dry live rock or just live rock
- Thread starter thurman
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Rhodes19
Active Member
Re: question bout live/dry rock
First, welcome to RS.
There is a differrence between dry rock and live rock. Dry rock has no bacteria in it and is usually much cheeper than live rock ($2 vs $7+). You can use it as a base when building your reef. Live rock has bacteria in it and can be used as a biological filter. It often times has coralline aglea on it. Dry rock will become live rock after a while once its is in the tank and exposed to bacteria from either natural process of cycling a new tank or from live rock and or sand. HTH
First, welcome to RS.
There is a differrence between dry rock and live rock. Dry rock has no bacteria in it and is usually much cheeper than live rock ($2 vs $7+). You can use it as a base when building your reef. Live rock has bacteria in it and can be used as a biological filter. It often times has coralline aglea on it. Dry rock will become live rock after a while once its is in the tank and exposed to bacteria from either natural process of cycling a new tank or from live rock and or sand. HTH
seafansar
Well-Known Member
You can do a mix of dry and live rock. Use the cheaper dry rock for the base of your rock structures and add the live stuff to add beneficial bacteria to the tank.
Be careful with live rock though. It's great to help diversify the life in your tank, but beware of bad hitchhikers like bubble algae, aiptasia, bryopsis algae, gorilla crabs, etc.
Be careful with live rock though. It's great to help diversify the life in your tank, but beware of bad hitchhikers like bubble algae, aiptasia, bryopsis algae, gorilla crabs, etc.
tnwillia
Well-Known Member
Varga
Well-Known Member
Dry rock gets my vote.
1) Save a ton of money ($1.40 Vs. $8.99)
2) Dry rock was not kidnapped from already suffering oceans
3) Adds to the challenge of this hobby.
4) No nasty hitchhikers or pests.
5) No curing process.
All you need is to seed it with one piece of live rock and in 3-6 months you cannot tell the difference. My last purchase was $1.40 per pound shipped!!!!
This is where I get mine: If he doesn't have any listed, just Email him. eBay Seller: licy2roman: Collectibles items on eBay.com
1) Save a ton of money ($1.40 Vs. $8.99)
2) Dry rock was not kidnapped from already suffering oceans
3) Adds to the challenge of this hobby.
4) No nasty hitchhikers or pests.
5) No curing process.
All you need is to seed it with one piece of live rock and in 3-6 months you cannot tell the difference. My last purchase was $1.40 per pound shipped!!!!
This is where I get mine: If he doesn't have any listed, just Email him. eBay Seller: licy2roman: Collectibles items on eBay.com
Do you mean "do I have to do frequent water changes while curing dry rock"? then NO! You don't cure it. Curing is "allowing" for the die-off from handling and transporting of Live Rock.
If that's not what you meant let's try it a different way
it aready cured so no freq water changes?
Rhodes19
Active Member
Frequent water changes are to help correct poor water conditions for what ever reason, whether it be due to curing live rock or poor filtration. Regular water changes help maintain good water conditions and to replace trace minerals. Either way, you will be doing water changes to help maintain the health of your tank. Test your water on a regular basis and that will help you determine when you need to do a water change. HTH
burning2nd
Well-Known Member
IME
seeding a batch of fully dry fiji rock worked out a lot nicer then buying wet live rock..
it might take some time to get the full effect but it gives you a better grasp on what your adding to your tank...
2 take it to the next level set up a QT and QT what ever your gonna add to your new Rock... give your new rock some time to settle and get the sand and stuff out at the same time have a hand full of shells or a small Lr of choice in qt under observation...
BAM
seeding a batch of fully dry fiji rock worked out a lot nicer then buying wet live rock..
it might take some time to get the full effect but it gives you a better grasp on what your adding to your tank...
2 take it to the next level set up a QT and QT what ever your gonna add to your new Rock... give your new rock some time to settle and get the sand and stuff out at the same time have a hand full of shells or a small Lr of choice in qt under observation...
