Live rock vs Man Made?

[blstravler]

After being out of the hobby for 10 yrs and now getting back in I’ve noticed a lot of new tanks are started with man made (forgive me if that not accurate) or maybe I should say dry rock and not many are using Live Rock. I’m guessing this has to do with export of live rock stopping. But you can still get it as people get out of the hobby and sell it.

However my LFS told me to only start my tank with dry rock? Is this the best path forward or if I’m buying rock from an existing tank isn’t that okay? Seems odd to me...

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Imo it depends on the size of the tank.

If you are getting a tank that you plan to house tangs, getting live rock (especially something straight out of the ocean like tampabaysaltwater.com) is a great option. The tangs can take care of any random algae issues that come with it and the diversity the rock has is amazing.

On the other hand, if you don't plan to (or can't because of tank size) have tangs then I would start with dry rock and be patient.

I started a 20 gallon with straight from the ocean live rock and had success with it, but I was doing the job of the herbivores and manually removing a lot of the random macro algae growths. \

I currently have a 75g that started with dry rock 3 or so months ago and have no complaints so far. Besides that it looks bare and needs time to mature.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[blstravler]

Imo it depends on the size of the tank.

If you are getting a tank that you plan to house tangs, getting live rock (especially something straight out of the ocean like tampabaysaltwater.com) is a great option. The tangs can take care of any random algae issues that come with it and the diversity the rock has is amazing.

On the other hand, if you don't plan to (or can't because of tank size) have tangs then I would start with dry rock and be patient.

I started a 20 gallon with straight from the ocean live rock and had success with it, but I was doing the job of the herbivores and manually removing a lot of the random macro algae growths. \

I currently have a 75g that started with dry rock 3 or so months ago and have no complaints so far. Besides that it looks bare and needs time to mature.

Just my 2 cents.

The tank will be a Red Sea 425xl and if I can find a chevron tang there will be one in there - was my favorite tang many years ago.

 

[Coralreefer1]

Its best to cycle your tank with UNCURED, live rock as the dead and decaying organisms will aid in the nitrogen cycle. This would be similar to adding ammonia, or damselfish or frozen shrimp from your local supermarket.
I, personally prefer to use live rock over the dry. The reasons for this are two fold: for one, you are able to get a diverse plethora of living bacteria, flora and fauna and other life forms that may be endemic to that area..such as Haiti, Tonga, Fiji or Florida(Caribbean) based on red tape issue. Secondly, with live rock, it’s plug and go. No need to wonder where it’s been stored and for how long. No guess work as to whether, or not, it’s clean and dust free. Not to mention it takes a while to become cured and grow things on it to become live.
In concluding, live rock offers more pros than cons and the price, often times, isn’t much different. A great way of adding diversity into your tank. Yes, you run the risk of introducing Aiptasia and mojano anemones or the occasional Pistol Shrimp or its more ferocious cousin, the mantis shrimp, but I would do it again and again using LIVE rock only!

 

[samnaz]

I’m a fan of using both, half live half dry.

I for one enjoy discovering all the life on the rocks. It outweighs the possibility of pests imo.

I use dry rock as well because it is so much easier to build fun structures with.

In your case, if you’re purchasing live from someone you know, even better. Assuming a buddy wouldn’t give you pest infested rock.

 

[blstravler]

Its best to cycle your tank with UNCURED, live rock as the dead and decaying organisms will aid in the nitrogen cycle. This would be similar to adding ammonia, or damselfish or frozen shrimp from your local supermarket.
I, personally prefer to use live rock over the dry. The reasons for this are two fold: for one, you are able to get a diverse plethora of living bacteria, flora and fauna and other life forms that may be endemic to that area..such as Haiti, Tonga, Fiji or Florida(Caribbean) based on red tape issue. Secondly, with live rock, it’s plug and go. No need to wonder where it’s been stored and for how long. No guess work as to whether, or not, it’s clean and dust free. Not to mention it takes a while to become cured and grow things on it to become live.
In concluding, live rock offers more pros than cons and the price, often times, isn’t much different. A great way of adding diversity into your tank. Yes, you run the risk of introducing Aiptasia and mojano anemones or the occasional Pistol Shrimp or its more ferocious cousin, the mantis shrimp, but I would do it again and again using LIVE rock only!

See years ago this is exactly why you did - live rock and a few Damsels! I did have the pleasure of getting a mantis shrimp last go around but was able to get him out. I think the biodiversity is really important!

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

live rock because of the live orgasms in the rock like sponges which help sps corals. In todays market most live rock isn't straight from the ocean so the amount of pests is much lower.

 

[Thaxxx]

Yes, it seems like the definition of live rock has drastically changed over the years.

 

[DSC reef]

live rock because of the live orgasms in the rock like sponges which help sps corals. In todays market most live rock isn't straight from the ocean so the amount of pests is much lower.

