Live rock opinions!

[JosephM]

So I just wanted some opinions on live rock. I’m planning a 29 gallon reef build with 20 long sump. Prefer to stay on a budget but will get a little out of hand for quality product. I’m stuck between “the package from TBS”, just rock from TBS and buy my own sand, Carib sea life rock, and plain old dry rock. Just wanted some opinions or recommendations. My only hold back right now is there’s a chance of moving in the next year and I don’t know what that’ll do to a set up saltwater tank (not getting rid just having to drain and transport). Attaching some pictures from my notes of my thought process and price averages. I still have over a month before I even get the water flowing, just trying to get everything planned down exactly.

 

[tnewell]

So I just wanted some opinions on live rock. I’m planning a 29 gallon reef build with 20 long sump. Prefer to stay on a budget but will get a little out of hand for quality product. I’m stuck between “the package from TBS”, just rock from TBS and buy my own sand, Carib sea life rock, and plain old dry rock. Just wanted some opinions or recommendations. My only hold back right now is there’s a chance of moving in the next year and I don’t know what that’ll do to a set up saltwater tank (not getting rid just having to drain and transport). Attaching some pictures from my notes of my thought process and price averages. I still have over a month before I even get the water flowing, just trying to get everything planned down exactly.

All of this depends on how long you wanna wait before stocking your tank. Dry rock would take about 2-4 months to cycle, but you can get very unique rocks and scape your build easier and cheaper. Carib sea would be my pick, it’s affordable, and you can pick the designs you like ya know? My last pick would be TBS even tho it comes with a cuc that would cost you an extra 50 bucks, it’s just to much all at once, and the hassle of traveling to pick it up and bring it home in different shipments just seems like a pain. Just my opinion, but I have had good expierences with Carib sea

 

[Tamberav]

Hands down TBS rock. The shapes are great! Be sure to specify that size rocks or what size your tank is.

No to the package.. you don’t need all that for a 29g and some I would even consider inappropriate like two tiger tails. Peppermints sometimes pick at LPS. That is a lot of hermits and so on. That deal seems like it is to seed a much bigger tank and not for a nano.

Dry can work but I find live to be easier and all the cool hitchhikers is so rewarding. I got some good frilly snails and tunicates on my TBS that can not be bought otherwise. I had no real algae issues past the initial cycle bloom and was growing SPS shortly after.

Yes you may need to remove some baddie crabs or mantis shrimp but I never found that particularly difficult.

Also 58-60lbs is too much! The rock you are looking at is not dense. Unless you are just trying to order extra for more shapes. Otherwise 1-1.5lb per gallon should be plenty depending how much rock you like in your scape.

to keep cost down you could always get a small package of TBS to seed dry rock. It at least helps dry rock along. Say 10-15lb live and another 20-25 lb dry.

 

[Fish_Sticks]

The old fashioned way.

Dry rock, 1lb of live sand from one place on amazon, another 1lb from another place on amazon
The rest of the sand can be 5lbs of crushed coral and 5lbs aragonite blah blah blah.
Buy a bottle of bacteria culture off amazon.
Wait a month or two while feeding the tank like crazy every day or two.
Ta da.

IMO, buying a cleanup crew at the start of a tank setup makes zero sense. Just more ways for them to make money I guess.

 

[Subsea]

I have selectively used TBS with good results.

Take a look at Gulf Live Rock. On one occasion, I choose the showpiece of my 120G mixed garden on boat ride in as collectors left the lease. Using next day air, the live rock was in my possession at midnight of the same day.

Gulf Live Rock.com

gulfliverock.com

Understand that this is uncured live rock and the biodiversity is extraordinary. Be prepared to manicure and remove die off. Some of these rocks have come with Red Grape macro clusters 18” tall. All live rock will have spores of micro fauna and fana to seed your tank with biodiversity.

 

[OrionN]

True uncured live rock is the reason we can keep sensitive marine animals. Diver fauna and flora contribute greatly in the stability of a reef tank. You have to get that diversity from some where. You can add a small amount of LR from somewhere to start the process. The more diverse your Fauna and flora, the better is your tank. Ofcourse real life rock will come with some aphasia and predators like mantis shrimp also. I got several Mantis from my TBS rocks, and got a lot of aptasia also, and must deal with these.

 

[SMSREEF]

I chose the real TBS live rock.
You may want to do 1/2 dry and 1/2 live if you want to save some money.

Check out KP aquatics. I’ve seen some great rock coming from them too.

