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02/16/2019, 02:03 AM | #1 |
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What's everyone doing for live rock now?
I'm returning to the hobby after many years away and realized that live reef rock doesn't seem to be available anymore. I always used Fiji rock previously since I liked the color, shape, weight, and ride along critters that came with the rock.
Marco rocks don't look too horrible, but it sounds like they have phosphate leeching issues. Florida rock always looks like base rock to me and I usually don't like the ride along critters from there. The color dyed Walt Smith Fiji artificial rock looks pretty hideous from the pictures. So what's everyone doing now for a live rock replacement?
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Teasing cats with non-accessible fishy snacks for over 12 years! In the process of re-wiring my new house for my next tank (hopefully a 300 gallon mixed reef). Current Tank Info: Currently a 125g fresh, but I'll be switching back to salt soon! (once I get the funds...<cry>) |
02/16/2019, 03:11 AM | #2 |
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If you want real live rock? Cjeck out Tampa Bay Saltwater
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
02/16/2019, 05:43 AM | #3 |
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+1000 ^^
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02/16/2019, 08:05 AM | #4 |
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If you want Pacific rock, you're kind of stuck in a waiting game at the moment. The two largest exporters of natural live rock in the Pacific were shut down by their respective governments last spring (Indonesia and Fiji).
This is just my guess, but I think it's unlikely that natural live rock from the Pacific will ever be available again in any substantial quantities. However, my LFS just received some of the artificial Walt Smith LR from an aquaculture operation in Tonga. And there's rumors that Walt Smith's operation in Fiji will be allowed to resume exports of the same (cultured artificial rock). So if you want the ride along critters that come from the Pacific, that may be your best hope. As others noted, perhaps your #1 best source for aquacultured rock right now is Richard at Tampa Bay Saltwater. Quite a number of RC members have had good things to say about Richard's aquacultured Walt Smith rock, though I don't have any personal experience with it. |
02/16/2019, 08:54 AM | #5 |
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Marco Rock is no more for the hobbyist.
They have gone wholesale only.
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250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
02/16/2019, 09:03 AM | #6 |
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If your near a major city you should be able to find somebody tearing their tank down.
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02/16/2019, 10:11 AM | #7 |
RC Mod
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Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together. |
02/17/2019, 12:54 PM | #8 |
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It's too bad that the manufactured rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater that they make in Fiji doesn't just get placed in the local waters there rather than being sent to Florida to make it live. I'd rather get the hitchhiking critters from Fiji than Florida. I'm having a hard time liking the idea of dye colored rock as well.
Ok, sounds like my options are very limited now. Thanks for the info guys!
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Teasing cats with non-accessible fishy snacks for over 12 years! In the process of re-wiring my new house for my next tank (hopefully a 300 gallon mixed reef). Current Tank Info: Currently a 125g fresh, but I'll be switching back to salt soon! (once I get the funds...<cry>) |
02/17/2019, 06:34 PM | #9 |
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I’d vote for Tampa Bay Saltwater. My rock was very nicely shaped, and not like base rock at all. The added critters, were plentiful, and added to the realistic look. Looking back, I’d do the same. The dyed purple rock just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.
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When you die, you don't know you're dead. It's only difficult for the people around you. It's the same when you're stupid. Current Tank Info: 40IM Fusion, 40lbs of rock, and 20lbs of sand. Just a few fish and corals....for now. |
02/17/2019, 07:09 PM | #10 | |
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02/18/2019, 12:19 AM | #11 | |
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Quote:
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Teasing cats with non-accessible fishy snacks for over 12 years! In the process of re-wiring my new house for my next tank (hopefully a 300 gallon mixed reef). Current Tank Info: Currently a 125g fresh, but I'll be switching back to salt soon! (once I get the funds...<cry>) |
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02/18/2019, 08:54 AM | #12 | |
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Quote:
So I'll offer a description: It's considerably more dense than real live rock as one might expect for a manufactured product. One very nice aspect of it is that all of the horrid purple/red dye that just about every manufacturer insists on putting in their product has been leached out after a couple of years in the ocean. So the underlying surface is "live rock gray". That's topped with a bunch of very colorful encrusting algae in red, orange, blue and other colors that's typical of Pacific live rock. There was little to no macro algae on it, and it had clearly been colonized by coral during its time in the ocean. That had been removed or had died, of course, since shipping rock with live coral on it is a major no-no for CITES permits. |
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02/18/2019, 11:14 AM | #13 | |
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02/18/2019, 04:42 PM | #14 |
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Tampa Bay!
Shipped same day air freight. Packed in the morning in water, and placed in your tank in the evening. Doesn't get an fresher or more LIVE. www.tbsaltwater.com I highly recommend getting "The Package" to reduce/skip any kind of cycle and maximize the health of your tank.
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-dennis Elos Diamond 120xl | Elos Stand | Radion G4 Pros | GHL Profilux Controller | LifeReef Skimmer | LifeReef Sump Photos taken with a Nikon D750 or Leica M. |
02/18/2019, 09:49 PM | #15 | |
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02/18/2019, 11:47 PM | #16 |
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Thanks for the info! Greatly appreciated!
