Live Rock Specifics

[NyC ReeF 55]

Hey all,

I am continuing my snail like process of setting up my 55g FOWLR. I finally have the tank, all of my filtration equipment & most of the accessories I should need. All I have left to purchase is my LS, LR & salt mix. I have been trying to do some research and find out what LR I should buy. I have been to about 4 LFS and most of them are selling LR at $9-$10 a lb. To be honest it also looks very bland & basic (no color and no large sized & cool shaped ones). One place hinted at the fact that they could go $250 for 55lbs b/c I know some of the people that work there. That is most likely where I will buy the LR but I wanted to ask a few Q's first.

1) Online I found a place that sells uncured LR. From what I have read on various forums and some beginner articles it should/could take 6-8 weeks to cure LR. The latest article I read suggested it should only take 2-4weeks (obviously with good water parameters). My question is: could this be accurate when placing into a new aquarium with no other LR or fish?

2) I have seen many different kinds of LR talked about and I can't really tell which kind is "better" than the other, besides the fact that some cost more. here are some of the names I continually run across. Any info on these, recomendations, anything you might have to offer would be greatly appreciated: Fijii premium LR, Fijii fancy branch rock, Fijii standard LR, Fijii foundation LR, Vanuatu LR, South Pacific Deepwater LR, Fancy fused LR.

3) If I chose to buy LR online I can get 24lb of the Fijii fancy branch rock, and 45lb of Fijii standard LR for $286 including shipping. Does this make sense? Both sets are said to be pre-cured. Upon arrival I will be placing them into a tank with nothing except the water running at the proper levels for approx. 1 week. Also, can I build a nice aquascape with these 2 styles of rock? I can not selcet/view the sizes & shapes of what I will be purchasing.

Thank you in advance. :D

[reefnetworth]

#1, two weeks is appx. cycle time if you have good lighting, flow and skimmer with the pump running without carbon.

#2 www.premiumaquatics.com sells LR by the pound or in package deals. they will hand pick you LR if you request your sizes. the more pourous the rock the better its gonna filter your water. I have Fiji, Kaelini and Tonga.

#3 that is about right on the price for cured shipped 69lbs of LR.
i wouldnt use branch rock, its dense and does not provide good filterization, but if your just going for show, its your call.

[NyC ReeF 55]

Thanks. In regards to #1, this same article mentioned to keep lights turned off during this process to prevent an overgrowth of algae. Thoughts?

[NyC ReeF 55]

no other suggestions on this? sorry if it's a bit amateur.

[seanmc980]

Hit up craigslist everyday for live rock.. I can usually find really really nice rock for under $3/lb with tons of colors.

[Harry_Fish]

Advice, Run while you still have money left......




Still Here....


I bought rock from Fosters and Smith Before it
was nice and a lot cheaper than getting it locally.

In my curent tank about 1/3 was live rock the rest was
dried out rock from a tank that was tore down.
I got for it for $1.25 per pound.

The critters have since moved in and it is covered
in coraline so it was the way to go for me.

Good luck

[96p993]

Why not buy a small amount of live rock then buy dead rock from www.marcorocks.com
I just got 50+ lbs for 130 shipped to me..Awesome sizes and you dont pay for water weight or 1-2 day shipping...Just combine and the live rock will seed the dead rock in no time

[superstein61]

I would buy dry fiji rock from BRS for $2.79 a pound (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Eco-RoX-(-Fiji-Rock-)/c7/index.html) then add a few pieces of live rock bought locally to seed it

[96p993]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14434300#post14434300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by superstein61
I would buy dry fiji rock from BRS for $2.79 a pound (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Eco-RoX-(-Fiji-Rock-)/c7/index.html) then add a few pieces of live rock bought locally to seed it

Except its all sold out...that is why Marco is the best bet for dry rock

[Tc269]

I would go with, http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393 just got my order from them I just got the standard fiji and it has some decent color if you want more color go with the premium. I think it is good value for this kinda of rock.!! just my 2 cents

[Tc269]

oh yea and for the record mine doesnt look as bland as they show in the picture!!

[NyC ReeF 55]

Okay so it seems to be a popular choice to mix cured rock with a larger amount of uncured rock. My question then becomes how do i know when the uncured rock has become offically cured?

[96p993]

I would check out the site I gave you above...The rocks he is selling have already been cured. This should help your time of cycle but as always I go by what my readings are before adding anything...

[NyC ReeF 55]

So you're saying that once I add un-cured rock to a brand new aquarium with no fish and wait at least a month all I have to do is test the water? If all my levels are exactly where they're supposed to be then my LR should be fully cured? I know that a month could be a bit short but I just wanted to use a general timeframe.

[96p993]

With the latest aquarium I am setting up (2nd one to use Marco Rocks) I will get everything up and running correctly (flow and water transfer to sump, fuge running) then I will usually throw in a dead shrimp and just be patient. The tank will start to do its own thing with the decaying shrimp and speed up the cycling of the tank...this could take a short period of time or a long time...Patience here is the key