Live rock or Reef saver or Dry rock and why

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We ordered our new tank last week and it will not be in till the middle of june so now we are
preparing for it. Reinforcing the floor and buying needed pumps heaters lights sand protein skimmer
and the such but are holding out on purchasing the rock till the last minute as I/we are not sure what is better LR yes I know it has a lot of good and some bad things growing on it and in it. Dry rock yes it did have stuff living in and on it that needs to be flushed but what is better? When we started our 29 cube we used LR and had great success but with a 110 on its way cost is a big factor when you figure we will need roughly 110lbs of rock be it dry reef saver or LR Please help explain
as I/we haven't really found anything definitive. Thanks Bill And Shortie
 
DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
I think that it really doesn't matter, AS LONG AS You cycle the tank PROPERLY.
The best rock is SUPER POROUS, lighter weight for it's size. Getting solid chunks of heavy base rock does not benefit the tank.
Don't expect INSTANT success in a newly set up tank. It takes years for it to mature & all your rock will be ALIVE with everything your tank needs by that time. It takes TIME :time:
You will deal with lots of nuisance EVERYTHING as part of your tank maturing.
Deal with it...even enjoy it, as this is part of what makes for a beautiful reef tank after your tank fully matures.
Your patience will be rewarded.
Have fun shopping for the best rock you can find, alive or dry...there's awesome rock to be found :thumbup:
 
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Thanks Diana like I said with the biocube its been great it cycled very quickly and we have been more than happy with the LR choice but 20Lbs is small potatoes compared to the 100 plus lbs we will need that's why we want to make sure $300.00 verses $1200.00 it would cost for LR
 
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Steve L

Member
When I set up my 70 gallon tank a year ago I used 100 pounds of Marco dry rock. It's very porous and full of big holes you can use to secure frags to. You can get 100 pounds for $215 (with free shipping) which is a great deal. I used dry sand as well so everything that's in the tank (good and bad) I put there. I didn't have to worry about bad hitch hikers coming in on live rock.

http://www.marcorocks.com/?gclid=CKPUi4Kcn74CFZJbfgodQCkASQ
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
I'm partial to LR but fortunate to live near a major port of entry and can get it at wholesale prices. 100-110 lbs of Fiji premium would cost me about $160 for example. I'd shop around if I were you.

I also have an unproven theory that the artificial rocks take longer to colonize with bacteria and some have been reported to leach out phosphates for several months.
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
I know a lot of people have success using marco rock but before deciding you might wanna Google 'marco rock leaching phosphates' before pulling the trigger.
 
mikecc

mikecc

Member
If cost is not a factor Id go all imported live rock. You can start the curing process now and it be ready when tank gets here.
 
Snid

Snid

Active Member
I would even suggest getting a portion of it as LR if you opt out of all LR. It can introduce bio diversity that can spread and populate to anything else you add.
 
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Steve L

Member
Marco Rock is no better or worse for phosphates than any other rock that hasn't been cured. I soaked mine for a week in fresh RO water then cleaned it with a brush before adding it to my tank. My tank cycled fast and everything has a nice even cover of coralline algae. My phosphates read zero and have since setting up the tank a year ago.
 
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I talked to the owner at the LFS and he said our price will be slot lower than what's advertiseadvertise
Also there LR is aquacultured in a greenhouse there for not subjected to the hitchhiker Stuart most LR has
 
DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
bullet said:
I talked to the owner at the LFS and he said our price will be slot lower than what's advertiseadvertise
Also there LR is aquacultured in a greenhouse there for not subjected to the hitchhiker Stuart most LR has
Click to expand...

I'd want to SEE what I was buying before I made up my mind to go with what your LFS wants to sell you.
The macro rock ordered from on-line has very good customer reviews. I'd want to make sure I wasn't just buying heavy (not as porous) rock.
Pick out rock that has more shape potential for building a better rock scape.
Buying in bigger quantities on-line can be bought cheaper sometimes too.
 
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We used their lr when we setup our 29 biocube and our 3gallon cube and have had no issues with phosphate or hair algae like I have seen other people have also the lr we got in the past is quite porous
 
DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
reefer gladness said:
Diana, we see that you're dealing with high phosphates in your tank - http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/reef-chemistry-forum/91102-phosphate-levels.html

Are you certain it's not the marco rock?

I'm not saying it is - but I have noticed a lot of posts from folks chasing high phosphates who used this stuff.
Click to expand...

I used mostly LR from a mature (over 5 year old) LFS display tank. I didn't order dry from on-line. I would have if I'd needed more than what I found locally.
My mixed up WC salt water that I tested today BEFORE putting it in my tank was 0.10 on my Hanna Checker. :(
I may always be dealing with a slightly high phosphate level.
My chaeto is growing well in the refugium...that might start to help some day.
 
B

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Member
Diana if you were going to do it again would you use the macro rock again? Or just stick with aquacultured lr?
 
B

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Member
I found it helps if you pull apart and thin out the cheato it helps it grow quicker that and we run our refugio light for 16 hrs
 
DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
I just think that it would be fun to pick out your rock from what your LSF has to offer.
I got to pick & choose each rock I bought for my tank. I paid a premium price per pound for it also.
I was thinking with more concern that they offered it at a discount you might be getting the best rock.
I'd just need to see what I was being offered before I'd buy it and put it in my tank.
 
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