Live rock? Is it worth the risk?

ectoaesthetics · Apr 25, 2018

My number one reason for avoiding LR is simply to reduce pests. My number two is impact on the reefs. I have been in the hobby a long time and do remember when we used to blast reefs -and sadly have owned plenty of that rock. And to respectfully disagree with the post above me Marco rock has no impact on coral reefs. I have built my last two tanks out of Marco rock and was pretty happy with both tanks. It was super pouring and very easy to work with for scapes (never found anything better for aquascapes than this stuff). While it does not mean you won’t introduce pests later it is a heck of a lot easier to inspect small coral plugs with extreme prejudice in quarantine than it is to inspect every nook and cranny of your rock work.

That being said I also go to great lengths to introduce biodiversity back into my rocks. I always add (buy off of a reef buddy or online supplier) bristle worms (sorry for those that hate the looks of these guys), pods, mini brittle stars, small dusters, and even mini-mermaids cup (had a network of friends that traded this stuff around... I may be the last one with it and am about to tear down that tank

) and bacteria back into my tank. I always recommend sucking up some detritus from a friend’s (or a number of friends’) tank and adding it to the new Marco rock tank. The old one cup of sand from every clean tank you know trick works too.

However, I am heavily debating going the Real ReefRock route on my next build -despite the cost. There is only one local supplier where I’m moving to and he keeps the stuff in tanks with aptasia and flatworms... so I’ll have to find somewhere else to buy it. I do have concerns with it’s aquascape capacity as I am a big believer in cutting and fusing rock into open branch work for flow... Marco rock was an exceptional choice for this!

KenO · Apr 25, 2018

srad750c said:
Beautiful rock

Thanks everyone. Yes, it is really nice rock. All of my previous tanks have been dry rock. I'm waiting for my 2 new tanks to arrive a 130 and a 260 gallon. I wanted to test the LR from KP Aquatics in a smaller system first. Plus it will be easier to catch anything bad. If this small system works out, I will be ordering more for my larger tanks.

ou12004 · Apr 25, 2018

I started my tank with mostly live rock and some base rock, 3 years later I can still tell what was base rock and what was live rock. I have not personally seen the same diversity on seeded base rock as I have from live rock. I put a couple frags and 2 damsels in the tank to start with and made sure no pests damaged them then started moving over corals and fish.

Royce White · Apr 25, 2018

Started my reef 2 1/2 years ago with live rock from the gulf and never had any problems generated by the rocks and attached coral. But things can happen.

ca1ore · Apr 25, 2018

I highly recommend dry rock and sand ..... and then plastic fish and corals. Never a pest chez moi!

Star reefer · Apr 25, 2018

Live rock

Tanglover11 · Apr 25, 2018

Live Rock- the good= microscopic shrimp, sponges, some beneficial plant life, brittle starfish,coralline algae amazing diversity in natural life including natural food for fish
The bad= Aiptasia Anemones, predatory crabs, Starfish, Nudibranchs, Hair Algae and other nuisance Algaes.
As far as I’m concerned it is a crapshoot, I like the natural aspect of an environment that simulates the oceans. But it does come with risks. If you like control, go dry, if you like natural, go live!

Jason_J · Apr 25, 2018

The one addition I would add (being a live rock proponent) is that like fish, corals and most other things in this hobby, not all live rock is the same. This is assumed in many of the posts in this thread given the high quality vendors being named, but I want to make sure others realize that as well. Sadly, much of what I see sold as live rock in stores these days would have been sold as base rock for $2.99 a pound 10-20 years ago and is devoid of much of the diversity live rock proponents are seeking. If you decide live rock is the route to take, make sure to buy quality live rock from a reputable source so that you will obtain the benefits you seek.

Bill from OZ · Apr 25, 2018

I started my first tank with live rock, but had to shut it down because it crashed while I was already on hard times. I still have the rock and I am curing it out slowly for my new build. I plan to add live rock and buy pods to add biodiversity. When the time is right.

