Density of Florida rock vs. Kaelini or Fiji rock

[ddoering]

Hi,

Was curious what the difference was between the density between your aquacultured rock and typical kaelini or fiji rock.

I have heard that it is a lot more dense, so I was wondering what the difference was so I could plan how many pounds of rock I would need.

Usually I hear 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon, but if the Florida rock is denser, I would need more lbs to get the same amount of coverage in the tank.

Also, I am probably going to be in the area in mid-January... do you still collect that time of the year, and are there differences in the lifeforms etc.

I will be driving home to Raleigh, NC, which I see taking about 12 hours, and was thinking of picking up some rock before leaving... would that be too much time packed up, or would the rock collected in January be missing a lot of the life (not sure what the temperatures are in the water that time of year).

Thanks,
Doug

 

[johnrags1234]

Any cultured florida rock- Think concrete and 2lbs/g

Pacific rock- Think styrofoam and 1lb/g]

Ive used both amnd prefer pacific myself.

 

[ddoering]

Hi John,

Thanks for the reply, so it is about 2 times as dense.

I don't plan on using any specific type of rock for the entire tank, I want a little diversity, so plan on getting some rock from multiple places.

The reason I am asking about the density is that if I plan on having a total of what would be 100 lbs fiji density, and I wanted to do multiple rock sources, then 50 or so lbs aquacultured rock would be about as much space as 25 lbs less dense pacific rock.

Then I could get maybe 50 or so lbs from hirocks and then maybe 25 or 30 lbs of kaelini or fiji rock.

The only problem I have with pacific live rock is that it typically looks pretty dead, and that you often have to recure the rock because there is so much die off.

I like what I have read about the amount and diversity of life that makes it through from the aquacultured florida rock.

Cheers,
Doug

 

[lllosingit]

I have to disagree with johnrags1234
I have Fiji,Tonga and a mix that I bought from a freind.
Last January I bought 90 lbs from TBS and although I had a couple pieces that were solid (no large holes or caves)
It did not weigh twice as much as the rest of my rock.
I was worried about that before I bought it and what I found was most but not all were about the same density or lighter than Fiji

 

[JPerkins]

Tampa Bays rocks are some of the most diverse life forms of rock you can get.

Even better if you make the drive down there, pick out your rocks and drive it back.

ddoering: You can make the drive easily if you keep the temp stable around 77-80 degrees.

 

[ddoering]

Thanks Guys,

I'll probably have to buy a cooler that is big enough to hold the rock, so that will insulate the heat, and possibly look into a heater pack or whatever.

As for keeping the temperature stable while driving, besides
putting in a cooler to insulate, and heatpacks, anything else I could do? I don't expect my car would be that cold since I will be
driving in it myself, but I have no idea what the weather is going to be like, and it will be in January (blah).

You guys ever see heaters or air pumps that will plug into cigarette lighters in the car?

Was thinking maybe I could aerate with an air pump to keep some water movement and O2, and possibly keep a small wattage heater in there as well to keep the temperature up.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[SPC]

I have to disagree with johnrags1234
I have Fiji,Tonga and a mix that I bought from a freind.
Last January I bought 90 lbs from TBS and although I had a couple pieces that were solid (no large holes or caves)
It did not weigh twice as much as the rest of my rock.
I was worried about that before I bought it and what I found was most but not all were about the same density or lighter than Fiji

This has been my experience also.
Steve

 

[lllosingit]

You can buy battery operated air pumps Dr Mac & sons have them.

They double packed my rock and filled the bags with oxygen and used heat packs.
I placed my order in January (very cold in the midwest) and the rock was shipped airport to airport. It was boxed up for over 18 hours or more before I got it home and it all looked great.
If I were picking up my own rock I would have them pack it up as if it were going to be shipped, If it survived this well for me then it should handle a 12 hour drive just fine.
My rock had feather dusters and other stuff opening within a half hour of being placed in the water.
If possible have the tank cycled and ready before you put it in.
I actually had a little goby as a hitchhiker here's a picture of him

 

[PRC]

As far as the density goes, I'm with lllosingit and SPC. I think there is probably as much density variation within a given type of rock (ie. Florida aquaculture, Fiji, Tonga, etc) as there is between the different types. Most of the TBS rock I got is full of holes and is very light. The 440# of TBS rock I got for my 220 won't fit in the tank. I've probably got about 120# of rock left over! My tank is viewable from three sides so I aquascaped down the center. It's a spur from one end, a small channel and then a small atoll. None of the Pacific rock that I've seen would have done any better a job of filling my tank. Take a look for yourself, and remember this is about 320# of rock in a 220.
The life on this rock is simply amazing. I've never seen any Pacific rock that even comes close to comparing to the TBS rock in diversity and amount of life. I've also had essentially no die-off so far. A few sponges lost some tissue, but once the dead tissue was removed they seem to be doing fine.
For car tranport you can also get an inverter that plugs into your cigarette lighter and will power an air pump or small powerhead. You can get them at Circuit City, Best Buy, Radio Shack, any place like that. That's what I did for the second half of my 220 package, though I only had a four hour drive back to Miami. I'd agree with lllosingit though, it's probably fine to just have them pack it up like they're going to air freight it.
HTH,
Paul

 

[Sting]

If you are going to visit the store personally, I'd suggest getting in there right when the store opens- people crowd in there every Saturday and by 4 all the good stuff is gone! I'd say check the place out right at 12 but no later than 1 if you want to pick from the best rock they have. Look for pieces with lots of holes crevices, life/corals, and tunnels. You'll find even more life on the rocks that are less dense because lots of stuff likes to hide in the holes. Of course, this brings about the problem of Mantis Shrimp, but they can be dealt with...I guess...

Good luck, TBS is one of the my favorite places on the planet- it's so much fun to go there!!!

 

[JPerkins]

Two of the best and coolest pieces of rock I got from TBS. One is a piece that is round with a cave system that runs around the outside like a raceway with an overhanging roof and some clams.

The other piece is a flat shelf with hole in it that let me place frags along it. Very nice.