Where's the good live rock at?????

[Still_human]

What's going on with all the live rock these days? Does "fully cured" actually mean "sterile", or is it just usually overdone? Obviously I don't want mantis shrimp or bobbit worms and THOSE kinds of hitchhikers, but I'm sick of only seeing "live" rock that's sterile-bare with just bacteria, or even with boring coralline algae that you end up with anyway. They don't even have feather dusters on them, anymore! I remember years ago I'd get live rock from the Aquarium Center live rock tubs that had just small areas of more interesting coralline in ALL kinds and colors that I've never seen since, and so much other awesome life on it! cool algaes that randomly sprout up now and then, starfish, little cool tiny crabs, snails/limpets/abalone things, weird inverts, and multiple times even little wild corals growing on it! I used to see something awesome and new in my tank almost every week, that I never noticed before, for years! Long ago at the store I worked at, a live snowflake moray fell out of a piece of live rock!!!! Is it just cause everyone's that afraid of mantis shrimp(of all of my, friends, customers, and everyone I've ever known's tanks, I've only ever heard of someone getting a mantis 1 time)? I'd gladly have to take my tank apart to find and remove a mantis shrimp if it meant I could get rock like that again lol. Granted my reefs have always been small, though--33s & 55s. But really, would it really be that hard to just have a little 5, 10, 15gal tank WITH light, to keep it in for awhile to lure out any carnivorous hitchhikers from inside? Are there still places that sell the good stuff? I don't know it if needs to still be uncured wild, or what, but whatever it is, THATS what I'm looking for!

Edited March 19, 2018 by Still_human

[Jon Lazar]

It's because people want their live rock to be cheap.  Most live rock is brought into the US these days by boat, and the cheaper transport cost allows for lower retail prices. The rock has bacteria, but not much else.

 

If you want live rock with the kind of biodiversity that was common 15 years ago, you'll probably have to go with Florida aquacultured rock.

[Origami]

Tampa Bay Saltwater. But you'll take the risk of getting a few mantis shrimp along the way. However, their rock is teaming with higher order lifeforms (typically). It's a bit blocky, though, as is typical of a lot of Florida farmed rock.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

I thought tbs was using walt smith artificial rock these days. When the time comes, i’ll either go with them or kpaquatics.

[Still_human]

Blah, I hate the idea of ordering and not getting to see and pick your own, but if that's the only way:/ yeah, the awesome stuff I used to get from Aquarium Center was Florida rock.

Ok, so is TBS rock questionable then? Do we know anywhere it's definitely legit LRSA "live-rock-of-supreme-awesomeness"?

[Big Country]

I'm not sure if they still get it but House of Tropicals (HOT) in Glen Burnie, MD used to get some Florida live rock that was just covered with all kinds of plant material and interesting colors

[Still_human]

At AC, the reason I was getting that florida LRSA, was cause it was the cheapest stuff, short of base rock. Like only $4.99/lb or $5.99/lb, I think! I had no money so I had to go super cheap. Oh man, I miss that place! The son REALLY screwed stuff up to bring THAT place down! :(

Btw, just throwing it out there, when I have things redone and fully ready again, and I get new LRSA, I'll probably have way too much live rock, so I MAY have extra (super-cured over many years, some of which are pretty sweet pieces) thatd need new homes, depending on how many, and what tanks I have up and running and planning at the time. If so, I probably wouldn't even ask for $. I guess it really depends on how much im set back from getting some LRSA, but I'd prefer to just give any away if I can. At the very least I have T-to the-ONS of live rubble/skeletons/old frag bases/etc. if anyone would need for bacteria boosts and for "media".

(Much of which has been in fishless/coralless tanks for long periods, so totally diseas&parasite free, for sure)

[Origami]

I don't know if TBS is using Walt Smith rock or not. It would seem a rather expensive way to go. They've historically used mined aragonite set out into the Gulf to age for months or years before selling it. It comes with loads of hitchhikers - most good (e.g. corals, macroalgae, sponges, porcelain crabs, and even an occasional fish) , some not so good (e.g. gorilla crabs, Caribbean mantis shrimp, a few whelks, etc.). If that makes it "questionable" - maybe so. It's just really natural. Rock like this, however, can be fairly dense (heavy weight to volume ratio). 

[Franco]

At AC, the reason I was getting that florida LRSA, was cause it was the cheapest stuff, short of base rock. Like only $4.99/lb or $5.99/lb, I think! I had no money so I had to go super cheap. Oh man, I miss that place! The son REALLY screwed stuff up to bring THAT place down! :(

 

Btw, just throwing it out there, when I have things redone and fully ready again, and I get new LRSA, I'll probably have way too much live rock, so I MAY have extra (super-cured over many years, some of which are pretty sweet pieces) thatd need new homes, depending on how many, and what tanks I have up and running and planning at the time. If so, I probably wouldn't even ask for $. I guess it really depends on how much im set back from getting some LRSA, but I'd prefer to just give any away if I can. At the very least I have T-to the-ONS of live rubble/skeletons/old frag bases/etc. if anyone would need for bacteria boosts and for "media".

 

(Much of which has been in fishless/coralless tanks for long periods, so totally diseas&parasite free, for sure)

If you end up getting that old rock, I'll definitely be interested! I'm just beginning to set up a 120 and will be looking to add plenty of LR to it.

