Live rock/base rock

[Anonymous]

To save a few bucks on the new tank I have been purchasing base rock. I have accquired about 150 lbs of nice stuff. My plan is to set up a small kiddie pool once I get home and get my new skimmer and seed the rock with some good quality live rock. New tank is a 150 and I would like to not pack the tank full of live rock. I figure about 30 lbs of good rock would set me up nice.

So now it is time for your stories about vendors and to poke holes in my plans.

Fire at will.

 

[SnowManSnow]

ya man save TONS and use BASE rock for the BASE! imagine that.. i did the same thing on my new tank.

b

 

[Anonymous]

Well it depends upon your plan of action.

What I have heard from various "experts" is that you can not really "seed" live rock, the whole deal being that live rock is "live" for the huge diversity of live forms that happen to be on them from thousands of years of being in the ocean, even TBS stuff sucks in comparison (a few years vs 1000s of years in the ocean). Now with that said I've also heard others (Reefkeeping issue?) say that's an issue with older tanks too is that the diversity starts to go away (you get a top dog so to speak that dominates the life forms).

Now while all that might be true, I'm not really sold on the whole idea that its necessarily a bad thing for their to be a dominate life form (a particular amphipod or whatever). So with that said if you have decent looking baserock go for it!

Only flaw I see off the top of my head is that you'll need to wait a while before this rock gets "seeded". If its baserock I really see absolutely no issue in sticking it in the tank now, there's no dead junk on it so you dont have to worry about a mini-cycle or anything.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh yah my stories..

Ummm I bought some of that hawaiian baserock stuff that costs like $50 for a 60 pound box shipped to my door (forget the address). And while that stuff isn't terribly bad, what I got were small pieces (great holes for mounting frags and the like) so not exactly good for making magnificent structures (atleast not without a lot of work). I've also had absolutely dead rock that I've gotten from other tanks (nicer shapes) that have done fine with coraline and sponges and the like.

 

[Anonymous]

Well some of the base rock is from my old 60 and I would like to give it a chance to shed. I battled hair algea and would like to get that off before I put it in the new tank. Also, the new tank is not even started yet. I have to build a stand and hood, rig up a sump, etc. IMO any time the base rock can be hanging out with the new live rock is that much less time I have to wait to start stocking.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh yah my stories..

Ummm I bought some of that hawaiian baserock stuff that costs like $50 for a 60 pound box shipped to my door (forget the address). And while that stuff isn't terribly bad, what I got were small pieces (great holes for mounting frags and the like) so not exactly good for making magnificent structures (atleast not without a lot of work). I've also had absolutely dead rock that I've gotten from other tanks (nicer shapes) that have done fine with coraline and sponges and the like.

It think the site is hirocks.com. The stuff I have is the LR I had in my 60 that I let go dead after Katrina and some stuff I have been picking up here and there when I get a good deal. All is stuff I saw before I bought it.

 

[bleedingthought]

But if this "dead" rock was in your tank previously and has no die off, why would you wait before starting to stock? (Besides the hair algae)

 

[Anonymous]

I have to cycle the new rock I get anyway. I am planning to put the base rock with the live rock as it is cured. It will give the base rock time to shed if necessary. I am a long way from stocking my tank any way. My tank is built, but not in my posession and I still have to build the things I am going to build. Not to mention purchase most of my gear. The dead rock I have has been dried and stored since last October.

 

[Anonymous]

Ive put dead base rock in my 100ga and not had any problems. I'm told that it takes 1-2months to seed completely. You'll get the critters from other rock but you won't get anything growing out of it.

Besides you will cover that base rock with some pretty live rock anyway so who cares. Go for it.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about 180lb combined should do the trick. I hope I can have the eye to put together a nice open pile of rocks. I don't really have anythign in mind now. I just know I do not want just a plain ole pile of rocks.