base rock ?

salt-e

salt-e

Member
I am geting a new 120 gal tank I want it to be a reef tank with a lot of rock. I am going to try to cover the intire back of the tank so I will need to put a lot of rock on the bottom. i can not aford to back pile live rock what are some good base rocks i can use
i live in florida, so limestone is vary cheep at any landscape place can that be used
thanks Salt-e
 
oregonbud

oregonbud

Member
I believe base rock is typically comprised of live rock that is no longer live. I do not believe you would want to use limestone as there could be mineral deposits that may screw up your tank, similar to why we don't use lava rock in our reef tank, but I am not sure on the limestone.
I would suggest doing some searching online or at some of your LFS's for base rock, I have seen quite a few places selling Hawaiian rock for a really reasonable price.1-2 bucks a lb.
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Active Member
Definitely try to avoid using rock you find in nature, regardless of what type of rock it is. There's no telling how the rock might affect your water, or what might end up in your tank.
Every LFS I've ever been to sell base rock. I'm not sure what it is, but it certainly could be rock that is now "dead" but was once alive, as stated above. It's usually very cheap ($1-$2 per lb at my LFS back when I was buying it), and is meant for aquarium use, so you know it's safe.
 
moopiespoo

moopiespoo

Member
Live rock that is no longer alive as Oregonbud said is the best you can use. It will become live when seeded with lr. It sell fo about $2 a lb around here. I have used limestone in the past but I ended up taking it out because I was told it would leech bad stuff in the water.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Base rock should not cost even $2.00 per pound. I got 50 pounds off of an auction site for only $53.00, and it was calcium carbonate based. Best looking base rock I have ever seen.
Thomas
 
T

thomas712

Guest

Originally posted by foxface402
I bought 30lb for $15 It is nice rock
That could not have been with shipping right?
My quote included the shipping but I nabbed it at 25.00 for the 50 pounds online, its the shipping that hurt, but still a good deal.
Thomas
 
oregonbud

oregonbud

Member
The time will vary on base rock becoming Live Rock, since there are multiple factors you have to take into consideration.
A tank that is comprised of a DSB of LS, 80% LR, with the remaining 20% being baserock, would seed the baserock a lot faster then a tank full of dead coral, one or two pieces of lr, then the majority being base rock.
I think on average the time runs from 3-9months depending on all the variables. The more beneficial life you already have in your tank from other sources, will seed the "dead" base rock faster then not having any to seed the rock with.
I may be mistaken but believe you can build a tank out of entirely base rock, and eventually that base rock will become live rock, seeding the base rock with lr just speeds the process.
 
T

thomas712

Guest

Originally posted by Ladyfish
can you tell me typically, how long does it take for base rock to become living rock
Hehe..hahaha... Now where is that thread? I remember getting a little miffed at one of the mods about how long that took, course I was the one that got the ingrown hair about it, my bad :( :eek: .
Let me do some looking and I'll get back to you and direct you to that thread, I think it as fshhub that I had some words with.
Thomas
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Ok look up this thread:
{Baserock = uncured live rock?}--- entice59 --- New Hobbyists
Hope that gives you some answers, or at least opinions on how long it takes for base rock to become live.
Thomas
 
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