Huh? True live rock is from the ocean, look up Tampa bay saltwater. @liverock your rock is from the ocean correct:D

 

[ReefWithCare]

I’d say go half of both. Two tanks I started with dry got dinos [emoji29]

 

[Aaronhome27]

I actually prefer all man made. Once I tried life rock I haven't messed with anything else. I recently did a tank swap from a 24 gallon to a 66 gallon. The old rock was also life rock that I had swapped into the build. When I made the move I used live sand. My old tank had 20# of life rock. My new rock totaled about 35# of life rock. When I swapped I never got a cycle. With that said, early in with the 24 I had nonstop algae issues with the white mined rock. The rock leached for months causing algae. I had a friend who did his the same way and he still has the issue, to a lesser extent now, almost a year later. In my frustration I pulled all the rock and used all liferock to replace it. That tank went clean and clear and never saw algae again. I realize other things come into play on this but the switch was all I needed. Shortly after coraline set in and it never slowed a bit.

And if someone reading this isn't familiar, life rock isn't a typo. It's a type on man made rock that is impregnated with bacteria which is activated once wet. Similar to bio media like bio life by aquaforest.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Huh? True live rock is from the ocean, look up Tampa bay saltwater. @liverock your rock is from the ocean correct:D

yes but many places and lfs quarantine their rock and look for it leaching po4 and pests. Now some places do order in box rock right off the plane.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

The best place to get rock imo is from a established tank many people will sell live rock when tearing down a tank, but the reason they might be tearing down is because the issues the tank had so you gotta be careful.

 

[DSC reef]

yes but many places and lfs quarantine their rock and look for it leaching po4 and pests. Now some places do order in box rock right off the plane.

My point is that real live rock comes from the ocean no matter if it's been through quarintine, I was confused by your statement that live rock doesn't come straight from the ocean. Dry rock seeded with bottled bacteria is not live rock.

 

[shred5]

After being out of the hobby for 10 yrs and now getting back in I’ve noticed a lot of new tanks are started with man made (forgive me if that not accurate) or maybe I should say dry rock and not many are using Live Rock. I’m guessing this has to do with export of live rock stopping. But you can still get it as people get out of the hobby and sell it.

However my LFS told me to only start my tank with dry rock? Is this the best path forward or if I’m buying rock from an existing tank isn’t that okay? Seems odd to me...

There are allot of different types of rock. There is mined dry rock and man made dry rock.
There still is live rock even though it is harder to get and there is aquacultured live rock.
Personally it depend on what you want, I use mainly live if I can get it or aquacultured rock.

Another rock I like is real reef rock that is shipped wet and cycled. This rock has came along way since it was originally introduced.
Personally I like mostly live or aquacultured for the biodiversity.

Just beware there is a lot of miss information out there especially since so many now in the hobby have not ever used live rock. Even the word liverock is used wrong.

 

[Thaxxx]

there are allot of different types of rock. There is mined dry rock and man made dry rock.
There still is live rock even though it is harder to get and there is aquacultured live rock.
Personally it depend on what you want, I use mainly live if I can get it or aquacultured rock.

Another rock I like is real reef rock that is shipped wet and cycled. This rock has cam along way since it was originally introduced.
Personally I like mostly live or aquacultured for the biodiversity.

Just beware there is a lot of miss information out there especially since so many now in the hobby have not ever used live rock. Even the word liverock is used wrong.

Your so right.
Live rock isn't cured rock with some bio juice in a bottle added to a trash can of salt water. I wish people would know the differance.
Live rock is just that. LIVE.

 

[MTBake]

I started my last tank with dry rock and sand. I'll never do that again. Takes sooo long to cycle and thrive.

Aquacultured rock from KP Aquatics, Tampa bay saltwater, or gulfliverock.com are where I would get rock from if I couldn't find someone close by taking down a tank.

 

[MabuyaQ]

Any rock that doesn't come with a free crab salad isn't liferock.

 

[Crashjack]

I was in the same boat a couple of years ago and made the wrong choice. When I was in the hobby in the mid-90's - early 00's, I started all tanks with live rock or mostly live rock and never had issues as a result. When I got back into the hobby a couple of years ago, I went with 100% dry rock. I ended up with dinos (twice), a horrific aiptasia infestation, and Bryopsis (even had them all at the same time).

I would go with at least 25%-30% live rock and then cure for 2-3 months, making sure the rock also cycled. That way, most pests would die in the process or their life cycle would run its course (fish parasites). Also during that time, your live rock would seed your dry rock with beneficial bacteria... more than just nitrosoma and nitrobacter that eliminate ammonia and nitrite. Other than for reducing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate, I don't think bacteria is well understood in the hobby. However, there appears to be at least anecdotal evidence that maintaining a diversity of bacteria in our tanks results in healthier tanks with less nuisance algae, cyano bacteria, and stuff like that. If I had it to do over again, this is what I would have done with my current tank.

 

[Thaxxx]

The problem is new reefers get a hold of the BRS YouTube videos and them showing how it is suppose to be done with dry rock and seeding with bottled bacteria. The new reefer takes this advise as the gospel. But fail to realize BRS and other vendors don't sell "live rock" so they only mention things like pests when they talk about live rock as a alternative. But they do sell dry rock and bottled bacteria. ;)