Live rock vs dry live rock

[CKI]

I know everyone thinks differently on this, but i just set up a 75gal tank, ive got it full with 2 damsels from my 26gallon tank i took down ... i only have 3 pieces of LR from my small tank in there ... at 6-7$per LB 500ish if i went with 70lb more LR...OR..i can op to spend 130.00 on 50-60lbs of dry live rock ... how long would it need to sit in my tank before i can add fish? i mean heck theres a 370.00 savings i could put towards my system ... but at the same time, i dont just want a tank full of rock for a long time either

[CKI]

also. where is the best place to buy base rock? from what im seeing its ready to go in the tank and will not affect the cycle.

[CKI]

http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=135&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=58

[fishmate]

usually if you search, you can find pretty good deals locally, people getting rid of older rock they no longer need, sometimes around $2/lb

[jwwalker]

reefrocks.net has great prices and service.

[Azedenkae]

I know everyone thinks differently on this, but i just set up a 75gal tank, ive got it full with 2 damsels from my 26gallon tank i took down ... i only have 3 pieces of LR from my small tank in there ... at 6-7$per LB 500ish if i went with 70lb more LR...OR..i can op to spend 130.00 on 50-60lbs of dry live rock ... how long would it need to sit in my tank before i can add fish? i mean heck theres a 370.00 savings i could put towards my system ... but at the same time, i dont just want a tank full of rock for a long time either

I would for dry live rock, assuming it hasn't been dried for too long. Drying live rock as far as I know is to kill off the macro-organisms on the rock, but some of the microbes will still be alive in the rock. Given that, your currently live rock will seed your dry live rock soon enough, plus the already existing lifeforms present will 'bloom'. Of course, if it's completely dried rock then it's not live rock anymore and will take ages.

Imo anyways.

[CKI]

I am new to this, i have been reading so much on this stuff for (dry live rock) i am being told i need to cure for around 4 weeks before adding fish...the link i posted above, says their rock has been thoroughly cleaned and i can put into a tank WITHOUT affecting the cycle. If this is the case, i will go that route, no need to spend alot on LR if this is that much cheaper and i can throw it in the tank with nothing to worry about.

[thegrun]

I would go with the dry rock. There are two possible issues with dry rock. Some have been known to leach phosphates and some dry rock has enough dried on organics to start a new cycle which would likely kill your livestock. I think it is best to cycle the dry rock in a seperate Brute trash can checking for phosphates along the way before adding the rock to your tank. It generally takes 4-5 weeks to cycle new dry rock. You would need to add an ammonia sourse to the trash can to cycle it. You could gamble and add the rock uncycled to your tank but you risk a new cycle (unlikely) but if you have a phosphate issue it is much more difficult to fix in an existing tank.

[johnwick]

I used dry rock for my system. I recommend using a separate brute container and using a Dr. Tims one and only or other similar bacteria solution along with a dead shrimp or fish food to get a good cycle going. I would then test for ammonia and nitrites before then nitrates. It's very hard to trust that rock not creating a cycle or leaching phosphates in your nice new tank and it's not worth it. Just be patient. It may or may not take 4 weeks. Some take 2 weeks some take 4-6. Depends on lots of factors.

[Spyderturbo007]

I vote dry rock. I'm contemplating ripping my tank down because of the enormous number of pests I'm dealing with right now. They all came from the live rock. I got nothing beneficial or cool. Just a bunch of headaches.

[Desisto941]

Vote towards dry rock. If you have live rock leftover from your other tank just put all of it in the tank and wait a month to put your fish in. Bing bam boom all done. :-) More money for your tank!

[crsswift70]

I'll second reefrocks.net. If you contact them, they will pick exactly the kind of rock you want, ie shelf, base, shapes, etc.. Plus, for another $15 you can get 40lbs of sand with free shipping.

[tallball158]

+1 on dry rock. This subject has been debated for some time on this site. There are numerous threads on the pro's and con's. I personally went with dry rock, just for the simple fact that I am reefing on a budget.

[BearCatFish]

I used the Key Largo dry rock from MarcoRocks.

I had a crash a while back & decided to "cook" the rock so I could start with fresh, phosphate free rock. I put the rock in a tub, filled it with tap water & added bleach to make about a 10:1 water/bleach solution. I let it soak for a day then rinsed all of the rock & the container off with the hose.

I put the rock back into the tub, filled it with RODI water, then used muriatic acid to take off the top layer of rock. After the rock stopped reacting I added baking soda until all of the acid was neutralized. Rinsed the rock with RODI water a few times & put it in the tank.

