What have your experiences been with Florida Aquaculture live rock?

Koigula

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I am writing to see if anyone has had good experience or seen value with Florida aquaculture live rock. I recently watched ReefBum YouTube channel with Mike Palleta. His Elos tank was converted to a freshwater planted tank because he could never get dry rock established. I am convinced he tried everything.

I see a few vendors sell aquaculture live rock. I am not certain what this even means beside dry rock placed in a florida green house and made wet a few months. Does it have live rock properties or is it just expensive and hard to ship? A few parts of Carribean ship live rock but most do not. I have had plug and play SPS tanks with T5s, Metal Halides and real live rock in way past. I have mostly been dissapointed with dry rock and gen1 or gen 2 LED lights. While it grows it does not take of like previous tanks.
 
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Reefing102

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Same with Tampa Bay Saltwater and Gulf Live Rock. Aquacultured in the Gulf of Mexico.

I personally have not used it but plan to use either of the above for my next tank if I don’t find “old” live rock locally
 

Gort

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What kind of successes - or failures - have you run across using ocean-aquacultured live rock to "seed" dry base rocks, like Marco Rock or VidaRock?
 

Reefing102

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What kind of successes - or failures - have you run across using ocean-aquacultured live rock to "seed" dry base rocks, like Marco Rock or VidaRock?
While I can’t comment specifically, one common issue I see every now and again in th threads is the rock is very dense in comparison. With that said, the most common “issues” would be unwanted hitchhikers like gorilla crabs, mantis shrimp, etc. However many buy the rock knowing these can occur and have contingencies for them like a separate tank, sumping the unwanted hitchhikers, and I’ve even seen people put the rock in Rubbermaid’s to try to get the unwanted ones before putting the rock in the tank.

edit: realized I never answered your question after re-reading your post. I unfortunately can’t comment as I haven’t seen too many that use it as seed rock to dry rock.
 

JMann

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I picked up a few pieces of rock from KP Aquatics when I was on a road trip to the Keys 2 and a half years ago. I didn’t have to pay the shipping and I had it home to my tank within a few hours so I realize that’s not everybody’s situation but I had no problems from it and if you want old/diverse bacteria plus other life it’s pretty awesome. I hear a small pistol shrimp from time to time but I didn’t get a mantis or anything like that.

I would recommend them over those other vendors because the Keys is more tropical of a marine environment. The Gulf doesn’t have quite the same type of ecosystem. There are many animals that just don’t live in the Gulf but do live in the Keys and southeast Florida because of the Gulf Stream current coming up from the Caribbean to the south.
 

SamBackspins

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I used Salty Bottom Reef Company, they have aquacultured rock from a Florida ocean flat, similar to some of the other companies.

came with multiple macroalgaes, gorilla crabs, porcelain crabs, and some weird snails. Oh some small clam things too I’m not sure what they were though.

I used it to help establish a tank that had some Dino problems, it helped a good bit I believe but I’m obviously can’t prove that.

id use it again, also it’s pretty fun seeing hitchhikers.
 

JCM

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Here's a thread I started a while back you may find helpful.


I used ocean rock from Gulf Live Rock and KP Aquatics. Very happy with my rock, I would not start a tank with all dry rock personally.
 

fisher99

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I am writing to see if anyone has had good experience or seen value with Florida aquaculture live rock. I recently watched ReefBum YouTube channel with Mike Palleta. His Elos tank was converted to a freshwater planted tank because he could never get dry rock established. I am convinced he tried everything.

I see a few vendors sell aquaculture live rock. I am not certain what this even means beside dry rock placed in a florida green house and made wet a few months. Does it have live rock properties or is it just expensive and hard to ship? A few parts of Carribean ship live rock but most do not. I have had plug and play SPS tanks with T5s, Metal Halides and real live rock in way past. I have mostly been dissapointed with dry rock and gen1 or gen 2 LED lights. While it grows it does not take of like previous tanks.
I started my 125 with Tampa Bay Saltwater rock back in November. It's the second tank I started with that rock and I wouldn't do it any other way
Everyone talks about all the "bad" critters you get but anything you don't want can be easily removed. It's worth it to get all of the good stuff.
 

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