LR prices at my LFS

[dvs]

Okay, just got back from my LFS. I was checking out price differences between them and several online places.
Figi $4.99/lb
Marshall Island $7.99/lb
Base rock $1.69/lb
All cured.
BTW, the Figi doesnt look all that good. I wasnt really impressed with it. Kinda smallish pieces. The MI rock looks good. But if I want 70 lbs.... NO WAY JOSE!
Has anyone here used base rock? They had some pretty good sized pieces and some had little nooks which would be perfect for the fish to hide in. After awhile, wont it become "live"?
Just contemplating. I think Id much rather go with live rock anyways.
Oh yeah, the Emperor 400 there was $72.49 and I can get it for $45 online. The filters are about $5.00 more too. Such a rip off. Oh, and they dont sell metal halides singularly. I have to get the whole ballast. 4"... $600.00! I almost had a cow. I know theyre expensive but damn!
Okay, enough complaining. Just had to vent.
Happy Monday
Jen

 

[brinkdrum]

Dude, save money and just order the rock online. I know that the LFS here sells crap LR. The best stuff you will find online. There are plenty of sites to look for your rock, including this one. I have not personally ordered rock from here, but i have gotten mine online and it is beautiful. Good luck!

 

[dvs]

I probably will get it from here. My friend ordered some and he should get it anytime now. Im gonna go over and check it out.
Thanks

Jen

 

[simm]

All of my LR is base rock. I have so much coraline in my tank you cant realy see the rock. I have bought a few pieces that has plenty of ins and outs for the fish.

 

[conte]

I have a few questions about base rock.
I have some base rock in my 90g tank, new tank. How does the coraline start to grow, and is there a way to make it grow. Also, how can base rock become LR?
Regards,
Conte

 

[vizia2]

where are some places i can buy some good LR for a good price, any, has anyone goton some frome some good online places, let me know the sites
thanks

 

[thomas712]

I started my 90 with 50 pounds of baserock. Cycled for a couple of months just that way, then I put another 50 pounds in from my established 55, that is what it takes to seed your baserock, by using cured liverock. From there you can scrape some of your liverock with a toothbrush to help get the spores spread around, place a piece if you can near the stream of a powerhead so that spores spread that way as well. You should see your coralline start to take off after a couple or three months depending on conditions, alk,calc,mag and lighting.
Baserock will become alive after a few months with the benifical bacteria, however it takes more to be alive with the pods, worms and other critters or inverts, like up to 18 months to be considered fully cured, fully alive, rock. It is a matter of opinion on when it is fully cured, fully alive, I'm just giving you the gist of it.
If you maintain your calcium 400 ppm to 450 ppm and your alk to 9 to 11 dKH, mag about 1300 ppm and with good lighting you should ave sucess with the coralline. Add to that alot of patients.
Thomas

 

[cboyfan2020]

Originally posted by DVS
Okay, just got back from my LFS. I was checking out price differences between them and several online places.
Figi $4.99/lb
Marshall Island $7.99/lb
Base rock $1.69/lb
All cured.


ha...I paid $8/lb for crappy Fiji at my LFS before i found the online places. $8 x 80lbs=

 

[simm]

My baserock was live when I bought it. He had it sitting in a tub full of other LR. My base rock when I bought it already had coraline on it. I get my base rock here for 3.99 a pound and fiji for 4.99 lb.

 

[tallone]

hey dvs,
i purchased my lr from these guys and they were top quality pieces and the price was very resonable. 25lbs for 109.99 and that included shipping to Cali. A couple of nice polyps hitched a ride. I would highly recommend.

 

[treg]

The LFS where I bought my tank gets $11.99 for Fiji!! Thats no typo... $11.99!! And its not very impressive to look at!
I ordered my online needless to say. About $3/lb shipped to my house and it looks alot better then what the store had!
I bought my tank + stand for a fair price at the LFS and a bucket of salt. The rest of my purchases will be online. Better product lower price and the enjoyment of screwing the state out of some tax money.
I Love the Internet!

 

[uking]

Base rock is cool to use. If you go with soem base rock dont cut yourself short with fuji. I would spend the extra bucks on the good stuff. After all your already saving buy useing base rock. It will come alive sonner or later. As far as LFS......forgettem. 95% of them sale garbage. Some stuff they got off the beach in Miami at 3 in the morning(he he)
If you are not comfortable with ordering on line (get over it) syk! You can always find small dealers in your area. People that love what they do. Small business owners that sell the stuff out of there house. They can have great deals too. Get to know them really well if you can find one. Build a relationshp with them. They have all the deals. And most of them know what they are doing.
If you are going to order on line. remember there is power in numbers. Find a friend to place a big order with you that way you will both save money. everything from shipping cost to price per pound. If you dont know anyone.........this would be a great oppurtunity to introduce this great hobby to a friend. You will have something wonderful to share. You can also help each other out. 2 heads are better than one.

 

[infalable]

The lfs near me sells lr at $7.99. It looks fantastic. Large and small piecies so I can pick and choose. Only draw back seems to be price. When odering on line has anyone specified sizes of the lr or is it random? Would the quality and low prices of LR (seems everone is satified w/ on line purchases) bought on line supercede the lr from lfs?

 

[tygerfifteen]

sale at my lfs 3.57lb for tonga branch,no tax
I only bought 25 dollars worth(poor), seen this guy pick up 200lbs.
also my buddy is selling HUGE pieces of fiji for 3.50lb.

 

[kainrahl]

I would say go to that online auction place..... I think it starts with an E- and is located somewhere around the Bay area>.
I got some fiji from there for 80 bucks for 50 pounds. the stuff got here and was absolutely covered in purple coraline. Beautiful stuff. lots of interested pieces and good variety

 

[david s]

DVS If you are starting a new tank buy it online If not. I can piont you to a local shop that has good prices and awsome rock they useally have 1000lbs in stock that has been in the system for over a month. shoot me a email Lisa.sylvia2@verizon.net

 

[bambalamb]

Get this:
I have 120 lbs of "established base rock" in my 55 gal that I plan to use in my 75 that I am setting up for reef. It comes from an earlier failed attempt at a reef tank. There is still a lot of purple coraline algea on it, and quite honestly it looks good as it is. I will be cycling my 75 in a day or 2 and I plan to add it at some point. The big question is:
Should I add it all at first when I begin to cycle, or add it a piece at a time?

 

[dvs]

Good question...
IMO, Id add it all at once. Thats way you can play around with formations now, instead of trying to move everything later if you want to change it.
Jen