Dry Rock or Live Rock for new 40 Gallon Tank

[duesmortem]

Hello everyone!

I am currently setting up a 40 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump. I have all my equipment ready to go. I just bought 60 lbs Caribsea Bahama sand and tomorrow I am going to go out and select rock for my aquascape. I know that my tank is gonna have to cycle and I was planning on using 4 oz of Fritz Turbostart 900 to speed up the process. I really don't want to spend a ton of money just on live rock so if I choose to go with dry rock then would there be a huge difference in the cycling process of the tank even if I am using all 4oz of Turbostart 900? I also feel like it would be easier to aquascape with dry rock instead of live rock because I won't have to worry about leaving the rock outside of water.

Please share your opinions and thoughts!

 

[Snoopy 67]

I would get live rock, so much easier with the right critters & biology.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Go with live rock. Dry rock offers no benefits except upfront cost, and your tank will cost a lot more with dry rock in the long run because of the coral and fish death that results from an unhealthy ecosystem. Live rock has all of the goodies and bacteria established already. If you do go with dry rock, do yourself a favor and don't add any coral for at least a year, and be prepared to cycle for up to three months. Bottled bacteria offers nothing for your tank.

 

[Tamberav]

I like live rock but it’s expensive so when I started out I did half dry and half live.

Keep in mind not all live rock is equal. Don’t get stuck overpaying for LFS live rock that is just dry rock they stuck in a saltwater bin for a few months.

If you are going to pay premium for live rock you want stuff with feather dusters, coralline, sponge, etc.

 

[ReefGeezer]

If I could do it all over, I would without question use 100% ocean cultured live rock. If you do that, it changes the way you cycle the tank. Check out the article I have linked in my signature. I'm not suggesting you have to follow its path, but it will provide some food for thought.

 

[duesmortem]

Go with live rock. Dry rock offers no benefits except upfront cost, and your tank will cost a lot more with dry rock in the long run because of the coral and fish death that results from an unhealthy ecosystem. Live rock has all of the goodies and bacteria established already. If you do go with dry rock, do yourself a favor and don't add any coral for at least a year, and be prepared to cycle for up to three months. Bottled bacteria offers nothing for your tank.

Thank you for the response! But if the bottled bacteria offers no benefit for the tank then why does it reduce the cycling time for the system? Wouldn't the bottled bacteria colonize the dry rock over time?

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Live rock always for best results! Just my opinion and experience.

 

[littlebeard]

My opinion.

I feel like it's taken 18 months to get a decently stable micro-biome in my tank starting with dry rock. If I was to do it again, I would at least get some live rock to speed up the seeding process, perhaps even some natural sea water.

Not all live rock is equal. Depending on the store, the micro-biome on the rocks might not be much better than using a bottle of bacteria. Ocean live rock is the best, however there is a chance of unwanted pests. Since i feel like most of use dry rock nowdays, dealing with ocean pest on live rock isn't mentioned nearly as often.

I think Microbiome study still isn't concrete, but I do know what can take forever... dry rock.

If you got the time this video is worth a watch.

 

[duesmortem]

I like live rock but it’s expensive so when I started out I did half dry and half live.

Keep in mind not all live rock is equal. Don’t get stuck overpaying for LFS live rock that is just dry rock they stuck in a saltwater bin for a few months.

If you are going to pay premium for live rock you want stuff with feather dusters, coralline, sponge, etc.

That's exactly the type of live rock my LFS sells. I used their stuff for my 10 gallon and 15 gallon. But I don't want to potential spend hundreds of dollars on just live rock for the 40 gallon

 

[Garf]

Hello everyone!

I am currently setting up a 40 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump. I have all my equipment ready to go. I just bought 60 lbs Caribsea Bahama sand and tomorrow I am going to go out and select rock for my aquascape. I know that my tank is gonna have to cycle and I was planning on using 4 oz of Fritz Turbostart 900 to speed up the process. I really don't want to spend a ton of money just on live rock so if I choose to go with dry rock then would there be a huge difference in the cycling process of the tank even if I am using all 4oz of Turbostart 900? I also feel like it would be easier to aquascape with dry rock instead of live rock because I won't have to worry about leaving the rock outside of water.

Please share your opinions and thoughts!

