I am starting my first reef (29 gallon tank). I know I need to start with Live rock and then cure it. Any suggested suppliers that can provide affordable product? What combo of live rock should I go with (Fiji/Carribbean, something else?). I want colorful rock (this is due to coraline algae right?). Also I plan to eventually have live coral, inverts and a few fish in my tank (basic fish for a first time aquarium).
Any suggested Liverock suppliers? Combos?
- Thread starter Joelb58
- Start date
SarahSmile
:)
I suggest grabbing a few pieces of live rock locally. I bet you have some local fish shops with some. I got a couple of amazing pieces from Petco for my 14 gallon, great coraline and little filter feeders. It didn't need to cure and I just put it right in the tank. I feel like the shipping causes a lot of die off and extra work.Then you can order dry rock, I used Bulk Reef Supply and was really happy. A lot of people highly recommend marco rocks.
hoopsdaddy
This is my reef club....
Many people on here would suggest Marcorocks, MarcoRocks Aquarium Products
You can buy base rock cheap and then a couple of pieces of "live" rock and it will seed the rest of your base rock. This is the cheapest way to buy the foundation of your reef tank. Coraline algae is the colorful stuff, usually purple, that grows on the rocks in a mature reef tank. Sometimes this can take a while to get started so be patient. The region where the rock is collected is up to your personal taste. Some like one some like another. Look at the different types and get what you like. Coraline will grow on all of it. Corals and fish will do great with whatever you choose.
You can buy base rock cheap and then a couple of pieces of "live" rock and it will seed the rest of your base rock. This is the cheapest way to buy the foundation of your reef tank. Coraline algae is the colorful stuff, usually purple, that grows on the rocks in a mature reef tank. Sometimes this can take a while to get started so be patient. The region where the rock is collected is up to your personal taste. Some like one some like another. Look at the different types and get what you like. Coraline will grow on all of it. Corals and fish will do great with whatever you choose.
SarahSmile
:)
Dry rock is awesome. Cheap. Low shipping. You stick it in your tank and before you know it, it's live! Check out the bulk reef supply website, they have great videos which show all the types and how they look.
So, most of us, to be cheap, buy a little live rock and then get the rest of it dry.
So, most of us, to be cheap, buy a little live rock and then get the rest of it dry.
SarahSmile
:)
Regions where the live rock are from do not matter. For diversity of coraline/life/shapes, some people buy a piece of live rock from here and a piece from there, but, in the end, it's not a big deal. It's just how obsessive you want to get :)
But you can mix and match as much as you want.
But you can mix and match as much as you want.
I got all my LR shipped in. I have Tonga, Caribbean, Vanuatu and Pacific shelf. I also picked up a bunch of dry rock to use as base rock. I got the LR from aquacon.com and the dry locally. I like the different shapes and styles of the rock. I was hoping that by getting rock from different areas that I would end up with a bunch of different hitchhiker's. Well, I didn't! Not a single one from what I can tell. Oh well.
Make sure you get cured LR. I barely had a cycle with mine. I mean BARELY. I could hardly verify I even had a cycle. pH was a little low to start, ammonia never got over .10, nitrite never hit .025 and nitrates always showed 0. I did let it run for 6 weeks anyway. I didn't ghost feed or use shrimp. I just let it do its thing naturally.
Make sure you get cured LR. I barely had a cycle with mine. I mean BARELY. I could hardly verify I even had a cycle. pH was a little low to start, ammonia never got over .10, nitrite never hit .025 and nitrates always showed 0. I did let it run for 6 weeks anyway. I didn't ghost feed or use shrimp. I just let it do its thing naturally.
FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
I also just got my own shipment of what was supposed to be mixed live rock from aquacon, and was not impressed. They all look the same to me rather than a variety, and were pretty dried out by the time they arrived. Their website says free shipping on live rock, but when you actually go to order they tag on a shipping cost. I had to change my shipping options to ground shipping in order to get the shipping cost excluded, then got an email saying they were coming by air because aquacon sends all live rock by air, and yet when it was actually shipped out in came by ground and was only semi-damp when it arrived. Each rock was individually wrapped in newspaper, which made getting wet bits of torn paper off the rock before putting it in my salt water a pain, and some of the rocks were pretty crumbly when they arrived. I had been really looking forward to the rock based on the descriptions, pictures, reviews, and detailed info from their website about the care they take in packing and shipping. Disappointed to say the least. At least there are bound to still be some living bacteria on it to seed all of the dry rock I bought.
