How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry

Basile · 05-10-2009, 09:43 AM

Ok i bought some dry rocks from Marco's Rock Co. I not an expert; i'm setting my third tank. The first shipment was great. But the second, well , disapointing. what do you have to look for in a rock to be good rocks. I'll describe the ones i got and you can tell me what you think.

The first shipment they where, clean, white, i had small, medium and rubble. Quite chalky, and porous. I found them light thoug.

This new shipment, suppose to be fiji dry rock. I'm just not sure. They're dirty, lots of matter still stuck to it, even dirt. Some are light and some are like really hard cement. Some i could break by hand, like hard peatmoss.
Will update with pics.

funkpolice · 05-10-2009, 09:53 AM

If you are buying dry dead rock, then the only things that matter are surface area, appearance, and price. The more porous and hollow the rocks are the more surface area for bacteria to colonize making them more effective. The other function of the rock is to build the skeleton of your reef, so you need interesting shapes and sizes, pieces that fit well together, lots of hiding spots for fish, copepods, or whatever is in the tank. You don't want to spend more than you can afford, so price is important as well. To some people paying 10.00 a pound is worth it. I've heard lots of good things about marco rocks, so you probably got a great deal.
bill

lcstorc · 05-10-2009, 11:59 AM

I agree.
The porosity is the most important thing. If you get live rock it looks quite dirty so I wouldn't worry about that other than rinsing off any loose dirt. Some of my rock is quite heavy and I have used those pieces as base to support the other rocks but the way you are building the structure of the tank I guess that is not an option for you.
As far as the color etc, keep in mind it will eventually get covered in corraline. I once put a very white rock in my tank and hated it. It just looked totally out of place until it started getting dirty and purple.

Basile · 05-10-2009, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcstorc

I agree.
The porosity is the most important thing. If you get live rock it looks quite dirty so I wouldn't worry about that other than rinsing off any loose dirt. Some of my rock is quite heavy and I have used those pieces as base to support the other rocks but the way you are building the structure of the tank I guess that is not an option for you.
As far as the color etc, keep in mind it will eventually get covered in corraline. I once put a very white rock in my tank and hated it. It just looked totally out of place until it started getting dirty and purple.

Ok thanks. I'm redesining the second structure a bit. I'm doing a kind of pit for heavyer rock and rubble at the same time; hard to explain here. Well picture soon you'll see what i mean.

Basile · 05-10-2009, 12:25 PM

Some of the rock they sent

PaulR · 05-10-2009, 01:43 PM

The dry dirty stuff if just live rock that dried out completely, I would give it a good cleaning with a stuff brush in fresh water, rinse in a bucket with some dechlorinator, and use it.

I just ordered 50 pounds or so of dead rock from ReefCleaners, and am waiting for it to arrive. It is mined from long dead (ancient) reefs in Flordia, and is supposedly very clean. Same stuff the Caribbean rock in the tank is cultured from, so hopefully it will be a nice match and I won't be able to tell the difference after it gets seeded and well colonized in a few months or so.

Dead rock is a great bargain with the current cost of live rock - oour LFS is charging $11 pound for full cured live rock. Almost pure white. (*sigh*)

Next live rock I buy will be from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Expensive but shipped in water, and is of much higher quality than anything else I have seen.
-Paul

rmlevasseur · 05-11-2009, 12:58 AM

I just ordered two boxes of Marco because the web site said it was their original marco Fiji, which I ordered for my 180 and just loved it. They haven't had it for a while and said it was done with because of restrictions in Fiji. However the stuff that you are showing is not their signature rock. I hope that's not what I get because it is very different than the rock I received when I set up my 180. I didn't even need rock, I just kinda thought I wouldn't be able to get it again.

