Why does dry rock so much..?

[toothybugs]

I'm honestly just curious to know if I'm missing some key factor that makes this add up, as so many stores hold this product with such high esteem IME.

High esteem = easy marketing.

 

[snorklr]

love the name too...when i first saw it in a lfs tank i had no idea "real reef rock" as it was labeled was a brand name for spray painted cement...i assumed it was actually real reef rock

 

[seamonster124]

As a DIYer I cannot justify the cost of many items in this hobby. As a business owner, I know much of the high prices are due to retailers convincing reefers they are not good at the hobby if they are not dropping big bucks. Some consumers also develop emotional attachments to their favorite products and believe anyone who does not own a $599 skimmer is simply not dedicated enough.

I predict more companies like Jebao, continuing to improve their quality while maintaining low prices and we'll see some of the big names go away.

 

[solaris11]

I agree with you.

Why does everything in this hobby cost so much? It can't be that expensive to make salt. It's just minerals. Protein skimmers are just plastic and a pump yet they can cost anywhere from 300 bucks on up for a good one. LED lights are really cheap and inexpensive to produce but the fixtures cost top dollar. I think the answer is most things cost what they do because people continue to pay the prices. They know they can get what they ask out of it.

The price on LED much like many other tech items is mostly RND......you couldn't imagine what goes on aside from actually producing the product

 

[soeminpaing]

Any cheap " made in china " rocks that I can buy?

 

[SoloChromis]

love the name too...when i first saw it in a lfs tank i had no idea "real reef rock" as it was labeled was a brand name for spray painted cement...i assumed it was actually real reef rock

Exactly, it feels intentional. I've seen plenty of novices fall into the trap of buying dusty purple cement thinking it's somehow superior

 

[TylerHaworth]

I think that was a bit uncalled for.....he gave an exaggerating example to make a point. Complaining about high priced items you never intend to buy is wasted action. You want to get cheap purple man made rock? Buy dry and paint it yourself.

He's too busy blustering about nothing to understand, I fully expected some sort of personal attack.

 

[dkeller_nc]

What I'm talking about is dry rock, as in rock that was mined in this country, spray painted and thrown onto a shelf. I can't see any reason to charge such an absurdly high amount for it. Like I said, I have worked with and bought from plenty of *much* smaller businesses, who charged a fraction of what these rather large companies charge for rock that is typically dense, artificial looking, with little variety in shapes & sizes.

You may have some confusion about what the product "Real Reef Rock" actually is. It isn't mined, it's constructed out of what amounts to Portland cement. The dye is actually pigment that is incorporated into the outer consolidated layer (i.e., so it's not technically "spray painted"). It's then aquacultured in closed systems to populate it with bacteria.

Contrast this with what's typically meant by "dry rock" - it's either terrestrially mined from a fossilized reef in Florida and pressure-washed (e.g., Marco rocks, or "Reef Saver" rocks), or it's live rock harvested from pacific islands that's dried and shipped (e.g., "Pukani"). This dry rock is far less expensive per pound than "Real Reef Rock".

Keep in mind that I don't think "Real Reef Rock" is an appropriate product nor an appropriate company, all the way from the name, composition, concept or marketing, and I would never purchase it nor allow it in one of my tanks. But it's not the same thing as what most of us refer to as "dry rock".

 

[BlackTip]

I agree that everything in this hobby is overpriced and I have to add with the worst products QA/QC I have ever seen. I buy only top and most recommended brands, and still the QA/QC leave a lot to be desired. Biggest wast of my time.

About rocks, I assume the biggest cost is shipping.

 

[SoloChromis]

You may have some confusion about what the product "Real Reef Rock" actually is. It isn't mined, it's constructed out of what amounts to Portland cement. The dye is actually pigment that is incorporated into the outer consolidated layer (i.e., so it's not technically "spray painted"). It's then aquacultured in closed systems to populate it with bacteria.

Contrast this with what's typically meant by "dry rock" - it's either terrestrially mined from a fossilized reef in Florida and pressure-washed (e.g., Marco rocks, or "Reef Saver" rocks), or it's live rock harvested from pacific islands that's dried and shipped (e.g., "Pukani"). This dry rock is far less expensive per pound than "Real Reef Rock".

Keep in mind that I don't think "Real Reef Rock" is an appropriate product nor an appropriate company, all the way from the name, composition, concept or marketing, and I would never purchase it nor allow it in one of my tanks. But it's not the same thing as what most of us refer to as "dry rock".

Okay, thank you for filling me in. This thread really wasn't intended to be an enraged rant about a product, but more an honest question as to why might this product costs as much as it does. As far as it being more live than dry, at least in my area, most local shops sell it dry off of the shelf for more than the cost of the standard live rock, but that's just my area. Again, thanks for some solid insight :beer:

 

[Joeb1983]

love the name too...when i first saw it in a lfs tank i had no idea "real reef rock" as it was labeled was a brand name for spray painted cement...i assumed it was actually real reef rock

^ Same here! When I first started in the hobby they had this stuff in curing tanks mixed in with real live rock at my LFS. In the water they looked decent and it had all that purple! :bounce2:

"Reel reef rock" misled me as well... When they asked what pieces I wanted I just said the more purple, the better. :rolleye1:

Like OP is stating, it was priced much higher right around $12 a pound if I recall. I bought 10 pounds.

Get it home and actually put hands on it and realized it was a cement/plaster based fake clumpy "rock" that was horribly, heavily painted purple like a 3rd grade geo project. :facepalm:

I was honestly taken back and felt robbed. lol!

My fault for not researching and inspecting it at the store. Luckily they allowed me to return it after explaining the situation. :thumbsup: