Live Rock Questions

[jahorgos]

I am new to the salt water hobby. I recently purchased a 120 gallon tank that is roughly 24in deep and 6 feet wide. Soon I will be looking to purchase around 150lbs of live rock. I want my tank to eventually house several types of LPS and SPS.

The question is what type of live rock should I buy? Should I buy all of one type of rock? or several? What type of benefits are there to premium rock vs. other? Where can I get the best deals for this large purchase?

I had planned to spend about $800.00 But I'm not afraid to spend more if its worth it.

As for lighting I have 3 250W MH bulbs at 10K and 2 actnics <- if this is any concern to what type of rock I purchase.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

What kind of rock you want is all personal preference. I am partial to marshall island rock. I love the shapes and colors. But it's also harder to come by and more expensive. Fiji is the stand by. It's plentiful and relatively cheap. I happen to also like tonga branch rock, but it's hard to aquascape a tank meant for corals that will work to the corals advantage with it.

If I were you, I would go to a place that offered several kinds of rock and I would buy the pieces with the shapes that interested me most. Also, I would probably invest in tanked base rock for the main structure of the tank and then pay attention to premium pieces to top off the structure with. The middle of the structure probably won't be seen anyway so I wouldn't spend a ton of money on premium rock for that.

HTH

 

[toastii]

there are several places to order it online--

petsolutions
premium aquatics is another good place it looks like at least- no personal experience
umm there are tons other-- check the prices at you LFS

 

[herpencounter]

If I ever get a big tank I would get my live rock from liveaquaria.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scat ... pCatId=393

 

[ufotofu]

I just started off a new tank with 90% of my rock from Premium Aquatics. I recommend them, but I would definitely take the time to give them a call and tell them about what you're looking for so they can personalize your order. Sam and Jason helped me out and it was a pretty good order. I got all uncured Fiji rock from them (about 75 lbs).

As yet, I haven't seen any hitchhiker crabs, shrimp, motile worms and no polyps, but tons of sponges (most won't make it), polychaete worms, coralline, forams. I'd probably order a small batch of Marshall and Fiji and then decide from there. Go Next Day air shipping if you live outside of 400-mile radius or up near winter weather areas (east coast). Also be sure to read their shipping summary in the live rock area of the website. They ship actual rock weight so you don't pay for, say, 40 lbs of rock and get 30 lbs of rock and 10 lbs of water, styrofoam, paper, and cardboard box the way some places do. Pretty straight shooters...

You might also try Tropicorium and Live Aquaria (Drs. Foster and Smith). No experience personally, but most reviewers seem to have gotten quality rock from these places. I would definitely agree with JustPhish and not waste a lot of money on doing all premium show rock. Just start the foundation with several pieces of base rock. If you do it right, within a few months that base rock will be covered with life anyway.

I wouldn't go by the pics online b/c most places have varying quality of rock (not all good shipments due to weather, shipping times, etc). Call around a few places and see what they have in stock. Most reputable shops will tell you straight away if their current stock is good or just so-so.
Happy Hunting!

 

[mr_X]

do you have any local stores that sell live rock? personally, i'd take a look at local stores first. you will most likely be able to barter with them some since you plan to spend such an amount.

also, you will be looking at your tank for many years(hopefully). you will be looking at your corals, your fish, your inverts, all in, on, and waltzing across your LIVE ROCK. make sure it's the pieces you want.

back to your question- whatever rock you like, is what you should choose.
i like fiji rock best because it seems the most porous. i hand picked my pieces and looked for the largest, lighest, pieces available.
tonga branch is cool, but it's not real porous, and most places charge more for it.
marshall island rock is the same price as fiji here, and i have some in my display. i love the look as well. i still think i can find fiji pieces that look to be the same size, and are lighter. :wink:

 

[DaFrog]

Another solution is aquacultured florida rock - You will then get lotsa critters with it and a lot of macro algae - I got minr from www.tbsaltwater.com and am very happy with what i got (although I am still playing hide and seek with a mantis shrimp that is neon green and less than 3/4 inch long)

 

[shavo]

hey just to give you another option, I have looked on craigslist and I find people that are breaking down reefs and have large quantities of live rock for sale and are selling fairly cheap, give it a shot there you may get lucky. wish I knew about that before I bought from the LFS.

anyhow you can mix and match rock and choose what ever ones you like it doesn't matter it is your preference. It is better to have rocks that are more porus than heavy thick boulders IMO/IME

good luck

shavo out!

 

[mr_X]

be careful of people breaking their tanks down though....sometimes you might run into an occasional person of questionable morals, that might have added copper or something to their tank (which will destroy the live rock), and after realizing they did this...want to sell it off to an unsuspecting bargain hunter. 8O

 

[jahorgos]

Thanks for all the help. I decided to go to my LFS and he gave me 15% off my whole purchase which saved me a ton of money. The guys there are very knowledgeable and was recommended to them by other reefers. Best part is they are honest and not just there for the sale.


http://www.fishdoctors.com

 

[mr_X]

good thinking!

Thanks for all the help. I decided to go to my LFS and he gave me 15% off my whole purchase which saved me a ton of money. The guys there are very knowledgeable and was recommended to them by other reefers. Best part is they are honest and not just there for the sale.


http://www.fishdoctors.com

 

[shavo]

yeah there all very knowledgeable, did you know you could take a linkia star out of water if you cover the mouth with your fingers? lol trade secrets my ass!!!

congrats on your purchase isn't this the fun part of the whole thing? buying and constructing.

 

[jahorgos]

It is, now if I can get rid of my toilet flush overflows, haha. I think its just not getting enough air. Thats my project today, oh and not to mention the live rock and 10K lights that will be in today.