Where should I get live rock???

[Celticreefer]

Hi guys. just set up my SW tank. 75 g w protein skimmer, heater, aquaclear filter and powerhead. I now need to put some live rock in and was not sure of the best way of finding live rock. One option is skiptons pet center. obviously this is what i prefer as it is fully cured already but at $8/lb its tough to commit to.

my other option is off liveaquaria or aquacon.com where I could buy pre-cured live rock and finish curing them in my 75g tank which does not have any fish yet. What in your opinions is my best option. Is it ok to finish curing live rock in my aquarium before the fish is in? What do most aquarists do?

How much live rock do you think I can start with? I ibviously want to do around 65-80lbs eventually but wasnt sure how much i should start with. thanks!

 

[dcforester1]

I would try Marco Rock, someone suggested him once before. I think some from the club use him.

http://www.marcorocks.com/

 

[frank180reef]

got some nice rock from Bulkreefsupply

around $4/lb shipped

 

[Dave McReeferson]

What in your opinions is my best option.

IMO, there is no substitute for being able to hand pick your rock yourself. The best option for that? Any of your friendly local BRS sponsors.

 

[Celticreefer]

Thanks for the replies guys. looks like there are great places to get dry and cured live rock. Can I finish the curing process in my 75g aquarium? dont have any fish in it yet. just wasnt sure if it was a bad idea to finishing the curing of some partially cured rocks in my aquarium.

 

[Bobbofin]

I handed pick all my liverock but I only have about 40lb in my cube. Some came from Skipton's, Aquarium Gallery, Jay's and Aqua Addicts. I've had some of my rock ten+ years. Another opinion might to be to get some Marco rock as your base rock then get select pieces at some shops a little at a time so it's easy on the wallet.

 

[MisFit]

It really depends on what you are looking for in terms of life on the rock. Most lfs just have coraline covered rock with not much else for life, although I will admit I haven't seen skiptons live rock selection since B took over. Reeftopia has pretty boring rock but at 2 dollars a pound shipped it's a good deal for seeding bacteria. Tampa bay saltwater has amazing Caribbean rock. I recently got a bunch of rock from then and it was covered with cup corals, clams, barnacles and solenastrea colonies. It was also crawling with pistol shrimp and porcelain crabs

 

[Jason72]

And to answer your other question: Not a problem curing rock in your tank itself, as long as you don't try to stock it until after the cycle is over over. I'm sure you've read up on the cycle process. It's fine to do that in your tank - it just means you have to have a little more patience.

It's a trade off I guess - do you want to set it up and be good to go, costing you less patience but more money, or do you want to spend more money and require less patience by getting fully cured rock (which I'd be hesitant to trust anyway lol)

 

[lisa foster]

I would also try jays I bought 20 lbs he lowered it from $8lb to $6

 

[Cjtabares]

If I was going to do it again I would go with mostly dry rock, Marco Rocks, and some really good live rock to seed it with, it might take longer but I am having a celurpa algea problem and I am sure it came in with my live rock. I know you might not get as much life but this is a pain. And the stuff Marco has is amazing some real nice pices.

 

[jtmac]

Seaworld on rt 28 salem NH has a huge selection most I have seen anywhere.

 

[MofoCorals]

I used liveaquaria.com