Think I Was Wrong…It HAS TO Be Live Rock

[LilElroyJetson]

Here is a link to another thread and a video someone posted in it. This is Tampa Bay live rock.

Thread 'Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tampa-bay-saltwater-live-rock.507428/

Really interesting to see! Thanks for sharing this! I’m curious about the difference in live rock quality between Tampa Bay and KP Aquatics. I’m particularly interested in this claim from KP Aquatics (especially given the Tampa Bay live rock is from the Gulf of Mexico):

“Compared to most other live rock harvested in the Gulf of Mexico, our live rock is 100 % Aptasia free. This live rock for sale is completely different from Gulf of Mexico rock as far as the biodiversity goes.”

 

[Shooter6]

Really interesting to see! Thanks for sharing this! I’m curious about the difference in live rock quality between Tampa Bay and KP Aquatics. I’m particularly interested in this claim from KP Aquatics (especially given the Tampa Bay live rock is from the Gulf of Mexico):

“Compared to most other live rock harvested in the Gulf of Mexico, our live rock is 100 % Aptasia free. This live rock for sale is completely different from Gulf of Mexico rock as far as the biodiversity goes.”

I cannot speak to the claim ect, I would say that it would be coming out of the Atlantic Ocean near where the gulf meets it. I'd assume there would be some differences in biodiversity since Tampa Bay is hundreds of miles north of Miami. I will also say that diving in both areas extensively, I did not see much if any aptasia in either location.

 

[jda]

It does not matter if the rock comes in aiptasia free, or not. You can get aiptasia from the first frag that you buy. Nearly every tank will get it at some point or another, so have something to eat it, or a full-on coral-QT where the corals can sit and grow for months.

Besides, I can honestly say that I cannot see a single aiptasia in my tank right now... but when that Chrysurus Angelfish moves on and my peppermint shrimp die, some will come back. Even if the KP has natural predators that keep their rock clean to the visible eye, they can still have some tiny ones that get through and grow over the months to come. Just get some of those natural predators into your home.

 

[Joseph3]

I feel like one of the main advantages of dry rock is being able to glue it together to create a complex aquascape before adding water. For this reason, all of my tanks have been 70% dry and 30% live. I still add some live rock from an old tank just to jump start the cycle.

 

[Joseph3]

Perish the thought... some of us land-locked reefers still need dry rock because we're not paying $30/lb for live rock...

Shipping rock by air is expensive! I feel your pain.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

It does not matter if the rock comes in aiptasia free, or not. You can get aiptasia from the first frag that you buy. Nearly every tank will get it at some point or another, so have something to eat it, or a full-on coral-QT where the corals can sit and grow for months.

Besides, I can honestly say that I cannot see a single aiptasia in my tank right now... but when that Chrysurus Angelfish moves on and my peppermint shrimp die, some will come back. Even if the KP has natural predators that keep their rock clean to the visible eye, they can still have some tiny ones that get through and grow over the months to come. Just get some of those natural predators into your home.

Really great points. Appreciate the perspective! Sounds like you can’t really go wrong with either of the two companies.

 

[PeterErc]

And all this time people have been cutting corals off frag plugs and throwing out the bases of the mariculture out. What a waste of biodiversity.
May be a cheaper solution for those land locked. Find the crappiest LFS around and buy all the dead coral.

 

[fish farmer]

And all this time people have been cutting corals off frag plugs and throwing out the bases of the mariculture out. What a waste of biodiversity.
May be a cheaper solution for those land locked. Find the crappiest LFS around and buy all the dead coral.

The first time I dipped a coral I killed a couple of pods, bristle worms and about 5 mini brittle stars.

I used to spend money for those.

 

[djf91]

I believe you can get Fiji live rock still from Livestock USA. This is man made rock that has been placed in the reefs around Fiji for several years.

Live Rock Overview - Marine Aquarium Live Rock

The more live rock you start with the better. It takes a surprisingly long time for microfaunal life to transfer over from live rock to dry rock in an aquarium.

