Ocean rock (dry) question

MarineDream

New Member
AF49E2E7-8EB7-42EF-9AFC-9C271B52E3AC.jpeg Can anyone tell me what this is?

I’ve seen it in one of my two LFS and I thought it might be a good alternative to all live rock due to price. (I’m in the UK) I will still have some live rock, but I was hoping I could fill out my tank with this.
But will it be able to grow life and corals after some time in the tank or will it just sit there being useless? In which case I’d have to stump up the cash for all live rock. I know it wouldn’t have any filtration benefits I just want to know if it has the possibility for life and growth.
Also if I did have it how would I prepare it for the tank? (Tank would be empty of livestock)
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Check out the rock looking to make sure it's porous. That's what you want. Also, sometimes the larger holes have been drilled into it. This is not necessarily bad. but it may not be what you want.

This type of rock is an excellent alternative to live rock, and a lot less expensive. Given time, it can easily contain as much life as actual live rock.

Rock like this can contain a lot of dirt and dust. I recommend you soak it a week or so and rinse it out good before use. You can use tap water for this.

Once you set up the tank and have SW in it, use a few pieces of actual live rock along with this rock. This will seed the dry rock. It will take some time, do don't be in a rush to put too much livestock in the tank. After 6 months or so, your dry rock will be just as good as the expensive live rock. This includes the filtration benifits.
 

MarineDream

New Member
Thanks Dave that’s really helpful!

I presume that’s soaking it in RO water? Or does it need to be salt water? And does the water need to be agitated while it’s soaking?

Great to know that it will hold life eventually and fit seemlessly in with the live rock. I’m very happy to be patient just trying to find the best option for the tank when I get it.

Last question - might sound a little stupid - how does one tell if a rock is porous just by looking?

I picked up a few pieces. There were some larger holes (size of my biggest finger) and a few smaller but they didn’t bother me however I wouldn’t know if that “meant” anything in the aquarium world good or bad
 

Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Those rocks are fine, the lighter for the size, the more porous, and better.
I might rinse them in tap but not soak them in tap as their can be phosphates in the water and that Imdont want in my rock, however, this would take a bit of time.

I used dry rock at 95% and just put one small live to start but even that is not necessary

A lot of LR these days is returned rock from other reef tanks which tend to have phosphate built up in the rock then leaks out when it's in your tank.

True LR, has life all over it and in it and smells like the sea.
 

Pancho75

Well-Known Member
I prefer dry rock to avoid nasty importing bad inhabitants to the tank. When would buy the live aragonite, it will contain a small bag with bacteria and other things to populate your tank with the basic fauna you need. The other solution as stated above is to add a very small live rock. Dry rock takes more time to establish the system but it is safer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

MarineDream

New Member
Thanks for your input guys!

I’m starting to think I’ll go 50/50 with live and dry it’s just good to know that I can use that dry “ocean” rock at all as it’s the only store that sells it here and it would be nice to choose my own pieces. Just didn’t want it to mean I’d struggle to grow things as a result.

I will also have live sand so I’m hoping that will help things too.
 

ClarkesReef

New Member
live rock is only called live rock because of the organisms living in it so any rock could be used. when picking your rock you do so by picking the nicest pieces and shapes and rocks that were from the ocean.also the most porous (lots of holes and bumps, nooks and crannies in it for your fish to make homes and for more surface area for the good bacteria to grow).. dry rock should be rinsed to get anything dead and stuck in it out and could be a bit dusty but why risk rinsing it at all in tap water(that defeats the whole purpose of what your trying to do because there will always be phosphates, chlorine or chloramines and things you don't want in tap water). just get a 5 gallon pale of ro water and dunk it in it a few times . if you want to go extreme then stick a power head in the bucket and let it rinse for a bit. put a bit of cured live rock in to help it grow and if you don't want to risk bringing something into your tank you don't want then shop around and get an supplement to help start growing your "live" rock. thats my opinion and everyone will have their own i always do lots of reading first and remember many cases of things work in one persons tank but won't in yours ..hope that helps a little...
 

ClarkesReef

New Member
thats assuming you will be using ro water which i highly recommend because your tank might do fine at the start with tap water but it will never be a success for a long time.. yea there stuff to use so they say you can use tap water but I've tested it before and my tds readings were higher after i "treated "the tap water
 

MarineDream

New Member
Very helpful thank you!
And yes. Most definitely will be using RO water in the tank! Will be using the LFS premixed Salt and RO since the likely to be a small ish tank.

One question though - just for the dry rock rinse - could you use tap water treated with a dechlorinator for that? I have some tetra Tap safe left over from my freshwater tank
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Thanks Dave that’s really helpful!

I presume that’s soaking it in RO water? Or does it need to be salt water? And does the water need to be agitated while it’s soaking?

Great to know that it will hold life eventually and fit seemlessly in with the live rock. I’m very happy to be patient just trying to find the best option for the tank when I get it.

Last question - might sound a little stupid - how does one tell if a rock is porous just by looking?

I picked up a few pieces. There were some larger holes (size of my biggest finger) and a few smaller but they didn’t bother me however I wouldn’t know if that “meant” anything in the aquarium world good or bad

This initial soak is just to get the dirt out of the rock, not for setting up the tank. Just use plain tap water. You don't even need to add chlorine remover. When you set up the tank, now that the rock is clean, use RO/DI water to mix your SW.

Porous rock is going to look a bit like a kitchen sponge, except the rock is hard. Non-porous rock doesn have those internal "nooks and carnies".

The larger holes don't hurt anything.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Thanks for your input guys!

I’m starting to think I’ll go 50/50 with live and dry it’s just good to know that I can use that dry “ocean” rock at all as it’s the only store that sells it here and it would be nice to choose my own pieces. Just didn’t want it to mean I’d struggle to grow things as a result.

I will also have live sand so I’m hoping that will help things too.

You only need 5 to 10% kive rock. Save even more money that way.

Live sand is good also, but even here you can use washed dry sand and only a little live sand to seed it.
 
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