Marco Rocks

[SevTT]

Marco Rocks (Now with Pictures!)

Just got my shipment, and, boy, these things were packed well. I got 50 lbs of key largo rock and another 30 lbs of rubble; the box with the big pieces had each piece wrapped individually in bubble wrap; the box of rubble has a layer of rubble under a thick layer of bubble wrap, so it couldn't move around. I placed the order on the 29th; it shipped the next day.

And the rock looks great. %) Nice, porous, and very light, with lossa holes and nooks and crevices.



That's a 48-inch steel ruler in the back. 50 lbs of rock.



Pretty much all of the rocks are similar in structure to this. Pretty lacy stuff, which is itself very porous.



The rubble. I think the box is an 18-inch cube; it was filled with about five inches of rock rubble. (30 lbs.)

 

[Reeftanker3295]

Any chance you could post some pictures? I'm getting 75 pounds of it very soon.

 

[spacenyc]

actually bought some recently

bought a few boxes recently but havent used them yet, looks great and very light. had a problem with my shipment and billing and marco solved it immediatly. question: says its pre cycled, anyone use it without cycling saw some post online saying it causes lots of nuisance alage. very happy with purchase

 

[pecan2phat]

When Marco rocks debut as a vendor during the 1st NERAC, I bought some and it looked beautiful and clean. I stuck it in a tub with a powerhead and a large skimmer. In a few days, the water was yellow and the skimmer pulled out a lot of crap so I would still suggest cooking these and any dried rock that has been sun bleached.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

When Marco rocks debut as a vendor during the 1st NERAC, I bought some and it looked beautiful and clean. I stuck it in a tub with a powerhead and a large skimmer. In a few days, the water was yellow and the skimmer pulled out a lot of crap so I would still suggest cooking these and any dried rock that has been sun bleached.

Marco used to suggest this on his website. I agree with Warren, get yourself a tub and some water and skimmer and skim the heck out of the rock.

 

[Reeftanker3295]

They have apparently started pre cycling their rock now so all the die off is gone but I would still skim it. I am putting it in my system with nothing for a couple of weeks with just the skimmer and refugium so it will be fully cured.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Just keep in mind that even with pre-cured rock there is always die off while shipping.

 

[SevTT]

bought a few boxes recently but havent used them yet, looks great and very light. had a problem with my shipment and billing and marco solved it immediatly. question: says its pre cycled, anyone use it without cycling saw some post online saying it causes lots of nuisance alage. very happy with purchase

You're going to get nuisance algae with bare rock no matter what happens; it's part of the natural algal succession process. Until all the other more desireable forms take hold, at least.

'Pre cycled' basically means that it's been 'cooked' (run in a dark system) for several weeks to allow the breakdown of most of the organic stuff in the rock and the leeching of anything that may leech out. Now all that should be left, basically, is some dead bacteria. This should lead to correspondingly less ammonia production upon initial cycling.

I'm going to be adding it to a new, sterile tank, so I'm planning on adding in tank water from my existing tank and some live sand to innoculate the tank when I add the rock, and give it about a week in the dark to kill off anything photosynthetic that's floating around in there and allow time for the initial waves of bacteria to colonize. Then I'll add a slurry of coralline algae scraped off one of the rocks in my system, give it another week with lights, and start adding rocks and sand from the existing system until everything's transferred over.

 

[SevTT]

Just keep in mind that even with pre-cured rock there is always die off while shipping.

It's dry rock.

 

[SevTT]

Any chance you could post some pictures? I'm getting 75 pounds of it very soon.

Yeah, I'll get around to it sometime tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Scrub it down good and rinse it off very good

 

[SevTT]

Updated with pics.

 

[Reeftanker3295]

Thanks for the pictures! 75 pounds should be perfect for me.

 

[Wes]

i recently got 200lbs of the key largo. Very nice rock.

My experience with the Marco rocks in the past has been similar. Nuissance algae in the beginning. But that is to be expected with any newly setup system. I recommend aggressive phosphate removal with GFO that is changed out often in the beginning.

Also keep in mind that the weight is dry. the 200 lbs i got for my 250g tank may be be too much rock for my taste.

 

[SevTT]

i recently got 200lbs of the key largo. Very nice rock.

My experience with the Marco rocks in the past has been similar. Nuissance algae in the beginning. But that is to be expected with any newly setup system. I recommend aggressive phosphate removal with GFO that is changed out often in the beginning.

Also keep in mind that the weight is dry. the 200 lbs i got for my 250g tank may be be too much rock for my taste.

My memory's failing me. GFO?

 

[Wes]

Granular Ferric Oxide... Phosban, Rowaphos, Phosar, etc.

 

[Reeftanker3295]

I have a 90 gallon that im starting up that im guessing will be about 110 gallons with the sump included, would 150 grams of phosban be enough? I just want it to last through the cycling process and for a couple of weeks after that.

 

[SevTT]

Granular Ferric Oxide... Phosban, Rowaphos, Phosar, etc.

Aah, thanks.

 

[Wes]

I have a 90 gallon that im starting up that im guessing will be about 110 gallons with the sump included, would 150 grams of phosban be enough? I just want it to last through the cycling process and for a couple of weeks after that.

probably not. I used alot at the beginning to pull all the phosphate out.

 

[Reeftanker3295]

How do I use it without a reactor? Do I just throw the bag in my sump?