Live Rock Choices

indyws6

indyws6

Member
Greetings

I will soon (finally!) be getting to a point in my build where I need to make decisions on a live rock purchase. I've seen the recommendations on how much (lbs per gallon, etc.) but there are so many choices for type (Marshall Islands, Fiji, Tonga, etc., etc.). Is it strictly a matter of preference based on appearance, or are there noticeable differences in filtering capacity and support for marine life? This will only be my second reef tank (the first one was over 12 years ago - things have changed...). What would the group recommend. P.S. I'll be looking to purchase about 100 - 150 lbs for a 90 gallon tank. Thanks in advance...
 
andy51632

andy51632

Member
I have asked this question and have heard a hundred different opinions. I ordered pre-cured fiji online. If I had it to do over I would of ordered uncured and several different types. This is the best way to get a broad range of beneficial critters. Just my 2 cents!
 
andy51632

andy51632

Member
Oh yeah, another opinion, don't stress yourself out about it. It is just live rock. Yes it is important to your tank but if you care for it right you will get great coraline algae growth and it will look great whatever type you choose.
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
Thanks for the response. Did you order from SWF? Were you satisfied with the place you ordered from? It will be a sizable investment and it would be nice to "hand-pick" the pieces, but there are no local stores for me. Looks like it will be Internet/mail-order so I am trying to ask the right questions before taking the plunge.
Thanks Again...
 
30-xtra high

30-xtra high

Active Member
i have a lot of tonga branch, its nice because i have my main big pieces (not tonga) in the middle of my tank (30 extra high), and all along the sides i just randomly piled the tonga, and it looks really cool, and my inverts love crawling around it., as far as beneficial, order cured rock so you don't have to wait to cure it by yourself, but the type really doesn't matter.
 
andy51632

andy51632

Member
I have heard alot of good things about saltwaterfish.com live rock but I did not order from here. I can't tell you where or I will get in trouble. I have always used this place for live aquaria and had good luck. My last batch of live rock I got from there was not that great though. The rock that is sold here is pre-cured but will still need to cure because of shipping. Like I said before I would get uncured if I could do it all again. If you go searching on the net and find some different places just make sure you check the cost of shipping before purchasing.
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
Thanks for the info...
It looks like there is no substantial difference in the types of rock, except from the standpoint of looks and price (including shipping). I like the looks of the Tonga branch, and the idea of placing it on top of other types of rock, so I may try this approach. I found a LFS about 40 miles from me that has live rock in the store. It is slightly more expensive, but I would be able to pick the pieces I like - a major bonus! I have a lot of plumbing and electrical work to do over the next week or so to get my tank ready and then I am looking forward to actually putting water in it
 
earlybird

earlybird

Active Member
I've been batting this around in my head lately. The Fiji LR is what I'm going to go with. I want my tank to be 100% same rock. However, I reserve the right to change my mind... ha. I think that tanks with different rocks look kinda funny. It throws my eyes off when looking at them. Just my preferance but I plan on purchasing all my rock from SWF.com b/c of great reviews.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
I went with a mixture of half tonga and half fiji. The 2 types have a totally different look to them and I personally think they look good together in my tank.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you are mail ordering your rock you DO NOT have to buy cured. You would be wasting your money as it will have to recure once you get it anyway since there will be some die off in shipping. Buy uncured and just cycle your tank with it. You'll save a bunch of money and it'll be a good way to help you learn about the cycling process by seeing it happen in front of you.
Whatever you decide, good luck and ask lots of questions!!!
 
dpurkey

dpurkey

New Member
Hi Indy,
I see you are from Anderson, I am from Marion, Hi neighbor.
I am in the same boat as you, getting back into the hobby after a 10+ year vacation (?).
Personal preference plays the biggest part in selection. I personally prefer Marshall Island, a very porous rock = light weight, Fiji is my second favorite, after that not too much preference, although alot of the branch rock looks great it is very dense = Heavy. As stated in previous post variety i think is the best all around choice ... so mix it up and enjoy.
Also there is a large shop in Indy that we can also do walk in business with (cherry pick the good stuff).
Send me a PM with ur e-mail or phone # and we can get together and start a search, I am just about ready to make a big purchase, so, maybe we can combine and get a discount (I like cheap).
Later .......
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
DPurkey,
Greetings neighbor

Thanks for the info on the rock - I knew that some rock was more dense than others, but wasn't sure which was which. I imagine that there is natural variation, even among the different types. I like the idea of lighter, porous rock for several reasons, not the least of which is getting more for your money. I am quite fond of "cheap"
Let me know how to PM you and I'll provide an email address. Realistically, I am about 2 weeks away from placing a live rock order, if that fits your schedule. That, of course, assumes no major setbacks - so far I seem to have had more than my share...
 
dpurkey

dpurkey

New Member
Indy,
I'm new to this site, I thought you could send PM's from here. Anyway, I think if you click on my id at the top of the post you can go to the personal space (for lack of better words) and send me an e-mail from there.
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
DPurkey,
Greetings. Looks like your profile is set not to receive email messages. I have updated my profile to allow them (it was off by default), so you can shoot me one when you get a chance.
I am going to start my plumbing exercises this weekend and will be drilling my brand new, very $$$ sump to locate my skimmer externally. Wish me luck...
 
dpurkey

dpurkey

New Member
LOL, I updated mine to allow for e-mail yesterday and just like you it did not work. Oh well here goes hope you understand all this, I heard it is a way to post info so that auto devices cant use it for spam.
e-mail addy as follows my user name here on site (dpurkey)
at gmail dot com
 
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