Buying Live Rock Online

[PHXReefGuy]

Dp sorry

[125G Reefer]

Originally Posted by PHXReefGuy

I just bought 50# of BRS pukani rock. I told BRS I wanted 3-9 pound rocks.
I received 10 beautiful rocks with not one under 3 lbs and 0 broken rubble pieces. You would swear up and down there's a 100 pounds of rock in my order. It's so light and porous, I will only buy this rock from now on.

I'll get the op some pics. You wouldn't need 150 lbs, more like 100 of this stuff.
Only problem is its not live. However its very dry and you don't pay for water weight.
I received 51 lbs paying for a 45 pound order.

Interesting. This doesn't sound half bad to me. But, how much did all this cost you?

[PHXReefGuy]

Originally Posted by 125G Reefer

Interesting. This doesn't sound half bad to me. But, how much did all this cost you?

Glad you asked, I got in on a group guy through this site.
I think it was $3.19 a pound free shipping because i spent over $175
BRS Pukani Dry Eco Aquarium Live Rock 45Pounds $143.55
Check out the pics I added to my recent post on the bottom of the first page.
I got all sweet pieces, if you want more pics let me know.

[joemenchaca]

to me the beauty of this hobby is the hunt trying to find the things you need for your reef for the lowest prices dont let anybody discourage you !you dont have to spend alot.just keep looking a couple of summers ago i gave away at least 100 lbs of rock couldnt find anybody that wanted it .now i find myself ordering 100 lbs of dry rock from marcos rock to set up a 300 i figure with what i have in my 150 reef it will seed it self

[Xgame2k]

i have the brs pukani too. its super light/porous, so you get more rock for your money and you can pick up some vanuatu rock from rc to seed it. the vanuatu rock has the same look as pukani, so it will blend in.

[baldbear]

I bought my Live Rock and Live Sand from Tampa Bay Saltwater. You gotta check it out, its literally harvested from the Gulf of Mexico and packaged underwater and shipped via the airlines to your airport. When I received mine and put everything into the tank, I had all kinds of snails, crabs (good and bad), urchines, star fish etc.

Tank has been cycling for about 5 days now, still have a pretty big Gorilla Crab thats inside one of the large rocks. Anyway, check them out...

[OwenInAZ]

I think the "if it all sounds too expensive maybe you should pick another hobby" is a valid point. It's not ragging, it just is. There are many ways to do saltwater without going whole hog on an expensive tank. I don't get into Ferraris because I know they're too expensive for me. I like my bike instead. People really ought to grow thicker skin sometimes.

That said:

Don't pay $7.99/lb for LR. As mentioned above, get a bunch of dead rock and seed it. Yes, it will take more time, and yes you'll have to be patient with white, then black, then green, and finally beautiful purple rocks, but that's another thing to mention: if you can't be patient, maybe you shouldn't be in this hobby.

[Robb_In_AZ]

over a year ago I got ~40lbs from Premium Aquatics, uncured, as seed for a bunch of rock that was formerly live rock. I was really happy with what I got from PA.

Its easier to build your aquascape with the non-live rock too. BRS and Marco seem to make a lot of folks happy with their dry-rock. Watch for a BRS sale.


Theres nothing wrong with being budget minded and making your dollar work its hardest.

[OwenInAZ]

Originally Posted by Robb_In_AZ

Theres nothing wrong with being budget minded and making your dollar work its hardest.

This is very true, but there's a difference between operating on a budget and finding deals and not planning ahead and wondering why everything is so expensive all of a sudden. I started in this hobby on a grad student's salary, so instead of going super huge and wondering how I was going to pay for it, I went small with a 2.5 gallon setup. I think the OP is simply trying to budget effectively in order to pay a reasonable price for things, but the critique of those who fail to recognize the expense of this hobby is a fair one

[dublo8]

I was very happy with my BRS purchase as well. If you call them just let them know your a member of RC and they will give you the preferred member discount. It's not much but it helps. I ordered 70lbs of the BRS reef saver and then I bought the emarco bonding mortar. There is also a new advertiser here on RC called reef rocks? I think is what it's called and they have pretty smokin prices, plus you get free sand as well. Either way you go I would put dry rock in my tank over $7.99 per lb "live" rock anyday of the week.

Here ya go.. http://reefrocks.net/index.php?optio...hk=1&Itemid=56

[coralreefer2110]

SWbrock,
I am a huge proponent of the start dry, then seed process. Fewer pests, you can arrange it/manipulate the shape, etc. It does take patience but whether you are on a budget or have money to burn, patience is always a good saltwater virtue.

I have a very large amount of extra dry/base rock that I continually rotate throughout a 400gal system. I am sure I could help you out and we can work out a price that would work for you. If you are interested let me know and you'd be welcome to come by and look. You of course could see my display and know what it will do in the course of time.

Just PM me if this is of interest to you... Good luck!!

[mndfreeze]

I'm going with Tampa Bay Salterwater rock for my new build because I *WANT* as much living stuff direct from the ocean as possible. Bad, good, nuetral, etc. You basically have 2 choices. Buy dry lace rock then a small cured rock to lacethe dead rock. This way you can ensure no pests but nothing reallly will hitch either you may want. Or, get tbsaltwater rock and get thousands of lifeforms shipped wet, minimize cycling time (no need to cure that rock since its shipped wet). Then don't rush out and BUY anything. Let the rock cycle and grow and the hitchhikers start to show their face so you can catch the badddies and remove.

