brett559
New member
I used the BRS reef saver rock. I wanted something easy to aquascape.
Best decision I ever made!!
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I used the BRS reef saver rock. I wanted something easy to aquascape.
Multiple ways to skin a cat, glad it worked for you. I think there is a lot of cool educational value in building a tank and using the natural cycle method when establishing new tanks. I'd recommend everyone to do it at least once because it really is a neat process provided you stay the course over the long haul. It isn't something that will happen over night that is for sure. I actually did this with my 100 gallon tank although I did use "live" rock from Fiji. Lots of die off though because it wasn't shipped over night and a much different process. I will say I'm still using a lot of that rock in my 40 breeder today 15 years later.
On the other hand using quick overnight shipped live rock offers the other side of the spectrum whereas it is teaming with life. You get everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly (great movie btw). You get lots of sponges, stars, polyps, good crabs, bad crabs, who knows what sort of shrimp, etc. You have all ready about it here in the forums. But if you want to set up a tank and not go through the long and drawn out process then this offers its own unique spin to a reef ready. Sort of like "just add water"...
Having said that, I'd only use live rock. I've done the other through a 6 month cycle and it turned out great. But as another poster said all bets are off anyway once you introduce your first fish or coral or anything else that is living. At least that is how I see it as I go through my 240 gallon build.
NOTE to P.E.T.A - No cats have been harmed or skinned during this post...
On the other hand using quick overnight shipped live rock offers the other side of the spectrum whereas it is teaming with life. You get everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly (great movie btw). You get lots of sponges, stars, polyps, good crabs, bad crabs, who knows what sort of shrimp, etc. You have all ready about it here in the forums. But if you want to set up a tank and not go through the long and drawn out process then this offers its own unique spin to a reef ready. Sort of like "just add water"...
Having said that, I'd only use live rock. I've done the other through a 6 month cycle and it turned out great. But as another poster said all bets are off anyway once you introduce your first fish or coral or anything else that is living. At least that is how I see it as I go through my 240 gallon build.
NOTE to P.E.T.A - No cats have been harmed or skinned during this post...
brett559
New member
Thanks for sharing. I do agree that some really cool elements of the hobby come with the live rock approach. I did enjoy getting the flashlight out and seeing the weirdos come out at night.
At the end of the day, aiptasia just bummed me out so much with my last tank. But I'm pretty OCD. I'm the guy you would notice the three aiptasias in an otherwise pretty tank. Funny, I'd only do that in my own tank - when I see other people's tanks, I never notice any imperfections. Only in mine.
At the end of the day, aiptasia just bummed me out so much with my last tank. But I'm pretty OCD. I'm the guy you would notice the three aiptasias in an otherwise pretty tank. Funny, I'd only do that in my own tank - when I see other people's tanks, I never notice any imperfections. Only in mine.
joshky
Acros & Wrasses
Dry rock, live rock, they both work. In my case my dry rock didn't work out well enough, it caused issues that despite my best efforts I couldn't get under control. Dinos love a low nutrient environment that SPS also thrive in, granted the nutrients weren't zero, and they shouldn't be in any non-zeovit/similar system, however dinos were outcompeting my SPS and also probably doing some chemical warfare which caused the entire health of my system to decline. In my case the pests I might have have received on the rock from the gulf pales in comparison to what I mentally went through with the dinos. If you see TBS rock in person when it first comes in, you'll understand why some people really do love it. I had porcelain crabs literally falling off of the rocks as I picked them up out of the bag, completely teeming with life that for the most part was beneficial, and just plain cool. It's an expensive investment if you compare it to dry rock prices, but it's some of the best, if not the best live rock you can get in the US.
d2mini
Premium Member
Agreed, nothing against dry.
But also people who got their rock from unknown sources on craigslist, the bin of "mostly dead rock" at their LFS, etc.
They have a bad experience and get turned off from live rock as a whole when there is a couple really good sources out there.
alton
Well-known member
I setup my wife's tank in December, the rock (61lbs) came from KP Aquatics over night. There is no way I would ever go back to dry rock (which I did once). I added rock and water and in two weeks I added coral.
I guess it comes down to preference, my question why anyone would buy Fiji? It is great we have so many choices, glad it worked out for you using dry and you are happy which is what counts
I guess it comes down to preference, my question why anyone would buy Fiji? It is great we have so many choices, glad it worked out for you using dry and you are happy which is what counts
sde1500
Active member
To say it is better is your opinion, one you are entitled to, but saying other are reluctant to admit it seems silly. There is no one perfect way of doing things.
toothybugs
New member
I've done both, and love both. For their own reasons.
Dry rock: do anything with it you want. It's like a blank canvas that needs a "prime coat" (cure) before you can really get going with it.
TBS live rock: Awesome stuff, and TONS of life. TONS. But the crabs are a problem I don't see wanting to deal with in a bigger tank. That said, I'm growing a bunch of stones and gorillas in my fuge, and they are getting BIG
Gulf Live Rock: If you want a display fuge, GET THIS STUFF. I have ordered 2 Nano Packs and the varieties of wild macro growing from them as the months go by is awesome. I quit counting the species when I get to around 25 different varieties. Great for pods and worms, but nowhere near the life of TBS rock. That said, I haven't seen a sprig of macro from my TBS stuff after nearly a year.
