Getting live rock

crackyflipside · 08/07/2006, 01:23 PM

Living in Miami, I have about a 10 minute drive to get to the beach and my dad has a boat and has the equipment to go SCUBA diving. Would small(a few pounds) live rocks that are found near the beach or even in a existing reef be safe to use in a SW tank or would it need to be dried out and then re-cycled with other aquarium live rocks?

Also, I have been interested in making DIY rock with cement and crushed shell. Would it be safe to allow the rock to cycle in the ocean and perhaps get some life growing on/in it?

MJAnderson · 08/07/2006, 01:26 PM

Tampa Bay Saltwater does just that but they are famous for having lots of hithhikers, both good and bad.

I'm not sure it's legal to take rock from the ocean floor in any quantity though, which is why they farm LR.

sir_dudeguy · 08/07/2006, 01:29 PM

no dont dry it out. its good to go. thats where online companies get their live rock from...the ocean. I think you have to have a permit to get it, but i dont see who's gonna ask for one lol. just dont go shoutin about getting some rock i guess.

but i wouldnt put it directly into your tank...try putting it in something else (like a tank thats not being used) for a while, just to make sure theres nothing in/on it.

as for the diy rock...i wouldnt cycle it in the ocean...how you gonna find it? lol. Its easier/safer just to get a few pounds of live rock to seed it. Or you can go to garf.org...i think they sell something that makes your diy rock live.

crackyflipside · 08/07/2006, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sir_dudeguy
no dont dry it out. its good to go. thats where online companies get their live rock from...the ocean. I think you have to have a permit to get it, but i dont see who's gonna ask for one lol. just dont go shoutin about getting some rock i guess.

but i wouldnt put it directly into your tank...try putting it in something else (like a tank thats not being used) for a while, just to make sure theres nothing in/on it.

as for the diy rock...i wouldnt cycle it in the ocean...how you gonna find it? lol. Its easier/safer just to get a few pounds of live rock to seed it. Or you can go to garf.org...i think they sell something that makes your diy rock live.

Well when my dad would set out some traps when he used to go lobster catching, he used his GPS to record the coordinates for the traps, his GPS was pretty old and had a accuracy of around 25-30 yards.

It's not like I would be taking out metric tons of live rock out of the ocean, at the most it would be enough rock to cover some of a 100 something gallon tank with the majority of the rock being DIY rock for decorative purpose.

sir_dudeguy · 08/07/2006, 01:58 PM

ya you shouldnt have any problems taking any out. I got some from mexico and drove it back across the border and they didnt do anything so ya.

08/07/2006, 01:23 PM	#1
crackyflipside Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 6	Getting live rock Living in Miami, I have about a 10 minute drive to get to the beach and my dad has a boat and has the equipment to go SCUBA diving. Would small(a few pounds) live rocks that are found near the beach or even in a existing reef be safe to use in a SW tank or would it need to be dried out and then re-cycled with other aquarium live rocks? Also, I have been interested in making DIY rock with cement and crushed shell. Would it be safe to allow the rock to cycle in the ocean and perhaps get some life growing on/in it?

08/07/2006, 01:29 PM	#3
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	no dont dry it out. its good to go. thats where online companies get their live rock from...the ocean. I think you have to have a permit to get it, but i dont see who's gonna ask for one lol. just dont go shoutin about getting some rock i guess. but i wouldnt put it directly into your tank...try putting it in something else (like a tank thats not being used) for a while, just to make sure theres nothing in/on it. as for the diy rock...i wouldnt cycle it in the ocean...how you gonna find it? lol. Its easier/safer just to get a few pounds of live rock to seed it. Or you can go to garf.org...i think they sell something that makes your diy rock live. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/07/2006, 01:58 PM	#5
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	ya you shouldnt have any problems taking any out. I got some from mexico and drove it back across the border and they didnt do anything so ya. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/07/2006, 01:26 PM	#2
MJAnderson Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: East Bay, CA Posts: 2,633	Tampa Bay Saltwater does just that but they are famous for having lots of hithhikers, both good and bad. I'm not sure it's legal to take rock from the ocean floor in any quantity though, which is why they farm LR.