IDK how a person would avoid getting GHA. It will be on the corals you buy just waiting for the right nutrients to explode in. An established tank ought to have minumal algae problems with good husbandry. Expect them with a new tank or when things are out of wack. I had a couple of small bubble algae I would watch. If they started to enlarge I knew it was time to replace my Rowaphos.

Other pests can be avoided or at least kept to a minimum with a proper dip of live rock before adding it to your tank. Don't add anything to your tank without a dip and quarintine. I lost my last tank because I failed to quarintine some pallys that were stressed out.

If you start with all dry rock you will have to add biodiversity. Some organisms can be bought online, gotten from a fellow aquarist or your lfs may have options. It seems like a lot to me to add organisms in this manner, but you would be able to select what you do and do not want.

It comes down to a question of risk vs reward. You must assess what the risks and rewards with each type of rock are and decide what is important to you. To me, live rock is completely worth the risk, but that is for you to decide for yourself.

zoasaholic · Apr 25, 2018

Not all pests and parasites not from live rocks,but frags IMO

Royce White · Apr 25, 2018

After reading about what other people got with their live rock I feel shorted, I only got minimal stuff.

Fourstars · Apr 25, 2018

Cultured live rock, or do what I did, found a local member who was moving and purchased some of his live rock.

seamonster · Apr 25, 2018

I did 50/50.... live rock from my old system (60 galllons) to my new 120 gallon (dry rock). The dry rock is a lot cheaper and at the time that was the most viable alternative for me. Plus I hate all dem pests! I had my share of non-reef-safe critters in my 60 gallon such as mantis shrimps, crabs, wierd flatworms, etc. at different times of course....I didn’t know what was killing my livestock for years.... However, as a whole honest look of my experience, I had much more luck with the live rock system (survival rate, coral growth, less pest algae, better biodiversity, and a more stable system) than with my current 50/50....

cloak · Apr 25, 2018

I apologize for not reading through the entire thread, but live rock is definitely worth it IME. Put it this way if your in this for the LONG HAUL, getting rid of a mantis shrimp or perhaps a red eye crab is just part of the experience. It's kind of fun, (like fishing) plus you get some of the other micro fauna too. (hopefully) If you just want things to "fall in your lap" so to say then I don't really know what to tell you. Nobody want's to work anymore unfortunately...

kecked · Apr 25, 2018

Live Rock or something from a well established tank is essential. If you don't you run the risk as I did of dino infection. You need a good balance so that the bad stuff stays in check. You can't do that with dead rock. Yes you will get some stuff like apatsia or bubble algae but guess what...it will be in there eventually anyway.

Belgian Anthias · Apr 25, 2018

Good fresh life rock introduces diversity, wanted and unwanted diversity.
It is assumed that without live rock modern reefkeeping would not be on the same level as it is now. I can not see why this would be true.

jda · Apr 25, 2018

Anybody who thinks that not using live rock will help at all with pests and hitchhikers is fooling themselves. All of these can come in on the first frag plug that you get. None of them can survive a cycle... but bacteria, coralline and other microfauna can. If you are not going to have a full-scale coral/fish/invert QT, then you will get pests, so you better have a plan to deal with them.

I will take away the shipped-in-water live rock since TBS is not doing this anymore - you can get all kinds of nasty hitchhikers with this stuff, so buyer beware. Live rock from the Pacific which you cure is not the same thing.

The most important attribute to live rock is the porous structure and being phosphate free - dry rock is good at neither of these for a while, but up to a few years.

Ambiturner006 · Apr 25, 2018

jda said:
Anybody who thinks that not using live rock will help at all with pests and hitchhikers is fooling themselves. All of these can come in on the first frag plug that you get. None of them can survive a cycle... but bacteria, coralline and other microfauna can. If you are not going to have a full-scale coral/fish/invert QT, then you will get pests, so you better have a plan to deal with them.

I will take away the shipped-in-water live rock since TBS is not doing this anymore - you can get all kinds of nasty hitchhikers with this stuff, so buyer beware. Live rock from the Pacific which you cure is not the same thing.

The most important attribute to live rock is the porous structure and being phosphate free - dry rock is good at neither of these for a while, but up to a few years.

What makes you think TBS isn’t doing it anymore?