Has anyone used CaribSea LifeRock Shapes?

[Fishyj]

I am upgrading to a Im 20 tank. I currently have a 13 gallon. I was wondering if anyone has used the CaribSea liferock shapes and thoughts on it. This is a chance to reset my tank and at the same time rid me of unwanted pests and algae's. Is there another way I could remove the unwanted items without causing a full blown cycle again?

 

[Hitman]

About 2 years ago I used it and it leached PO4 badly. No clue why but within a week of adding it to a new tank with only water in it my tests were off the charts. The newer stuff may not have the same issues. It’s still dry dead rock so it will not speed up your cycle like using wet live rock will.

 

[Todd A.]

I just ordered a few boxes for my new 210 gal and am planning to mix it with the live rock I already have. I've read quite a few reviews on it and the biggest issue seems to be with breakage during shipping. No other reports of leaching or that sort of issues. There was someone who reported the rock started to breakdown after a year or so but that was about the only complaint. I'm crossing my fingers that the issues Hitman had a couple of years ago has been resolved. I'm just as leery about fake "live" rock as everyone else.

 

[Fishyj]

I just ordered a few boxes for my new 210 gal and am planning to mix it with the live rock I already have. I've read quite a few reviews on it and the biggest issue seems to be with breakage during shipping. No other reports of leaching or that sort of issues. There was someone who reported the rock started to breakdown after a year or so but that was about the only complaint. I'm crossing my fingers that the issues Hitman had a couple of years ago has been resolved. I'm just as leery about fake "live" rock as everyone else.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Fishyj]

About 2 years ago I used it and it leached PO4 badly. No clue why but within a week of adding it to a new tank with only water in it my tests were off the charts. The newer stuff may not have the same issues. It’s still dry dead rock so it will not speed up your cycle like using wet live rock will.

Thanks, I am a little leery about using it.

 

[Hitman]

Personally I recommend finding wet liverock. You can use some dry and some wet to seed it all but personally I feel it’s worth the extra time and money to buy wet live rock if it’s available.

 

[1fishkeeper]

I just scraped my 27 gallon cube with the life rock shapes. So far I really like it but it’s not wet yet. I hope the get water in my tank in the next day or two.

 

[infinite0180]

Ive had the regular caribsea liferock for 6 months now in my nano. So far so good. Its going through the usual maturation process for any dry rock. I havent had any leeching. I have a feeling in another 6 months it will be perfect. As a new reefer im having more trouble maintaining my sandbed more than anything. I think my next tank will be barebottom...

 

[Rukk]

I've used the regular and the shapes, doesn't appear to leach as I have the zero phosphate problem... The shapes actually worked out pretty good for me. I liked it, but it is not "live". Does have a color to it though that kinda makes it look live in the beginning.

 

[Hitman]

My intention was not to scare anyone away from the product, it was only to speak on the issue I had a few years ago. There are many older posts about them leaching PO4. In the last year I’ve only seen a handful talk about them turning back into sand. With that said nothing is posted on how they cured them. I’m sure if they cured them with bleach or a acid like some do and I disagree with it very well caused a issue with the bonding agents. After all it is basically cement.
I see a post saying they are now worried about their purchase on this rock, please don’t be as my story is old and no matter what every company has had QC issues at one time or the other. You may get the rock and 5 years down the road say that Hitman guy was wrong which I truly hope is what happens!

 

[SteelerMike]

I recently placed a few pieces in my sump to start to season it and my skimmer went crazy for several days. Not sure why. Their website says it is seeded with bacteria that activate when it gets wet..... I'm feeling a bit leary at this point but I'll keep it in there for now.

 

[Dsnakes]

Ive used the regular liferock in my display and I like it. Had a nice purple color to start which I found appealing.

I recently placed a few pieces in my sump to start to season it and my skimmer went crazy for several days. Not sure why. Their website says it is seeded with bacteria that activate when it gets wet..... I'm feeling a bit leary at this point but I'll keep it in there for now.

