blackthunda77
New member
As the title states... any companies that stand out?
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Best place to buy live rock now a days?
- Thread starter blackthunda77
- Start date
Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
+1 I would get it from Richard at TBS
mcgyvr
New member
+2 on the TBS..
If you want the "best" its hard to beat stuff that comes straight out of the ocean to your local airport hub still submerged in water..
Its not uncommon to find many hitchhikers like fish/octopus/corals/macroalgaes/sponges, etc...in/on it..
Note that you may get unwanted ones too.. But thats the life and usually quite easy to address..
If you want the "best" its hard to beat stuff that comes straight out of the ocean to your local airport hub still submerged in water..
Its not uncommon to find many hitchhikers like fish/octopus/corals/macroalgaes/sponges, etc...in/on it..
Note that you may get unwanted ones too.. But thats the life and usually quite easy to address..
shred5
Premium Member
Really hard to get liverock right now. There is still a little trickling in. There is aqua-cultured rock out there.
The the ones below are real good for aqua-cultured rock and I would like to throw Gulfview in there to.
Purchased from all three and they are all good.
TB ships with water so their is less cycle and a little more life makes it but you will have to go to the airport which is the best way to get rock anyway, even with the other two options. It is the fastest and usually the cheapest way. I would not get rock sent ground unless in 1 day zone.
With aqua-cultured rock you will want to isolate it for a while to inspect for bad critters. I have had very few but the occasional mantis shrimp or gorilla crab. I had one batch that had two aphasia but were easily removed in quarantine.
Allot of people have turned to dead rock or stuff like real reef rock. I really like Real Reef rock because it is already cycled and looks pretty good. They have really interesting shapes too, not cheap though.
The the ones below are real good for aqua-cultured rock and I would like to throw Gulfview in there to.
Purchased from all three and they are all good.
TB ships with water so their is less cycle and a little more life makes it but you will have to go to the airport which is the best way to get rock anyway, even with the other two options. It is the fastest and usually the cheapest way. I would not get rock sent ground unless in 1 day zone.
With aqua-cultured rock you will want to isolate it for a while to inspect for bad critters. I have had very few but the occasional mantis shrimp or gorilla crab. I had one batch that had two aphasia but were easily removed in quarantine.
Allot of people have turned to dead rock or stuff like real reef rock. I really like Real Reef rock because it is already cycled and looks pretty good. They have really interesting shapes too, not cheap though.
lpsouth1978
New member
mcgyvr, what is the easiest way to eliminate pests when you get this rock. I am seriously thinking about ordering some for my upcoming 75g build, but I don't want any undesirable hitchhikers.
I just got 15lbs of KP Aquatics "œuncured" rock delivered on October 24th. Very colorful, nicely packed and has done well in a curing tank. I see a little starfish, a tiny urchin and many small feather worms daily and I've fished out a few larger bristleworms simply because I can't stand the sight of them. I discovered something else last night investigating with a red light and I have no clue what it is...appears to be covered in algae but it moves if I tap the glass:worried:
mcgyvr
New member
Find them/it... pick them out manually or use a trap if needed..
Plain and simple for the most part..
People are IMO overly scared of hitchhikers..
The best part of this hobby is the life in my tank I didn't intentionally put there.. Yes there are times where we see horrible cases of "X" but in general those are few/far between and most stuff is harmless/fun/beneficial..
lpsouth1978
New member
In general I am not worried about most of the things that might come in the rock. I have had bad experiences with a mantis shrimp and a gorilla crab that came in some rock before, so am cautious about putting these in a system.
shred5
Premium Member
I have a live rock vat I put them in. I also have a 20 gallon fish tank which is better for viewing.
I place a power head and heater in and call it a day. I do light the rock because I have got coral and some great types of algae on them before. This last batch had some coral and some nice halimeda and red algae. I have some old lighting fixtures I use. you could put them directly in the tank if no other corals or fish are in there.
I just inspect the rock from time to time. I see a piece of undesirable algae I remove it. I see a anemone I do not want I remove it. I will place a trap for any crabs or mantis. I inspect during the day and a couple of hours after lights out. I also place a little food to see if it draws something out.
Honestly I have purchased hundreds of pounds of rock and had very little of anything undesirable from aquacultured rock.. I seem to get pistol shrimp from time to time which I actually like. I have had a few mantis and gorilla crabs but I got more from live rock I used to get from Fiji or else where. I did see someone who had a euclid worm and a mantis in his last batch.
My main issue with msot aquacultured Florida rock is it is heavy and shapes not real interesting. i really like the Tampabay Saltwater pukani rock.
blackthunda77
New member
Does anyone do aquacultured dry rock? Not even sure if that's the right terminology. Basically natural dry rock, not manufactured that they have been curing in sw for a length of time, 1 yr, 2 yrs, etc. So basically 100% pest free.
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shred5
Premium Member
Not that i know of. There has been some places talking about it for a while and some have in small quantities.
Some LFS have done it.
Real reef is man made but it is shipped wet and fully cured.
blackthunda77
New member
Hmm, maybe I should put my 2.5 acres in south Florida to good use...... lol
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shred5
Premium Member
Honestly I have thought about it myself if I had the space.
I am setting up a invert/coral/fish propagation/breeding station in my basement. It has 20 + tanks. I will be packed wall to wall. One of the focuses will be for adding biodiversity for those who use dry rock.
I couple Rubbermaid horse troughs with well cured live rock with different coralline and Some lights.
You would not even need need to add live rock just add coralline and bacteria. Throw in some
copepods and amphipods..
You would have to change allot of water because of the nutrients leaching though.
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blackthunda77
New member
I'm thinking more of a green house operation. The rock is not as sensitive to temp fluctuations as coral or fish obviously. Couple raceways or troughs like you said. South Florida has plenty of natural limestone rock quarries to source the base rock from. With all the restrictions in live rock imports, this idea has gotten some gears turning in my head at the moment.
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shred5
Premium Member
That is what I am talking about. Some vat's with dry rock and adding some desirable's.
Kind of like real reef does but they do it with manmade rock
http://realreefrock.com/real-reef-manufacturing.html
For me it would have just been smaller scale and I am in a less desirable place.
You are right it would be less susceptible to temp changes. Florida would have a much more desirable climate for it.
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