LR - Have shipped or buy local?

[kung fu]

Hi there! I'm getting ready to set up a 110 gal. reef tank, and was wanting advice on getting my live rock locally (aka the pet shop on the corner) or getting it FedEx'd overnight.
Example: 90lbs. of Fiji LR from a reputable online retailer would run about $285 (that includes shipping). Purchasing the LR locally (a very reputable dealer and the supplier of all my reef and herp needs) the 90lbs. will run me in the neighborhood of $540.00.
I've been told (granted from the retailer) that buying it locally means I'll get to 'choose' the rock pieces I want and that I'll know what I'm getting (this is true - I completely trust this local shop).
But saving $260 is saving $260...which could be put towards livestock, extras, etc.
Suggestions? Advice? Horror/Celebration stories of buying LR over the net?
Thanks!
Peace...

 

[dad]

If it was me...I would buy it online!
The money savings are pretty high.
Plus: 90lbs of rock is not much for a 110g tank. I think you will want more and then you can pick and choose from your lfs for the rocks you like.
Hope this helps,

 

[tykill]

yea I'm with daddyo, order online. you get some good rock, sometimes better than what you would get at the local store. Go with 135# of rock instead of 90 and be prepared to cure it in something. you don't have to order it all at once.
Email me and and I can send you some information on how to cure it in a faster manner. cchris002@aol.com

 

[tanger]

buying it online would save a lot of $$

 

[kung fu]

(Thanks for the input so far...)
I was going with the 1lb. to 1 gal. guideline for the most part (would 135lb be too much?)
The online supplier also lists their rock as '100% cured.' (At least with this Fiji selection I'm looking at). Is there further curing that would be required (not much on curing in the literature I've read).
I also wish to keep a good relationship with my local guys - I was thinking of perhaps a 50-50 mix of LR bought here and online. I believe a good relationship will obviously repay it self in many untold ways down the road. (Then again I am dropping around $1600 on them this week in equipment, tank, and stand alone...THAT should maintain the good relationship! Plus they're also my herp supplier...)

 

[starfishjackedme]

Hey! Just wanted to say order it online! You will get much better rock and it will be fresh. At the lfs around here, the LR isn't worth putting in the tank. They call it LR but it has nothing of value. I ordered mine from several different online sites and was very happy with it.

 

[kdlbem]

I would buy the bulk of it online, then get the rest from the LFS. I ordered a box from this site in july, and was very pleased. Better rock than most of the LFS's here usually have.
B

 

[mlm]

Most LFS liverock has been sitting there for a long time so all the good stuff has moved off the rock unless you can get it as soon as the recieve their shipment. I would still by it online though for the amount you need to save a lot of money.

 

[royce]

I just cycled my tank with 45 lbs of LR that I got from this site and I am very pleased with it - I got a nice mix of sizes and shapes with lots of life. My lfs just got a source for Florida aquaculture so I've been adding the occasional piece of that as well for variety, but boy the $$ for that is steep!

 

[ramey70]

I bought mine back in August and I was very happy with it. It came heavigly encrusted with coraline algae. It's been in my tank for a while now and I'm starting to get sponges, polyps,and other things growing all the time. Every time I look in the tank I see something new. Plus I saved a lot of money buying it online.

 

[kung fu]

Thanks for the input everyone! I'll be buying the first batch of 90lbs. from the online retailer and then adding from the local stock.
Appreciate all the comments!!!
Peace..

 

[ironreef]

what your doing sounds good online and vendor. But IME i wouldn't add to much LR. make it @1/2 full. Depending on your corals They will get big @3yrs. i have corals over 12"-14" tall that I need to keep pruned to that size. If you load a big wall you won't have room for growth, no place for fish to swim. I would create peaks and valley to make it high.

 

[josh]

Hey KungFu,
Just a little well know trick is to get some PVC pipe and eggcrate and make yourself a stand which will dramatically reduce the amount of LR you need and at the same time giving you some needed height for different light intenisty and water flow.

 

[kung fu]

Well at this point I was planning on building a solid base out of lace rock and then doing an 'ampitheater' style wall up from that base in live rock. I think the 90lbs. will be more than enough to start the tank...it seems that a lot of people are leaning more towards the '2lbs.' of the '1 to 2lbs of LR per gal.'
Once things are up and going I figured I could add more LR if necessary...
Thoughts?
Peace...

 

[hounddogg68]

we have a 55 galon tank and we went about half and half,,,personally i like the lfs rocks,,i got to chose what i wanted and got alot of extras in it,,also have some nice corals on it,,,i dont know if i ordered from a bad online store or what but the rocks they sent where very bare,,didnt look good at all,wish i had knew about swf.com before i ordered from the other,,ive heard great thinds about there rocks,i think so far we have about 4 stone crabs snails emerald crabs some corals out of the rocks we got,,,good luck buddy,,i would suggest going 50/50 but order from swf

 

[kung fu]

Thanks hounddog...I think that the 90lbs. to 110 gal. is a decent ratio to start.
Actually swf.com is sold out of all their LR...however I found a very reputable online dealer that came highly recommended from a couple of university marine departments - which is the .com that has the pricing I listed on my first post. Pretty confindent I'll get good rock from them...
I'll post when the LR comes and let everyone know the quality when it arrives. (I'll probably place the order next week).
Peace...