So, to each their own.
Dry rock: do anything with it you want. It's like a blank canvas that needs a "prime coat" (cure) before you can really get going with it.
TBS live rock: Awesome stuff, and TONS of life. TONS. But the crabs are a problem I don't see wanting to deal with in a bigger tank. That said, I'm growing a bunch of stones and gorillas in my fuge, and they are getting BIG
Gulf Live Rock: If you want a display fuge, GET THIS STUFF. I have ordered 2 Nano Packs and the varieties of wild macro growing from them as the months go by is awesome. I quit counting the species when I get to around 25 different varieties. Great for pods and worms, but nowhere near the life of TBS rock. That said, I haven't seen a sprig of macro from my TBS stuff after nearly a year.
So, to each their own.
This time I went with dry and used marco's mortor. I was my 1st time to actually be able to take my time and arrange and rearrange my scape until I got it the way I wanted. I especially liked how I was able to use the mortar to fasten everything securely (no fear of landslides). Upside is not spending days and weeks hunting down the undesirables. Downside is lack of ANY life at all and the months it takes to resemble anything close to natural. After 9 months and a tank filled with corals I still have a limited diversity of life. What would I do next time??? Not sure.
MichelleMas
New member
Did you use any live rock at all?
Nice tank there, good job.
I bought my rock from Harbor Aquatics back in 2000. At the time it was the only place that was selling live frock from Fiji. Or, I should say at a reasonable price with a quality product. It was wrapped in wet paper. Nothing like TBS does these days and it wasn't over night. So while live it was a whole different process that what we have today. I would say it was a worth while experience and worth the expense.
Regarding TBS, the pictures I've seen have made me add it to my budget for my next tank. Everything I've seen, read, and even exchanging emails leads me to believe they have a good product and supply chain to get it from point A to point B. Yes, there will be hitch hikers but that is fine. I've actually planned it such that I can have my current tank running while the new one is up to give me time to catch what I need to before merging the two.
In fact, it is something I'm looking forward to...
MidwestReefa
New member
Really happy so far with my all dry rock tank I started, couldn't agree with you more
d2mini
Premium Member
Reef Frog
New member
I've been thinking about the "dry" versus "live" choice on my next tank upgrade. I want to try a different kind of aquascaping technique that will require a good bit of sawing, drilling, moving, mock ups & break downs, and therefore lots of time (days). Dry rock seems much easier to work with in a situation like this.
I also like the option of doing lanthium chloride to remove as much PO4 as possible and have a fresh start in that department.
I do plan to move all of my LPS & SPS corals to the new tank but leave much of the old rock behind. I will be reintroducing some old rock into the new system when I move colonies along with their rock bases - maybe even entire rocks where I have large encrusted colonies of favias & montis for example.
So I guess it's inevitable something unwanted will make it over. But I'm not starting with all new live rock so no worries about the really crazy stuff like gorilla crabs and fish eating shrimp. I don't think I could keep a 100% sterile dry rock system free of algae & aptasia over the long term anyway. But I was thinking about doing a possible hydrogen peroxide treatment & power scrub with a dremel brush to open areas on the old rock I decide to transfer - the idea being to possibly leave bubble algae & another variety I have behind. If it works, Great! If BA came back, oh well...I know how to deal with it. Or maybe I should just put it in "as is"' and get the benefits of the pods, worms, little starfish etc in the new tank. Got to think that one through. And I figured this old rock would still be able to provide starter bacteria, another plus.
So at this time I'm planning on 95% dry rock and ~5% old live rock. The new system would be started first with dry rock & thoroughly cycled of course. Would you make an attempt to sterilize the 5% old rock? Any comments appreciated.
I also like the option of doing lanthium chloride to remove as much PO4 as possible and have a fresh start in that department.
I do plan to move all of my LPS & SPS corals to the new tank but leave much of the old rock behind. I will be reintroducing some old rock into the new system when I move colonies along with their rock bases - maybe even entire rocks where I have large encrusted colonies of favias & montis for example.
So I guess it's inevitable something unwanted will make it over. But I'm not starting with all new live rock so no worries about the really crazy stuff like gorilla crabs and fish eating shrimp. I don't think I could keep a 100% sterile dry rock system free of algae & aptasia over the long term anyway. But I was thinking about doing a possible hydrogen peroxide treatment & power scrub with a dremel brush to open areas on the old rock I decide to transfer - the idea being to possibly leave bubble algae & another variety I have behind. If it works, Great! If BA came back, oh well...I know how to deal with it. Or maybe I should just put it in "as is"' and get the benefits of the pods, worms, little starfish etc in the new tank. Got to think that one through. And I figured this old rock would still be able to provide starter bacteria, another plus.
So at this time I'm planning on 95% dry rock and ~5% old live rock. The new system would be started first with dry rock & thoroughly cycled of course. Would you make an attempt to sterilize the 5% old rock? Any comments appreciated.
rustyjames
EMT-B
"It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)
karimwassef
Active member
+++++
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