A brand new MarcoRocks reef tank in SoCal, 250g tank using Prime Cuts and Premium Shelf Rock
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vetteguy53081
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Every one has a unique system to their taste and budget. Whether large or small, long or tall..... we have an advantage of collaborating about our successes and viewing systems of others and appreciating what each other have accomplished. I have used both dry and live seeded rock and even resin pieces and it was not about what was best but how it looked. Never had a negative comment about my tank(s) and have learned to appreciate systems of others than to compare to them.
use each others experiences as well as those of others and enjoy each others systems and those of others and compliment all on being able to bring a piece of the ocean into their home and keep specimens alive SUCCESSFULLY , after all.....Reef2Reef is about SUCCESS !!
Universal truth you are seeking. A 40 lb rock weights 40 lbs. Here a picture of some of my marco rocks. Cheaper by the ton. Worked for me. It can work for you.
OP
OP
awesome setup!
OP
OP
Thank you! The payoff was well worth it;Drool haha
If I had a choice when I start my tank 1.5 years ago I would definitely go with this rock. It looks like the aquascape trend now is so much more advance than just a pile of rock.
I do not want to hijack this thread, but Here's a thread all about the build and a recent pick below. All the rock you see is from Marco rocks. The 1k lbs of Marco is spread through all 6 tanks, the sump and a couple satellite tanks connected.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/7000-pounds-of-glass-you-guys-up-for-a-build-or-what.281197/
Ut ohhhh! You do realize that you are now doomed to failure now that you are using terrestrial rock right? LOLI do not want to hijack this thread, but Here's a thread all about the build and a recent pick below. All the rock you see is from Marco rocks. The 1k lbs of Marco is spread through all 6 tanks, the sump and a couple satellite tanks connected.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/7000-pounds-of-glass-you-guys-up-for-a-build-or-what.281197/
Looks awesome Adam! Can't wait to see the progress.
OP
OP
Love all of this people!
Joe here-
Having done this for 30 years now, I would like to share my quick opinion on the subject of dead vs live rock.
It is kind of a no-brainer that from a naturalist or purist point of view, the best biological substrate for a reef tank would be the actual rock found on a coral reef. It contains many strains of healthy bacteria that have been proven to be absolutely beneficial to the biological stability of a delicate marine system. Not having these bacteria will increase the chance of nuisance algae and pests from taking hold, especially in the chaotic and unbalanced nature of a new tank. The reality of reefing today means experimenting and trying different substrates since live rock is almost impossible to find, and also quite damaging from an environmental perspective. (This is a whole different topic) After-all, the rock itself, whether live or dead really is inert so as long as the material is not toxic or causing other detrimental issues, we are really limiting our conversation to the effects of biological seeding via live rock vs biological seeding vs alternative methods.
When all the pros and cons are weighed I think there is a growing argument to choose a live rock alternative such as Marco Rocks. Closer attention will have to be paid to the biological balance of the system and it has always been Marco Rocks stance to go slow, seed with bottled bacteria or with bacteria inoculation from an older, established system, etc. I personally think people start up a tank and lack the patience that it needs to slowly mature. With my own tanks, I use dry Marco rock and leave the lights off for the first month or two. I run all filtration but do not add fish. I feed the tank sparingly and seed it with a few pieces of rock from an older tank. Snails or urchins can be used to keep the minimal algae growth in check. They also kick the detritus up and into the water column where it can travel to the filtration. Not keeping fish in the tank allows the copepod and micro-fauna to absolutely explode. After one month it will look like a copepod tank. They will become the apex animal in the tank! Utilize extra strong flow during this stage and just let the tank become stable. Up the feedings as the algae becomes more and more encrusting and calcified in nature. (Harder to remove from the glass is a great test)
The rock will become coated with a biological film that will inhibit the growth of unwanted algae/dino. Should you see a dino outbreak, UV sterilization has been seen to be quite effective. (For many common strains).
At the end of the day it is a personal choice of what substrate to use but if done right, many of the problems mentioned above can be avoided in part or entirely while also feeling great about not having wild rock ripped from the ocean to start your tank.
Joe here-
Having done this for 30 years now, I would like to share my quick opinion on the subject of dead vs live rock.
It is kind of a no-brainer that from a naturalist or purist point of view, the best biological substrate for a reef tank would be the actual rock found on a coral reef. It contains many strains of healthy bacteria that have been proven to be absolutely beneficial to the biological stability of a delicate marine system. Not having these bacteria will increase the chance of nuisance algae and pests from taking hold, especially in the chaotic and unbalanced nature of a new tank. The reality of reefing today means experimenting and trying different substrates since live rock is almost impossible to find, and also quite damaging from an environmental perspective. (This is a whole different topic) After-all, the rock itself, whether live or dead really is inert so as long as the material is not toxic or causing other detrimental issues, we are really limiting our conversation to the effects of biological seeding via live rock vs biological seeding vs alternative methods.
When all the pros and cons are weighed I think there is a growing argument to choose a live rock alternative such as Marco Rocks. Closer attention will have to be paid to the biological balance of the system and it has always been Marco Rocks stance to go slow, seed with bottled bacteria or with bacteria inoculation from an older, established system, etc. I personally think people start up a tank and lack the patience that it needs to slowly mature. With my own tanks, I use dry Marco rock and leave the lights off for the first month or two. I run all filtration but do not add fish. I feed the tank sparingly and seed it with a few pieces of rock from an older tank. Snails or urchins can be used to keep the minimal algae growth in check. They also kick the detritus up and into the water column where it can travel to the filtration. Not keeping fish in the tank allows the copepod and micro-fauna to absolutely explode. After one month it will look like a copepod tank. They will become the apex animal in the tank! Utilize extra strong flow during this stage and just let the tank become stable. Up the feedings as the algae becomes more and more encrusting and calcified in nature. (Harder to remove from the glass is a great test)
The rock will become coated with a biological film that will inhibit the growth of unwanted algae/dino. Should you see a dino outbreak, UV sterilization has been seen to be quite effective. (For many common strains).
At the end of the day it is a personal choice of what substrate to use but if done right, many of the problems mentioned above can be avoided in part or entirely while also feeling great about not having wild rock ripped from the ocean to start your tank.
OP
OP
I do not want to hijack this thread, but Here's a thread all about the build and a recent pick below. All the rock you see is from Marco rocks. The 1k lbs of Marco is spread through all 6 tanks, the sump and a couple satellite tanks connected.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/7000-pounds-of-glass-you-guys-up-for-a-build-or-what.281197/
Thanks for the pic [emoji106] [emoji106]
OP
OP
Thank you!
saltwaterpicaso
Valuable Member
I was guilty of using dry rock and not waiting and I had dino that I could not beat. im on my second start up and used caribsea liferock and live rock If I was to every do another tank I personally would rather use live rock
OP
OP
A cool video of MR rocks at Reefapalooza :
Here is another new thread about dry rock and how he is coming along. Then I chimed in my my .02
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tank-cycling-question.546431/#post-5634323
