call here..
http://reefrocks.net/ (careful.. very talkative good guy

)
Not sure if he is still around/doing business but very hard to beat his pricing.. (can take a week or two for shipping) but well worth it... 99% of my rock is from there and has been used in numerous tanks I've had.. Never had any problems with it.. good porous stuff..

Thank you mc,

I checked and his prices are even better...let alone he is throwing in the sand!
Now, what are the differences between the rocks he is selling and the ones from that other site?
I apologize if it is obvious but I am staring up in the hobby. Two links below:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...2&pcatid=28202

http://reefrocks.net/index.php?page=...emart&Itemid=1

08/16/2017, 03:15 PM	#1
allendehl Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 692	Life Rock™ by CaribSea - Should I? Hello guys, I am putting the pieces of my very first salt water aquarium and while I'm trying to save some cost I also want to build something good, so I am trying to find a good balance. Around where I live rocks are selling for about $6/Lb. I found that Dr. Foster and Smith is selling this "alternative" much cheaper and is allegedly very good (it also has great reviews). Now my question is if this is a bad corner to cut or if it is a good and valid alternative? I don't want to cheap out in something I'll regret later on. Thank you!

08/16/2017, 05:05 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	"dry" rock is totally fine.. It will eventually be live rock anyways.. Just might not have as many interesting creatures to be found.. But much of the "live rock" is just dry rock thats sat in a vat of saltwater in the store anyways and isn't really populated with other "creatures,etc.." that you might get with "REAL" live rock straight out of the ocean (like Tampa Bay Saltwater.. shameless plug) Give Steve a call here.. http://reefrocks.net/ (careful.. very talkative good guy ) Not sure if he is still around/doing business but very hard to beat his pricing.. (can take a week or two for shipping) but well worth it... 99% of my rock is from there and has been used in numerous tanks I've had.. Never had any problems with it.. good porous stuff.. __________________ Who me?

08/16/2017, 03:21 PM	#2
Nick_Northern Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Redditch, United Kingdom Posts: 261	I used life rock for my reef and am happy with it, interestingly the colour seems to fade over time but only in areas exposed to direct light, shaded areas seem to retain the colour, no idea why! coralline soon takes over though so I have not found it to be an issue. I seeded mine with a couple of chunks of real reef rock from the lfs LR tank, had no end of pests from doing this so my advise would be to just stick with dry life rock, unless you plan to keep species which rely on microfauna from LR, dragonets, some wrasse etc Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

08/16/2017, 03:30 PM	#3
slyseekr Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 68	I used the new Life Rock Shapes in my tank (left side on the photo). No real complaints about the rock itself, it has nice coloration, though my tuxedo urchin has basically eaten most of it off. Unfortunately, it was shipped poorly and all the large, long pieces were basically broken in half when they arrived. Wasn't able to really scape the way I wanted, but was happy with the final result at the end. It supposedly comes with a type of cycling bacteria painted on to the rock, didn't notice if it had any impact on my cycle. I do think I experienced fewer algae blooms in the long run b/c of the Life Rock. No algae really took hold on the rock, while it grew like weed on the dry rock / coral skeleton (right side of tank) It is very expensive compared to dry/pukani rock, but doesn't need to be cured.

08/17/2017, 05:58 AM	#5
Georb Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 80	Loved using Carib Sea, I had 0 phosphate leeching unlike the brs I planted in my back yard after 3 months. Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk