Dry Rock...where to get them?

[Olival]

Hi guys,

first of all please apologize if this is not compliant with the forums rules...but since I was encouraged in several posts to ask, I will ask.

I'm in the process to get rocks for my 120 Gal (4x2x2) and I was wondering if you guys have any suggestion on where to get it in good price, being it in Saint Louis Area or Online.

My initial plan is to get 150lbs with Marcorocks.com is there other reasonable options (specially price-wise)

thank in advance
Marcos

 

[BlueFyre]

I got mine from reefcleaners

 

[chadfarmer]

what ever u get make sure you soak rock in ro water to make sure that its not filled with po4 will save a u a lot of aggravation and money

 

[zero26]

Bulkreef or Marcorock

 

[rerr001]

Got mine from Macro Rocks, great rocks

 

[DrewPalmer04]

what ever u get make sure you soak rock in ro water to make sure that its not filled with po4 will save a u a lot of aggravation and money

Exactly. Been there, done that.

 

[STLREEFER]

got all my dry rock from bulk reef supply

 

[u4ick]

If you like marco rock, then check out reefrocks.com they have the rock that is identical for a slightly cheaper price. Last time I checked it was $85 for a 50lb box.

 

[ryanmell]

i got mine from reefrocks.com, tell him what you want to do with your aquascape and he will hand pick rocks for you

 

[DrewPalmer04]

Watch for Po4 with that rock

 

[ebacon]

Smart to go with dry rock, keeps the pests and hitchhikers away. But P04 Is a concern, you will want to do a pre cure like chad suggested, then load up some gfo when you put it in the display.

 

[darkiss]

ya i got mine from BRS as well, supper cheap.

However they don't have base sand, where do you guys buy that online?

 

[Sistom]

Hi Marcos,

Glad to see you on here asking questions!

I purchased BRS Pukani Dry Aquarium Rock from Bulk Reef Supply when I upgraded and needed more rock. It's EXTREMELY porous so you get a LOT of rock for the weight/money. I wouldn't even recommend trying to cram 150lbs of that rock in a 120gal. To be honest, I would think 80lb to 100lb of the pukani dry rock would be sufficient (still may be overkill). It all depends on how much open space you want in the tank. I think most beginners want as much rock as possible. Over the years, I have started to appreciate the open space more and more and find it more aesthetically pleasing than the visual anxiety attack of the top to bottom rock wall. Sometimes LESS is better. Just something to consider (as I continue to pull rocks out of my tank to get more open space). Anyway, right now you would save 3% when you buy over 50lbs AND you could use the Bulk Reef Supply Black Friday coupon (sale ends 19NOV12) to save another 12% (I can send you the promo code via PM if you want it). That puts it at around $2.97/lb.

Oh, and soaking the rock for a few months is essential in my opinion. I soaked mine for over 2 months and the phosphates were incredibly high at the beginning. After over 2 months of changing out the water I got it down to about .08 (if I remember correct) and threw them in my new tank. I'm not kidding, that rock was completely full of coralline within a month and no problems with algae at all! I was really impressed!

Good luck!

 

[khowst]

I've used both and personally either one is a great choice. The marco rocks in my experience seems to be a little more softer and brittle so it cracks and crumbles more. I used to in my 29g mantis tank and with her in here its perfect she can crack and beat up rocks all day long.

For a larger tank I would lean towards BRS you can ask for specific sized rocks, they are good pourous rocks and not as soft as marco's. They can easily go from basball sized to JUMBO if you ask them. Easiest to call ahead of time and talk with them so its lined up then add the comments to the order when you buy.

A bigger order like your. BRS my vote.

 

[LokiPbc]

I got my rocks from reef cleaners. Great service. Had a problem with one of my orders and a replacement was sent out next day!

 

[Olival]

Thanks guys...I really appreciated your answer and helped a lot to support my decision. I'm leaning toward BRS, specially after Sistom's explanation.

 

[Olival]

Hi guys, just placed my order with BRS, thanks again for the help. Now on this soaking rocks business would someone care to elaborate further?!
- how often to change the water?! Is it complete or partial change?
- regarding the container, I was planing to use a Brute container that later on I will use for my RO/DI water storage. Is ther a problem with that?! Would have a different suggestion?!

Thanks in advance
Marcos

 

[drummereef]

Hi guys, just placed my order with BRS, thanks again for the help. Now on this soaking rocks business would someone care to elaborate further?!
- how often to change the water?! Is it complete or partial change?
- regarding the container, I was planing to use a Brute container that later on I will use for my RO/DI water storage. Is ther a problem with that?! Would have a different suggestion?!

Thanks in advance
Marcos

Hey Marcos. The Brute is perfect for this. I purchased 60lbs of Pukani rock for an external refugium I recently built. Like other's said, it is chocked full of Phosphate so you'll need to address that during the cycle. Ideally, set up the Brute container, fill it with saltwater, add the rock, and add a powerhead and heater to get the cycle started.

From here what I did was... I dosed a couple different bacteria. You could do Microbacter7, Special Blend, or even some Zeo bacteria. But either way I found the bacteria additions to be necessary to start a positive bacteria culture - and it really helped to break down the excess nutrients. Whatever fits the budget will work. Once I was about 10-15 days into the cycle I dosed Lanthanum Chloride - SeaClear Phosphate Remover CR (purchase online). I mixed 5ml into 1 Liter of RO/DI and dosed at a rate of ~1 drip every 5-10 seconds, so a looooong drip cycle. I did this daily for a week or two. I measured PO4 every few days with my Hanna Phosphorous Checker to see the reduction in PO4. Without a doubt, the SeaClear worked to remove the insane amount of Phosphate bound in the rock.

Once the PO4 was down to a manageable level and the cycle had fully run it's course (no ammonia or nitrite) I did a 100% water change in the curing container. This eliminated the excess Nitrate that had collected in the water. I ran the rock another week or so and dosed occasionally with SeaClear if I started to see a rise of PO4. From there I transferred the rock to the refugium (or in your case display). Just make sure to not transfer any water from the curing container to the display. Just fill the display with new saltwater, heat and add flow, then add your rock.

All in all, this process took about 30-40 days but was well worth the effort. When I originally set up my display with Marco Rock, I did not take these precautions and went through a few super nasty algae cycles. To me, it's definitely worth the time and effort to cycle the dry rock correctly to avoid any headaches down the road. All of this is also documented in my Home Page Thread. HTH

 

[u4ick]

Has anyone ever just used fresh/RO water to leach out Po4?
Does it work to do that?

I'm just wondering if one could use fresh water, at least for starting the process of Po4 reduction. (I'm not saying to "cycle", but just for leaching out the Po4)

 

[VSpeck]

I mostly have heard of people using ro to let the rock leach. Hell people used to let freshly made frag plugs and small DIY rock leach in the tank of the toilet because it was constantly getting a water change.