Newbie here...looking for live rock suggestions

[hvy_dty]

I'm looking for suggestions on buying live rock. I should be ready for it later this week but want to do some research first. I just filled my tank 1/2 way and my RO unit should have the rest of the water ready to go tomorrow. I like Fiji LR, but my LFS has some "Tundra Special" LR coming in on Friday that I'm going to go check out. I'm not a big fan of the regular, tube-like Tonga rock. Has anyone ever heard of Tundra Special LR? If so, what do you think about it? Any other suggestions? Thanks!

 

[northshore]

i used 75lbs of live figi rock for my base rock then to improve my reefscape...used pieces of tonga branch, vavau, alor, kupang and marshall island rocks. you can get 50lbs of live figi rock transhipped for $160 which includes packaging and shipping charges delivered to your door in 1 or 2 days!

 

[tim_russell]

Why buy when you can make your own liverock...and it is reef safe and fun? the only thing is, it takes time. I made some "agreocrete" and it is Great stuff, for next to nothing. I made approximatly 80 lbs for like 30 dollars...but that is just my two cents...and it was fun...for me and the wife, who got really, REALLY dirty in this whole project. That was worth it by itself really. here is a site to get more info:
http://www.garf.org/
They can assist you in anyway. It's just an alternative to think about.

 

[hvy_dty]

Whoops...I meant to say "Tonga Special", not Tundra Special. Sorry about that one. I don't know where I got that from.

 

[phoenixrising]

Tim--FYI links to other competing websites is a no-no. Your post will likely be modified or removed.
Heavy Duty...Check out the live rock available right here on SWF.com. They have fabulous rock! As for the rock available at your LFS...if it looks great and is a good density for your reef, go for it! I have live rock purchased both locally and online in my system and all of it looks great!

 

[overanalyzer]

I agree with Tim - make your own - need to stop ripping rocks out of the ocean. If you buy live then buy aquacultured
what I do is use dead base rocks and use some LS and some LR and just let the dead rocks become live over time ....
Phoenix - I've posted www.garf.org quite a bit and I've never had it modified or removed - I don't think they compete directly with SWF.com .... of course I am now looking for wood to knock on!!

 

[tim_russell]

my first batch took me about 6 weeks...before i could put it in the main tank and 'seed' it. However, there are some "shortcuts" to this. If you make agreocrete, you could cure it in freshwater and viniger for 3 days, everyday changing the water, then cure it for 3 days without the vineger, and that makes the rock not affect the ph. If you dont' cure it, the rock WILL mess up your ph. My lil shortcut was a suggestion from someone else, and i used it on a 10gnanoreef, and it work really good. Anyhow, making it is funner, and more environmental. I've never been one to care too much for the environment, until I got into SW tanks, and now, I do give it a chance, cause once it's gone, it's gone and I'd love for my gkids...to see some of the beauty's of life that i have seen.
BTW, thanks overanalyzer for other post on your rock. Looks good. Made another batch this last weekend...and made some 'glove' caves. NICE!! As soon as i get some pics, i'll post them.

 

[overanalyzer]

Tim - very cool - I am using the vinegar soak, but I just bought a 75 gallon to use to help seed my rock. I am very excited to see your pictures. We have always been part ofthe nature conservancy and the reduce, re-use & recycle - but in researching setting up my own reef tank I have learned how much harm keeping reef fish can cause if you are an unwary consumer.
CheerFlip1 - it took me about 3 hours to make the actual first batch but I had a 4 1/2 year old helping and I was very cautious of her getting near the concrete mix and making sure we did not raise a whole bunch of dust. The second batch I made arches and branching curvers and some straight branching pieces - that took me about an hour. My next batch will all be flat shelf pieces and I am hoping to do that Sunday in about an hour. It takes 48 hours to let them sit and right now I have made about 40 pounds of LR and it has cost me roughly $1.07 per pound to make and I still have about 15 pounds of southdown and about 80 pounds of concrete mix left. Do a search for my user name and look for a post entitled first batch of aragocrete (I think) - it is very picture heavy but it is pics of all of my first attempts.

 

[overanalyzer]

OH and I plan on seeding all batchs some time in May..... will buy a small amount of LS and LR and add it to a tank ....

 

[foulbrew]

I hate to pour water on the enthusiasm about making your own live rock - but let's not ignore the fact that most reefers chose to purchase live rock, for many good reasons :
1) The abundant and diverse life that comes on and within good live rock.
2) The density and porousness of the rock aiding to natural filtering and contribution to the nitrogen cycle.
3) The natural appearance, it is an attractive addition in its own right.
I'm not saying there aren't plusses to making you own, there are :
1) Cost
2) Custom shapes
3) Cost
4) Cost
IMO if money is not an issue I would purchase all live rock, getting the bulk as premium figi and the rest a combination of some others (ie. tonga branch). This will provide excellent filtering and excellent diverse color and life. If money is an issue I would consider making my base rock and purchasing the show rock getting premium figi.
Whatever you do remember you are going to be looking at this for a long time, make it something you can live with.

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by foulbrew
I hate to pour water on the enthusiasm about making your own live rock - but let's not ignore the fact that most reefers chose to purchase live rock, for many good reasons :
1) The abundant and diverse life that comes on and within good live rock.
2) The density and porousness of the rock aiding to natural filtering and contribution to the nitrogen cycle.
3) The natural appearance, it is an attractive addition in its own right.
I'm not saying there aren't plusses to making you own, there are :
1) Cost
2) Custom shapes
3) Cost
4) Cost
IMO if money is not an issue I would purchase all live rock, getting the bulk as premium figi and the rest a combination of some others (ie. tonga branch). This will provide excellent filtering and excellent diverse color and life. If money is an issue I would consider making my base rock and purchasing the show rock getting premium figi.
Whatever you do remember you are going to be looking at this for a long time, make it something you can live with.

This hobby involves a lot of patience. Just to debate yoru points bit:
1. - If you seed your homemade rock with LR you will get diverse life. You can also seed your sand bed and that will help your life come alive. Would it be great to have all coraline encrusted rocks - sure .... but but your homemade stuff wil levnetually get that way.
2. - There are numerous ways to make the aragocrete more porous and less dense. While the rock is not as full of holes as I would like it will still serve the functionality that is required of LR - just not to as high a degree initially as LR does.
3. - I have used a lot of base rocks as molds and most of my shapes do look natural.
As for benefits:
1. Not removing natural resources from the reef (same benefit as using aquacultured rock)
2. Custom created pieces
3. The ability to be fundamental contributor to the look of yoru reef - not only do you re-arrange the rock work but you created it as well.
4. Cost
5. Can be a good family bonding experience - I know Tim did the project with his wife(or girlfriend) and my daughter and I spent a lot of quality time working on the rocks together.
So my advice would be- use base rock, make your own rock and seed it all with some live rock and live sand.
In my opinion we should all be advocating for conservation of the reefs and money should not be the top priority in building your reef - conserving for future generations should be!!