Live Rock... HELP PLEASE

[Kdocimo90]

Okay, so I was searching the threads and discovered that reefdepot is a good site for live rock... It just so happens that they are now selling fully cured live rock for 4$ per lb... Does this mean that I can buy 150 lbs of it and put it straight into my tank?

I also found a site that sells "eco rox" should I use this since i already have cured live rock in the tank?

Eco Rox (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Eco-RoX-(-Fiji-Rock-)/c7/p459/Dry-Fiji-Live-Rock-(ECO-ROX)/product_info.html)

anyone have any experience with this? Would it be good to add about 150-200 lbs of this to my already 140 cured live rock?

What do you guys think would be more efficient?

[tufacody]

There are a gajillion posts on this topic. Do a few searches.

[BeesGoneWild]

well the eco rocks are basically dead, but if you have live rock in your tank already then they can seed the eco rocks. Even if you bought the fully cured stuff it still needs to be shipped and you will have alittle die off wether it be the bacteria on the inside of the rock or the algae and life on the outside of the rock, it makes no diffrence. I would assume that you could have a small cycle.

[Kdocimo90]

oh... and i have a 210 gallon tank

[Kdocimo90]

well what would you guys prefer? getting the dry/ eco rox and combining it with my already cured live rock? or getting fully cured live rock and going through the process again... the eco rox are also much cheaper..

[pex]

Go to LiveAquaria.com and check out the Lalo rock. I have ordered it before and it is as nice, if not nicer, than the picture. After it was in my tank for a few months the array of coralline colors was amazing. It comes out to be right around $5lb with next day shipping. It will definetely be going in my tank next month.

[Kdocimo90]

yeah but i dont want to spend 5$ per lb...cuz i want about 150lbs... i mean, if i could work with teh eco rox, whcih would be very good, price wise..then i would...

[ConsultantERP]

If $'s is the problem, then buy cheap dead rock in shapes that you like, go to a web site that offers what I call starter rubble (ie: Garf Grunge") and wait about 3 months before adding anything else.

[downhillbiker]

i have a local guy that will sell you as much as you want fully cured for $3.50 a lb, and then you would have to ship from oregon, but you would probably still save you money.

[meschaefer]

To fill out a 220g, I used a few peices of live rock from an old tank and then filled it out with base rock from Marco Rocks.

For me, i decided against adding more live rock for fear of adding pests along with it. The live rock I used to seed it, was pest free.

[Kdocimo90]

why do i have to wait 3 months before adding anything else?

[Kdocimo90]

if i do get "dry rock" as marcos rocks sells...what would be the process when getting it? Just putting it in the tank?

[ConsultantERP]

Dead rock may need to be washed off, but yes, you can just add it to the tank at any point. It will take several months for the bacteria's to populate the rock, and pods to fill in the cracks, so to speak. And there is always a chance of a cyno bloom of some sort.

Most people want to add fish and corals ASAP, DON'T, your waisting money, If you let the Pod population grow you will have a better chance of processing the waste from new livestock, the nitrate reducing bacteria deep with the rock will also help maintan a low nitate lever.

Its also basic 8th grade science class, big fish eats the little fish, little fish eats the smaller fish, small fish eats pods, pods eat phytoplankton ......., and within all of the corals feed on small creatures within the water column.

Start slow, you will have more success.

Also, as everyone has said, live phytoplankton is better than dead, and if your into all aspects of keeping a reef tank, then its not difficult, its kind of like what I call "busy work". All your really waiting for is the container to turn greener.

[meschaefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12276757#post12276757 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kdocimo90
if i do get "dry rock" as marcos rocks sells...what would be the process when getting it? Just putting it in the tank?

I know a lot of people who have used it and I would suggest letting it sit in saltwater for two - three weeks doing a couple of water changes along the way. It has a lot of die off on it, and it will tend to yellow your water at first.

It takes a little bit of prep to get it ready, but it really is great looking stuff and I would definitely use it again.

[B.C.theReefer]

Dude, get the rock you want to get. Yes there will be some die-off during shipping. Gently scrub the rock with a clean nylon bristle brush then rinse in a bucket of saltwater. Either from your tank or clean. You can also get Kent Marine's Rock Prep.

[Kdocimo90]

well if i had the choice of getting "fully cured live rock" or "dried rock" what do you think i should do? What do you think would let me put fish in the tank faster? What do you think is more efficient?

thanks,
kevin

[Amoore311]

Here's the deal with Marco or Ecco Rox.

If you have family you love, or have any personal feelings towards your own sense of smell, you will soak either the marco or ecco in salt water for at least to weeks.

The die-off is ridiculous. I could barely stand to walk into my garage from the first week I had the Ecco rocks soaking, the smell was THAT bad.

In my 90 gallon I just set up. I have 45 lbs. of L/R that was in a previous system for over a year, and 45 lbs of Ecco Rox Tonga Shelf.

The quality of the ecco rox is very very good. Using "dead" rock (marco/ecco rocks/etc.) will ensure you of 0 pets in your display.

I'll post some pictures of my shipment of ecco rocks for you.

[Kdocimo90]

ok that would be good thanks... well if you had the choice to buy "fully cured live rock" or the "eco rox" what would you guys do?

[Amoore311]

Whoops I forgot to post the pictures:


http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg215/amoore2326/016.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg215/amoore2326/017.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg215/amoore2326/020.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg215/amoore2326/019.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg215/amoore2326/018.jpg


In the second photo you can get a good idea of why you have a huge ammonia spike and smell when you soak it. That's an entire dead colony of some kind of coral encrusted on the rock.

The final picture was of the rubble I received. Barely even a handful. Bulkreefsupply goes all out packaging this stuff so it doesn't get wrecked in shipping.

Here's a shot from this passed saturday of the rock in my tank. The rock was good to go into my tank after about 2 1/2 weeks of soaking.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg215/amoore2326/007-1.jpg

[Kdocimo90]

wow nice set up... if you had the choice to buy "fully cured live rock" or the "eco rox" what would you do?

[Amoore311]

If I didn't have 45 lbs of Live Rock available already I would have went with 100% "dead" rock.


You have no worries of unwanted crabs, mantis shrimp, aptasia, majanos, etc. when you go with base rock.

Now obviously you have a chance of introducing something like aptasia when you put in coral colonies or frags that are carrying it, but it's much easy to check/inspect a frag/colony than inspect 200 lbs of rock.


Go with the dead rock for sure. Just make sure you soak the hell out of it and take your time with the rock. Bulkreefsupply and Marco both are of fantastic quality, you won't be disappointed.

[Kdocimo90]

ok thanks

[Kdocimo90]

im gonna post a poll if any of you would like to vote.

[meschaefer]

I would go with base rock (And did), since you already have some live rock to seed it.

The larger the tank, the bigger the problem if you introduce an unwanted hitchhiker.

Forget the poll... decision by commitee is no way to go about things.

[Kdocimo90]

so you mean I should get dry rock right?