Please help! Made a stupid decision.

[PringlesLFE]

After researching for months and months, I woke up yesterday thinking it's about time to start the reef tank. Drove to the only decent LFS in my area (50 min. away) and bought ~19 lbs. of cured LR for about $185....yeah i'm a freaking idiot. Got way too impatient :cursin:

I used to think that was the best LFS in the world but finally realized they are wayy overpriced on 99% of their livestock.
So here's the dilema:

The LR itself is pretty decent, but not anywhere near as nice as the pictures of LR from DrFostersmith. There is some coraline algae growth and a bunch of other goodies slowly emerging...but overall...it's definitely not worth the $$$ i paid.

The catch is that their policy is all returns are for store credit only.

Right now i'm debating on whether to return the LR on tuesday and spend the store credit on a pair of Ocellaris Clowns (which will be overpriced anyway), and a bunch of reef cleaners, etc. etc. and then order the nice LR from DrFosterSmith.

Or should I just suck it up, learn from this insanely stupid mistake and hold on to the LR and order my livestock from LiveAquaria or a similar website?

I would really appreciate some input or advice. (Besides "this is what you get for being impatient"):cursin:

Thanks guys

 

[burntricer]

9.75/lbs really isnt THAT bad of a price, its run of the mill for my LFS and if you are ordering from a website your gunna pay big shipping. ill bet the same amount of rock costs more from any site you order from.

 

[PringlesLFE]

mm...guess I overreacted a lot to a relatively minute mistake lol. Thanks for the help

 

[Eric]

$4.99lb at one LFS $5.99 at another and then there is one I don't shop at $9.95 they all get their rock from the same place.

Guess it just depends on the area you live in.

Eric

 

[Tru2nr]

it depends on how cured the rock is but trust me i priced it out you will be paying much more in shipping costs i would keep the rock and just start price comparing and stop being impatient lol...besides returning it will cost you more in the long run.

 

[bcarleton]

my $.02, keep the rock. You could have done worse. I agree with Burn, what you would pay in shipping will kill any deal you pay on price per pound. Plus, there is no certainty that the rock you will get from LiveAquaria will be that much better. Some could be better, some not as good. Just please don't be so fast on buying livestock. I have thrown away a lot of money and killed a few innocent fish and corals buy trying to do too much to fast.

 

[Eric]

+1 Keep it and shop around next time.

Eric

 

[Tru2nr]

+1 bc i have spent so much money that i should not have spent on livestock because i was impatient

 

[seafansar]

If you decide to get more rock in the future, you can get base/dry rock that's cheaper and will look the same as the other rock after a few months. The LFS's that I've been to sell their LR for anywhere from $9.99 to $4.99.
But the cheapest place to get pretty decent LR is from other hobbyists who are getting out of the hobby. I got some very, very nice LR from a guy for $2.40 per lbs and enough to fill up a 54 gallon plus extra for $150.

 

[epicenter]

My butcher slices a nice rib eye steak for less than $ 9.95 a Lb. I always try to support my LFS even if they are a little higher in price. But if they are way high I let them know & explain how I know. Home work will pay off big time.
Don't feel bad about your LR pricing & hasty decisions, I have been taken much worse. Keep the rock & smile knowing it is "PRICELESS".

 

[MikeinToronto]

You'll lose a coral or two (or fish) during the tank's life and this will end up being more than the difference in price between the $9 rock and $4 rock. You'll probably even lose more than that over time. You may also be lucky enough to sell frags one day and this will make up for it. The extra $50-90 you spent today is insignificant in the grand scheme.

Just wait until you upgrade to a new skimmer after you dropped $500 on a different one 6 months earlier.

 

[PringlesLFE]

lol thanks guys I appreciate the concern. I'm glad (or not) I learned about rushing livestock in my past two years of FW experience...
If I can lose FW cichlids to rushing into a non-cycled tank or stocking my entire list at one time,
I can only imagine how much worse it would be when it comes to SW =D

 

[Bigjacko]

I wouldn't beat yourself up over buying LR.

That is one of the first things you should be buying. If you think you paid over the odds for LR you don't want to see the prices in the UK.

£9ish $14ish for 2.2lbs

 

[elmafioso52988]

Drsdrfostersmith.com only charges about $40 for shipping I got 45 pounds of live rock for $120. It comes in all different shapes and sizes. It has a lot of coraline algae. 9.5 a pound is crazy. Its really nice rock.

 

[Frankie]

I am curious what type of rock it is. Could you post a picture of it?