 

 

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[madweazl]

Why the dislike of mantis? The vast majority that come in are awesome additions to the reef. I'm beyond excited about getting some when I order rock for the 150g. I had three of these little guys in Okinawa and they were one of my favorite things in the tank. 

 

[Neto]

In my experience, the best rock that I have bought came from a local fish store in Florida. It was full of coraline algae, many macroalgae growing and full of pods, etc. Now, it did came with a few pistol shrimps that I left them there. 

[Origami]

Why the dislike of mantis? The vast majority that come in are awesome additions to the reef. I'm beyond excited about getting some when I order rock for the 150g. I had three of these little guys in Okinawa and they were one of my favorite things in the tank.

Most Caribbean mantis shrimp are not very colorful or large specimens (maybe up to 3 inches or so). They're still interesting creatures, but they'll have a field day with your clean up crew. That's the major downside. They are quite intelligent, though. I raised one for several years that had hitchhiked in on some rock.

[KingOfAll_Tyrants]

I don't know if TBS is using Walt Smith rock or not. It would seem a rather expensive way to go.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2510808

 

:D

 

Yeah, for whatever reason it looks like they transitioned to artificial Walt Smith 2.1 for their seed rock. I’d imagine it’s to differentiate the product - easier to stack and less dense for customers, compared with the locally mined ancient coral rock most live rock aquaculturists use. I can’t imagine it’s cheaper for them to have rock shipped all the way from fiji.

 

Either way, it does look more stackable, and they keep it in the ocean for the same 2 years, so i may vert well get my rock from them.

[Origami]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2510808

 

:D

 

Yeah, for whatever reason it looks like they transitioned to artificial Walt Smith 2.1 for their seed rock. I’d imagine it’s to differentiate the product - easier to stack and less dense for customers, compared with the locally mined ancient coral rock most live rock aquaculturists use. I can’t imagine it’s cheaper for them to have rock shipped all the way from fiji.

 

Either way, it does look more stackable, and they keep it in the ocean for the same 2 years, so i may vert well get my rock from them.

 

Definitely different than when I started out! My first load of live rock came from Richard many years ago. I remember heading over to Dulles to pick it up from the air freight counter. 

 

 

Thanks for the heads up!

[Still_human]

If you end up getting that old rock, I'll definitely be interested! I'm just beginning to set up a 120 and will be looking to add plenty of LR to it.hn

 

 

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No problem, if I do clear a bunch out, I'll definitely let you know. Keep in mind though that my reefs have always been 33s&55s so the pieces of live rock I have are not going to be tdxmhat big. Probably averaging 1-2lbs, and less. Great for setting up a nice smaller display. There's a lot though, but more smaller pieces.forlli smaller reef patches, or to do "finishing work" around the outside of big reef structures and to perfect area to just the right shape.

[zygote2k]

http://www.gulfliverock.com/premium-decorative-rock.html

[zygote2k]

If you get unwanted hitchhikers, just remove the rock that harbors them and get them out.

Easy to do if you have patience.

When you get new and fresh rock, you’ll place it in the tank with lights and skimmer and let it cycle and grow to reestablish the microfauna.

You don’t add clean up crew until 4-6 weeks later when the rock has fully recovered and is actually growing stuff again.

Plenty of time to remove the pests.

I have gotten several tiger gobies, a few jellies, and some astrea corals from gulf rock.

[Still_human]

If you get unwanted hitchhikers, just remove the rock that harbors them and get them out.

Easy to do if you have patience.

When you get new and fresh rock, you’ll place it in the tank with lights and skimmer and let it cycle and grow to reestablish the microfauna.

You don’t add clean up crew until 4-6 weeks later when the rock has fully recovered and is actually growing stuff again.

Plenty of time to remove the pests.

I have gotten several tiger gobies, a few jellies, and some astrea corals from gulf rock.

 

Yes, exactly, that's exactly what I would do! Along with setting traps up anyway, to find out and remove anything that happens to be there, ASAP. And WOW, that is SO awesome!!!!! Where did you get that rock from that had gobies and stuff in it???

[malacoda]

Blah, I hate the idea of ordering and not getting to see and pick your own, but if that's the only way:/ yeah, the awesome stuff I used to get from Aquarium Center was Florida rock.

Ok, so is TBS rock questionable then? Do we know anywhere it's definitely legit LRSA "live-rock-of-supreme-awesomeness"?

 

I purchased TBS rock (and sand) for my 24g two years ago and it was crawling with life. Thousands of little barnacles, feather dusters, sponges, porcelain crabs, gorilla crabs, keyhole limpets, little pistol shrimp, whelks, astrea snails, cerith snails, found a pincushion urchin in the sand, watched a longspine urchin grow from the size of a peppercorn to acorn before I rehome, and a bunch of other life I'm still discovering to this day.  Only real pests were the whelks and two polyclad flatworms (no mantis shrimp in my batch). Just picked them out as I noticed them.

 

The rock I got was Walt Smith 2.1 (by request).  Since then he has also aquaculture some pukani. And of course, the quarried rock is no doubt still available as well. When you order you just need to specify which kind you want.

 

That said, in terms of my own experience with it, I'd say TBS is about as close as you can get these days to "LRSA".

Edited March 23, 2018 by malacoda