Liverock recomendations

doxyman

doxyman

Premium Member
I just finished setting up a 30g in my office so now I'm ready for some liverock. Since I'm new to the area, and only visited one LFS so far, I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for a few local stores that carry a nice selection of rock.

Thanks
 
I would order offline, if you have the chance and go with buna live rock, you will not regret it. I have that in my small tanks.
 
Lalo, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Buna(as previously recommended), Tonga are all very nice

Don't know of local stores that carry these, but SITC has a great selection of some really nice rock. I agree about buying it online, but the shipping costs can kill you, so make sure it's a company with good rock at a good price. Also, will need to cure longer when you buy it online for the longer distance and time traveled.
 
Thanks bluecarpet. I have not tried the Buna so good to hear. Where did you get it?

Yeah, I've been looking at some of online LR and there is a quite a selection and a number of vendors that people really rave about. The one thing that has kept me from going that route is that since I'm dealing with a small tank, I wanted to make sure I put the right size/shape pieces in it. If I can't find some locally, I'll probably place an order.

When I visited SITC a few weeks ago they had some really nice LR but at the time I wasn't ready for it plus a number of pieces were already sold.
 
Ocean pro aquatics, based out of chino california. The best place by far to buy live rock, most of the stores in the states buy from them, but they have now gone wholesale to the public which is awesome. So def go with ocean pro aquatics. And if you do large fish orders order from them and pay for the shipping. Shipping on the live rock is very cheap, and it still would be cheaper rather than going to the local fish store. So good luck, Buna is by far the nicest rock you can buy for a tank, and talk about diversity within the rock. buna is a deepwater rock and kind of hard to come by but ocean pro almost always has it. As i said before they are the leading distributor of live rock in the states.
 
also just tell them what sizes you want and they will give you the best sized pieces. It's like cherry picking pieces but online, which is sweet.
 
wait untill someone on the board is selling some. You can get it for $2 a pound or less and its usually pretty good since its been in a tank for a while.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7877403#post7877403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bluecarpet
Ocean pro aquatics, based out of chino california. The best place by far to buy live rock, most of the stores in the states buy from them, but they have now gone wholesale to the public which is awesome. As i said before they are the leading distributor of live rock in the states.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, how do you know most stores in the states buy from them and also how do you know they are the leading distributor of live rock in the US? The reason I ask is not to contradict you, it's just that I went to their site and couldn't find any of that info. Also, with Walt Smith and the FL rock farmers(TBS,Triton, etc.), this seems more like opinion than fact. Any website to back this up? TBS boasts the largest live rock farm in the world, but not the largest distributor. I just don't understand why they wouldn't mention that on their site
 
By the way, thank you for the recommendation...I've looked at purchasing from them a few times and never really went through with it. With a recommendation, I might buy some when I get my new tank up.
 
One more question, though...how could you tell them what sizes? I don't think they even open the boxes before sending them(unless you are buying by the pound). Like many rocks, it is sent directly from the islands to them and right out the door to you. At least that's how most of the companies do it and that is what they imply in their description. I'm very sorry, I don't mean to question everything you say. I am truely interested...
 
Thanks guys for the feedback, I really do appreciate it.

I know online is the least expensive way to buy rock and if I was setting up a large tank, would definitely go that route. Although I'm not new the hobby, ordering liverock online is VERY new to me. I guess I find it hard to shake the idea that I can't see what I bought and can't return it if I don't like it. I've read alot of threads about the great rock that people get online but knowing myself (and my luck) I'd be the guy that would get the white 45 pound boulder. :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7878469#post7878469 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cschweitzer
Just out of curiosity, how do you know most stores in the states buy from them and also how do you know they are the leading distributor of live rock in the US? The reason I ask is not to contradict you, it's just that I went to their site and couldn't find any of that info. Also, with Walt Smith and the FL rock farmers(TBS,Triton, etc.), this seems more like opinion than fact. Any website to back this up? TBS boasts the largest live rock farm in the world, but not the largest distributor. I just don't understand why they wouldn't mention that on their site
Click to expand...
Give them a call.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7878557#post7878557 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cschweitzer
One more question, though...how could you tell them what sizes? I don't think they even open the boxes before sending them(unless you are buying by the pound). Like many rocks, it is sent directly from the islands to them and right out the door to you. At least that's how most of the companies do it and that is what they imply in their description. I'm very sorry, I don't mean to question everything you say. I am truely interested...
Click to expand...
They have there own holding tanks, they deal with thousands of pounds of rock a week. Not just the little 75 pound, 125 pound, boxes, they are big time and deal with thousands of pounds. And no problem with the questions.
 
Also they dont have to open the boxes, they are the boxes, if you know what i mean. They have there own company on the islands that collect rock for them.
 
Oh...okay makes much more sense. Thanks.

Doxy, if you're worried about quality from online, liveaquaria.com guarantees the rock is as described, coralline coverage, piece shapes and sizes; pretty much anything that could annoy you buying rock they cover. They do not open the boxes before they send it out, but they have a trustworthy dealer to them. I have heard someone complain and got a response saying that they would ship out a new box for just the shipping. They stand behind their guarantee even for the rock they sell.

I only know because one of the doctors(Foster or Smith, I forget which one) came and responded to the person here on RC personally regarding their live rock. He stated that if you ever have a problem, they will work with you to solve it. They are a sponsor of RC and get very good reviews on here.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7879227#post7879227 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cschweitzer
Then again, my opinion is if you can find it local at a decent price, help out you LFS...they need it more.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice and something I really believe in.

Also, thanks for reminding me about liveaquaria.com and their guarantee...I do remember reading either that thread or one similar to it.

I don't necessarily have a problem with the quality of the online LR, its just that if I'm going to drop a few hundred $ on something, I'd like to see it first & know what I'm buying. For most of these vendors whatever they send you're stuck with, it's not like buying a pump or skimmer and receiving exactly what you ordered. I guess what I'll do is check out some of the LFS this weekend and if I can't find anything, will try getting it online.
 
floridaliverock.com in Tarpon Springs, beautiful rock, awesome customer service. You can go pick it out yourself, it isnt really that far.
 
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