Is it worthwhile to mailorder live rock ...

[jeffreyrichard]

Opinions wanted!

Do I mailorder uncured Florida Live rock with lots of critters on it (such as Tampa Bay's Deco rock) or just go with cured rock from my LFS?

 

[Boat Racer]

Well If the place you are ordering from provides pics of your order and they will give you the specific sizes and shapes of rock your looking for then order it.I have found that only a few places will do all of the above so intern its a crapshoot of what ya end up with.On the other hand if your LFS cost a little more but has the sizes and shapes L/R you want then buy it there.I personaly like to look at the rock,touch it smell it and decide for my self wich peices I realy want.It usualy costs more to do it this way but choosing rock is one of if not the most important part of setting up your aquascape.

 

[ReefNeck]

Adding to what Boat Racer said.....ReeferRocks.com is the only place I have found that will provide a pic of the exact rocks they plan to send you before you pay letting you see exactly what you will get.

 

[brians_224]

If you want to buy dead rock - ReeferRocks.com is definately the way to go. Great looking rock - very pourous. I ordered from them, saw a picture before he shipped, requested that he swap some pieces, he did. Couldn't be happier.

I'm not sure - but I think the hurricane season hit TBS pretty hard?

Good luck.

 

[jeffreyrichard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6600892#post6600892 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Boat Racer
Well If the place you are ordering from provides pics of your order and they will give you the specific sizes and shapes of rock your looking for then order it.I have found that only a few places will do all of the above so intern its a crapshoot of what ya end up with.On the other hand if your LFS cost a little more but has the sizes and shapes L/R you want then buy it there.I personaly like to look at the rock,touch it smell it and decide for my self wich peices I realy want.It usualy costs more to do it this way but choosing rock is one of if not the most important part of setting up your aquascape.

Ideally, I'm trying to get diversity of life on the rocks ... coral, coraline algae, feather dusters, etc. Wondering if it is generally worth while to buy this uncure premium rock, or is just going to die off anyway in transit ...?

 

[Paintbug]

i would say its worth ordering if your LFS charges alot for LR like mine. i have about 70lbs in my tank from the LFS with a $400+ total. there rock is crap when compared to what i have seen from TBS, and others. plus the LFS picks off any corals that may come in on it. i know this because you can see the freash chesel marks on the rocks. if you plan on ordering alot its well worth it. another option is to look in the local forums and see if someone is selling off theirs.

 

[Boat Racer]

Remember one thing.The LFS also has to cure the rock they get so any loss of life is still going to happen wether you order it or buy it already cured from the LFS.Yes some LFS's have crappy rock.Dont buy what you dont like.There will be a lot of life that will pop up that you cant see at the LFS.Uualy they dont have their tanks set up for growth more like holding tanks with less than acceptable water quality.You may also buy some through mail order and also get some premium peices from the LFS and mix them in your system.I was lucky and have two LFS's that have some realy nice rock and they get it often enough to have one tank where the new rock is curing and the display tank that holds the rock cured and for sale.It usualy is still very dirty and they encourage you to grab a peice and brush off the detritus with their scrub brush.Its amazing to see the color thats there if you just give it a quik brush or scrub.

 

[SCR]

Right now there is a place in Appolo Beach Fl. that is selling, on e-bay, live rock that is fully cured and ready to go. I had no die-off and put it in after a quick rince. I checked for ammo. for two day and it still at zero.
I got my order in 24 hr. but your further away and it will take a little longer. I ended up paying right at $3 per lb. delivered to front door. The rock is fiji and looks great, it seem that you get more volume of rock with fiji than fl rock. The size range form 10" to 5" and very little rubble.

 

[Boat Racer]

Post Removed

 

[jeffreyrichard]

Bump

 

[Boat Racer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6601477#post6601477 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Boat Racer
Post Removed

Sorry,just trying to be freindly

 

[freestone]

I order 45 lbs figi premium from drsfostersmith.com
It cost like $3.50/lb shipped
I recieved some pretty nice pieces. two of them were over 12 inches long. I also got a few softball sized piece and some rubble. The was a lot diversity and nice color.

 

[Zoalander]

I say go to a LFS and pick out the pieces you like. There is nothing like handpicking LR.

 

[blmeier7]

I also ordered the 45lbs. from Drfostersmith.com and was happy with it. The LFS here charge minimum of $7 per lb. and the quality of rock is not good.

 

[Ehgemus]

I bought 50 lbs of live rock off ebay for 158.00 shipped that is about 3.16 per pound. It was really nice rock.

 

[HippieSmell]

IMO I've never seen Florida aquacultured rock that wasn't a bunch of dense round boulders. I ordered a box from reefermadness and was very happy. It was a little gamble because I didn't know what I was going to get, but I received awesome rock including 2 show pieces around 20 lbs a piece. And the rock is very porous, unlike Florida aquacultured.

 

[SCR]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6626060#post6626060 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Harold Edwards
I bought 50 lbs of live rock off ebay for 158.00 shipped that is about 3.16 per pound. It was really nice rock.

That exactly what I paid, did it come from Appollo Beach, Fl ?