set up ?

[wolfblade]

iam setting up my 125g soon and i need to know if it is better and cheaper to get rock and sand in town or get the package from tampabay witch comes with 250lbs live rock 125 lbs of sand and a clean up crew for 1500.00 thoughts anyone.

 

[ihavtats29]

i wouldnt get the whole package but i would get some rock to seed base rock, unless the shops here are willing to give the same price for the rock , shop for rock online there are places that have rock for less than $5 a pound

 

[MrRyanT]

I purchased some locally in order to hand pick pieces that I wanted and ordered some online for better pricing.

 

[Mako Shark II]

$1,500.?!?!?!?!!!!!

I'LL do it for $1,500. all day long!!! What's your P.O. Number?? (That's a load of coin!)

Seriously, what Jim & Ryan said. A 125? So you're looking at what?? 200#'s??? (tank size x 1.5 = LR load) I've got a 120, with 225 #'s and it's a LOT of rock. Almost too much, really!

Shop the Base rock ($3-5/ pound) to establish your aquascaping foundation and then buy Top Quality LR to jump-start the Bio-bed and the "show" portions of the tank. Cycle as needed. You just want to cycle everything together. Avoid "adding" rock piece-meal. Do it all at once.

Also, shop for someone exiting the hobby or just changing tanks.

All kidding aside, I personally shelled out "a lot" of money for LR. In the end, I bought (what ended up being) 140 pounds of very encrusted 'shroom rock for (only) $500 (okay, it was a lot of money at the time, but what a bargin that ended up being.) Add to that, 36 pounds of mature coralline rock for $100 (thanks friedrice!), plus the 45# in my previous tank.

Add Caribe Live Sand (What? $40 / bag??) A 125? You'll need 4-6 bags?? That's still a far cry from $1,500. mate. Don't forget, the Rock goes in first and the sand filters around it. (I've also got a Sand funnel you can borrow to load the sand around your LR without creating a mess in the water.

Keep your eyes open and Shop it!

 

[Grendel0501]

There are acouple of places online that have standard fiji for $2/lbs , shipping is going to get you though.

Marine Depot
LiveAquaria

 

[wolfblade]

thats why i made this post i was not sure about it this is the first tank i have set up from the start my 65 is one i did from a 55 set up that was already running so i have not had to get this much rock at once but that has answered my question about this

 

[MarineFlake]

Bought rock @ LFS which allowed me to pick what I wanted. Purchased 10 red leg, 10 blue leg 10 astrea and 4 turbos from online store. The " package deals" often come with some things you may not want in your tank. I didn't want to pay for things I neither wanted or needed. I would check the forums and craigslist for LR before i parted with 1500 dollars.

Happy reefing!

 

[night_blade]

yea, picking your own pieces at a LFS is the best plan, ordering online can be a gamble whether or not you get good pieces (lots of holes, coralline algae, hitch hikers, etc.)

 

[lorawalters13]

Marine Depot includes 2nd day fedex delivery in the price of their live rock. You can upgrade to overnight for around $12 more. However, it is best suited for base rock and will require a long curing process. I don't think you can beat them on price or customer service.

 

[Mako Shark II]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14226532#post14226532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by night_blade
yea, picking your own pieces at a LFS is the best plan, ordering online can be a gamble whether or not you get good pieces (lots of holes, coralline algae, hitch hikers, etc.)

I completely agree. Buy only what you want; even if you pay a premium, at least you know what youre getting. :thumbsup: