Buying live rock online
- Thread starter lukeb321
- Start date
1journeyman
Active Member
Overnight it.
You will get die off, but with proper care and "curing" procedures it will be thriving in a few months.
after all, how do you think your LFS got the rock? :thinking:
You will get die off, but with proper care and "curing" procedures it will be thriving in a few months.
after all, how do you think your LFS got the rock? :thinking:
stanlalee
Active Member
yeah but the local fish store you can see what you are buying before you buy it and after shipping you only save a few bucks. just about all the LFS here are $5-6/lb for small quantities but if you are buying a tank size amount its discounted to hardly anymore expensive than online
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
yeah but the local fish store you can see what you are buying before you buy it and after shipping you only save a few bucks. just about all the LFS here are $5-6/lb for small quantities but if you are buying a tank size amount its discounted to hardly anymore expensive than online
Well, to me "rock" is "rock". I've got 200lbs of Marshall, Kaelini, Fiji and 25lbs. of Caribb. in my tank. I saved a few HUNDRED dollars by ordering online. I ordered "uncured" for the biodiversity.
If you order online, you don't get to see the rock, that's true. Having said that, though, so? Whose going to buy rock from the LFS and then arrange it exactly that way in their tank?
Buy online from a reputable dealer (like saltwaterfish), cure it, and arrange it however you want. It's pretty easy to arrange a pile of rocks into an interesting display.
yeah but the local fish store you can see what you are buying before you buy it and after shipping you only save a few bucks. just about all the LFS here are $5-6/lb for small quantities but if you are buying a tank size amount its discounted to hardly anymore expensive than online
Well, to me "rock" is "rock". I've got 200lbs of Marshall, Kaelini, Fiji and 25lbs. of Caribb. in my tank. I saved a few HUNDRED dollars by ordering online. I ordered "uncured" for the biodiversity.
If you order online, you don't get to see the rock, that's true. Having said that, though, so? Whose going to buy rock from the LFS and then arrange it exactly that way in their tank?
Buy online from a reputable dealer (like saltwaterfish), cure it, and arrange it however you want. It's pretty easy to arrange a pile of rocks into an interesting display.
navarcus
Member
I found this great site called {Link violation} and they actually take photos of the liverock you are going to receive. I plan to order online as well and I am looking around but this seems like a great place to go!! I think they are out of stock on the liverock right now but I will be waiting!!
This may seem like a dumb question but.....What is the difference between cured live rock and uncured liverock? Which is better to get? I am going to be cycling my tank with this so if I get uncured rock will it be harmful? Also how do you "cure" liverock?
This may seem like a dumb question but.....What is the difference between cured live rock and uncured liverock? Which is better to get? I am going to be cycling my tank with this so if I get uncured rock will it be harmful? Also how do you "cure" liverock?
evilss
Member
for me i only buy rock online. at the lfs stores here rock is $10-$12 per pound. just not worth the price. it depends alot on your location and what you can get rock for localy. when i lived in california. i was buying rock from a guy that sold out of his home. got all my rock for $2.50 per pound and got to pick it out. he always had great rock. but if your in a situation like me. the internet is the only way to go. most of the time online you can also request large, small or mixed when you order your rock. just my 2 cents.
uberlink
Active Member
I got terrific cured live rock from saltwaterfish.com, for about $6/pound with shipping. Worth noting that the 20-25 pound quantity I ordered was actually somewhat less than 20 pounds (the full weight of the package, including a cooler, box, damp newspaper, some water was exactly 20 pounds). But the quality was great, it's got lots of nice coralline algae on it, some small live sea fans, etc. Took my tank through its cycle in no time. I wouldn't be afraid to buy it online, if it will save you some bank.
uberlink
Active Member
Originally Posted by Navarcus
This may seem like a dumb question but.....What is the difference between cured live rock and uncured liverock? Which is better to get? I am going to be cycling my tank with this so if I get uncured rock will it be harmful?
Uncured is full of skanky dead stuff that is in the process of rotting. It stinks to high heaven, and my understanding is that it's not appropriate for addition to an existing tank with live occupants.
Originally Posted by Navarcus
Also how do you "cure" liverock?
Others can correct me on this, as I've never gone through the process, but I believe you cure it by placing it in saltwater with a bubbler or some other current-making device, and doing multiple water changes over a period of days or weeks until all the dead stuff has come off. You then spray it down with saltwater to remove any remaining gunk and place it in your tank.
Originally Posted by Navarcus
Which is better to get?
In my opinion, curing it yourself involves a rather messy, smelly, and generally unnecessary process, so I'd suggest buying pre-cured rock. You still have to watch it to make sure it's really been cured (i.e the rotten stuff's really been removed).