BAM
JeffreyLebowski
Member
After using live rock initially and supplementing with dry rock...i like dry rock...less hitch hikers, which is usually better...sure no fun surprises, but also no bad surprises either...I also think dry rock may help calcium levels of water? Either way you'll want live sand or some live rock to get the bacteria growing.
lcstorc
Well-Known Member
I have to point out that not all LR is kidnapped from already suffering oceans.
Aquacultured rock is becoming more and more common.
Also getting 2nd generation rock from a fellow hobbiest or someone getting out of the hobby is another great way to get good LR.
IMO it takes quite a while for base rock to become live. It depends largely on how dense the rock is. If it is porous rock then there is a lot of room for the life to take hold. If it is very dense rock then it takes even longer.
Personally, I vote for a combo. I bought all LR for my first tank and have been putting base into the sump to gather bacteria. I have then used that rock to start my other tanks.
TBS Live Rock is all aquacultured.
The green footprint between aquacultured live rock and natural live rock is very similar. There is heavy duty equipment used in mining dead corals and the impact from mining the land the land. It is small, but the effect on the environment form both is small
The green footprint between aquacultured live rock and natural live rock is very similar. There is heavy duty equipment used in mining dead corals and the impact from mining the land the land. It is small, but the effect on the environment form both is small
Rhodes19
Active Member
For grins and giggles I am making my own rock with crushed oyster shell and type III portland cement (about $0.22/lbs) for my 180 and will either seed it with LS, LR,with GARF Grunge, or a combination of all of the above. It won't be pretty for a while but I am in no hurry.
DIY rocks
DIY rocks
Rhodes I think that's AWESOME! If you've got the time, space and means to make it yourself you're REALLY reducing the "Carbon Footprint" as well as the "Environmental Impact" that your system is placing. It takes months for it to completely cure so factor that into the equation but it would be WELL worth the hassle to have some CUSTOM pieces
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rmlevasseur
Active Member
As most know I'm a huge fan of Marco dry rock. My 70 is entirely Marco and my 180 is about half marco, but in retropsect I wish I had done over 2/3 Marco. In fact, I love Marco so much I bought 2 boxes of their signature rock just to have for future use. I posted this on another thread recently, but here's the rock when I first got it, and the video is my tank at the 1 year mark. The marco rock is now indistinguishable from the LR in color and growth, but the rock itself is far more porous and interesting:
Rhodes19
Active Member
Thanks Allen,
I started the rock months ago and I am already using the first 2 batches in my BC 14, 29 g, and in my 45 FOWLR. So far so good. The pieces in my BC have been there just over a month and it looks like coralline algae is starting to form. I figure by the time I get my 180 up the remaining 200 lbs will be ready to put in and inoculate.
Here is a picture of one of my diy rocks in my BC 14
Here you can see a LR under it for comparison.
They are fun to make. I used a surgical glove as one of my molds.
I started the rock months ago and I am already using the first 2 batches in my BC 14, 29 g, and in my 45 FOWLR. So far so good. The pieces in my BC have been there just over a month and it looks like coralline algae is starting to form. I figure by the time I get my 180 up the remaining 200 lbs will be ready to put in and inoculate.
Here is a picture of one of my diy rocks in my BC 14
Here you can see a LR under it for comparison.
They are fun to make. I used a surgical glove as one of my molds.
Rhodes I think that's AWESOME! If you've got the time, space and means to make it yourself you're REALLY reducing the "Carbon Footprint" as well as the "Environmental Impact" that your system is placing. It takes months for it to completely cure so factor that into the equation but it would be WELL worth the hassle to have some CUSTOM pieces
I agree that it's great that he is doing this, but the environmental impact is just as great as as the live rock which is harvested off of storm surges. The coral rock like Marco rock, and portland cement, are both mined in quarries and there is an environmental impact from that mining.
Don't get me wrong, I have used marco rock, and tried to make my own (it fell apart after 8 months, but blame that on my skill lol), and I think it is great that we are doing this. But let's not kid ourselves, Bob Fenner makes the case that LR has a smaller impact overall when you take it all into account.
Rhodes19
Active Member
Clownfish, can you point me to where I can read his comments? I haven't heard of him and all I can find on the web are postings of people mentioning him. I'd be interested in learning more. Thanks.