live rock?

[clownlover]

i think my friend is getting ripped off. she is getting tank built, the proposal called for live tonga branch. i went to see her tank and it had a really unique arrangement of tonga branch but it was completely white. i thought it looked like base rock. so i asked her to ask the guy if it was live or base and she did, he said it was live. ive been in this hobby a lil while but i thought i knew what live rock looks like, it has color and stuff right?? could this rock be live and white in color??

 

[reefman]

tonga branch

 

[clownlover]

GREAT LINK! thank u. do u guys know what tonga branch typcally goes for per pound

 

[reefman]

i've seen prices ranged $4-$9.
depends mostly on:
how many lbs
condition of the branches
LFS/online/private
how desperate the seller

 

[chazertis]

if its completely white then it may be base rock thats been seeded in a tank with other live rock?

 

[clownlover]

but to really get good seeding wouldnt it have to have been in the water awhile thus giving it some kinda color other than bleach white?

 

[meschaefer]

It may have been stored in the dark. Coralline would bleach, but as long as it was submerged it would still be "live". I have rock now that is "live" but I have had in submerged in a closed container and it is pure white.

or...

She was ripped off.

 

[crox99]

When I rearranged my aquascape the rocks that were completely covered were white so like meschaefer said it might have been stored in a dark tank.

 

[dickenscd]

I have couple hundreds pounds of liverocks (including tonga) sitting in the dark sump for 15 years, and they are all white.

James