live rock or dry rock?

Ty for the info guys i just ordered 25lbs from marcorocks. ive read good reviews from each company you guys have suggested but they had the best deal right now with free shipping so it was 52$ for 25lbs. Hopefully its worth it if not i can always buy more i will post pictures with setupd hopefully friday of everything arrives

 

that flat sided stuff Marco sells intrigues me....I can envision mounting it with silicone on a piece of plexiglass then using it as a "False back" in a reef tank (as opposed to glueing it directly to the tank glass)

 

Another good option is Pukani rock from Bulk Reef Supply. I just bought 75 lbs for a 90 gallon build. A couple of things to remember with dry rock and Pukani in particular is that you're getting all rock and no water weight...so it goes further than live rock. Pukani is very porous and open (not dense).

I've used both and would recommend dry...cheaper and avoids the PITA of nuisances. Just takes longer to cycle.

 

I'm going to go against the average opinion here and say the more life the better. I usually can't afford the extra cost to go total LR but I would if I could. Hitchhikers are all part of the experience and I always look forward to meeting them when they show up.

 

Have u ever had aiptasia, bubble algae or majano anemonies?

I guarantee you that unless you don't care for the looks of an infested tank or the stings on corals from aiptasia or majano, dry quality rock is the way to go. The "more life" part will come on its own. Guaranteed!

Sent from my phone using my two opposable digits

 

I've been told this a few times already. I just don't agree with this type of thinking.

I don't believe that anything from the ocean is evil in itself. Even aiptasia has it's place. For example, some people have suggested that aiptasia is an excellent water filter so an aiptasia scrubber may be worthwhile if a way can be found to isolate them from the dt. My intuition tells me that what most people consider pests may hold the key to a more natural way of aquarium husbandry.

I'm not most people and don't necessarily follow the conventional wisdom. My tanks are survival of the fittest. Anything that can survive in my tanks are more than welcome to stay there though I may move them to other areas of the system.

 

What you describe is more of a biotope systems. Very common among hobbyist that are looking for something different or are fond of cryptic creatures. Absolutely nothing wrong with that approach, it can be very attractive and unique.

More commonly though hobbyist want to move in the direction of stony corals. A tank housing stony corals will run into huge problems if aiptasia, majano, nuisance algae or predatory inverts such as crabs, are present. This leads to frustration and failure.

Many times new hobbyist just take the whole tank down and quite because they do not want the headache and troubles that go along with some hitch-hikers.

Personally I do not want a hitch hiker munching or stinging some coral that I have spent months growing.

 

I think both sides of the discussion are valid.

I myself like to go with a little of both side. Like many I have a family and have to deal & work with a budget when it comes to my hobbies. That being said I definitely have to go with some dry rock & seed it with LR. Like rock I tend to recommend going with CL or a local seller just for the sake of using what is already out there. Sure you dont get all the bells and whistles bio-life with ocean farmed live rock but its and individuals call.

 

I can imagine. Coral can get extremely expensive so replacing them can be costly not to mention the disappointment after spending so much time working with them.

I don't have any corals yet. I wanting to go NPS and my system just isn't mature enough.

My problem with the conventional wisdom is that these pests are all creatures too. I personally don't think it's right to sacrifice one creature for another simply because I don't like them or because they may make taking care of the tank more problematic. After all I did rip these critters from their home in the ocean so I feel that all of them deserve the same chance for survival. If something comes along and nukes the system then so be it. I can clean things out and start over if I need to.

But one thing is very clear to me. I do this whole aquarium thing because I love to do it. Fear should never be in charge of love.

 

my 25lbs of dry rock from marco rocks will be here tomorrow and i picked up 8 lbs of live rock from my LFS today that looked pretty good