Looking for an alternative to LR

[Southern Oak]

If you have about a month before you need it, Cermedia (they make MarinePure) is planning to release "rocks" at the end of this month. I got a couple sample rocks from them and they look pretty good. They're a little on the small side as far as reef rocks go, but on the plus side they're lighter than normal rocks and have ridiculous amounts of surface area.

 

[alton]

http://sealifeinc.net/catalog/produ...d=375&osCsid=cb890b1f5236d63cafd797a3e338b5d5

The link I posted is what I would do if I started a brand new tank.

 

[addo]

I use a lot of local limestone. It's pretty cheap at $0.10 - $0.20 lb. But before you beat yourself up over using live rock read this report by the UN: http://www.unep.org/PDF/From_Ocean_To_Aquarium_report.pdf From page 9

"The aquarium industry as a whole is of relatively low volume yet very high value, thus potentially providing an incentive to conserve reef habitats and offering a livelihood to coastal communities often living in low-income areas. In 2000, 1 kg of aquarium fish from the Maldives was valued at almost US$500, whereas 1 kg of reef fish harvested for food was worth only US$6. Similarly, the live coral trade is estimated to be worth about US$7,000 per tonne whereas the use of harvested coral for the production of limestone yields only about US$60 per tonne. In Palau, live rock is exported for the aquarium trade at US$2.2 to US$4.4 per kilo whereas it is sold locally as construction material for less than US$0.02 per kilo. Sri Lanka earns about US$5.6 million a year by exporting reef fish to around 52 countries and estimates indicate that 50,000 people are directly involved in the export of marine ornamentals. In the Philippines, about 7,000 collectors depend on the reefs for their livelihood"

Live rock is also a renewable resource being formed in as little as a few years.

To bad there isn't a "like button" on the forum, but i agree completely

 

[jccaclimber]

I look at it this way, If you buy liverock- then you have a chance to save that part of the sea. If you do not buy it- then it will be made into concrete or gravel for the island roads. I am not a big fan of dry rock- or the florida rock. Again to be green- buy pacific liverock from another hobbiest, and thereby recycle it. That way nothing is being removed from land or sea.

While I do absolutely believe in sustainable harvest of most things, I'm not sure I buy this argument. That is like looking at a blank concrete wall in a crummy part of town and saying "If you don't put nice looking graffiti on it someone else is just going to come along and put something ugly there."
If I buy live rock from a small island, they aren't going to stop making roads, and I don't think they are going to start importing limestone so they can sell more aquarium rock. If anything the wealth increase from charging more for rock to an outsider vs. less to an insider is going to cause the construction of more roads.
If it gets to the point where conserving their resource (reefs) is worth enough to take on whatever the more expensive alternative is, then it works, but I'm not sure it will get to that point.

The aquarium industry does drive higher prices, but it also drives the harvest of things that would not normally be worth taking, and doesn't have the volume to fully replace current consumption. Say someone discovers that he can sell a fish as food at X or sell it to an aquarist at 10x. He's still going to catch as many as he can. First he will sell the ones at 10x, but whatever stock is left is going to get sold at 1x because he's already caught it and it still has value.

 

[syrinx]

I do not mean that the roads will not be built- I am just saying that you can save that little piece of it from becoming a road. You make very good points, and they are true and valid. It is true if we had no demand in the trade, then fish and rock would not be sold to us. But my experience on the islands leads me to believe the harvest would continue for food and resources. The other side of the coin is the lower the standard of living, the more pollution and damage to the reefs. I still believe that getting pacific rock for bio diversity is valid- and trading that rock between aquarists after harvest is green.

 

[E Rosewater]

Caribsea had some decent dry rock that is land harvested.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24528

About $2 a pound.

As far as Reel Reef rock I've said it before, I hate the stuff. Mainly because of price and how dense it is.

 

[atreis]

I used the CaribSea rock in my last tank. It worked quite nicely and is good quality.

 

[Scubazaru]

Growing my own live rock naturally

Growing my own live rock naturally

I live in Japan, and am an avid scuba diver. I am planning a 75 gallon reef setup and would love nothing more than to take some base rock out and anchor it for about three months or more in order to create some live rock for the aquarium. Time from shore to tank? oh about 20 min. I also plan on using ocean water in my setup. My intent is to run an cycle of live rock in my fuge as well on a 6 month cycle. Thoughts?

 

[atreis]

There are companies here in Florida that aquaculture dry rock from land out in the Gulf of Mexico. It works quite well. Can't say I've heard of anyone replacing their rock at such a frequency... I suppose whether or not that's a good idea would depend on the chances of bringing in some undesirable plant or animal along with the rock.

 

[bfin3]

Vida rock

 

[Alexraptor]

Aquacultured live rock made from limestone makes me think of this.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Limestone_quarry.jpg

 

[atreis]

Most likely that quarry supplies material for crushed gravel for roads and lime for cement. (Besides, the quantity for aquariums would be a tiny fraction of that.) That said, yes, it would come from a quarry of some sort. Consumption does that. The only way to not do that, is to not consume, otherwise whatever your consuming comes from somewhere, and leaves a hole of some sort behind.

 

[Graffiti Reef]

I live in Japan, and am an avid scuba diver. I am planning a 75 gallon reef setup and would love nothing more than to take some base rock out and anchor it for about three months or more in order to create some live rock for the aquarium. Time from shore to tank? oh about 20 min. I also plan on using ocean water in my setup. My intent is to run an cycle of live rock in my fuge as well on a 6 month cycle. Thoughts?

Thats actually an awesome idea and I highly approve of this. In fact if I lived close to sea I would do this with all my rock. just watch for hitchhikers and also quarantine that. Come to think of it, since Japan suffered that tragic nuclear incident would that still be wise to do that?

 

[Graffiti Reef]

Also, I bought sand from this guy and am thinking about buying some of his shelf rock thats cut flat to make a nice shelf or base.

http://www.marcorocks.com/dry-rock/

 

[hart24601]

I love vida rock. It's my "go to" now when starting a tank.