I have never ever seen 'live' rock that looked live in a store bin. The most it ever seems to have is a duster or two and coraline.

[defchild84]

[QUOTE=badfish;18748594]You dont need 1.5 lbs per gallon. Get as much as you like to make a nice looking rock scape. The 1.5-2 lbs per gallon was to help with filtration. With the skimmers and other filters they sell now you can get away with using less rock.

Also the $7.99 rock from RC is just home made rock with coralline algae. I have seen far better natural rock.[/QUOTE



Amen. There are many, many different styles of aquascapes. It boils down to .... to each his own. While that is the beauty of this hobby, if you could envision the direction of your tank, ( sps, fowlr, natural reefscape, etc) I think that would be your best option at this point. Check out the amazing scapes on here, or just your local reefer. I personally enjoy the island scapes, or even the pillar look which is best suited in my opinion for sps, for optimum water flow within your tank to reduce the amount of detritus accumulated. I have seen natural scapes to where it looks as if the hobbyist put the LR without any planning, and just stacked the LR . In my opinion, there is no "right " or "wrong" way to scape, but truly preference... On that note, Reefguy's Pukani is an amazing LR- as for myself, I truly find porous LR and LR that create shelves are a big bonus, while others find joy in big base rocks the size of basketballs. The rule of thumb on the live rock is a good foundation, but...... unnecessary. ( granted you have other filtration) Just my 2 pesos.

[JMcAz7]

Originally Posted by poohmalley

Ohhhh yes on CL you can get lot Aptasia free with purchase ... :0)~~

True, but cycle it and then throw a handful of peppermints in there alone for a couple of weeks without feeding them. It's amazing how much aptasia peppermints will eat when they're hungry. :-)

[n.kowacich]

I can tell you where not to go. liverockranch.com. out of Miami, Florida. They advertize beautiful rock. I purchased 225 lbs of their "Premium Live Rock", and got 225 lbs of crap base rock. The rock had very little porosity, very heavy, with almost no growth.

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Here is my take. Stay away from CL rock. You have no idea what the previous owner did to that rock. It could have been in a tank with copper or other meds, ick, it could have come out of a high PO4 or nitrate tank and leach that stuff into your brand new set up. I went with Marco rock for my display as per them it is not taken out of the ocean. I cannot confirm that but that is what they advertise. That meant a lot to me, I think removal of LR from the ocean harms the reef way more than fish collection or coral collection. The rock I got is super clean and did not leach anything I can test for into my tank. I then went to the LFS and other RC members and bought choice pieces of healthy rock and was patient. If you’re not patient then this is the wrong hobby for you.

[Vanpire]

Originally Posted by NaClH20NMYVEIN

If you’re not patient then this is the wrong hobby for you.

I think Ryan got it on the head. While you don't need a lot of money, some money but not necessary a lot, patience is the most important criteria.

[fishysmell]

+1 on the BRS pukani rock. We just got a shipment of it last week. They contacted us to get the tank size and dimensions, and exactly what shapes we were looking for and sent some incredible pieces that worked out perfectly.

[allsps40]

The rock that is in my tank is Kallini rock, cant get it anymore they stopped collecting from the area it came from. So I bought it up, $9.99 per lbs. It has grown some really large sponges under it. I got it from About The Reef when they where still open on Price RD where Reef Culture is now. RC is way better to by the way. All rock will go white on you once you cure and cook it anyways so just get whatever you like and can afford.

[budster.stig1]

Originally Posted by swBrock

does any one know of a good site to buy live rock?
any successful purchases you have been pleased with?
looking for something crazy like this

www.liverockranch.com free shipping, Premium Aquacultured Decorator Rock $3.49#, Dry Rock (hand selected limestone) $1.78#

Go to their site and read their story, makes some sense to me. I'm going to order a couple hundred pounds for a new build. Going to mix 50/50 + rubble for my fuge.

[grovetsly]

Yeah what I did was bought dry rocks for very cheap and seeded it with a big piece from reef culture. Instead of spending $1200 you could do it for about $150.

[budster.stig1]

Originally Posted by budster.stig1

www.liverockranch.com free shipping, Premium Aquacultured Decorator Rock $3.49#, Dry Rock (hand selected limestone) $1.78#

Go to their site and read their story, makes some sense to me. I'm going to order a couple hundred pounds for a new build. Going to mix 50/50 + rubble for my fuge.

Just went back and read the "live rock scam" post! Maybe I better re-think this a little bit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Frizz]

[iboard2]

I have some BRS pukani, very porous. I've been cooking it for months, so it's pest free, and I will throw in some chaeto to kick off the pods for you.

I am guessing I have 80-100lbs some as big as a volleyball, $2 a pound I need to get it out of the house.

Let me know if you're interested. I am in Gilbert.

[fragaroo]

cl is the spot. you can find great rock for 2.50 that is aptasia free and got plenty of growth and color. there is a guy out in queen creek that has really good live rock cheap. rc $7.99 per pound rock is just regular live rock that has been partially painted.