First tank, definately live rock. Even experienced folk can have massive issues with dry rock. Not bryopsis infested live rock from a tank breakdown though.

 

[Tamberav]

Thank you for the response! But if the bottled bacteria offers no benefit for the tank then why does it reduce the cycling time for the system? Wouldn't the bottled bacteria colonize the dry rock over time?

bottled bacteria is just nitrifying bacteria to process ammonia and such. The ocean rock bacterial load is MUCH more vast then this and also contains many live organisms.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Thank you for the response! But if the bottled bacteria offers no benefit for the tank then why does it reduce the cycling time for the system? Wouldn't the bottled bacteria colonize the dry rock over time?

You will never get the diversity of micro biome that you get from live rock from a bottle. You will struggle to achieve a mature tank without it. If you are going with a fish only system you might be OK with bottled bacteria.

 

[Tamberav]

That's exactly the type of live rock my LFS sells. I used their stuff for my 10 gallon and 15 gallon. But I don't want to potential spend hundreds of dollars on just live rock for the 40 gallon

If money is a concern. Buy dry but then get 15 lbs of such of KPA rock or such.

 

[Big Smelly fish]

Rick is the backbone of our reefs. The money you spend on good live rock is well spent money.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

The bottled bacteria does not really affect cycling time. The only real benefit is the ammonia present in the mixture, which helps the first step of the nitrite cycle to begin. Any bacteria that is present in a bottle will not do much, as de-nitrifying bacteria is only found on solid surfaces. Maybe a few get introduced with the mixture, but if there is any present most will stay stuck to the inside of the bottle.

 

[duesmortem]

You will never get the diversity of micro biome that you get from live rock from a bottle. You will struggle to achieve a mature tank without it. If you are going with a fish only system you might be OK with bottled bacteria.

I am planning on transferring over three fish, one BTA, a ton of euhpyllia and zoanthids. Live rock is sounding like my only option here

 

[duesmortem]

If money is a concern. Buy dry but then get 15 lbs of such of KPA rock or such.

I think I am just going to bite the bullet and go with as much live rock as possible

 

[duesmortem]

So how much live rock should I get for the 40 gallon? I know the recommended amount is 1-2 lbs per gallon. But what about 0.5 lbs per gallon? I can also place some of the live rock in my sump

 

[Ultraman]

I’ve always been a live rock guy even when the trend many years ago went to dry rock to be “pest free”. Typically, a good clean up crew will take care of pests based on the type of pest. Other pests like aiptasia and Valonia are probably going to show up sooner or later anyway.

The rock nowadays, even the “live rock” is either terrestrial and thrown into the ocean for a few years, or it’s man-made and thrown in the issue for a few years. This rock is still better than dry rock because it’s got ocean life on it.

Now, the real deal liverock that disappeared when folks started wanting sterile rock, is a whole different animal. Proof, take a hammer to man made or terrestrial rock and it’ll be solid inside. Take that hammer to authentic reef rock and you’ll see porosity, tunnels, critters, etc. There is NO comparison from the rock we used to get and the terrestrial and man made stuff available.

Fortunately, I was able to score several hundred pounds of amazing Fiji rock right before it went offline.

 

[duesmortem]

I’ve always been a live rock guy even when the trend many years ago went to dry rock to be “pest free”. Typically, a good clean up crew will take care of pests based on the type of pest. Other pests like aiptasia and Valonia are probably going to show up sooner or later anyway.

The rock nowadays, even the “live rock” is either terrestrial and thrown into the ocean for a few years, or it’s man-made and thrown in the issue for a few years. This rock is still better than dry rock because it’s got ocean life on it.

Now, the real deal liverock that disappeared when folks started wanting sterile rock, is a whole different animal. Proof, take a hammer to man made or terrestrial rock and it’ll be solid inside. Take that hammer to authentic reef rock and you’ll see porosity, tunnels, critters, etc. There is NO comparison from the rock we used to get and the terrestrial and man made stuff available.

Fortunately, I was able to score several hundred pounds of amazing Fiji rock right before it went offline.

I have done that test with my LFS live rock and it typically is pretty dense and has little no pores. Definitely full of critters and coralline algae, but I am sure they just reused rock and just threw it into their giant live rock display tank