[sandoval]

does anybody have any live rock they would like to sell ?

[Reefland]

Hi sandoval,

I would suspect being in CA you could find some "locally" (or close to it) and have it shipped ground service for a relatively good price.

[sandoval]

the only place i see you can get live rock at a good price is on the internet. but the only that scares me is that people claim that the live rock is cured and you can put it directly in your tank is this true or should i cure it before i put it in my tank.

[Reefland]

It depends on if you have livestock already in your tank. Most people purchase liverock as the first thing that is put in their tank and to cycle it so cured, uncured, it doesn't really matter. If you already have fish or corals in your tank then yes, it would have to be cured first.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by sandoval

the only place i see you can get live rock at a good price is on the internet. but the only that scares me is that people claim that the live rock is cured and you can put it directly in your tank is this true or should i cure it before i put it in my tank.

This is confusing to newcomers because of the various terms used to describe live rock.

Maybe this will help:

Raw live rock (aka plant rock) is live rock that is shipped with virtually no local clean-up or conditioning of any kind. It is simply collected and boxed.

Pre-cured live rock simply means that they collect the live rock, then they scrape off the macroalgae and maybe any sponges, and then then place it on racks outdoors with a salwater spray to keep it damp. It may "cure" like this for a couple of weeks before being boxed and shipped. This rock is sold in box lots and is often called "transshipped" rock because when you order it from an online vendor, they will often have it shipped directly to you when it arrives at the wholesaler in L.A. In other words, it never actually gets into the hands of the vendor who sold it to you. This is NOT fully cured live rock and it will require anywhere from two to five weeks additional curing before it will be safe to add to an established reef tank.

Fully cured live rock is live rock that is received by the vendor and then removed from the box and placed in the vendor's own curing vats where it will cure for at least another three weeks. You can then order this fully cured live rock from the vendor in any quantity you need and even specify exactly what sizes you want. Obviously this sort of service comes at an additional cost. This kind of live rock CAN be added directly to an established aquarium as long as it is handled with care and not left out of water for an extended period of time in transit between the vendor and your home.

The first category, raw live rock, is seldom available. You would probably have to place a special request to get it.

The second category is the most commonly available live rock, especially if you are ordering online. There is nothing wrong with this live rock. In fact, many people prefer it to fully cured live rock because it will have more life. This live rock is fine if you are setting up a new tank because it will finish curing in the tank during the initial cycle. You just can't add any livestock for a few weeks.

The third category is great for folks (like me) who don't want to bother with having to cure live rock inside their room! This is the sort of live rock that you would usually find in an LFS's live rock holding tanks (assuming it has been there for at least a few weeks) but they may charge $6-$7/lb for it. You can often find this fully cured live rock for as little as $4/lb online but then you have to add shipping charges. You can usually add a little of this rock to an established reef aquarium with no problems whatsoever. I wouldn't add a ton of it at once to an established tank unless it was obviously very fresh with no nasty smell at all. I purchased fully cured live rock when I set up my tank and it arrived within 16 hours after being removed from the vendor's curing vats. It smelled VERY fresh!

P.S. -- There is another category of live rock that I didn't mention above. That would be Gulf of Mexico aquacultured live rock. This is made by placing chunks of limestone into the Gulf and allowing them to age for a couple of years to develop microfauna and macrofauna. It is "harvested" by divers in the morning and then boxed up and shipped out to you the same day. There are advantages and disadvantages to this type of live rock. A discussion of the pros and cons of aquacultured Gulf of Mexico live rock would require a considerable amount of space.

[CSeaSee]

That sounds like an interesting discussion. I, for one, would certainly like to hear the pros and cons. I smell a potential debate!

[Reefland]

Feel free to start up a new thread.