Advice on live rock order

[n_sarno]

I got my LR today from Gary...
I ordered 5 lbs of rubble and 15 lbs in 2 big chunks.. here is what I rec'd..
As far as the rubble goes.. it is just dead coral skeletons.. thats all.. and a couple little peices of LR and boy do I mean LITTLE and one piece that looks to be Tonga branch? or w/e
the rock arrived almost totally dry and smelled a bit nasty... not quite like the ocean.. it was shipped in a box in a box (the second box was destroyed in transit) so it bounced alllllll around and I had probably a lb or more in crumbs..
and it had a dead worm hanging out of it! See the picture.. what the H*LL is it!!!!! I pulled it out of my LR slowly and it was like NEVER ENDING and there was another smaller worm in the bag.. and a little grub like thing also...
I am guessing I shouldnt put this directly in my tank, and Im wondering if I should complain about what I rec'd.
I took a photo of the nicest rock and it was the worm rock.. there is another smaller rock and the rest like I said is rubble like i ordered but its coral skeletons.. is that rubble? Is that ok for a sump? I dont know.. I ordered LR not dead coral... any opinions.. check out the photos.... I have it in a 5 gallon bucket w/ a powerhead right now..
Loretta.. I hope yours holds up :-/

^THE OTHER LARGER PEICE FRONT

^BACK OF THE SAME PEICE

LR "RUBBLE" BUT ITS DEAD CORAL SKELETONS

GROSS THING ON THE BACK OF IT

 

[n_sarno]

Any input would be appreciated.. I have this LR in a 5 gallon bucket w/ a powerhead until someone tells me what to do..
It said it was cured, but like I said it doesnt quite smell like the ocean.. so I guess there has been some die off..

 

[n_sarno]

bump

 

[damselsrck]

Even if it was fully cured when they shipped it, even if it had been shipped priority overnight there would have been die-off.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by J-Bird
Yes, 5 days seems like quite a long time. There will be plenty of die off, I would not put directly in my tank. I would complain to site that you purchased from and think twice before ordering from again.
Hey all, just for your information...
NEVER place live rock directly into your tank that has been out of the water for any length of time. Even if rock is labeled "cured" by shipping it you will receive die off making it "uncured". Even overnight shipping won't prevent this.
You should, however, carefully consider where you purchase live rock from. In 5 days time you are going to receive very few, if any, beneficial hitch hikers alive.

 

[n_sarno]

Should I complain about what I rec'd? I mean I ordered live rock rubble and rec'd dead coral skeletons.. not to mention the fact that it was 100% dry so its probably not even live rock anymore.
suggestions?

 

[1journeyman]

Well ,as I said, it isn't "cured" anymore... it needs to be cured.
If it was completely dry I would definitely complain. As far as pieces go, many times live rock is coral skeleton so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

 

[n_sarno]

Thanks guys,
I'll keep you posted on what happens next..I sent him an email.. Im just worried for Loretta to because she ordered some and it will be in transit for 5 days.. Hopefully the box inside the box technique works for her, and it doesnt bust open like mine!

 

[jimnlee]

Loretta, I sure hope this works out well for you. Please let us know because I was just about to place an order with him this week, but if he doesn't make it right with you I will go elsewhere.
Good luck!

 

[dea_mt]

i wouldn't purchase from an online vendor that doesn't send overnight. SWF does it for free!!! it's also some high quality stuff. i ordered from them and put the stuff right in the tank and it didn't cause too much of a spike. i probably should have cured it first though. i'm doing so many water changes i'm loosing my mind now.

 

[n_sarno]

I would reccomend WAITING on placing an order... I want to see what he says in response to my email.. If he doesnt make it right I would say GO ELSEWHERE for sure, also wait to see what happens w/ Lorettas LR

 

[nyhcx516x]

hey DEA_MT, what kind of rock did you get from SWF.com, that is where i will get my rock, but i was wondering on the kind of rock, many smaller pieces, or just a few big really heavy ones?