Basile · 05-11-2009, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmlevasseur

I just ordered two boxes of Marco because the web site said it was their original marco Fiji, which I ordered for my 180 and just loved it. They haven't had it for a while and said it was done with because of restrictions in Fiji. However the stuff that you are showing is not their signature rock. I hope that's not what I get because it is very different than the rock I received when I set up my 180. I didn't even need rock, I just kinda thought I wouldn't be able to get it again.

Thats why i'm kinda disapointed. It doesn't look like fiji rock yet they said fiji rock on the addy....I can't say i'm too happy about it but i got it now , and will use it for the structure.

rmlevasseur · 05-11-2009, 06:30 PM

Mine comes on wednesday, so I guess I'll find out.

Basile · 05-11-2009, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmlevasseur

Mine comes on wednesday, so I guess I'll find out.

I don't know if your pegging your rocks like me but if you drill them they break like frozen horse manure. Its not pretty, and i'm not laughing. i tried to drill those rock to do my sculpture and i got more rubble out of them than proper rock piece i can work with, really not happy with it. Hope you get a better deal. They could be fine just like this maybe, but to work with forget it.

Wakeskater02 · 05-11-2009, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulR

Next live rock I buy will be from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Expensive but shipped in water, and is of much higher quality than anything else I have seen.
-Paul

Nice.

redsea reefer · 05-11-2009, 07:53 PM

Tampa Bay live rock looks nice but you also get a bunch of unwanted hitch hikers that come with it so beware...get the traps ready !!!

rmlevasseur · 05-11-2009, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basile

I don't know if your pegging your rocks like me but if you drill them they break like frozen horse manure. Its not pretty, and i'm not laughing. i tried to drill those rock to do my sculpture and i got more rubble out of them than proper rock piece i can work with, really not happy with it. Hope you get a better deal. They could be fine just like this maybe, but to work with forget it.

I'm not really a "pegger" as I like the option to do a completly different aquascape every few years. I agree that the rock you received looks like it would crumble easily. Are you sure that your second order from them was the signature Marco Rock?

Basile · 05-11-2009, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmlevasseur

I'm not really a "pegger" as I like the option to do a completly different aquascape every few years. I agree that the rock you received looks like it would crumble easily. Are you sure that your second order from them was the signature Marco Rock?

I'm wondering just that, but i'll let him know of my disappointment.

rmlevasseur · 05-14-2009, 06:47 PM

I hate to bumm you out Basile but I received my Marco today and it is just incredible. I friggen LOVE this stuff. This is the signature Marco rock, which I would say you will never see again do to the shut-down in Fiji. It was also packed extremely well, with very little rubble, which is extremely impressive given how fragile this stuff is. Some really large pieces too!

05-10-2009, 09:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
Basile Golden Moray Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Gatineau/Ottawa canada Posts: 2,022 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry Ok i bought some dry rocks from Marco's Rock Co. I not an expert; i'm setting my third tank. The first shipment was great. But the second, well , disapointing. what do you have to look for in a rock to be good rocks. I'll describe the ones i got and you can tell me what you think. The first shipment they where, clean, white, i had small, medium and rubble. Quite chalky, and porous. I found them light thoug. This new shipment, suppose to be fiji dry rock. I'm just not sure. They're dirty, lots of matter still stuck to it, even dirt. Some are light and some are like really hard cement. Some i could break by hand, like hard peatmoss. Will update with pics. __________________ My Rockwork Macroalgae Club. My slow 65 g build up Combination fish and Anemone 65g- Aquamedic 2X250wMH-T5 -Recirculating Octopus 150DNW- 2X Vortech Mp40W gen2 powerheads-Eheim 1262 910GPH return - Little fishes Carbon&Phosban reactors,GHL controllers and Dosing pump and ME!

