Live Rock

[mwoodruff964]

Does anyone know where is a good place to find good live rock over the internet at a reasonable price? Reason being is my lfs is selling Fully cured Fiji live rock for $9.99/lb which I think is a little expensive. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Indymann99]

I purchased LR at Premium Aquatics (I am local to Indy) but their main business is out of state orders and KS would be an easy shipment.

[murfman]

Marcorocks sells base rock cheap. Just seed it and you are set.

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15193677#post15193677 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mwoodruff964
Does anyone know where is a good place to find good live rock over the internet at a reasonable price? Reason being is my lfs is selling Fully cured Fiji live rock for $9.99/lb which I think is a little expensive. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Is it NICE stuff?

Handpicking pieces is worth it, IMO. There's a LFS that I visit that actually orders huge LR orders with DFS and get's a variety of stuff. Of course it is marked up, and costs more than buying directly from DFS, but I can handpick each and every piece, so for me, it's worth it, yes.

However, I would have no problem at all ordering from DFS for LR.


http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393


If you order any sort of LR over the internet, I would pay the price for overnight S&H to limit the amount of die-off during the plane ride. Again, just my opinion. If I'm spending that kind of money on LR, I want it next day.

[username in use]

If you can hand pick premium rock for 9.99 a pound, do it. The lfs by me charges 13.99 pound. But, you only take home what you want.

[dudley moray]

wow and i thought 6.99 /lb was expensive

[cloak]

I like to pick and choose at the various fish store's round here...

;)

[Sugar Magnolia]

I prefer to handpick my rock as well. If the $9.99/lb is too much for you, buy some base rock and a few pieces of the fiji LR. The base rock will be seeded by the LR in a short period of time. I recently added some base rock to my 6 year old system, and after 2-3 months, it was already colored up with coraline.

[mwoodruff964]

Yea I was thinking of getting some base rock and then get some live rock to put on top of it, but thanks for the help guys, this way I have some more options to go off from because I like to price shop around.

[brad2157]

Your best thing to do (if and when possible) is to find some LR from someone near you that is tearing down a tank or moving. That way you know it is seeded well and you know it is well established. I just bought some LR from the LFS and got home, turned on the lights, and noticed it had tons of Aptasia (bad anemone) on it everywhere. So my 8lb $80 rock, now costs me another $15 for Aptasia-X to treat the Aptasia and I also bought 4 peppermint shrimp for $8 each to try to eat the little pieces that I couldn't see well enough to treat.

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15196574#post15196574 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brad2157
Your best thing to do (if and when possible) is to find some LR from someone near you that is tearing down a tank or moving. That way you know it is seeded well and you know it is well established. I just bought some LR from the LFS and got home, turned on the lights, and noticed it had tons of Aptasia (bad anemone) on it everywhere. So my 8lb $80 rock, now costs me another $15 for Aptasia-X to treat the Aptasia and I also bought 4 peppermint shrimp for $8 each to try to eat the little pieces that I couldn't see well enough to treat.

That could also be true when buying rock from an established tank. Aptasia is really unavoidable, no matter where you buy the rock.

[HumbleLobster]

If you're in Olathe I'd suggest checking out the local boards (PM me for the name if you're curious). There are quite a few LFS in KC that are pretty decent, so I'd suggest shopping around a little more because I know for a fact that it does get cheaper for LR in the KC area.

[cloak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15196636#post15196636 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iFisch
That could also be true when buying rock from an established tank. Aptasia is really unavoidable, no matter where you buy the rock.

What? I'm very sure I can avoid that if I pick & choose...

Point blank.

;)

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15201123#post15201123 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloak
What? I'm very sure I can avoid that if I pick & choose...

Point blank.

;)


Not so. I tried my hardest to avoid any aptasia, but it's just nearly impossible to avoid. All you need is one aptasia anemone and they will reproduce with relative ease. Luckily my peppermint shirmp has a hunger for them.

Your odds of finding 100% rock from one tank, without a single aptasia is pretty rare. It's just SO common.

[cloak]

I'm guessing you didn't see it.

:)

[Mopar Reefer]

Try bulk reef supply. They have ecorox, quality stuff and less then $3lb, then seed it with some quality Fiji or Tonga rock.

[murfman]

Won't be any aptasia on this!!! http://www.marcorocks.com/

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15201162#post15201162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloak
I'm guessing you didn't see it.

:)

I'm sure the rock under a microscope would have caught it. I did my best to eyeball it to the best of my abilities.