Texas holy rock

Discussion in 'Live Rock' started by TORMENTOR, Dec 31, 2008.

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  1. TORMENTOR

    TORMENTOR Bristle Worm

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    I tried the search but didn't come up with anything on this.

    Has anybody used this rock for the reef tanks? I have a local pet food and supply store that sells this stuff and say it is safe for all types of aquariums.
    I was looking at it today and they have quit a bit of it and the price is, I don't know if I would say high, but I had a rather large piece (about 15") in my hand for $30, it had hundreds of holes in the rock also.
    Some of the pieces range in size from oh I'd say 7" on up to huge pieces up to 30" or more, looks like it would stack nicely but it is quit heavy.
    They did have about 4 pieces of Fiji Live rock for about 6.99 per pound that had beautiful purple Coraline algae on it but that was it 4 pieces and I was told they don't expect to get any more in, They also had a small quantity of Bali rock selling for 9.99 a pound, all this rock was cured and sitting in small heated and aerated tanks.

    So what do you think of the Texas Rock?????
     
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  3. bc219

    bc219 Millepora

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    The only problem with tons of holes is that there is more places for detritus to settle. I have some holy rocks that have and continue to cause problems. I suppose with enough and the right kind of waterflow it would be ok though.
     
  4. gazog

    gazog Kole Tang

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    For what I understand it contains allot of silica, and isn't a real good choice because it leaches out in the water and can cause really bad algae blooms.

    I know its a ride for you but check out Aquatic Environments in Mokena, Jim usually has a pretty good selection of rock and its not to badly priced. Also PM Mhender on JARC, he sells some really nice live rock. It is mostly what I used in my tanks.

    Here is a full tank shot of my 75, the rock on the left and the white one which I just recently added are examples of what Mhender sells on occasion.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. inwall75

    inwall75 Giant Squid

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    Honeycomb Limestone is typically used in Cichlid and brakish tanks rather than saltwater tanks. It technically can be used but there are better types of rock that will have less adsorbed phosphorus and won't mess with your pH
     
  6. lunatik_69

    lunatik_69 Giant Squid

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    Never heard of Texas Rock before. Does it look like "home-made" regular cement mix LR? Can you get a pic of it? Luna
     
  7. inwall75

    inwall75 Giant Squid

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  9. lunatik_69

    lunatik_69 Giant Squid

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  10. Froc3

    Froc3 Fire Goby

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    I thought it was an aragonite rock from when Texas used to be an ocean :p At any rate, I've heard of it being in freshwater tanks and that's what i wanted to put in my tank, but decided against it for the above mentioned reasons.
     
  11. ReefSparky

    ReefSparky Super Moderator

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    I've seen this rock in my LFS. It was selling for $2.99/lb and seemed to move pretty fast from what I saw. There was a container of it about 4x4x5' high.

    I picked up a piece and I'd describe it as very heavy for its size, and very NON porous. Of course, we associate holes with porosity, but these holes are large enough to stick a finger through.

    Suffice it to say, you'd never see this stuff in the ocean. It doesn't belong there, and has no use as live rock. In LR, the "holes" are the very feature of the rock.

    To put it another way. If you were to crush 10 lbs of LR, and 10 lbs of this Texas stuff, the LR would probably fill a Big Gulp cup. (Are Big Gulps still around?) The Texas stuff would fill 2 shoeboxes.

    Net result. . . Live Rock is specialized stuff. It's LIVE because it has plenty of places for microorganisms to live. This Texas stuff is beautiful to look at, but is SOLID. Not porous, not possessing the qualities of live rock.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2009
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  12. lunatik_69

    lunatik_69 Giant Squid

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    Well said Sparky. Luna