Why did you not use live rock?

[BryanM]

Mantis or pistol? I have a couple blue legged pistol shrimp that hitchhiked on some live rock. They are super loud and very annoying.

Mantis, and I won the lotto, I got 4 of them. One left that has proven hard to catch.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I used TBS rock and am very happy with it. Typical hitchhikers do not overly concern me. mantis, yes. One red (now in sump) one green (now in my daughters reef tank) and one blue (still in my display). I saw it just now as I was taking a video. :)

A gorilla crab? Yes, I saw one once in my display. Still not overly concerning me, but I may try to trap it some day.

I think of my tank as a slice of the actual reef. A full ecosystem. Not a manicured coral garden. Some of my family's favorites creatures were hitchhikers. Red mithrax crab, for example.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I used TBS rock and am very happy with it. Typical hitchhikers do not overly concern me. mantis, yes. One red (now in sump) one green (now in my daughters reef tank) and one blue (still in my display). I saw it just now as I was taking a video. :)

A gorilla crab? Yes, I saw one once in my display. Still not overly concerning me, but I may try to trap it some day.

I think of my tank as a slice of the actual reef. A full ecosystem. Not a manicured coral garden. Some of my family's favorites creatures were hitchhikers. Red mithrax crab, for example.

We had a hidden cup coral in our pico. That was the coolest hitchhiker we have ever had

 

[dvgyfresh]

Interestingly the purple branch rock lost all of its color but coraline took over and made it purple
August 2025 - this week
all live rock start
Hitchhikers included snails , pods , algae , bivalves , micro brittle stars ,feather dusters, and worms. I will always vote for live rock starts it makes the process so much easier and to me even less expensive by saving time and money

 

[13rodo]

I used TBS rock and am very happy with it. Typical hitchhikers do not overly concern me. mantis, yes. One red (now in sump) one green (now in my daughters reef tank) and one blue (still in my display). I saw it just now as I was taking a video. :)

A gorilla crab? Yes, I saw one once in my display. Still not overly concerning me, but I may try to trap it some day.

I think of my tank as a slice of the actual reef. A full ecosystem. Not a manicured coral garden. Some of my family's favorites creatures were hitchhikers. Red mithrax crab, for example.

"I think of my tank as a slice of the actual reef"... this is exactly why I'm going live rock in my next tank. I got freaked out when I got started about hitchhikers, but the dry rock route just ends up being a battle to get stability.

 

[ColorMeGone]

I soaked my dry rocks for 3 months and threw in a few pc's of establish dead coral from the LFS before he went under. Fed it Ammonium weekly and when done I started my tank. No pest until I added a live plant that gave me Bubble Algae which is still in the back overflow but not in the display part. I would not use live rock from the ocean with all the bad things that come with it.

 

[rtparty]

Not dealing with the pests, cost, lack of scaping options, or general pain to use it. I can get almost all the benefits with TBS sand and almost none of the issues. I have used and watched this method now work out great on over a dozen tanks.

Pods? I can add them but plenty come in with the sand
Coralline? Pain in the butt that will come on frags
Sponges? Don't want or need them
Macros? Nope, don't want those either.
Worms and shrimp? Nope, don't need them either. Bristleworms will come in with the sand anyway

 

[RoanokeReef]

It all becomes Live Rock eventually, for me I can plan out my aquascape.

 

[fishface NJ]

Because I'm an idiot!

Seriously, I had a pile of rock lying around that had dried out from my last tank. I figured why buy more? I boiled it and did the bottled bacteria and have regretted it ever since.

Never boil rocks even if done outside! There could be toxins (ex palytoxin) that would aerosolize and poison yourself. Also a risk of rock exploding. All that is needed is bleach to sanitize.

 

[CHSUB]

Speaking of live rock hitchhikers…

I started a connected tank with TBS live rock…mantis shrimp, gorilla carb were easily removed and I enjoy the crackle of pistol shrimp; even a Bobbit worm has not been a problem. However a Florida Stone Crab was a menace, very difficult to remove and destroyed a 440$ Scolymia coral.

 

[BryanM]

Never boil rocks even if done outside! There could be toxins (ex palytoxin) that would aerosolize and poison yourself. Also a risk of rock exploding. All that is needed is bleach to sanitize.

This can't be stated enough. I've heard palytoxin stories that are truly scary.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Speaking of live rock hitchhikers…

I started a connected tank with TBS live rock…mantis shrimp, gorilla carb were easily removed and I enjoy the crackle of pistol shrimp; even a Bobbit worm has not been a problem. However a Florida Stone Crab was a menace, very difficult to remove and destroyed a 440$ Scolymia coral.

Did you eat them tiny little claws

 

[slingfox]

My first tank was down with 100% dry rock. I used it since that is what o saw the YouTubers using. I also liked the ease and flexibility of aquascaping.

I have since set up a tank with live rock and it was so much easier to get things into a stable state. I have had much less uglies and zero issues with hitchhikers.

 

[CHSUB]

Did you eat them tiny little claws

Haha! When I finally removed him they were close, put him back in the Gulf.

 

[exnisstech]

I think if people put more time into building a scape with fish in mind instead if trying to create a work of art visually appealing to them we might see less threads about fish aggression. JMO

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Speaking of live rock hitchhikers…

I started a connected tank with TBS live rock…mantis shrimp, gorilla carb were easily removed and I enjoy the crackle of pistol shrimp; even a Bobbit worm has not been a problem. However a Florida Stone Crab was a menace, very difficult to remove and destroyed a 440$ Scolymia coral.

Dang, I hate that!

 

[Michael Hughes]

I started with dry rock because I got it from a tank breakdown. It also let me work for months like a madman, sweating in the garage last summer, breaking it apart and gluing it together. I am having some TBS rock and sand delivered in July though.

 

[Peer.Boerner]

Used live sand and rock in the past. For my current tank, used live sand and dry base rock and dosed with Fritz Turbo. I was skeptical but it worked. Not sure I’d bother with live rock even if I could find it (rare in the LFSs around here). I think I had fish and a coral in it after a week. They are thriving now with a bunch more now (been about 4 months).

 

[56longroof]

Mantis, and I won the lotto, I got 4 of them. One left that has proven hard to catch.

Lucky you.

 

[cba191]

I was expecting a poll.

I would say cost, primarily. That, and it would be more difficult to build an aquascape out of wet rock.