I’ve got a 20lb box of shapes that I plan on adding to my sump so I have live rock ready for my future anemone tank. I’ll be curious to see if I have the same skimmer reaction.

 

[Hitman]

Talking to my lfs guy today when getting the kids new fish for their predator tank and he said the new ( in the last year ) life rock shapes is awesome. He said it’s all he uses for customer custom build now. He said to rinse it well in rodi water as there are fines from shipping other then that he highly recommended it. He also said he has not had a single one leach anything! Hope that helps.

 

[jrill]

I have it in two tanks. Love it. The leaching think is old news maybe. Not a problem in the current product.

 

[jonnyeatworld]

i ordered a box of it to see how it is, pretty impressed. I don't even own a tank yet, but will definitely use it when i gett one soon

 

[FrancineJ]

I have nothing but it in my biocube 32.... not a single piece of live rock...

I have had no leeching of anything... and I just used dr Tim’s ammonia and bio spira and within 3 days my tank was cycled (I left it for 2 weeks to be sure)... then I couldn’t even hardly add a cuc because I didn’t need one... I added 2 trochus and 2 nass. Snails and still worried they would starve lol...

I now have:
2 O. Clowns
1 YWG/pistol shrimp
1 royal gramma and
1 blue/Green Chromis

And for snails I now have 2 trochus, 4 reg nass and 2 minis.... and 7 Ceriths....

Plus an assortment of Zoas (just started working on a garden) and some hammers and one rock with GSP’s

I have also grown and added my own pods and I have had no issues what so ever... I don’t do water changes because I have the AWC/ATO.... so I basically have to dump a waste water bin once a week and make a fresh batch of salt water once a week and film up my ATO reservoir once every 2 weeks....

And all my test are great:
Ammonia has been o since day 2
Nitrites have been 0 since day 3
NitrAtes are 0 now (took 2 8g water changes to get them down after the cycle was done)
Po4 is 0.02
So I have not a single piece of live rock but yet I still have a nice ecosystem with normal parameters and no issues...

Just make sure you have some good flow (I use 2x aqamai KPS’) one on the intake side pointed through the rock.... and one on the output side pointed up but towards the front of the tank...(making like a circular motion around my rock work so nothing settles) I use the MJ1200 for my return... and an InTank media basket with floss, purigen and chemipure elite

But my rock has never leached or broken down yet and mine where shipped to me in prestine condition... I got 2x 20lbs boxes of shapes (used about 27-28 pounds and purposeful broke some of the rest to use for coral placement) and the rest I sold....

So no issues here... plus they are a great company to work with... I had an issue with sand in another tank where the bag was opened at one end and I didn’t notice and the stupid LFS wouldn’t take it back and I just emailed them and they sent me twice as much as I had originally bought and needed no questions asked... not even proof or purchase... lol

 

[Brian Kennedy]

I ordered a 40# box and the cave structure arrived in too many pieces to glue back together.

 

[FrancineJ]

I have heard that complaint from some in the US.... I am in Canada and I actually just ordered 3 other boxes of shapes and a box of the regular stuff (total of 100lbs) and I can hardly hold in my hand what broke off.... and I mean from the entire 100lbs

It’s generally NOT Caribseas fault.... it’s the delivery people.... even though stuff says “fragile” they don’t care..... I once had to scream at a guy because I watched him from my window drop A box that had like 10 “live animal” stickers on it (they were fish) and all he said was oops.....

But I have ordered them 3 separate times now from a Canadian site and never ever more than a tiny little piece of breakage that I usually have to look for the white spot to even find out where it came from lol

Email Caribsea.... I had a sand issue and they were AMAZING!! Sent me twice what I ordered.... and it was just a minimal problem (store sold me an opened bag and then wouldn’t do anything about it) so I wrote right to Caribsea and a couple weeks later (because I’m in Canada and they are in Florida) I had 2 new bags of sand.....