Petco Live Rock?

[drm180]

Hi. I was planning on buying about 5 pounds of live rock from Petco then buying dry rock online. I found 22 pounds online though for cheaper than I could buy both. I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of quality their rock is and if it is worth it. Here is the link. Live Rock Fiji Premium at PETCO. It is $95 shipped.

 

[kennedy98]

hi i dont know about there rick but alot of people that i have talked to say that petco saltwater fish are bad and they dont take care of them well the petco near my house isnt good for saltwater i would reccomend finding a LFS that specializes in saltwater life to help you if you cant find one near you try looking online there are many good websites like liveaquaria.com and blue zoo (just ordered from there) the only place i dont reccomend is getting anything from saltwaterfish.com there a scam i hope this helped u

 

[yote]

If its anything like what I've seen in their stores.I'd avoid it like it had the plague.

 

[Kazarko]

Their live rock in the stores are too small for me and have unwanted hitchhickers most of the time. My other LFS has live rock for a competitive $4-5/lb in store. Typically with live rock i like to know what size and shape the rocks are so I can have the right rock formations in my tank.

 

[ccCapt]

DO NOT support Petco by buying THAT rock. That particluar rock is "aquacultured". In case you are not aware, there is a limit on the amount of live rock that can be harvested from Fiji, however there is no limit on the amount of calcium carbonate that can be "mined' from the reef. This rock is made by getting dynamite, blowing up part of the reef and mining the calcium carbonate rock. They have cement plants near shore and they take this dynamited rock there, form it into shapes, throw it in seawater runs so it can mature, then ship it out for sales.

 

[kennedy98]

+1 ccpt~

 

[kennedy98]

it doesnt say its natural so i would go with ccpt

 

[drm180]

Wow. I had absolutlely no idea they did that. What about this dry rock then? https://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=64&strVarSel=&strCompare=

 

[kennedy98]

yea i think those will be fine do u have a LFS instead of petco near ur house

 

[drm180]

I have a very small LFS. It doesn't have any marine tanks but the owner said he will special order things for me. He wants to sell me live rock for 8 dollars a pound though. I only want about 5 pounds to seed the dry rock but I think that price is pretty high.

 

[kennedy98]

you can try liveaquaria.com there prices arnt that bad

 

[bjohanson1234]

8 bucks a pound is cheap from a LFS. The ones around me sell it for 9-10 bucks a pound

 

[kennedy98]

i have one near me called krystal clear aquatics and they sell me live rock from $5-$8 a pound

 

[drm180]

Ugh... I wish I had a place like that. I'm almost afraid to order online because I don't know how much I need.

 

[bjohanson1234]

You should aim for between 1-2 lbs a gallon. It will be cheaper if you buy the base rock and then add a couple nice sized cured LR. That is what I did. Over several weeks or months. I just couldnt spend that much money on rock at the time. Also remember, most soft corals will come attached to a good sized chunk of LR.

 

[kennedy98]

u want to shoot for 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon of water or you can buy a little live rock stick it in your tank than get a little of dry rock and in now time it will become live

 

[drm180]

This is a 25 gallon tank so I think I'm going to order 25 pounds of the Key Largo dry rock. I'm calling some stores around where some of my family lives. How can I ask about the quality of their rock?

 

[kennedy98]

ask were it is from and ask if its been cured and how old r u if u dont mind me asking

 

[PRC]

I have a very small LFS. It doesn't have any marine tanks but the owner said he will special order things for me. He wants to sell me live rock for 8 dollars a pound though. I only want about 5 pounds to seed the dry rock but I think that price is pretty high.

I would go this route. And I'll give you a couple of good reasons why. You may only want 5lbs. right now, but you'll want something else in the future. If you have a LFS that is willing to special order for you, take him up on it. So you spend $40.00 who cares, the value that you may get out of that relationship with that small local fish store could be invaluable. So, don't look at it as a cost, look at it as an investment.

I'm new to reefing, but I'm not new to life. And the one thing I've learned from the handful of LFS that I've been to is these guys will bend over backward for you to keep you as a customer, and the knowledge that they can give is worth every penny. You can't get that from Petsmart.

Petsmart doesn't need your business (They've got Shi-Tzus to groom), but the guy living across the street from you who just may happen to own a fish store does.

Good luck to you!

 

[drm180]

I'm 16. Cured fiji is pretty good then right?