Live rock vs. Live rock

[caspervtx]

Ok I'm confused.

When I first saw live rock in my LFS it was essentially "barren" rock with algaie covering (very simplified explanation). Last week I found a site that sells live rock from the Gulf of Mexico. They sell and ship their rock with all sorts of corals and critters "intact" and when you look at the rock it looks almost as if it were taken right out of the ocean (which I'm sure it is).
Also on several site when I read about curing live rock they make the expression to remove as much of what came on the rock as possible including things like corals and gorgoniasns and critters and then cure it in a darkend place to kill everything and then put it in a tank to get stuff to grow on it.
So is the stuff that is sold with corals and critters intact not desireable? Harder to cycle with (they do say to "Cycle for life" as in a previous thread). Should I not consider this type of live rock.
My current consideration is 30 lbs of the "normal" live rock from my LFS and 30 lbs of this "enhanced" live rock from this other supplier.
What are the comments and thoughts?

 

[spanko]

Tampa Bay Aquacultured rock is indeed teeming with life. You pay the price to get just that, the life. Not sure why anyone would be of the opinion that you should take it off.
The problem is you get a lot of LIFE some good and dome undesirable. (Mantis shrimp, gorilla crabs, invasive species of algae, pest anemones) are all possibilities along with the wonderful other life that comes in. Definitely not harder, and mostly easier, to cycle with this type of rock as it is truly picked out of the ocean and shipped to you in now time with little die-off.
Will certainly save some money if you use the "normal" live rock from the LFS and the aquacultured from Tampa Bay. Also consider the Tampa Bay stuff and just some dry base rock to save even more.

 

[rondo]

Hi Casper,
I"m new to this too, so take my advice with a grain of salt. If the live rock dealer in Fl is the one i'm thinking of that is where I got mine. I can't post the name of the company on the board cause SWF sells live rock too. The rock I got is aquacultured from the keys. It was excellent live rock and much cheaper than any of my LFS sold for. If you get cured live rock from the LFS it may not be enough to cycle the tank without adding a piece of frozen shrimp. Just my two cents. Good luck.

 

[trouble93]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3095860
Tampa Bay Aquacultured rock is indeed teeming with life. You pay the price to get just that, the life. Not sure why anyone would be of the opinion that you should take it off.
The problem is you get a lot of LIFE some good and dome undesirable. (Mantis shrimp, gorilla crabs, invasive species of algae, pest anemones) are all possibilities along with the wonderful other life that comes in. Definitely not harder, and mostly easier, to cycle with this type of rock as it is truly picked out of the ocean and shipped to you in now time with little die-off.
Will certainly save some money if you use the "normal" live rock from the LFS and the aquacultured from Tampa Bay. Also consider the Tampa Bay stuff and just some dry base rock to save even more.
+1 couldn't have been put any better then this.

 

[jordan3548]

gulf-view is pretty good just add a few w's and a dot before it followed by a dot then com after it samething with tampabaysaltwater add a w's and misc things like that hope it helps

 

[jordan3548]

thankfully I live in Tampa lol and dont have to pay the shipping charges they allow local pick-up

 

[caspervtx]

Originally Posted by jordan3548
http:///forum/post/3095979
thankfully I live in Tampa lol and dont have to pay the shipping charges they allow local pick-up

Well that is my plan as well. I was hoping that the opinions would be what they are. I live in Jacksonville so I am going to do a local pick up to not pay shipping. Then the cost is exactly what it would be locally.