Best deals on live rock?

[Diogenes]

After waiting nearly a year for my land lord and management companies to resolve their dispute regarding a damaged floor (the floor directly beneath the future home of my 90gallon tank/ only outlet in the man cave) I am finally going to be able to setup my marine tank!

I am still debating FOWLR/REEF leanig FOWLR at the moment. What I need to know is:

1. Whats the best kind of rock?

2. Who has the best deals on rock?

3. Who has the best deals on the best rock?

Thanks in advance.
-C

 

[TMartinez]

I am in the market for LR myself. I originally purchase rock from my LFS however at 7.50/lb it can add up quick. I found this site today http://www.aquacon.com/FijiLiveRock.html
The fiji (25lbs) is 99.99 shipped. That's basically $4 a lb...

 

[TMartinez]

You can aslo choose from like 12 different types of LR and what sizes you want

 

[johnny roastbeef]

Well, it all gets down to your preferences, how much you need and your budget. For most systems you dont need to use all live rock only, you can save some money by using dry and low quality rock in your sump and under the sand bed. You'll want the nicest looking pieces visible in your display. I think you need to balance the amount and placement of dry rock with the live rock, because the dry rock will stand out and be unattractive for several months, until life begins to grow on it.

Having said that, live rock generally looks best, but will need weeks to cure. If you are on a budget, you can use primarily dry rock with a little live to seed, but you will be limited on your bioload for some time, until the bacterial colony grows.

We are having a sale on rock and dry rock right now. Its all really gorgeous, with lots of holes and character. Its all light weight and porous. http://www.affordableaquaticsuppliesllc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=112_113
Current prices are 50lbs of ocean fresh rock for $169 & decorator dry rock 50lbs for just $63.

This is one of the rocks that went into one of my personal systems.

 

[nonstophoops]

Remember that anything you order online needs to be cured in a separate tank/container for at least a few weeks.

 

[TMartinez]

Remember that anything you order online needs to be cured in a separate tank/container for at least a few weeks.

Why?

 

[johnny roastbeef]

Once you take rock from the ocean the animals, plants and bacteria living in and on the rock start to die. While you can ship rock without killing all the life, some will die. The dead, decaying animals will produce ammonia in your tank, and will need time to cycle and remove the ammonia.

Rock that comes from far away sources often travels by container ship. Shipping times may take weeks or months, causing all the life to completely die off. Once you put that rock in your tank, all that decaying matter needs time to decompose (cycle). If you dont give the rock enough curing time, it will poison your fish.

By buying rock from local sources, you reduce the amount of die off and subsequently need less time to properly cure the rock.

 

[TMartinez]

ahh... makes sense. Thanks for the info

 

[Mudslinger14]

Just get it from craigslist. Wide variety and usually its $1-$2 a lb. Just dip it in freshwater to get rid of any unwanted hitchhikers, and then its ready to go!

 

[Diogenes]

I am in the market for LR myself. I originally purchase rock from my LFS however at 7.50/lb it can add up quick. I found this site today http://www.aquacon.com/FijiLiveRock.html
The fiji (25lbs) is 99.99 shipped. That's basically $4 a lb...

thanks for that. I was looking at this stuff myself. http://www.livestockusa.org/ROCK.html#rockwrap

Well, it all gets down to your preferences, how much you need and your budget. For most systems you dont need to use all live rock only, you can save some money by using dry and low quality rock in your sump and under the sand bed. You'll want the nicest looking pieces visible in your display. I think you need to balance the amount and placement of dry rock with the live rock, because the dry rock will stand out and be unattractive for several months, until life begins to grow on it.

Having said that, live rock generally looks best, but will need weeks to cure. If you are on a budget, you can use primarily dry rock with a little live to seed, but you will be limited on your bioload for some time, until the bacterial colony grows.

We are having a sale on rock and dry rock right now. Its all really gorgeous, with lots of holes and character. Its all light weight and porous. http://www.affordableaquaticsuppliesllc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=112_113
Current prices are 50lbs of ocean fresh rock for $169 & decorator dry rock 50lbs for just $63.

This is one of the rocks that went into one of my personal systems.

Man that stuff is nice and the price is right too. Unfortunately it's going to be just a couple more weeks before i'm ready to order. I've got to finish building my sump and figure out how to get it into the stand and then buy some salt and fill the system up before I'm ready to order.

Once you take rock from the ocean the animals, plants and bacteria living in and on the rock start to die. While you can ship rock without killing all the life, some will die. The dead, decaying animals will produce ammonia in your tank, and will need time to cycle and remove the ammonia.

Rock that comes from far away sources often travels by container ship. Shipping times may take weeks or months, causing all the life to completely die off. Once you put that rock in your tank, all that decaying matter needs time to decompose (cycle). If you dont give the rock enough curing time, it will poison your fish.

By buying rock from local sources, you reduce the amount of die off and subsequently need less time to properly cure the rock.

Can you use that die off to cycle the tank? Will I have the same sort of cycle a freshie has using a skimmer and a sumpfugium for filtration?