Base Rock using it or not?

[Acronuts1]

Hey all,

Has anyone used base rock from a company called Marcorocks.
Saw them on ebay and the company seems to have very good high grade remarks.

I am interested in finding out if any one who used this rock and eventually learned that the rock leached phosphates or anything else over time.

I really want to add some rock to my new 180 setup but want to save money by adding some base rock from a reputable source.

 

[Len]

I've used some (about 30 lbs), and I know others (like Hyolee's big 200g) have as well with good results. You just need to rinse the rock and do a minor curing/cooking before you use it. A lot of people think it's totally ready for use right away, which is not the case.

I heard Fiji is banning dry rock sales. Not sure if this is true.

 

[fungia]

i use bulk reef supply rock which is the same thing i think. no problems after a year, over 100 pounds here. took forever to grow coralline though

 

[Acronuts1]

My tank is already cycled. LR as well. I have too many sps's, corals and fish. I need rock to add to my new 180g. The display will also include my current LR scattered throughout. I can't afford a cycle as this will surely kill my animals.



Base rock is affordable but it seems it still has to be cured somewhat.

What do I do? How many lbs can I add and be safe?



I may have to go to LFS and get cured LR to avoid any problems. But that means paying more LR.

 

[Anonymous]

My tank is already cycled. LR as well. I have too many sps's, corals and fish. I need rock to add to my new 180g. The display will also include my current LR scattered throughout. I can't afford a cycle as this will surely kill my animals.

Base rock is affordable but it seems it still has to be cured somewhat.

What do I do? How many lbs can I add and be safe?

I may have to go to LFS and get cured LR to avoid any problems. But that means paying more LR.

Well, you can get a garbage can and cycle the new live rock separately, or are you incorporating tanks all in one day type thing? If you buy the base rock dry (I also used bulk reef supply and was very happy with it) and use it it doesn't cycle and add ammonia, it'll just take time to colonize.

 

[Acronuts1]

My tank is already cycled. LR as well. I have too many sps's, corals and fish. I need rock to add to my new 180g. The display will also include my current LR scattered throughout. I can't afford a cycle as this will surely kill my animals.

Base rock is affordable but it seems it still has to be cured somewhat.

What do I do? How many lbs can I add and be safe?

I may have to go to LFS and get cured LR to avoid any problems. But that means paying more LR.

Well, you can get a garbage can and cycle the new live rock separately, or are you incorporating tanks all in one day type thing? If you buy the base rock dry (I also used bulk reef supply and was very happy with it) and use it it doesn't cycle and add ammonia, it'll just take time to colonize.

I will hold off on the delivery of the tank. I want to add some very large pieces of base rock. Marcorocks looks as though it is really what I want. Plus the added benefit of no critters. Dead is fine but not live ones.

I should use SW right away with a skimmer, right?

Would you guys think that adding some pieces of live rock from my display during the second week will start the seeding process? If so how many pieces should I add?
Should I keep this bin dark? or does this not matter?

I agree, marcorocks has quite a bit of dried up critters. You could either cure it like Neilan said or you could add a little of it at a time to your DT and watch for an ammonia spike and do some PWCs. If you already have an established tank with plenty of alreay cured rock you could add some of the base and already cured rock should be able to convert the ammonia into nitrAtes with out a spike.

Looking at your stocking, I wouldn't risk adding it directly to your main.

I would probably go with the curing in a bin. Add SW a heater and ph, if you don't see ammonia after about 4 days you should be good....I would wait for a week just in case.

 

[Len]

Marcos has some really large pieces, so it will work for what you're looking for. But as you know now, you need to cure it a bit ... not as much as LR, but it will still cause an ammonia and nitrite spike.

Some people like to use a skimmer from the beginning, and some don't. I think most do though. There's no harm in it, but be careful with new water; sometimes it makes skimmers foam like crazy (but collect virtually nothing).

You should be able to add LR any time to the dead rock bin. It's not going to matter much if it's lit or in the dark. The more LR you move over, the greater the chance of diversity migrating over to the marcos rock immediately. But of course, if you plan on adding all the LR eventually, it won't matter in the long run.

 

[Acronuts1]

Thanks!!!
Actually I want to keep myself from rushing things. Take my time order the rock, cycle it for a couple of weeks, depending from where I get it. Seems like reefcleaners.org states that you don't need to cycle their rock. Either way I can afford to cycle theirs even for two weeks.

 

[Ben1]

I used a bunch of marco rock when i started my 58 a few years ago. I used nothing but marco rock and asked for large pieces and got huge rocks. They had some dead sponge inside that needed to rot off but worked out fine. Took awhile to get coralline going as others mentioned.