05-10-2009, 09:53 AM	#2 (permalink)
funkpolice Reef Lobster Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Orland Park IL Posts: 1,396 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry If you are buying dry dead rock, then the only things that matter are surface area, appearance, and price. The more porous and hollow the rocks are the more surface area for bacteria to colonize making them more effective. The other function of the rock is to build the skeleton of your reef, so you need interesting shapes and sizes, pieces that fit well together, lots of hiding spots for fish, copepods, or whatever is in the tank. You don't want to spend more than you can afford, so price is important as well. To some people paying 10.00 a pound is worth it. I've heard lots of good things about marco rocks, so you probably got a great deal. bill

05-10-2009, 11:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry I agree. The porosity is the most important thing. If you get live rock it looks quite dirty so I wouldn't worry about that other than rinsing off any loose dirt. Some of my rock is quite heavy and I have used those pieces as base to support the other rocks but the way you are building the structure of the tank I guess that is not an option for you. As far as the color etc, keep in mind it will eventually get covered in corraline. I once put a very white rock in my tank and hated it. It just looked totally out of place until it started getting dirty and purple. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

05-10-2009, 12:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
Basile Golden Moray Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Gatineau/Ottawa canada Posts: 2,022 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry Some of the rock they sent __________________ My Rockwork Macroalgae Club. My slow 65 g build up Combination fish and Anemone 65g- Aquamedic 2X250wMH-T5 -Recirculating Octopus 150DNW- 2X Vortech Mp40W gen2 powerheads-Eheim 1262 910GPH return - Little fishes Carbon&Phosban reactors,GHL controllers and Dosing pump and ME!

05-10-2009, 01:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
PaulR Cabbage Leather Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Georgetown, Texas Posts: 353 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry The dry dirty stuff if just live rock that dried out completely, I would give it a good cleaning with a stuff brush in fresh water, rinse in a bucket with some dechlorinator, and use it. I just ordered 50 pounds or so of dead rock from ReefCleaners, and am waiting for it to arrive. It is mined from long dead (ancient) reefs in Flordia, and is supposedly very clean. Same stuff the Caribbean rock in the tank is cultured from, so hopefully it will be a nice match and I won't be able to tell the difference after it gets seeded and well colonized in a few months or so. Dead rock is a great bargain with the current cost of live rock - oour LFS is charging $11 pound for full cured live rock. Almost pure white. (sigh) Next live rock I buy will be from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Expensive but shipped in water, and is of much higher quality than anything else I have seen. -Paul

05-11-2009, 12:58 AM	#7 (permalink)
rmlevasseur Acropora Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,849 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry I just ordered two boxes of Marco because the web site said it was their original marco Fiji, which I ordered for my 180 and just loved it. They haven't had it for a while and said it was done with because of restrictions in Fiji. However the stuff that you are showing is not their signature rock. I hope that's not what I get because it is very different than the rock I received when I set up my 180. I didn't even need rock, I just kinda thought I wouldn't be able to get it again. __________________ Robert http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ufas-tank.html

05-11-2009, 06:30 PM	#9 (permalink)
rmlevasseur Acropora Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,849 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry Mine comes on wednesday, so I guess I'll find out. __________________ Robert http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ufas-tank.html

05-11-2009, 07:53 PM	#12 (permalink)
redsea reefer Golden Moray Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: L.A, California Posts: 2,144 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry Tampa Bay live rock looks nice but you also get a bunch of unwanted hitch hikers that come with it so beware...get the traps ready !!! __________________ Eddie 34g RSM 130 with 45#'s live rock and 30#'s aragonite reef sand. Tunze 9002 skimmer with inTank media rack - Koralia 2 My Tank Thread

05-14-2009, 06:47 PM	#15 (permalink)
rmlevasseur Acropora Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,849 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: How do you know you have good rocks, live or dry I hate to bumm you out Basile but I received my Marco today and it is just incredible. I friggen LOVE this stuff. This is the signature Marco rock, which I would say you will never see again do to the shut-down in Fiji. It was also packed extremely well, with very little rubble, which is extremely impressive given how fragile this stuff is. Some really large pieces too! __________________ Robert http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ufas-tank.html

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