Rock for reefs... is this a stupid question?

[Steven Goff]

Going to the LFS and buying dry rock can be expensive. I have a stone suppler up the road. They have almost any rock on the planet. Why can't I just go there and pick out some rocks?

Is this crazy?

 

[WVNed]

No. I expect the dry rock people are buying in the pet industry come from a place like that anyway.
Look for some that is porous and light.

 

[lukewithcats]

there is nothing stopping you. . Pourosity, ph and suitability to a marine enviroment need to be assessed. You dont want to add say limestone and have it dissolve. Its all about massive surface area and being neutral to the enviroment.

the cheap rock sold at fish stores is taken out the ground like regular rock, i want to say Texas is home to alot. You could potentially find a stone guy who will sell you some but then the question becomes what it the minimum order? If you have to put a truck load then paying $4 a pound might not be that bad.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Not a stupid question at all :)
Two issues
First the rock has to be very porus for your bacteria to colonize it, most inland rocks are not as porus as reef rock.
Secondly with inland rocks you never know exactly what you're getting, the rock could be contaminated with heavy metals such as copper, lead and even leach phosphates

 

[DanConnor]

The dry rock, like marco rock is old coral reefs that are mined in florida, or maybe other places too.
Its pretty unlikely your rock place will carry that.

Anything else is going to be comparatively heavy and not porous.
Tufa rock looks kind of similar, but I don't know much about its other characteristics.

 

[RomansReef]

Two issues
First the rock has to be very porus for your bacteria to colonize it, most inland rocks are not as porous as reef rock.
Secondly with inland rocks you never know exactly what you're getting, the rock could be contaminated with heavy metals such as copper, lead and even leach phosphates

Exactly this. Live rock/base Rock has a crazy amount of surface area for your beneficial bacteria to colonize. Dense, non-porous land rock will just take up valuable space (overall surface area) displace water volume and can introduce unwanted and possibly deadly substances/minerals to your reef.

 

[Crashjack]

Personally, I would buy from a LFS or online retailer. I would also include maybe 25% live rock.

 

[Cory]

I think the porosity thing is unimportant when you have a sandbed with 10 trillion times more surface area.

That said if the rock is calcium based id use it provided there isnt any major discoloration in it forgetting the porosity.

Also consider detritus buildup in porus rock being a bad thing.

 

[Steven Goff]

Not a stupid question at all :)
Two issues
First the rock has to be very porus for your bacteria to colonize it, most inland rocks are not as porus as reef rock.
Secondly with inland rocks you never know exactly what you're getting, the rock could be contaminated with heavy metals such as copper, lead and even leach phosphates

Does anyone know what names of rock is good for reef? They list all the types of rock they have in stock. Good thing is you can buy one rock or a truck load.

 

[Steven Goff]

The dry rock, like marco rock is old coral reefs that are mined in florida, or maybe other places too.
Its pretty unlikely your rock place will carry that.

Anything else is going to be comparatively heavy and not porous.
Tufa rock looks kind of similar, but I don't know much about its other characteristics.

marco rock - thanks. I'm going to check if they have that.

 

[ZsWithTheFishes]

Going to the LFS and buying dry rock can be expensive. I have a stone suppler up the road. They have almost any rock on the planet. Why can't I just go there and pick out some rocks?

Is this crazy?

I've gotten rocks from a local stone supplier for my tanks before, and I still do for my freshwater up to high-end brackish & fowlr. I wouldn't do it again with my reefs though. I added some of what was labeled Texas holey rock twice to an older softy setup - the first time there was no issue and it looked great. The second time I bought the same rock and it almost crashed the tank within a month before I realized what it was.

There's nothing wrong with skimping on item for setups; it's an expensive hobby. But you have to look at your goal and skimp strategically based on risk vs rewards and what is often neglected: predictability of outcome.

Rewards: how big is your tank and how much would the savings be? Are you talking saving $20 in a nano where you probably want the extra surface area of porous dry rock, or are you looking at saving $200 in a large setup?
Risks: again, smaller setups risk losing needed surface area for biological filtration, and are more susceptible to instability in water parameters. Are you thinking a bare bottom tank where you would need the extra surface area? Do you want to keep coral or inverts that might be more sensitive to heavy metals that are present in the water?
Predictability of outcome: if you skimp on a filter, you will have less filtration and increase maintenance - very predictable. If you skimp on a return pump, it could fail (possibly soaking you floor), or leach current: less predictable, but not unreasonable. If you buy rock of unknown origin, nothing could happen. Or it could contaminate your tank with heavy metals causing a tank crash and massive loses in money and time with you possibly never knowing why. Or anything in between. This could still happen with lfs-bought dry rock, but the likelihood is lower.

 

[DanConnor]

marco rock - thanks. I'm going to check if they have that.

They used to sell direct and were frequently at frag swaps. I think they have recently gone wholessale only
http://www.marcorocks.com/

 

[Crashjack]

BRS sells Marcorock. I thought the desire was to go to a local stone supplier, which I doubt sells since the Marco website is oriented toward aquariums.

 

[Billdogg]

A local landscaping company sells whatever rock you want by the pound. You weigh your vehicle on the way in and again on the way out. I have bought Holey rock, large chunks of pumice (I carved a reef out of one piece with a couple spade bits and a chisel), and several other types, including coral base rock