READ-need help with live rock!-READ

[thefishfreak03]

Ok i hope i have ur attention now. I have been to 3 fish stores to find there live rock prices at 7.99-10.99 a pound. I live in MA but go to conneticut quite a bit so does any one know any Fish stores with good live rock prices! I cant get it online cause i dont have the money to buy the equipment to cure it.

 

[stumpdog]

Kip is right, curing rock is cheap. If you don't have anything in your tank yet you could just buy uncured rock and throw it in. Or you could also buy cured rock (a little more expensive) and you may have a mini cycle of some sort. HTH.
Jeremy

 

[dima96]

the best price in ma, i known of is $6.99 for nice cured stuff. the place is north of boston. you can email me if you want to know where it is. Dima96"@"hotmail.com remove the quotes.

 

[thefishfreak03]

I was told to cure live rock u also need a protein skimmer. Is this true?

 

[beaslbob]

1) you don't need LR.
2) are you adding this to an established tank or starting new?
if new then cure the LR in your tank.
if adding to an existing tank the buy a el cheapo container and use water change water from your tank. of course aeriate.
3) skimmers are never needed

 

[michaeltx]

you don't need LR.
HUH??
I agree you can use base rock but you need some LR to seed it if thats what you mean. just trying to clear up and figure out if that was typo.
but yeah its easy and very affordable to cure rock.
like stated above you dont need a skimmer to cure it because until it cures you wont be able to keep a constant water quality anyway so dont try lol
but when adding to the tank just do a SW rinse off after your readings are at 0 in the curing tank or bucket. but if you dont have anything in your tank right now just throw it in and it will start your cycle really good after readings 0 out do a water change and your set.
HTH
Mike

 

[richard rendos]

I just finished curing 150 pounds of Marshall Islands. I would highly suggest getting uncured and curing it yourself. I would also suggest curing it in a large enough container that you can spread the rock out and get plenty of current to all areas. I used a protein skimmer, a big power head, water changes, and carbon while curing mine. This has proved to keep lots of life on the rock. I also dosed additives during the curing process. This allowed for minimal coralline die-off. I have always bought cured live rock in the past, and decided to go uncured this time after reading about the benefits from uncured LR. If you want a really good book, get this one...it has a great chapter just on curing LR.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by MichaelTX
you don't need LR.
HUH??
I agree you can use base rock but you need some LR to seed it if thats what you mean. just trying to clear up and figure out if that was typo.
no typo. The biological filtration can be established with no rock at all or base rock with no seeding.
but yeah its easy and very affordable to cure rock.
they you should use it. I just don't
like stated above you dont need a skimmer to cure it because until it cures you wont be able to keep a constant water quality anyway so dont try lol
but when adding to the tank just do a SW rinse off after your readings are at 0 in the curing tank or bucket. but if you dont have anything in your tank right now just throw it in and it will start your cycle really good after readings 0 out do a water change and your set.
Hopefully all the ICH has died off. I also recommend the use of macro algaes/plants from the start. As I said live rock is not necessary. But you may prefer using it.
to clarify: you never need to use a skimmer. Not for cureing or after cycle tank operation.

 

[robofish]

Ultra Fiji Live Rock -- Handpicked and Pre-cured IS AVAILABLE at this site saltwaterfish.com for 199.99 for 50lbs with free ship? Thats as cheap as I have seen it....

 

[reefnut]

Originally posted by beaslbob
to clarify: you never need to use a skimmer. Not for cureing or after cycle tank operation.
Sense you are clarifing... "You never need to use a skimmer if you ___________ ". Do regular water changes? Want very high nitrates? Have a large fuge? Use a de-nitrater? Have a very low bio-load? Have a FO tank with one of the above? What?
There are successful systems out there that are skimmerless but there has to be a way to get rid of the nitrates. Skimmers greatly reduce proteins that turn into nitrates... You should try one .

 

[michaeltx]

beaslbob I am very sorry but you feel adimatley about your veiws and I can respect that but your answer to almost every post is.
macro algae sorry but macro algae will not solve everything. it will help though. I have been asking for clarification on some of your posts and your resoning hasnt been all that. now I dont mean any disrespect or anything but you go against everything that people say. EX the skimmer and LR there are to many benifits to LR for someone to suggest that you dont need it and the skimmer thing is another that there are to many benifits to running one then the problems of not running one. how do you think my tank would look without a skimmer and all the rock I had in the tank. as it now the hiar algae has takin over I would hate to see if I didnt use LR or a skimmer. there are a lot of new people that come on the board and the advice above is asking for most people to doom their tanks. just because it works for you doesnt mean that it will work for others.
ona few threads you ask why your replys are always starting debates thats the reason for anyone on the board to leave those comments with out telling the other side just sint ever going to happen.
Like I siad no disrespect but dude you swimming against the current and advice of the main stream board and suggesting your ways to newer people to SW that if they follow your advice will have a major problem later with there tank.
IMO
Mike

 

[lesa]

Mike,
I am so glad I am not the only one that feels that way.
This is not meant to FLAME anyone.

 

[dmarie120]

I'm in Connecticut. Email me and I'll tell you where I go for the cheapest and nicest rock around.

 

[thefishfreak03]

Whats ur email?

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by lesa
Mike,
I am so glad I am not the only one that feels that way.
This is not meant to FLAME anyone.
The only thing missing is the advice to throw in some black mollies .....

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by overanalyzer
The only thing missing is the advice to throw in some black mollies .....
did I ever say Black?
glad you all are listening.

 

[dreeves]

There is no need for live rock for bio-filtration purposes...
The bio-filtration will begin its own cycle if the system is exposed to a continuous supply of amonia...
Many people are misled with the reasoning behind LR...
Live rock is not essential...I have never bought any of my live rock for bio filtration...I have only purchased it for the life forms which come with it...the beauty of it with the various coralline algeas, etc...
I also purchase it for the purpose of trying to better provide a more close replica of the marine life's natural habitat...
The bio-bacteria will live on anything, (except a quartz cover for a U.V. light)...the glass, substrate, any non moving materials within the system...

 

[dustybottoms]

you know you want to sell some of that live rock to me right?

 

[jeo]

Fish Freak, I got my LR for $4 a lb in Mass near Providence RI. I had to buy 100 lbs to get that price. Its still good prices for smaller quantities though. I can't remember exactly but the store has a website and I will email it to you if you want. The Lr is awesome there too, he had 4-5 300 gallon vats of rock being cured under MHs. Send me a mail at rusczek@yahoo.com for more info and the website.

 

[jeo]

BTW where do you live in Mass? I am in Wilbraham (outside of Springfield)