you have an anenome in your tank and you are cycling? You need to bring it back to the LFS before it is too late.
To serve as biological filtration you need about 1 pound/gallon depending on the source.
check out premiumaquatics.com, there rock is pretty darn good.
when you say "grow stuff" what are you looking for? If you want coraline algae and some pods, then most rock will do (not really base rock though, get the premium stuff). If you want a ton or crabs, pods, sponges, and corals, etc., then check out tampabaysaltwater.com.