I've heard some suggest that the uncured stuff can provide a big fat ammonia spike to help move along cycling in a new tank. I think that you wind up with way too much of a good thing, however, inasmuch as too much ammonia might wind up killing the remaining living organisms whose presence on the rock give it its value.
Just my 2 cents...
This may seem like a dumb question but.....What is the difference between cured live rock and uncured liverock? Which is better to get? I am going to be cycling my tank with this so if I get uncured rock will it be harmful?
Uncured is full of skanky dead stuff that is in the process of rotting. It stinks to high heaven, and my understanding is that it's not appropriate for addition to an existing tank with live occupants.
Originally Posted by Navarcus
Also how do you "cure" liverock?
Others can correct me on this, as I've never gone through the process, but I believe you cure it by placing it in saltwater with a bubbler or some other current-making device, and doing multiple water changes over a period of days or weeks until all the dead stuff has come off. You then spray it down with saltwater to remove any remaining gunk and place it in your tank.
Originally Posted by Navarcus
Which is better to get?
In my opinion, curing it yourself involves a rather messy, smelly, and generally unnecessary process, so I'd suggest buying pre-cured rock. You still have to watch it to make sure it's really been cured (i.e the rotten stuff's really been removed).
I've heard some suggest that the uncured stuff can provide a big fat ammonia spike to help move along cycling in a new tank. I think that you wind up with way too much of a good thing, however, inasmuch as too much ammonia might wind up killing the remaining living organisms whose presence on the rock give it its value.
Just my 2 cents...
scubadoo
Active Member
Originally Posted by lukeb321
Pretty nervous about buying online. My question is how long can it be shipped and still stay "live"?
I have always ordered my rock second day and I would say die-off was not that great. I live in AZ so I buy from one or two folks in CA. I get two day UPS ground shipping whcih is a saver. They wrap all the rock invidiually in wet newspaper and bag each piece. All pieces are them placed in a styro container box.
If you live near a supplier where ground shipping in two days is possible, I would save the money on the cost of overnight and buy additional rock. You will have to recure anyway.
JMO
Pretty nervous about buying online. My question is how long can it be shipped and still stay "live"?
I have always ordered my rock second day and I would say die-off was not that great. I live in AZ so I buy from one or two folks in CA. I get two day UPS ground shipping whcih is a saver. They wrap all the rock invidiually in wet newspaper and bag each piece. All pieces are them placed in a styro container box.
If you live near a supplier where ground shipping in two days is possible, I would save the money on the cost of overnight and buy additional rock. You will have to recure anyway.
JMO
stanlalee
Active Member
all I'm saying is if you want your rock cured and able to go in the tank the same day and you want to inspect each peace so that its not too big, too small, too much, too ugly ect it might be worth it to some people (like me) to buy it locally. If rock is rock to you or your buying such a large quanity that your saving hundreds (or $50 for that matter) its another story. I personally only bought about 3 peices at a time adding to my tank until I had the desired amount. I really liked being able to put my hands on it, smell it and get the pieces I wanted so I could aquascape as I went. I suppose if I were just starting a tank I might consider rock by mail.
tinmanny
Member
I baught my live rock from swf.com and I baught 100lbs it was very nice and you get all shapes and sizes, with lots of color and growth on them. If you pick the pieces you buy you would have to know exactly what you are building. by sight unseen you have to design as you go and swf takes care to get you the rock in a very fast time frame die off is minimal and if you washed right away you would have the best beginning for the start of a new tank cycle. or put them in a tub and let them come back to full life then transfer to an already established tank. I bet that would happen in 2 weeks or less with rock from this sight.
Good luck whatever you do
Manny
Good luck whatever you do
Manny
1journeyman
Active Member
Just to clear something up... ANY rock that you have shipped to you will be "uncured".
Curing is a process where the dead material of rock is cleared off, and the living algaes, sponges, corals, inverts, etc. recover from there long time out of water. when you ship live rock, no matter how cured it is, you will need to re-cure it.
Personally, if you are setting up a new tank, there is no better way to cycle it than with "fresh" uncured live rock. If you cure the rock yourself you will be able to save a lot of the life on it and really start your aquarium off with a great diversity of critters.
Curing is a process where the dead material of rock is cleared off, and the living algaes, sponges, corals, inverts, etc. recover from there long time out of water. when you ship live rock, no matter how cured it is, you will need to re-cure it.
Personally, if you are setting up a new tank, there is no better way to cycle it than with "fresh" uncured live rock. If you cure the rock yourself you will be able to save a lot of the life on it and really start your aquarium off with a great diversity of critters.