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Teasing cats with non-accessible fishy snacks for over 12 years! In the process of re-wiring my new house for my next tank (hopefully a 300 gallon mixed reef). Current Tank Info: Currently a 125g fresh, but I'll be switching back to salt soon! (once I get the funds...<cry>) |
02/19/2019, 08:13 AM | #17 |
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Its been well over a decade since I bought live rock. All my tanks are started with dry rock I have hand picked at my LFS (Like Macro Rocks sells) along with a few pounds, depending on the tank size, of GARF Grunge or Grunge +. The GARF Grunge adds a lot of creepy crawly critters, mini brittle stars ect..., but you get a lot of sponges and coralline algae spores to seed the tank with as well. Not the best route to go if Instant Gratification is number one on your list, but I have been very happy with the results although it takes some time for the rock to "mature".
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02/19/2019, 08:33 AM | #18 |
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Thanks for sharing the LR link. I wish I bought a box when setting up my tank (though I guess it wouldn't have been available then). I started with dry rock and bacteria. Plenty of coralline, but it's all purples and green, and there isn't much "life" to the tank, even with the addition of frags and pods over the year. I may look into the GARF grunge (though how diverse can their grunge be if it's been recycled for the last 20 years, even if it has been fed a varied diet?).
I'd love to buy a rock or two of that fiji direct LR, or maybe a bag of live sand from the pacific. |
02/19/2019, 10:30 AM | #19 |
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Check out http://www.livestockusa.org/UPDATES.html
They have just made available artificial Fiji rock -- I ordered two boxes and will see it Friday. Per email conversation with Mitch, they are also still ACTIVELY working to get some real, genuine, authentic OLD-SCHOOL stuff in the next few weeks. This could be worth your wait..... See further down in the Current Update page: "For live rock, there is a guy on an island in the Pacific right now setting up to ship live rock. We are hoping to hear in the next couple or few weeks if it is ready to go. So there is light at the end of that tunnel, it is getting closer, and soon there will again be 5-star, AAA-grade, real deal, air freight fresh live rock from the Pacific. I am guessing it will be higher too. They are working on the freight rate negotiations, which is most of the cost of it. "
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Resident Patent Attorney Last edited by Kengar; 02/19/2019 at 10:45 AM. |
02/19/2019, 11:54 AM | #20 |
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Tampa Bay Saltwater all the way!!!! You will not be disappointed.
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Jim Current Tank Info: SCA 150G, 5 inch sand bed, 2 Tunze 6095s, ReefBreeders v2+ 50" with 2 all Blue Reefbrites, and Continuous Water Change System |
02/19/2019, 02:50 PM | #21 | |
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Also from their website... GARF GRUNGE* BACTERIA AND OTHER ORGANISMS FROM THE FINEST MARINE AQUARIUMS THAT WE HAVE KEPT DURING THE LAST TWENTY YEARS. WE ADD TO THIS GENETIC POOL OF FILTER ANIMALS EACH TIME WE RECEIVE LIVE ROCK FOR OUR RESEARCH. GARF GRUNGE* HAS A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF CORALINE ALGAE SPECIES IN IT. NO WILD LIVE SAND CAN HAVE THE BIODIVERSITY FOUND IN THIS ACTIVATOR! $5.00 PER POUND Reef aquariums require a large variety of organisms to filter the water properly. Aquarium habitat is very different from ocean habitat. Live Sand from a natural reef is good for starting marine aquariums, but each location on a reef has a limited number of species. Poor packing and shipping methods further deplete this fragile wild population. We have been keeping an unbroken chain of successful reef aquariums in Idaho since 1977. Several times during this period we have had over 100 aquariums. We have researched captive breeding of such diverse species as Chambered Nautilus and Acropora coral. LIVE ROCK RESEARCH Our continuing research into the commercial production of tank raised live rock has allowed us to purchase tons of prime live rock and live sand. We select species from the rock for our live rock genetic bank. During the last year I was able to purchase over 1000 lbs. of the live sand and rubble from the bottom of the live rock holding tanks at several of the most famous live rockers. This mixture was much more than just live sand!! Hundreds of invertebrates from the tons of live rock held in these tanks are now reproducing here in Idaho. |
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02/19/2019, 11:52 PM | #22 | |
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02/20/2019, 09:20 AM | #23 | |
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02/25/2019, 04:29 PM | #24 | |
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Turns out this was Walt Smith stuff..... at least it came packaged in Walt Smith boxes. Okay, I guess, but to be honest feeling a little "meh" over it. I'll post photos when lights are back on over it tomorrow.
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03/10/2019, 02:21 PM | #25 | |
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Teasing cats with non-accessible fishy snacks for over 12 years! In the process of re-wiring my new house for my next tank (hopefully a 300 gallon mixed reef). Current Tank Info: Currently a 125g fresh, but I'll be switching back to salt soon! (once I get the funds...<cry>) |
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