Can you buy bad Liverock?
- Thread starter J.russell
- Start date
ganjero
saiperchémibatteilcorazon
They can sell dead rock as "live rock". Better to buy from a place you trust or from somebody taking apart their tank.
Some LFS get their rock in bad conditions(i.e. dried) and then they put it in a tank and the next day they sell it as live.
also check out the rock as much as you can to avoid pests, like aptasia.
If you are just setting up your tank and want to save money (and also have patience) buy the rock dry for cheaper prices, and let it become live in your tank.
Some LFS get their rock in bad conditions(i.e. dried) and then they put it in a tank and the next day they sell it as live.
also check out the rock as much as you can to avoid pests, like aptasia.
If you are just setting up your tank and want to save money (and also have patience) buy the rock dry for cheaper prices, and let it become live in your tank.
barleychown
New member
My suggestion would be to try your hardest to buy live rock from a local, and look at it before you actually purchase it.
There are some pretty bad nuisance algea out there, and if you can look at the rock in an established tank, you should be able to spot anything that may give you troubles down the road, like bubble algea, or hair algea.
There are some pretty bad nuisance algea out there, and if you can look at the rock in an established tank, you should be able to spot anything that may give you troubles down the road, like bubble algea, or hair algea.
barleychown
New member
Well, if the fish are in bad shape I would guess the same of the rock.
Have you found a local reef club?
Have you found a local reef club?
barleychown
New member
I would...I've gotten to know some good people, and gotten some great prices on frags from the members of our local club.
And it's Ma'am, but if you truly are in the fire service, I'll let it slide. ;o) I'm not one of the boys, but I am married to one.
And it's Ma'am, but if you truly are in the fire service, I'll let it slide. ;o) I'm not one of the boys, but I am married to one.
wayne in norway
New member
You can buy good and bad live rock. Good rock looks open, platy, has irregular shapes and quite obviously has lots and lots of open, accessible porosity.
Bad rock on the other hand can come straight form the ocean and look like a bunch of rounded boulders with little surface texture or obvious porosity. What's more it will often be a bit more yellow, dirtier in colour. It's simply come from a different part of the reef, and is a more compact, lower porosity rock and likely has lower poermeability as well, and possibly a good deal of muck as interstitial material (stuff inthe pores) to later bother you.
The filtration potential of the bad rock will be somewhat lower than the good, and I would guess the number of desired hitchhikers would be a bit lower as well. I suppose if you're scared of bad hitchhkiers there might be less of those too, but I think the good outweighs the bad.
Bad rock on the other hand can come straight form the ocean and look like a bunch of rounded boulders with little surface texture or obvious porosity. What's more it will often be a bit more yellow, dirtier in colour. It's simply come from a different part of the reef, and is a more compact, lower porosity rock and likely has lower poermeability as well, and possibly a good deal of muck as interstitial material (stuff inthe pores) to later bother you.
The filtration potential of the bad rock will be somewhat lower than the good, and I would guess the number of desired hitchhikers would be a bit lower as well. I suppose if you're scared of bad hitchhkiers there might be less of those too, but I think the good outweighs the bad.
