mini Live Rock?

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#1
May 16, 2005
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#1
Hey guys..where do you get your live rock for your nano reefs?

Every store I go to that sells live rock has them in huge sizes. I'm considering a 12 gal tank but just one of those pieces would take up most of the bottom of my tank!

Are there places which sell smaller sized live rock for nano reefs? Or should I just take a hammer to a big piece of rock? :)

Also..whick kinds of rock do you ppl prefer? Fiji, Key West, etc?
 

1979camaro

1979camaro

Ultimate Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
5,862
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San Ramon, CA
#2
you can take a hammer to them, they break pretty easily. you should be able to find some smaller pieces if you look towards the bottom of the LR bins. i like rock from the indo-pacific (fiji, tonga, etc) because it tends to be more porous = lighter weight and more surface area for bacteria.
 

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#3
May 16, 2005
439
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#3
hmm thanks camaro! What should i look for in selecting LR? I mean colorwise, algae growth, etc?
Petco has some cured LR for about 7 bucks/lb. not too bad.

However, the guy said that the LR had been there for a "long time"..
Does that mean anything? Does the LR lose its properties after time? I dont see many fish in the tank..just rocks..
 

1979camaro

1979camaro

Ultimate Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
5,862
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San Ramon, CA
#4
i wouldn't buy LR at petco.

most LFS keep a big tub of lr through which they push a lot of saltwater using powerheads and pumps. the idea is to keep blowing the dead stuff off the rock until nothing more is dying. they should, ideally, clean the LR tank every few days. I would look for rock which has a nice reddish coloration to it and that is probably about all i can advise. a lot of times it is difficult to even find rock in the LFS with any coraline...really, your best bet is to just find whatever you like aesthetically; in your tank it will color up
 

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#5
May 16, 2005
439
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#5
ohh ok..the LR at petco looked kinda..well..barren. I know you cant see alot of the stuff on them but there didnt seem to be any life. I dont think they cleaned the tank in a while either.

I guess I'll go to another fish store that specializes in coral...they have like hundreds of types of them. And they also have a big tank of Fiji LR.

thanks Camaro..
 

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#9
May 16, 2005
439
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#9
ohhh ok. I guess I'll go to the LFS that has a ton of coral and reef tanks then.

also..do you put the Live sand down first or rock? Some of the books I've read say youre supposed to put in Live Rock first then sand. But all the pics Ive seen look like the sand was put down first!
 

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#12
May 16, 2005
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#12
I talked to the LFS and the guy said to put both sand and UNCURED LR in..to cure in tank. He said the LSand helps to cure the rock. Is this common? I thought most ppl cured outside in a vat or bucket? He said that theres no smell at all and is better that way..


Discus4evergrl..yeah I've been the drfostersmith site and saw their nano LR. But its "precured" and, after adding the shipping costs, would prob be just as expensive as the normal LR I can get a my LFS. My LFs sells rock for about $9 a pound, uncured.
 

Shipley18

Shipley18

Large Fish
#14
Nov 27, 2004
387
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#14
I also agree with Camaro, And i have this great fish store in A town 30 minutes away that they get their live rock straight from this guy that harvests it for a living and every piece has something way cool on it like this on piece i got had 7 feather dusters the biggest being a quarter size big and it had some green macro algae i think its called, and on my other one i go ta whoel lot of coral and unfortunatly a poisnous anenome , but tis 8.50 a lb.
 

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#15
May 16, 2005
439
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#15
hmmmm. well I guess the LFS guy has an ulterior motive in that he wants to sell me LR.

Problem is..I've searched and searched and cant find a place that sells Cured Live Rock. Which is strange since I'm in NYC! Actually petco has some but I'm not getting it from there.

I would much prefer cured over uncured.

If anyone lives in the NYC area and knows of a vendor that sells Cured LR, please let me know!

thanks!
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#17
Oct 22, 2002
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#17
The stuffs cheap but I wouldn't but anything from people selling stonefish and nursesharks.

I think if you're only buying a small amount of rock for your 10 gallons you should buy it because it looks good, not because it's cheap. I have bought rock I don't like, so I just buried it in my aquascpe, but you can do that in a 10.

Final tip - life is much easier with big bits of rock than smaller. Trust me on that. Rock piles of elaborately arranged small bits always look artificial.
 

G

Grymatta

Large Fish
#18
May 16, 2005
439
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#18
hmm yeah..well the problem is I cant seem to find a vendor in my area that sells good LR so I'm resorting to online. Both sites claim that their LR is fully cured and hand picked, blah blah. But I've never ordered from them before so I dont know...

ok so big pieces of rock are easier than little ones? Even in a small 12 gal?

thanks
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#19
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
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#19
2 or 3 decently sized bits are a ton easier to work with, and almost always look better than ittybitty bits glued together. Try to look at as many online photos of nanoes as you can.
If you really don't like them you can always whack em with a lump hammer
 

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