Dry Rocks VS. Live Rock

[HCruzer]

Hello All,

I have been out of the game for about 3 years but after reading many threads i see a lot of you using Dry Rocks instead of LR. Now i have used LR all the time but what are the benifits of the DR besides the cost? Very Curious. Also Does the Majority prefer LR or DR? :bounce3:

Cheers,
Henry

 

[rad1687]

Dry rock is generally easier to aquascape with and you don't run the risk of introducing unwanted pests such as algaes, aiptasias, crabs, etc. I will be filling my upgrade primarily with dry rock, adding just a few piece of live rock to seed the tank and accelerate the cycle. Good luck!

PS check out the BRS Pukani rock, stuff looks awesome!

 

[cham]

I prefer dry, even the cleanest live commonly have bubble algea, astrinas, mojano's and other pests. The costs vs dry also don't justify it for me, I pick a very select small piece of live rock to "seed" my tank with and in a healthy system the dry quickly becomes the same as the live.

Down side is it requires a bit more patience, but really patience is the foundation to this hobby IMHO.

 

[HCruzer]

Thanks Rad1687!

I will check out the rocks you mentioned. I am currently in the process of setting up a 50 gallon Cube and want to research well before I start

 

[HCruzer]

Thanks CHam!

I am sure that if you do buy dry rock you would probably have to soak it for a while correct? Or does it ship pretty clean?

Cheers,
Henry

 

[TheReefChief]

Dry rock is generally easier to aquascape with and you don't run the risk of introducing unwanted pests such as algaes, aiptasias, crabs, etc. I will be filling my upgrade primarily with dry rock, adding just a few piece of live rock to seed the tank and accelerate the cycle. Good luck!

PS check out the BRS Pukani rock, stuff looks awesome!

This x10. I didnt read the right threads and overlooked the fact that certain LR hitchikers are quite often extremely annoying pests (aiptasia), and pretty common on liverock.. I got really nice established liverock for the price of base rock and I regret it because of aiptasia, hydroids, and other evil pests. Next time i will be seeding dead rock with some carefully looked over live pieces.

 

[EasyEd77]

I would let it sit in a dark tub of saltwater with a protein skimmer for a couple of months. I would change out a bunch of water every few weeks as well. I wish I did this from the start, after 16 months I am still having minor issues with algae and am convinced it is because I did not correctly cure my dry rock from BRS. Don't let people fool you, a good rinse just didn't work out for me.

 

[HCruzer]

Thanks for the Info easyed! It seems like everyone is using dry rocks so far.. No one with some input on Live Rock and its benefits?

 

[Lemeshianos]

Dry rock in a system that has no Live rock will not trully become Live rock.
It will develop the bacteria on the outer part of the rock that converts ammonia->nitrites->nitrates
but not the bacteria inside the rock that convert nitrates to nitrogen gas.
There is an article of Randy where he explains that the flow of water inside the rock requires the microfauna of the rock which moves inside the rock. As this tiny creatures move inside the rock they cause water with nitrates to enter in the rock where hypoxic conditions exist and allow the development of bacteria that break down nitrates to nitrogen gas.

I've spend a good 20min searching for the article but can't find it.
EDIT: found it. My bad, it was not Randy who was the author but Dr. Ronald L. Shimek.
Here is the link: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/feature/index.php

 

[nvdiz]

I prefer Dry Rock.

Pros

Cheaper
Not actually being taken from an active ecosystem
No pests
Easier to work with


Cons

Requires seeding (bacteria)
May leach nutrients
No beneficial critters

 

[pmgaudio]

Well IM-noob-O The benefits for starting an Aptasia tank are ASTRONOMICAL! LOL
I have mostly LR in my tank and my next one will NOT have nearly as much. Although I like the two crabs and three mini feather dusters. I think my algae problem might stem from the LR. So soon my next build will consist of Dry and a bunch of LR rubble in a sump/fuge for seeding/cycling. And dry in DT for scaping...

 

[HCruzer]

Does anyone have any pictures of thier dry rock in thier system after 6 months ? Would like to see how it looks and also take a look at the coraline growth.

Henry

 

[sanchoy]

Live rock= set and go, possible pest,expensive

dry rock=must rinse and cure and wait (very long process), inability to use rock right away due to cooking, cheaper, no pest but alot of dead organisms on it.

Overall, it depends on what you want. I tried both ways and would rather buy live rock from a good source (no pest), then dry rock. But thats my opinion.

 

[HCruzer]

Hello Sanchoy,

Thanks for chiming in! I have always used LR but saw so many posts on Dry Rock i wanted to see why lots had shifted to that option. LR to me sounds like the logical thing to use but i do see the Dry Rock Points too. I think we all want and beautiful healthy tank with no headaches but in this hobby it is hard to have things go without a hiccup

 

[C0rp]

I have 120 lbs of Marco rock that was never "cured, cooked, or anything". It went right into my tank. 6 months later I have had zero issues. The Marco rocks are "pre-cooked" before you ever even get them. This is explained on the website. Coralline has nothing to do with dry vs live, tank params such as calcium and alk will determine coralline growth.

 

[gooberz]

I believe Live Rock is the way to go. Cant beat the life on the rock and it takes time for Dry Rock to grow all the live organisms. Prices are a bit cheaper but not significant IMHO to not go with live rock. Get your Rock from a reputable dealer is my opinion.

 

[Huachinango]

I believe Live Rock is the way to go. Cant beat the life on the rock and it takes time for Dry Rock to grow all the live organisms. Prices are a bit cheaper but not significant IMHO to not go with live rock. Get your Rock from a reputable dealer is my opinion.

i agree with Gooberz- or maybe i just don't have the patience to wait for DR.

 

[ken123]

I started with 50# of each 5 years ago, and my sand was dry also, Southdown sand when you could get it. Right now I have no idea which rock was live and which was dry at this point, coraline covers alot of all the rock. I luckily did not have any trouble with bad hitchhikers either! Pretty surprised at all the life in my tank from the LR. Tiny bristle stars, spaghetti worms in the sand, I now have copepods on my glass again, I think that's what they are. I did have bristle worms at one point, but they went away somehow.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

...what are the benifits of the DR besides the cost?

Don't knock cost as a major benefit, tank sizes just get bigger and dry rock is less expensive per pound and way cheaper to ship (ground). The major advantage to dry rock is the total lack of any imports, with a notable difference between mined rock and dried live rock, which will contain animal and plant leftovers.

On the other hand, the major advantage to live rock is speed. Way faster to do a quick cure and have all the mysterious flora, fauna and micobacterial essence up and running. Complete with wanted hitchhikers (not all are unwanted).

More experienced reefers eventually learn that faster is rarely better in this field. I think you'll find it common for first-time reefers to go for the live rock. Tank-upgraders, second-reefers and the psychotics who plumb the hall closet to hold their $3,000 wave device for the soft coral propagation systems are probably less likely to fill the tank with only live rock.

Jeff

 

[jeff@zina.com]

I am sure that if you do buy dry rock you would probably have to soak it for a while correct? Or does it ship pretty clean?

Depends on the rock. For example, BRS Reef Saver dry rock is mined and sent to you. Hose it off on the back porch and drop it in, it's inert rock.

BRS Pukani dry rock is harvested from reefs and although dry, no living stuff, there is plenty of biological debris that needs to be removed, either through scrubbing or "cooking" the rock. This organic debris starts a new cycle, which may be okay or bad, depending on what you're doing.

Jeff