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02/19/2018, 11:24 PM | #1 |
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What’s the best way to get live rock ready for the tank
I found a guy on CL (he sounds like he’s running a store out of his garage). He says he orders in hundreds of lbs of live rock every month.
He’s offering 2 50-55lbs boxes of live rock for $80 each. My question is if I do buy a few boxes, what’s the best way to insure I don’t end up with any pests on it? Is it even possible? Or is dry rock the best route? |
02/19/2018, 11:44 PM | #2 |
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02/20/2018, 03:12 AM | #3 |
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There is a live rock thread in the new to hobby section that gives pretty good advice.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2622801 |
02/20/2018, 06:13 PM | #4 |
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Thanks. I’ll check it out
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02/20/2018, 08:42 PM | #5 |
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I bleached mine for 36 hours, then put it in acid bath for 8 minutes. Then I cycled it in trash cans for 3 months until it read 0's in all tests.
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02/20/2018, 08:58 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
This results in no longer live rock.
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02/21/2018, 02:13 AM | #7 |
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you're going to go through a cycle whether u get those boxes or base rock. The benefit of buying LR is to have a wider range of live organism.. including any pests that comes with it. If your gonig to bleach the LR you might as well buy base rock.
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02/21/2018, 11:54 AM | #8 | |
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Quote:
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02/21/2018, 12:54 PM | #9 |
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When I use live rock I like to keep the tank bare for the first three months or so so I can address any pests that might show up. I will add some snails or perhaps a small fish, but I'll hold off on the sand for awhile and the rock structure itself will be a work in progress. I want to be able to rotate the rocks, move things around, set traps etc. Once I think everything is OK I'll add the sand, secure the rocks with some epoxy and start adding more livestock. Basically taking it slow.
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02/21/2018, 01:35 PM | #10 |
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Any "live rock", no matter the supplier, will have hitchhikers.
Curious though, I would bet he is aqua-culturing some sort of cheap dry rock in his garage... basically doing what hobbyists due but on a large scale and selling it. Not that is a problem, less than 1.50/lb is not a bad price if it is good. I would be wary of ugly or uninteresting rock though.
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02/21/2018, 01:39 PM | #11 |
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Just got some dry pukani, and BRS sent some really nice pieces. It reminds you that "pound" can mean very little when it comes to rock that actually looks half decent.
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80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA |
02/21/2018, 02:01 PM | #12 |
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Buy it from TampaBaySaltwater, pick it up at the airport, put it in tank.
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02/21/2018, 03:03 PM | #13 |
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I second the above sentiment.
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02/21/2018, 05:06 PM | #14 |
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Just out of curiosity why TBS? (as opposed to anything else) If pests are the main concern is this stuff indeed clean? Just one little hitchhiker can do a lot of damage... (and cause a lot of stress) Like mentioned before, why this stuff as opposed to the live rock you might find at a decent LFS? (one with a heart)
FWIW I've always bought live rock from various LFS in my area. (maybe 90 miles out) They might not have a lot of life at first glance, (on the surface) but after awhile I'm seeing pods, worms etc. Last edited by AlSimmons; 02/21/2018 at 05:14 PM. |
02/21/2018, 07:20 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
It seems to me there are two basic approaches: A) start with rock with very little life to be sure to avoid "bad guys." B) start with rock with as much diversity as possible, and deal with "bad guys" as necessary. Personally I strongly prefer "B". To me, much of the pleasure of reef keeping is the diversity that can come with live rock. It's not for everyone, but if TBS wasn't available my enjoyment of this hobby would be greatly diminished.
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02/21/2018, 07:26 PM | #16 |
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At least your mantis’ will kill half your other hitchhikers... lol I think it depends on goals, none of that interests an sps keeper really, been there done that.
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80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA |
02/21/2018, 07:38 PM | #17 | |
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So have you caught all these pests yet? (lots of headaches) Any algae problems? You know, the kind of algae that usually accompanies that REAL live rock. (not Diatoms, Cyanobacteria etc) Tell the truth now... That fascination phase is gone for me. I'd much rather pick and choose for half the price. (less headaches) |
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02/21/2018, 07:41 PM | #18 |
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Exactly, my goal is for my mixed reef to be a miniature model as close to a real reef as possible. Others are more interested in growing an SPS "garden".
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Setting up 230g Miracles mixed reef peninsula, TampaBaySaltwater liverock package, Radion Gen3 pros, Vectra returns |
02/21/2018, 07:47 PM | #19 | |
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Bring it on.
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02/21/2018, 07:48 PM | #20 |
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It's all the same IME...
Really the only difference between keeping goldfish in a tank and a reef is the temperature and the salt. |
02/21/2018, 07:49 PM | #21 | |
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Quote:
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02/21/2018, 07:49 PM | #22 |
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Like I said, caught the stone crab, and gorilla crabs disappeared without me having to catch them, and I like the Mantises -- won't be hard to catch once I have a dedicated tank for them.
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Setting up 230g Miracles mixed reef peninsula, TampaBaySaltwater liverock package, Radion Gen3 pros, Vectra returns |
02/21/2018, 07:55 PM | #23 |
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Sorry, I may have missed this in your above post. (can you highlight it please?/without an edit) For some reason I just don't believe you, (all in all) but keep on trucking... GL.
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02/21/2018, 08:00 PM | #24 | |
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Setting up 230g Miracles mixed reef peninsula, TampaBaySaltwater liverock package, Radion Gen3 pros, Vectra returns |
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02/21/2018, 08:06 PM | #25 |
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10 months old. Pest free. Nothing but healthy tank goodness.
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