Personally, if cooking, I'd wait a few days to make sure everything was off of the rock. If just using dry rock you should be able to transfer everything over immediately. The little bit of rock you have now has enough bacteria to support the damsels in the 29g; it'll have enough bacteria to support them in your 75g.

[chrisfont23]

Dry. Pest free. To me thats like +1000000000. Just dont forget to dip ur corals

[CKI]

Has anyone dealt with this company? http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=135&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=58

They state with their cleaning process the rock can be added without causing a cycle ... if thats the case ill get it! i already have 30lb of LR ... another 50 should have me covered .. worst part is, my LFS has a slim selection of LR .. so i take what i can get and make it work ... i should have played with legos more when i was a kid .. i suck at this! cant make it look good for nothing!

[crsswift70]

Reefcleaners is an excellent company.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Has anyone dealt with this company? http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=135&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=58

They state with their cleaning process the rock can be added without causing a cycle ... if thats the case ill get it! i already have 30lb of LR ... another 50 should have me covered .. worst part is, my LFS has a slim selection of LR .. so i take what i can get and make it work ... i should have played with legos more when i was a kid .. i suck at this! cant make it look good for nothing!

That looks like really nice dry rock. I'd go for it. Just give it a good rinse in some RODI before placing it in your tank.

[Bpb]

Dry rock all day. Search Craigslist and local clubs. I got like 50 pounds of amazing looking dry liverock from a tank breakdown for $20. That's not uncommon. It'll be pest free and if you do an acid dip, there's a good chance it'll be phosphate free too. Next tank I set up will be with 99% dry acid dipped rock and I'll seed it with a small piece if pest free rock. I'd rather wait a while for pod and worm populations to build up, than fight with nuisance algae and pest organisms.

[CKI]

has anyone used that rock from reefcleaners? id hate to buy it and put it in my tank and kill my fish lol ... they claim it will cause no "cycle" .... and has anyone dealt with reefcleaners? ive tried to contact them but no answer on the phone lines

[crsswift70]

Plenty of people have used that rock and said it was great. It can't really cause a cycle as there is nothing organic on it. It's been dug up out of the ground and cleaned. I've already told you reefcleaners is an excellent company. They are the "go to" company for me and most of the people i have met in to reefing for CUC's. I personally have never seen anything but praise for them. If you want personal experience, i have purchased from reefrocks.net and was more than happy. Email or call them and they will handpick what you want, within limits.

[CKI]

Just ordered from Reefrocks.net... The gentleman i spoke to was very kind! Cant wait for the shipment to come in!

[igot2gats]

There's no question with me. It's dry rock. It will eventually become live, and save you money from buying live rock.

Save you money?! Yes, this is one of the few ways to save you some extra $ in this hobby.

[CKI]

I wish i had known this before ... and they claim with their cleaning process it will not take a month + to cycle ... wish i had known this prior to last week when i spent $180.00 on 30lbs of LR! Now i have 50lbs on the way for only 85.00.. Live and learn! atleast now i know where to go on my next build!

[crsswift70]

Well, you need the live rock for the organisms and bacteria living on/in it anyway. You would need to seed the dry rock anyway. Also, i hope you saw that for another $15 you could get 40lbs of sand shipped to you? If not, call them back and get it added. For $15 i bought it even though i didn't think i'd use it!

[jwwalker]

Just ordered from Reefrocks.net... The gentleman i spoke to was very kind! Cant wait for the shipment to come in!


Steve is a great guy. You won't be disappointed!

[Gary Majchrzak]

I vote liverock. The best liverock you can afford. Liverock is the backbone of a successful reef aquarium.

I've used dry rock and liverock to set up reef aquariums. Years down the road there's no question how beneficial really LIVE liverock is ;)

[CKI]

Well, you need the live rock for the organisms and bacteria living on/in it anyway. You would need to seed the dry rock anyway. Also, i hope you saw that for another $15 you could get 40lbs of sand shipped to you? If not, call them back and get it added. For $15 i bought it even though i didn't think i'd use it!

Yeah i saw...but i already have 80lbs in the cabinet unused! lol ...

[Jrod4]

Well, you need the live rock for the organisms and bacteria living on/in it anyway. You would need to seed the dry rock anyway. Also, i hope you saw that for another $15 you could get 40lbs of sand shipped to you? If not, call them back and get it added. For $15 i bought it even though i didn't think i'd use it!

I was about to bite on this deal but later found out that the sand is sold for 24.95 including shipping, so you are only saving 10 bucks by purchasing the rock. Still will probably buy a 50lb box of it though

[Savant]

this is what I got from http://www.reefcleaners.org/
I have had it in the water for a little more than 3 weeks with no phosphate detected, also rock was very very clean and easy to work with

239669