can LR be second hand??

i am starting a tank with my friend and we found a guy who is selling lots of live rock, can you use this to start a tank or do you have to order it and then cure it and cycle or whatever???

 

Yup you can use it, actually better to buy cured live rock from another persons tank.

 

Second hand rock needs to be completely nuked unless you personally know and trust the individual who is selling it.

 

Agreed. You want absolute control over what goes into your tank.

 

ok so if i buy live rock online do i buy cured or uncured??? we just filled the tank today with water??? How long do we have to wait to add LR??

 

if you just filled the tank, get your lr, nuke it and add it to your tank. You will go through a cycle. Personally though, I would just buy dry baserock. It will become live and you know what you are putting in your tank.

 

FWIW, all LR is second hand.. unless it is DIY LR.

 

point horkn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;d

 

If you buy cured (wet) live rock from the internet, it could come with pests like aiptasia anemones and coral eating hitchhikers along with many unwanted organisms that don't belong in a reef. Not to mention that the rock will still have some die off in shipping because they do not ship the rock with a bucket of water, usually damp paper towels or something. If you buy from a trusted local source, you may be ok. If you buy from some random local source, chances are you'll get some sort of surprise with the rock.

If you buy uncured (dry) rock, you can just pop it in your tank because there is no life on it, especially because this is a brand new tank. This is what most would recommend. You can usually find dry fiji rock for aroun 2 bucks a pound a local fish stores. This way, you only get what you put in your tank. No surprises.

 

don't you have to seed the base rock though?