 

[navarcus]

I too ordered from Gary a few months back. I ordered 75lbs of rock that was to be overnighted to me... it took 7 days!! I complained and he sent me another 25lbs for free but it took 5 days to reach me. The rock would have been awesome if I had gotten it overnight however it had tons of dieoff. Pods survived though. I think this must be a way of sucking customers in... Promise overnight shipping on huge orders and then say oops we sent it ground!

I won't order there again!! He did try to make it right by sending 25lbs free but I don't think his business practice is very ethical.

 

[poesraven]

Hey Nick, thanks for posting pictures! I think the rock looks good as far as looks go but not staying wet really sucks, you probably lost a lot of live stuff. Were there heat packs or anything? I hope he makes things right with you.
(the worm picture freaked me out!)
I'm just hoping my rock doesn't come in dry and cold. I was also hoping for some cool hitch hikers but I can't imagine any could make it that long.
I have an online store and I know some times things don't go as planned. Shipments come in late, shipping services do damage you have no control over, etc. And some times it's just a matter of getting busy and making a bad choice. I am very understanding to other retailers IF customer service is there to make things right. I will always give a second chance and order again if I get a sincere apology and things are corrected. But if I don't get excellent customer service, I go elsewhere next time.
I will post pictures as soon as my live rock gets here on Tuesday.
~Loretta

 

[n_sarno]

Loretta,
No heat pack, and I did ask for one as well because I said its quite cold here right now. The worm is NASTY, I know and at first I was pulling on it thinking it was just seaweed and realized it was a worm and FREAKKKKKKKED OUT, its at least 2 feet long... I read that they can sting, and boy am I glad it didnt sting me because I would have be very mad, but it was dead like everything else probably is! lol
anyway as far as your comment about it looks good, sure, in the photo it does look good however in person not quite as good. It looks like it HAD alot of life on it and I am hoping I can bring it back.. its in a bucket now w/ a powerhead and I have changed the water 4 times already because the amonia readings were off the chart.. which means I guess, a TON of die off... I complained to him.. because it isnt quite what I ordered.. Im not sure what I really want in return.. so I just let him know the problem, and am leaving it up to him to make it better. Anyway, I hope your package holds up and it gets to you somewhat wet! Dont forget to post photos.
Nick

 

[poesraven]

Well, here it is.....my live rock. It was a bit moist on the bottom of a couple of pieces but that's it. The bottom of the bag and box were ripped open and the rock was dry. And very, very cold. This is the first time I've ever posted pics here so hopefully I do it right.
Hey Nick.....I got a 2 foot worm too! lol Looks like a big earth worm.

 

[poesraven]

Here are a few more. These are big pieces of rock in case it's hard to tell. I ordered 50lbs. The bottom pic is the bottom of a piece where it was still a bit moist.

 

[n_sarno]

yikes... what are you going to do about it, are you going to complain to him? I did, and he is saying that he "lost money on the deal already" because he charged me 2.50 a lb.. and it was supposed to be more.. but he said it was 2.50 so I dont get it.. anyway I said well you completed the deal, and the stuff I rec'd is no good.. so I need to be compensated.. and am now waiting for a response.
GOOD LUCK LORETTA!

 

[poesraven]

I did send him an email letting him know that the 5 days was too long and it got here dry. I also sent a picture. Mostly just so he might think twice about his shipping methods and not disappoint a bunch of other people.
It was only $3 a pound and even dry base rock around here sells for $4 and up. It's just such a shame because I bet it was some great live rock and had it gotten here in 1-2 days, I probably would have been thrilled and ordered another 50lbs.
Hopefully this thread will help other people out and I learned a lesson. Ask questions before ordering and make sure it ships 1-2 days. I would probably ask for more wet newspaper to be added too. The one small piece that was wrapped on the end of one rock kept it moist for those 5 days. Hey....maybe there was something live under the damp paper and I'll get a critter after all? lol

 

[n_sarno]

Some advice for you loretta, get the LR in buckets or whatever you plan to put it in, and put it in your basement or garage because it is going to STINK THE PLACE UP. I came home to black water and an inch of scum on the top of the water in the bucket I have my LR in.. I have a power head in there and a heater.. and it is just nasty. I do water changes in the bucket once or twice a day.
Nick