Premium Aquacultured Live Rock - Overnight to your Door

Aquacultured live rock is one of our specialties. You will get one of the best live rock available in the industry. Forget about painted rock with no life.

www.kpaquatics.com

 

[JosephM]

Wow so many different opinions. Thank you all for them! Definitely still have some more deciding to do but right now “The package” and dry rock are eliminated (just don’t like that bare, white rock personally)

 

[fish farmer]

I'd do 20 to 25 lbs of whatever florida cultured rock you can get shipped next day. The remainder of your rock commitment would be dry base rock.

 

[JosephM]

Would it be bad to just do all live rock from TBS instead of half live and half dry. Because honestly if I’m going to pay that much for shipping I’d rather just get all high quality rock at once since I have 100lbs to work with. And I was thinking 45lbs of live rock for a 29gal DT, does this sound about right?

 

[Devaji]

Would it be bad to just do all live rock from TBS instead of half live and half dry. Because honestly if I’m going to pay that much for shipping I’d rather just get all high quality rock at once since I have 100lbs to work with. And I was thinking 45lbs of live rock for a 29gal DT, does this sound about right?

I did that for my 90 cube a few years ago smooth cycle.
if you do it that way here is my thoughts.

have a QT tank set up for the rock like a 40br.
add rock to tank over the next day or 3 pick out the dang snapping shrimp and gorilla crabs. not a big deal just gotta do it.

I agree if your paying for over night might as well go 100% LR.
that said if you want to make supper amazing scape like the NSA type LR might not be the way to go.

I have started tanks with both TBS and KP. getting it shipped in water is the way to go.
for dry rock I like real reef rock.

post pic of the LR when you get it.

 

[fish farmer]

Well it is your money...I just think you are going to get some extremely great looking rock with lots of life and some of it you are going to HAVE to cover while aquascaping. I do notice "the package" does come with regular rock that isn't show quality. I have seen someone 40 gallon with the package...lots of life....lots of crabs.....not sure how long some of it lasted though.

I've only set up tanks with small boxes of raw Fiji and the affordable coralline Florida rock shipped moist.

 

[laverda]

Another option is to get rock from a local hobbiest. I have lots of extra fully cured live rock if your in so Ca.

 

[JosephM]

Another option is to get rock from a local hobbiest. I have lots of extra fully cured live rock if your in so Ca.

Far from it I live in the greater Charlotte region in NC

 

[JosephM]

I did that for my 90 cube a few years ago smooth cycle.
if you do it that way here is my thoughts.

have a QT tank set up for the rock like a 40br.
add rock to tank over the next day or 3 pick out the dang snapping shrimp and gorilla crabs. not a big deal just gotta do it.

I agree if your paying for over night might as well go 100% LR.
that said if you want to make supper amazing scape like the NSA type LR might not be the way to go.

I have started tanks with both TBS and KP. getting it shipped in water is the way to go.
for dry rock I like real reef rock.

post pic of the LR when you get it.

It’s going to be a brand new tank, just dump with some bio media and algae and some pumps and live sand in DT. Could I just technically quarantine in there. Just wait a couple weeks to add any real live stock?

 

[laverda]

It’s going to be a brand new tank, just dump with some bio media and algae and some pumps and live sand in DT. Could I just technically quarantine in there. Just wait a couple weeks to add any real live stock?

Yes you definitely can. I would not spend a lot of time aquascaping until you have removed any potential pests. Even some of the pests can be cool. I kept a teddy bear crab for a long time in a 10 gallon tank with just a large hermit crab. The easiest way to remove them is to just remove the rock it is hiding in.

 

[Subsea]

Would it be bad to just do all live rock from TBS instead of half live and half dry. Because honestly if I’m going to pay that much for shipping I’d rather just get all high quality rock at once since I have 100lbs to work with. And I was thinking 45lbs of live rock for a 29gal DT, does this sound about right?

Next day air freight cost $80-$100 for first 100 lbs and $50/100 lbs thereafter. Gulf Live Rock is bryzoan limestone that is dense with 1.5-2lbs/G recomended

 

[Pistondog]

+1 gulfliverock.com
Get enough for dt and refugium.
I got the nano package, $85 for 17lbs shipped 3 day in wet paper towels
Some die off, but beautiful rock and much more than store live rock.
Clams, limpets, worms, snails, green and red algae, sponges.
Next time I'll do overnight, pickup at airport.

 

[Devaji]

yup I would do that. agree dont aqua scape until you got out the stuff you dont want.
i'll try to see if I can find pics of my 90 gallon.

was thinking of getting some TBS for the new build but last time I heard there was limited air fright due to covid and not much collecting due to bad weather for weeks on end.

 

[Devaji]

found it. this was back in 2018

unboxing:

and this was the scape I cam up with. never really loved it. lots of biodiversity on the rock bit it was heavy and dense.