looking to add lr, can i use other stones as base?

[fditty]

im looking to add live rock to my tank but i noticed its extrmemly pricey. is it possible to add other types of rock that are less expensive to start the base and add live rock to the top? if so any suggestions on what kind of rock to add?

 

[jacksonpt]

Yes, you can. Most LFSs I have been too sell cheap base rock. My LFS has it for $.50-$.75/lb.

 

[iechy]

You can do that but keep in mind even once it becomes "live" and has bacteria and corraline all over it, it will never have the same filtration quality as good live rock if it is not porous enough for the the bacteria to do it's job correctly.

 

[fditty]

i know it wont be as good as live rock and i just ordered 40-45 lbs of fiji live rock from this site. i wanted to have some other rock so i could add more structure. i want much more fish then coral. in fact i probably wont get any coral. i like aggressive fish. i want a lion and an eel. its a 90 tank.

 

[krishj39]

if you get Tufa rock as your base, it WILL have the same bio bacteria capacity. may as well get that, it costs more per pound but also weighs a lot less. i'd highly recommend it instead of a regular dense rock.

 

[fditty]

hey krish im kinda close to reading. im from sellersville. right next to quakertown. do you go to that fish place? thats where i got my tank. good deals. how much is tufa rock per pound?

 

[steve40]

Im from reading too and i dont think that "that fish place has" tufa. But isnt that place great. I think they only have tonga and the other kind, i forgot what it is called.

 

[fditty]

i know they have the fiji rock and thats supposed to be the best from what ive heard. that store is awesome too bad its so far from me

 

[krishj39]

hey, yeah I know where sellersville is. I do go to that pet place. steve, tufa rock isn't live rock (they have Tonga and FUJI), it is the dry base rock (in that pet place these rocks are in the corner by the light bulbs). I don't know if they specifically have tufa or not. they do have base rock though, rock that actually came from dead reefs, which is just as good. this rock i am talking about is the same kind of rock that many use to turn into cultured live rock. It's called Reef Rock by Carib Sea. What is your tank setup so far?

 

[krishj39]

as far as quality of LR at that pet place, it is hit and miss. sometimes they have GREAT looking pieces, other times it stinks (literally and figuratively). I have a 5lb piece of tonga and a 7lb piece of fuji from them, and both are awesome pieces. I got 2 types of hitch hiking encrusting corals on the tonga rock, and the fuji is covered in dark purple coralline. lately though the pieces look a bit pathetic, and the pickings are slim. if you are thinking of heading down there for LR, call first to be sure you get there shortly after they get new stock in, cause the good stuff goes pretty fast. you can't go wrong with tonga or fuji, by the way.

 

[fditty]

im just setting everything up. i got the tank last saturday from that store and added the water, sand and salt sunday. everything seems to be stable so far but i dont have anything in it.