Not only does live rock introduce biodiversity but it also introduces the right ratios of bacteria. We’ve seen in aquabiomics tests that these bacterial communities can some times be skewed towards a less desirable ratio of bacteria species.

My recommendation would be to add only live rock at the beginning and then after a couple of months starting adding dry rock, a few pieces at a time per month.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I believe you can get Fiji live rock still from Livestock USA. This is man made rock that has been placed in the reefs around Fiji for several years.

Live Rock Overview - Marine Aquarium Live Rock

The more live rock you start with the better. It takes a surprisingly long time for microfaunal life to transfer over from live rock to dry rock in an aquarium.

Not only does live rock introduce biodiversity but it also introduces the right ratios of bacteria. We’ve seen in aquabiomics tests that these bacterial communities can some times be skewed towards a less desirable ratio of bacteria species.

My recommendation would be to add only live rock at the beginning and then after a couple of months starting adding dry rock, a few pieces at a time per month.

Wow…great resource. Thanks for dropping this in here! I think this may be the route I go…just wondering how much shipping would be and how long it takes to get the stuff from time of order.

 

[jda]

Unless something has changed, the customer service at LivestockUSA has always been top notch. Call them and they can probably get a good air freight quote and timelines.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Unless something has changed, the customer service at LivestockUSA has always been top notch. Call them and they can probably get a good air freight quote and timelines.

Awesome. Appreciate the advice!

 

[blaxsun]

Shipping rock by air is expensive! I feel your pain.

Even dry rock ain't cheap...

 

[BiCoastal]

This is a great thread! I just moved to Seattle and planning a new tank and seriously considering live rock (have only done dry rock before).

I have a couple of basic questions. I am sure they have been answered before but the search function didn’t return much. Would appreciate if the live rock experts can provide a direction of travel

1- how do you aquascape these rocks? Since they need to stay wet/underwater what is the best way to glue them?
2- I see a lot of macroalgae on these rocks. What do you do with that? I am not sure I want macroalgae in the display tank. Does it stay in the tank?

Need to decided on live vs dry route while I wait for the new Cade to be delivered

 

[jda]

You set up the best aquascapes for fish with these rocks. You just stack them up. The caves and arches and bonsai designs that people create are not good for fish - they can cause more stress and aggression. You want places where fish can get totally out of sight and feel really secure - just backing into an arch is not the same thing.

Most of the macro algae dies. This is why some don't advocate for the premium rock since a lot of this stuff does not make it.

 

[dannyd_]

Just wanted to see if you guys are able to guess from the picture I provide if I started out with dry rock or live rock.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Just wanted to see if you guys are able to guess from the picture I provide if I started out with dry rock or live rock.

Dry. The texture is unnatural and though there is a lot of coralline, the coralline's forms aren't diverse and there is very little marine growth of other species to be seen. Your rock may be purple, but that doesn't make it truly live.

 

[Kfactor]

i would love live rock dont care about price but really hard to get in canada

 

[jabberwock]

Just wanted to see if you guys are able to guess from the picture I provide if I started out with dry rock or live rock.

I am gonna go with CaribSea Liferock. Painted purple, nothing alive about it.

 

[jabberwock]

You set up the best aquascapes for fish with these rocks. You just stack them up. The caves and arches and bonsai designs that people create are not good for fish - they can cause more stress and aggression. You want places where fish can get totally out of sight and feel really secure - just backing into an arch is not the same thing.

Most of the macro algae dies. This is why some don't advocate for the premium rock since a lot of this stuff does not make it.

My macro algae did real good for a long while. Great nutrient exporter. I ended up trimming it too much and losing it, but not really disappointed in removing a maintenance feature. I had to mow the lawn very frequently. I got a protein skimmer instead. Check my tank thread for details.

Stacking the rocks is the best way in my opinion. The elaborate scapes are pretty unnatural.