Hilltopreef90
Well-Known Member
Can real live rock still be purchased and is it better to use live rock or the imitation life rock ?
Live rock
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The_Paradox
Valuable Member
It can still be purchased.
fishywishy
Well-Known Member
Yes. there are plenty of places that still have live rock like kp aquatics and Tampa bay but imo dont get it, it’s expensive af and the pest just make a hassle more than anything.
Get some cultured LR. it’s pest free, cheaper, looks just as good imo, and has plenty of beneficial bacteria.
Get some cultured LR. it’s pest free, cheaper, looks just as good imo, and has plenty of beneficial bacteria.
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Hilltopreef90
Well-Known Member
That’s what I was wondering about, as far as does the potential for hitchhiker make the imitation stuff a better choice
fishywishy
Well-Known Member
Definitely. More than likely you will get some sort of bad hitchhikers, Especially if you get a lot of rock.
If you still want the biodiversity of ocean LR just buy a little bit just to seed your tank, dont fill your tank with it.
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Yes. It can b purchased and the only way I ever kept my systems. Some local companies in FL and Aussie branch from a few others. Love that stuff. Good luck.
Yes, you can still get it.
my opinion: yes it is better. You risk adding pests, but with proper preparation and good husbandry you can mitigate that risk, and it Greatly eases the trials of starting a new tank.
Gregg @ ADP
Valuable Member
I will answer for myself only on this: the maricultured live rock is vastly superior to anything else.
I have yet, in decades of doing countless tanks, been confronted with a hitchhiker that couldn’t be mitigated fairly easily. I have, however, dealt with plenty of tanks that had bottomed-out biodiversity, which then opens the door for the things that typically are outcompeted to take over (e.g. dinos).
I personally would never start a reef without it. But, that’s me. Other people can do it how they want.
I started my system with dry rock and added Tampa Bay saltwater ocean rock from @LiverockRocks later on after I couldn't get the stability and bacterial biodiversity I needed. Highly recommend it. If you're worried about hitchhikers, keep it in a separate tank with proper parameters to observe and remove anything you don't want. I put the majority of the rock in my refugium, so the hitchhikers don't bother me, and in fact are very enjoyable to observe.
Reef-Engineer
Active Member
Couldnt one mitigate the risks stated above (1. limited biodiversity and 2. potential pest hitchhikers) by using primarly aquacultured LR or even dead rock and seeding it with a small amount of real live rock. It just takes a bit of real live rock to "seed" things, and your chances of not getting bad critters are better with a little piece?
I am not sure what I'll do on my next build, but those are my thoughts at the moment
like he said! Build with dead rock, seed with live rock is an option
I am not sure what I'll do on my next build, but those are my thoughts at the moment
like he said! Build with dead rock, seed with live rock is an option
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
If you do use dry rock, I recommend using something like Marco Rock... "Life Rock" and similar products are basically concrete and are much less porous. Life rock is also pita to break up or frag- probably not something you're worried about now but trust me, if you end up in a situation where you need to, you'll thank me
I’m in the boat of seed with live to using all live (depends which tank of mine you’re looking at). I buy live specifically for the joy of hitchhikers. Most bad ones are easily mitigated as mentioned. And I can’t say I’ve ever gotten a hitchhiker I couldn’t handle (worse being a mantis, Fireworms, and gorilla crabs). All pretty easy with either a bottle trap or a set of tweezers
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It can be purchased - and people will debate from now until next Christmas which is better. IMHO - it works best if you have base rock - that is just 'ocean rock', dead is fine - and the top layer - live rock its less expensive - and probably works just as well for whatever you're trying to do
you'll see hitchhikers in any case
UMALUM
Active Member
Here we go again.....
Why can't people just say they chose dry rock because live rock is expensive and stop using the pest/hitchhiker excuse? Anyone who's built a system with live knows the 2 - 3 week cure is plenty of time to rid it of unwanted items. In all my years using figi, tonga, Australian, and now Florida I've never received a proven consumer of coral. Have I received critters that I don't want for other reasons SURE. Ask yourself if you want to enjoy your tank next month or next year.
Why can't people just say they chose dry rock because live rock is expensive and stop using the pest/hitchhiker excuse? Anyone who's built a system with live knows the 2 - 3 week cure is plenty of time to rid it of unwanted items. In all my years using figi, tonga, Australian, and now Florida I've never received a proven consumer of coral. Have I received critters that I don't want for other reasons SURE. Ask yourself if you want to enjoy your tank next month or next year.
I don't think that's a fair statement - when I started my tank, cost was not an issue, and I still decided to start with all dry rock for "sterility". In the end I got live rock anyway because the dry rock didn't yield the desired results, but my point is it's pretty ignorant of you to call anyone who wants to start with dry rock cheap.
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Additionally, it's far from proven that buying all 'live rock' as compared to 'some' live rocks compared to dry rock alone are much better, depending on one's experience setting up a tank. In 3 months, 'dead rock' is live rock if things are added to the tank. IME, people that have the most issues are ones that leave their tank sitting idle for weeks with no addition of bacteria/fish/inverts.
UMALUM
Active Member
OK so your the 1% that started a tank with dry " just because you wanted to". I didn't call anyone cheap. There's a difference between having the cash to spend and choosing not to and simply not having the cash period. My post was directed toward the hitchhiker excuse as I think 9 times outta 10 that's exactly what it is. Ignorant is reading into things that aren't there.
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First - many people use dry rock because of the (mistaken) idea that if they use live they are taking stuff from the ocean (i.e. hurting the reef). Second. There are multiple types of 'live rock' and 'dry rock'. Third. I don't see any advantage to buying live rock then putting it in the dark for 2-3 weeks to 'cure' it. If you're going to use live rock - use it right from the supplier in your tank. Fourth If you're worried about things that might die on your rock and foul your tank if you add it directly - aren't you removing much of the reason you bought it in the first place? i.e. biodiversity? In the days when live rock was first being imported it was basically chiseled out of the reef - wrapped in news papers (wet) and shipped. This usually took a day or so - and by the time the rock arrived, it smelled, etc. and the recommendation then was to let it sit in a vat with water changes until all of the dying stuff died, Again - I ask if you're going to do that (sometimes for several weeks) what advantage are you getting.
Of course now companies overnight rock and that is less of an issue. But I think the argument that many people don't use live rock due to cost may be true in some cases, but - not in the vast majority. I have read a couple articles that live rock is better than dry - but it's not convincing to me - and I certainly wouldn't buy all live rock in favor of a mixture. My tank (see build thread) - was started with dry rock nearly 100%. And bottled bacteria and several corals were added within a week with CUC and fish a short while later. I can't say I had 'no' uglies, but most of the issues were on the sand as compared to the rock - since the rock was covered by coral, and thus shaded.
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