Dry Rock or Live Rock for new 40 Gallon Tank

[mehaffydr]

I also would be really careful about LFS live rock. Many of them just take dryrock and throw it in saltwater with other rock. This is not anywhere near the same as getting ocean live rock. I just got some rock recently from Gulf Live Rock and it was phenomenal. I would also think that Tampa Bay saltwater is very good quality based on people experience from this forum. I don't think you can go wrong with either of those. You really need to take a deep breath and think this through you will have this tank set up for years so a week or two right now is really nothing. Just be patient. Don't settle for low quality just for a few days.

 

[duesmortem]

Was the rock retrieved from a hobbyist tank with super high nutrients and problematic algaes/pests? I’d skip it and go with rock from the clean. Take your time and trust me on this.

I'll specifically ask if their rock comes from the ocean or not. If it doesn't then I'll go with KP Aquatics' bundle

 

[duesmortem]

I also would be really careful about LFS live rock. Many of them just take dryrock and throw it in saltwater with other rock. This is not anywhere near the same as getting ocean live rock. I just got some rock recently from Gulf Live Rock and it was phenomenal. I would also think that Tampa Bay saltwater is very good quality based on people experience from this forum. I don't think you can go wrong with either of those. You really need to take a deep breath and think this through you will have this tank set up for years so a week or two right now is really nothing. Just be patient. Don't settle for low quality just for a few days.

I am going to find out today if their live rock is from the ocean or just live rock from established marine tanks

 

[GARRIGA]

Is porous live rock still available or just solid dry rock exposed to the ocean for a period of time to accumulate life? The latter likely not worth the possible hitchhikers it might provide.

 

[Ultraman]

Aside from the thread with the $25/pound Australian rock, everything is either man made or terrestrial, then thrown in the ocean for a few years. Demand for the real deal plummeted with the craze for sterile rock as folks didn’t want any pests whatsoever, I never understood that mentality, but it was a factor nonetheless. Now with fuel costs so high and limited cargo space, getting real live rock is almost impossible unless you know someone.

 

[Ultraman]

 

[duesmortem]

Aside from the thread with the $25/pound Australian rock, everything is either man made or terrestrial, then thrown in the ocean for a few years. Demand for the real deal plummeted with the craze for sterile rock as folks didn’t want any pests whatsoever, I never understood that mentality, but it was a factor nonetheless. Now with fuel costs so high and limited cargo space, getting real live rock is almost impossible unless you know someone.

I went to my other LFS yesterday to pick up some equipment and while I was there I asked about their live rock. Apparently it comes directly from the waters off the coast of Indonesia. They charge $15 per lb. The rock looked like it was good quality. Really high surface area with lots of pores. Seemed legit

 

[Garf]

I went to my other LFS yesterday to pick up some equipment and while I was there I asked about their live rock. Apparently it comes directly from the waters off the coast of Indonesia. They charge $15 per lb. The rock looked like it was good quality. Really high surface area with lots of pores. Seemed legit

Did you take a pic?

 

[Ultraman]

Was it man made?

 

[duesmortem]

Did you take a pic?

No pics

 

[duesmortem]

Was it man made?

I'm not sure

 

[djf91]

I think the poster has already made a decision but I’ll just say I echo what everyone else has said. I started with about 350 pounds of dry rock and 50 pounds of live for my current display. It has been a daily battle for the past 9 months keeping GHA in check and the battle still isn’t over I’m afraid but things are getting better. The microbiome on the surface of live rock is so crucial in excluding pest algaes from its surface and it’s taken 9 months to see any life transfer from my live rock to the dry rock. If you’re trying to seed dry rock with live rock this will still take quite a bit of time. I would at least have the majority of the rock be live.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I went to my other LFS yesterday to pick up some equipment and while I was there I asked about their live rock. Apparently it comes directly from the waters off the coast of Indonesia. They charge $15 per lb. The rock looked like it was good quality. Really high surface area with lots of pores. Seemed legit

If the rock was truly cultured in the ocean in Indonesia and brought practically straight from the ocean to the LFS, it should be great rock. Skip it if it is anything other. Remember though that most of the really cool looking stuff like sponges, gorgonians, plants, and colonial corals will likely die off. You are better off picking the less cool looking rocks.

For price comparison, I just checked KP Aquatics. They'll ship you 20 lbs. of their "Base" live rock for a couple hundred bucks shipped. It has the life you need to start the tank. It's not Indonesian though. I think it is cultured in Florida.

 

[duesmortem]

If the rock was truly cultured in the ocean in Indonesia and brought practically straight from the ocean to the LFS, it should be great rock. Skip it if it is anything other. Remember though that most of the really cool looking stuff like sponges, gorgonians, plants, and colonial corals will likely die off. You are better off picking the less cool looking rocks.

For price comparison, I just checked KP Aquatics. They'll ship you 20 lbs. of their "Base" live rock for a couple hundred bucks shipped. It has the life you need to start the tank. It's not Indonesian though. I think it is cultured in Florida.

I might do 20 lbs of KP Aquatic rock, and then 10 lbs of the Indo rock from my LFS

 

[ReefGeezer]

I might do 20 lbs of KP Aquatic rock, and then 10 lbs of the Indo rock from my LFS

That would be a fine idea. If it's in your budget, start with a few more lbs. of the KP stuff.

 

[bobnicaragua]

Finally, the sterile tank/dry rock trend is ending!

I like the more minimalist rock scape as much as the next guy, but I suspect dry rock and minimalistic aqua scapes are the reason people are running into so many problems these days.

 

[LiverockRocks]

Thanks for reminding me of this Walt Smith clip.
Tampa Bay Saltwater began adding WS to the lease site in 2015, this is a tradition we continue today. Last year, 50,000lbs were planted and have another container going in next month. The life attracted to WS rock is amazing.
There is nothing like ocean aquacultured live rock for diversity of beneficial lifeforms.

Dry rock is the root of tank troubles, bottle bacteria a Band-Aid and LFS cooked "live rock" is...well, is it really?
Support Florida live rock farmers, our products are far superior, which means your aquarium will be much better off, you will save money, as well as have less headaches in the long run.

 

[djf91]

Thanks for reminding me of this Walt Smith clip.
Tampa Bay Saltwater began adding WS to the lease site in 2015, this is a tradition we continue today. Last year, 50,000lbs were planted and have another container going in next month. The life attracted to WS rock is amazing.
There is nothing like ocean aquacultured live rock for diversity of beneficial lifeforms.

Dry rock is the root of tank troubles, bottle bacteria a Band-Aid and LFS cooked "live rock" is...well, is it really?
Support Florida live rock farmers, our products are far superior, which means your aquarium will be much better off, you will save money, as well as have less headaches in the long run.

I agree with the second paragraph. Dry rock can take a very long time to be “seeded” in our aquaria.

What’s superior about the Walt Smith man made rock though? I’ve heard this stuff is super dense and non-porous.

 

[djf91]

In my opinion I’d rather have old coral skeleton/dry rock thrown in the ocean for 5 years.

 

[LiverockRocks]

In my opinion I’d rather have old coral skeleton/dry rock thrown in the ocean for 5 years.

We have both.