Ebay: Live Rock?

[ReefGuy69]

Anyone ever purchased live rock off of Ebay? Im looking for a cheap but quality rock. Ive kept my eye on a few ebay specials over the last few weeks and the people who get these rocks for the most part respond satisfied. I have no live stock or anything so i was going to cure it in my tank anyways and figure i will save a bunch doing it that way anyways. I'm looking to get about 75-80 LBS so im going to buy pretty much all the rock at once. and then down the road add a little by little nice peices for cosmetics.

[mps9506]

For the most part cheap and quality are two words that do not go together in this hobby
I have no expereince with ebay live rock, but I'm always wary of anything on Ebay, so I'm not partial... How much are you looking to spend. We have a few sponsors that I know first hand sell quality live rock that you will be happy with, and is much cheaper than most LFS fare.

[ReefGuy69]

Well ive seen some sites and seen the Rock range from about $100-$500. Im willing to pay anything withing that range. But i just dont think its worth paying $500 for rock just because someone calls it cured. and i dont see paying $100 worth it either because i have a feeling i will have to be dealing with alot of hitchhikers... which im thinking i do want some because ive seen some ppl get some nice stuff with their rock and ive seen some ppl get some nasty stuff. I figure either way i have you all to help me choose what to keep and what not to keep when i get my rock as well as how to get rid of it if needed. i have checked out some sponsors as well. Im trying to get into the habit to check them out at first. but there is just a wide variety of rock out there for a wide variety of price.

[LiVEWiRE]

Well Reefguy69 I was in the same position that you are about 3 weeks ago. I was looking around trying to find a great deal with very good quality at a reasonable price. And I found a seller and spoke with the owner of the company just by chance by hitting a button on their site. I chatted with hime over the net for about 1 and 1/2 hours on what type of rock and lighting and he helped me with all of my questions. Then I decided to buy from him and spoke to him over the phone and he helped me out even more. You can view my rock I bought on my photos here http://www.reefsanctuary.com/photopo...00/ppuser/9866 and it even came with a coral frag. They were very helpful and i would recommend them. I bought mine from Oceanpro. If you have any other questions on the live rock feel free to ask.

[LoweJ82]

I bought my LR from mrmarine on ebay, $145 shipped to door 50 lbs. I know of atleast another 5 people from another site who got there LR from him and been happy.

[AnimeFan2]

I have heard alot of good things about tbsaltwater.com You may get some hitchhikers (to be expected) but good quality and they farm not harvest. Just an idea.

[BoomerD]

How many pounds of rock are you looking for? Since you're on the "right-coast", TBS might be an affordable option, as would Dr. Mac (PacificEast Aquaculture) located in Maryland. MarineDepotLive and ReeferMadness both sell high quality Fiji and other Pacific rock, and usually, their price included 2nd day shipping, which should be fine, especially since you're planning to cure the rock in your tank. The only nasty hitchhikers I've ever gotten in Pacific rock is a few crabs, all of which I found and dealt with before they ever got to my tank. I've heard horror stories about some of the hitchhikers from TBS over the years...mantis, crabs, etc. but the life on them looks pretty good, so it's a trade off.
Be VERY wary of the e-bay sellers...some are ok, some are not...personally, I won't buy there anymore...I got stung badly once (not fish related) and refuse to do business there...just too many scammers allowed to operate there.

[ReefGuy69]

Well thanks all for your input. I looked and looked and looked. I finally decided i would go with Premium Aquatics. For a few reasons. One, ive ordered some dry goods from them in the past and everything went smoothly. Second They are a sponsor here and i get all bubbly knowing they help keep this place up and running and I in return will help keep them up and running. And i figure if they screw me over then at least i will make it my point to everyone on here not to do business with them. But i think they will turn out some great rock. I'm paying $361 for 75lbs of Premium Fiji Live Rock (uncured) and that included 2 day shipping. I will keep you all posted on how it goes.

[LiVEWiRE]

Well good luck with the rock. I got ultra Premium Fiji and have no hitchhikers at all. And mine was cured also so I am about ready to start adding things after a week. I would not add it to my tank as it is easier to change the water if you use 2 new trash cans. I only say this from experience and I only had to do 3 water changes to get my levels right and mine was cured. So you may want to get some new trash cans if you want to do it an easier way. You would also need a power head in the can that holds your rock.

[cracker]

I ordered 50Lbs of Haitain from Ebay. It was advertised as uncured & it certainly was! It took a lot of scrubbing & a long time to cure. I deffinetly got what I paid for but was prepared for it. That is a great price including shipping . I look forward to see how it turnes out!

[boozeman]

I've heard good things from the rock at premium aquatics