Live Rock Problem

[WarmSoda]

OK, some preparatory information. I just ordered my tank equipment a few days ago, and it's scheduled to arrive this Monday and Wednesday, and I'm practically drooling in anticipation. All seems to be going well, as the only things I seem to be missing are Salt-mix and, my biggest problem, Live Rock. The salt will run me about $50-$70 but the Live Rock is going to destroy me...

... I have two LFS's at my disposal, both of which are selling Live Rock at very high prices; $7.99-$12.99 a lb. Having just spent $700 on lights, a skimmer, powerheads and other paraphernalia, I can't seem to afford to spend another $1,000~ (following the 1-2 lbs. per gallon "rule") on live rock.

My question to the boards is, "How can I find a way to get the amount Live Rock I need to function as my biological filter and not break bank?" I'm willing to buy online, ebay, w/e, I just need it! :( Thanks in advance.

 

[stagofdoom]

You could always do base rock seeded with live rock.

 

[cthegame]

+1 stag

 

[dustin_P74]

+ dose to stag

 

[ccCapt]

Depending on where in NJ you are, you might not be much more than an hr from Something Fishy. They have base rock for $1.29/lb and Fiji live rock for $3.99/lb. You can do 1/2 base and 1/2 live.

 

[Bifferwine]

You can also order from www.liveaquaria.com. If you watch for the live rock to go on sale, you can get it from $3 to $4 a lb depending on the type (they sell a whole bunch of different types, and there's always something or another on sale). Another good site for dry base rock is www.marcorocks.com and another site for live rock is www.saltycritter.com.

In any case, there's no way you need to pay your LFS prices for it!

 

[RyanG]

Also watch your local craigslist and forums for people getting out of the hobby.

 

[JAG107]

These are all excellent options. You should definitely have at least 50% base rock to help get the cost down. You just need some live rock to start, which will help seed the base rock. The more live rock you buy, the faster it should seed the base IMO

 

[1geo]

Check these two one on eBay and one off, http://cgi.ebay.com/FIJI-LIVE-ROCK-BY-THE-POUND-PREMIUM-QUALITY-IN-STOCK_W0QQitemZ160320064861QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item160320064861&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308

and http://www.intmarinefish.com/liverock.html This is where I am buying my live rock. Make sure you ask if they can guarantee there are no Mantis shrimp in the rock and also be VERY specific about what you want; one forum member stated that he ordered rock from the second vendor and did not get what he ordered. I made it very clear to the seller what I wanted and got it in writing from him. I am finding out that buying live rock is like buying used cars; you cannot be to careful. Geo.

 

[dan55gallonhex]

ryan is right if you really want to save money look in the papers and craigslist i found mine for 2 dollors pound and it was figi gold nice rock

 

[Piggy]

All the above have you covered. Buy base rock and seed it with live rock.

 

[parrotchute]

another +1 on the base rock...also, if your bioload is low to start with, you won't need that full "optimum" weight of live rock...so long as you add more as your tank grows. I started w/20lbs of live rock and about 20 lbs of base rock, and as I got more stuff, I kept adding a combo of LR/BR. Now all the base rock looks identical to the live rock..
Alex