- Joined
- Oct 27, 2019
- Messages
- 265
- Reaction score
- 264
Hey all,
I took a six year or so hiatus from the hobby after I had my son, as I figured two small kids, a reef, and a full-time job would be hard to balance. Now I'm in the "negotiation" process with my wife regarding a new tank regarding size and placement - something that has been going on for years but finally has an end in sight.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy an Waterbox online once things are settled, which brings me to stocking and such. I have been leaning towards buying Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock once the tank is up and running. But I'd like to buy some high-quality live rock from a LFS - if there is any. I'm really interested in the "ecosystem in a tank" part of reefkeeping, meaning I'm looking for rock that's packed with hitchhikers and lots of life, not just a purple filtration system/landscaping for corals.
Yesterday I stopped by Aqua World and Elmers, which are the two closest stores to me, since I live in the city. I wasn't impressed by the rock selection at either store (though Elmers had a better livestock selection). They only had a small amount of rock, and aside from some purple coraline (I think) it just looked like dead rock. The rock at Aqua World even still had some newspaper stuck to it from being shipped, leading me to think it hadn't been fully cured.
Years back, all of my live rock was bought at a Burton's Total Pet in Kirwan Heights. It was pretty great quality stuff. No nitrate spike at all when I put it in the tank. I got lots of pods, small sponges, stomatella snails, micro brittle stars, asterina starfish, etc. Thats really what I'm looking for.
Thanks.
I took a six year or so hiatus from the hobby after I had my son, as I figured two small kids, a reef, and a full-time job would be hard to balance. Now I'm in the "negotiation" process with my wife regarding a new tank regarding size and placement - something that has been going on for years but finally has an end in sight.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy an Waterbox online once things are settled, which brings me to stocking and such. I have been leaning towards buying Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock once the tank is up and running. But I'd like to buy some high-quality live rock from a LFS - if there is any. I'm really interested in the "ecosystem in a tank" part of reefkeeping, meaning I'm looking for rock that's packed with hitchhikers and lots of life, not just a purple filtration system/landscaping for corals.
Yesterday I stopped by Aqua World and Elmers, which are the two closest stores to me, since I live in the city. I wasn't impressed by the rock selection at either store (though Elmers had a better livestock selection). They only had a small amount of rock, and aside from some purple coraline (I think) it just looked like dead rock. The rock at Aqua World even still had some newspaper stuck to it from being shipped, leading me to think it hadn't been fully cured.
Years back, all of my live rock was bought at a Burton's Total Pet in Kirwan Heights. It was pretty great quality stuff. No nitrate spike at all when I put it in the tank. I got lots of pods, small sponges, stomatella snails, micro brittle stars, asterina starfish, etc. Thats really what I'm looking for.
Thanks.
Last edited: