I've always set up tanks with a mix of live or dry (base) rock.I just placed an order for gulf ocean live rock. Going to see if we can create a system mixing the old methods and new methods. I’m thinking a 20% ratio of ocean live rock to dead rock. This would make it much more affordable than a 100% ocean rock system. We’ll observe the live rock to remove any pests before incorporating the dead rock into the system. Also, while we go though the observation process you can still make your NSA, or any other type of aquascape, and incorporate that into the full system when the time is right.
I think pods play a big role in these tanks, and are lacking in a dead rock system. Many people buy and buy pods to combat uglies. So while we work on the rock, we’ll create a separate detached pod system that will provide tons of pods to introduce to the system to help during the combination of the live and dead rocks. It will also provide an ongoing pod system once the final display tank is complete.
My first reef tank was 20 lbs of raw uncured Fiji mixed with about 15 lbs. of dry base/coral pieces from my early years. The base went on the bottom of the structure, partially buried in substrate...less likely to be in direct light.
My current reef is a mix of some of that original live rock with Marco dry rock set up around 2009. Throughout the years the Marco eventually livened up, but certain pieces seem to attract nuisance algae quicker than the coralline covered Fiji.
Last year I did a partial new aquascape with some Marco and a flat piece of dry Haitian I had in tanks for years. I did a month cycle of the structure in a bucket. Initially it started to cover with bits of coralline when I placed it and I expected it would stave off uglies, but it became a prominent place for cyano and GHA to take hold....I didn't bleach or do any major cleaning of the structure before using.