Speaking of dry rock, I ordered mine from bulk reef supply, their 50lb box of figi dry, and another 25lbs of Pukani dry. I am very happy with this rock, especially the Pukani which is gorgeous!
Good luck and let us know what you decide!
Speaking of dry rock, I ordered mine from bulk reef supply, their 50lb box of figi dry, and another 25lbs of Pukani dry. I am very happy with this rock, especially the Pukani which is gorgeous!
Good luck and let us know what you decide!
SarahSmile
:)
I have yet to read of anyone having a good experience from Aquacon.
Bulk Reef Supply (BRS) is the best though! The pukani dry rock is great isn't it? Glad to hear half of your rock ordering experience was good at least
Bulk Reef Supply (BRS) is the best though! The pukani dry rock is great isn't it? Glad to hear half of your rock ordering experience was good at least
FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
Yes, the Pukani is stunning! I only got 25lbs of it and wish I had gotten more! At least I only got 25lbs of live from Aquacon - still cost me far more than it was worth, but I'm glad I decided to buy mostly dry rock and only a small amount of live. I'll see how everything looks when I get it in my tank, and if I have to supplement with more live rock, I'll probably wait for a sale from Fosters & Smith and order fiji rock from them instead, otherwise maybe I'll just buy more Pukani dry ;) That was definitely worth the money!
Ulta
REEFER
DO NOT order "LIVE" Rock online.
Buy "LIVE" Rock from local reefers(Craigslist, local reefers forums) or Local Fish stores.
Buy "DRY" Rock online, it is worth it. Like they reccomended BRS or Macro Rocks.
With the exception of TBS (Tampa Bay Salt) they seem to be really good at shipping live Rock with great success and lots of extras. However you pay pretty penny for what you get ;)
Buy "LIVE" Rock from local reefers(Craigslist, local reefers forums) or Local Fish stores.
Buy "DRY" Rock online, it is worth it. Like they reccomended BRS or Macro Rocks.
With the exception of TBS (Tampa Bay Salt) they seem to be really good at shipping live Rock with great success and lots of extras. However you pay pretty penny for what you get ;)
I had a great experience with them. I called, told them exactly what I wanted, they told me the cost, I paid........free shipping.......got 50lbs of various types of gorgeous rock 36 hours later. My only complaint was the lack of hitchhikers. I would have liked a few and got none. It was obviously well cured since I had such a quick and light cycle.
Caveat emptor.
Caveat emptor.
little_fish
Moderator
They are called aquaCON for a reason. Nonfamous is the first person I have ever heard have a good experience with them, you are very lucky.
Ulta
REEFER
When you order "Live" Rock online you usually get "Dead" Rock.
FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
Has anyone called Aquacon to complain? What was their response? I'm thinking of writing a not-so-positive review, but a friend suggested I call to complain first to see if they'd do anything... thoughts?
little_fish
Moderator
I dont know of anyone who has done that, it might be worth a try.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
I've only ever heard bad things about Aquacon. It's been referred to as AquaCON for the 12 years that I've been in this hobby.
I can vouch for the quality of Tampa Bay Saltwater's rock, though. It is shipped on passenger aircraft, so you have to pick up the boxes at the airport. This ensures that it arrives at its destination within a day, sometimes hours, of it being packed up. It's also packed in bags of water, and comes with TONS of hitch hikers. It is the most fresh live rock you will ever get. And it's sustainably harvested and cultured (conservation of reefs should be important to all of us in this hobby).
I can vouch for the quality of Tampa Bay Saltwater's rock, though. It is shipped on passenger aircraft, so you have to pick up the boxes at the airport. This ensures that it arrives at its destination within a day, sometimes hours, of it being packed up. It's also packed in bags of water, and comes with TONS of hitch hikers. It is the most fresh live rock you will ever get. And it's sustainably harvested and cultured (conservation of reefs should be important to all of us in this hobby).
CDaubs
Reefing newb
Tampa Bay Saltwater, hands down. He cultivates his rock from construction rubble, lets it grow for a couple years and then harvests it as it is ordered. No destruction of live coral reefs!! It comes with all kinds of critters growing on in and in it. It's expensive, but you can't beat it. Scheduled overnight delivery to your airport and you go get it from there. Check out their web site and look at "the package". This is what I got from them!
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