Back and forth on live rock or dry rock

jeffrey750750 · Sep 1, 2020

this is my fourth reef tank with starting the prior ones all with live rock. I seriously keep going back and forth what to start my new build with. I saw that brs video and loved it, hate that I saw it now. I have my reef tank going really well so time isn't an issue on the new build. I'm starting a bigger tank due to my vlamingi tang is getting big. I've read so much and people's opinions are so mixed. If you went dry rock, how'd it go?

LRT · Sep 1, 2020

My main deciding factor would be did I experience any of the uglies or other issues realized by starting with dry rock?
My answer is no thats why I would never sway from using live rock.
I never had uglies until I added dry rock or sand to my system.
In fact I can crush up live rock and sprinkle it in and still not experience algae growing on it even if its in the middle of a dry rock algae forest

samnaz · Sep 1, 2020

I would never have a tank without live rock. However, it’s difficult to create interesting scapes with live wet rock. So I chose to go with mostly live rock, and some cool structures I built from dry rock.

Thaxxx · Sep 1, 2020

There is countless threads on this forum on this subject.
Look some up.
Ymmv

Snoopdog · Sep 1, 2020

Live. Accept no substitutes.

attiland · Sep 1, 2020

LRT said:
My main deciding factor would be did I experience any of the uglies or other issues realized by starting with dry rock?
My answer is no thats why I would never sway from using live rock.
I never had uglies until I added dry rock or sand to my system.
In fact I can crush up live rock and sprinkle it in and still not experience algae growing on it even if its in the middle of a dry rock algae forest

I have never experienced this with dry rock. The only thing is different is you have to introduce bacteria from a battle and you are fine.
dry rock in fact is safer in my experience so fare

LRT · Sep 1, 2020

attiland said:
I have never experienced this with dry rock. The only thing is different is you have to introduce bacteria from a battle and you are fine.
dry rock in fact is safer in my experience so fare

I never really had any of the dry rock issues reefers experience. But I've only always used live rock.
Like yourself i just added bottled bacteria to my live rock during cycle and the rest was history. None of the dry rock issues.
Not even on my live rock that I've added dry rock and sand too.

No algae,cyano or dynos ever?

Snoopdog · Sep 1, 2020

attiland said:
I have never experienced this with dry rock. The only thing is different is you have to introduce bacteria from a battle and you are fine.
dry rock in fact is safer in my experience so fare

Personally, my two cents, you will never get the biodiversity from a bottle that you can from live rock.

attiland · Sep 1, 2020

Snoopdog said:
Personally, my two cents, you will never get the biodiversity from a bottle that you can from live rock.

Likely true.

NeonRabbit221B · Sep 1, 2020

I would go live if given the chance. Having the tank maturity start 6 months is awesome. Why are you considering dry rock?

najer · Sep 1, 2020

Live rock only here.

GlassMunky · Sep 1, 2020

Dry start was the worst thing I ever did. the most unstable tank I’ve ever had. Also did nothing for keeping pests away,
spent over a year QT EVERYTHING and it made no difference, still ended up with vermitids and aiptasia even with going over every frag with magnifying glass and scrubbing.

Im about to tear down my 210 and start all over with live rock because it’s that crappy.

GlassMunky · Sep 1, 2020

attiland said:
I have never experienced this with dry rock. The only thing is different is you have to introduce bacteria from a battle and you are fine.
dry rock in fact is safer in my experience so fare

No amount of bottled bacteria will ever be close to real LR

Doctorgori · Sep 1, 2020

Mix .... Do your main aquascape with glued/cemented dry rock; re-seed with “real” aptaisia free ocean rock ....

attiland · Sep 1, 2020

Doctorgori said:
Mix .... Do your main aquascape with glued/cemented dry rock; re-seed with “real” aptaisia free ocean rock ....

If it was only aptaisia... nothing like live rock’s bacteria But it is also a risk.
Op said he has other tanks so mixing is also an option.

Viking_Reefing · Sep 1, 2020

All dry rock is horrible. If you have access to high quality live rock go for that.
You will never get the same amount of micro fauna from a bottle.

Hydrored · Sep 1, 2020

I used a mix in my 220, did I get pest? Yep. I would do it all over again seeing all the crazy life in my tank plus added SPS and they continue to do great. The dry rock grew algae and nothing on the live. Coraline covers the whole bottom of my BB in 3 months and has been covering the dry rock.

t5Nitro · Sep 1, 2020

Thaxxx said:
There is countless threads on this forum on this subject.
Look some up.
Ymmv

1. Chill out. Ymmv
2. To OP im adding LR to my tank for all of the reasons listed above. Much more stable in past tanks with live rock than starting with dry.

Sump Crab · Sep 1, 2020

live rock

Sump Crab · Sep 1, 2020

t5Nitro said:
1. Chill out. Ymmv
2. To OP im adding LR to my tank for all of the reasons listed above. Much more stable in past tanks with live rock than starting with dry.

People like that don't understand that this forum would die without the same questions being asked over and over..