to me its the best idea.
all the rock that I have seen for sale at LFS' is good -all the rock I have seen that has been bought offline has been great. the only exception is a store that I went to about a year ago that had some terrific stuff but wanted almost $10 a pound for it. online is also a lot cheaper and you get a more diverse rock IMO
Mike
dead = DRY
live can be alive with only bacteria growing on it and nothing else usually sold as base rock.
good live rock or show rocks will have many colors including purple, red, orange, and a mutitude of other colors and actually have stuff growing on it.
Mike
Buy it from saltwaterfish.com I couldnt be happier w/ mine. I got some off e-bay and it was ok but not as good. But the stuff i got from saltwaterfish.com is better than any Ive seen in any LFS.
Just about all online retailers charge shipping. If you are starting your tank, get the rock online. SWF.com has great rock.
My point is this: shipping live rock causes die off which is actually a great source to start a new tank. Once the tank is cycled and you decide you want more live rock, it will have to be "cured" again in another tank or something before it can go in the maintank. Online you can find "cured" live rock but remember when you ship it it is NO LONGER cured because of the die off.