Advice On Live Rock Please?

[so-fishy!]

Ok, so I have been researching all week about setting up a marine tank in the near future and have decided just to get the tank and the live rock to start with and "educate" myself with water changes, testing water etc. Got a few questions about the live rock that I would appreciate any help with!

1- Which live rock is best?
2 - can I have a mixture of rock? (eg from different countries?)
3 - what is a good price per kilo for the rock?( don't want to get ripped off coz Im a newbie!)
4 - What is the aquarium size to live rock ratio?
5 - Best suppliers mail order company?

Many thanks in advance

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hi so-fishy!

Good to hear your getting the research in now

1. - It's probably a matter of opinion but i'd say you don't want to use tonga branch rock as your main filtration as it isn't very pourous and is normally just used to finish off aquascaping. Fiji seems like a popular type to me though, it's what i use and i had so much life on just 8kg's it (Good & Bad!)

2. Yep, It would probably be an extra benefit to use different types as you can get all of the goodies from different areas in one place which would be a good thing IMO. It looks nice to have lots of different colors on your rock also

3. Around here it is normally £12-£15

4. 1 - 1.5lbs per gallon is the reccomended rate

5. Never bought it online so i wouldn't know

Goodluck

 

[daneeboy]

Your questions already been answered but oop north i got my rock for £8 a kilo (yes its fully cured but not from a LFS). I asked about the rock and he buys it direct from indonesia and its in his tanks within 10 hours of leaving the sea! Good stuff an all!!

 

[andywg]

Uncured you should be able to get for around £8 per kilo. Once it is cured expect to pay £12-£15.

 

[rl1oyd]

What does cured mean?

 

[SkiFletch]

Cured means that its been sitting in a tank with powerheads and possibly an airstone for 2+ weeks so that there are no longer decaying organisms on it. Cured LR adds less ammonia to a new tank than uncured, but still adds some since you take it home in a water-less bag

 

[rl1oyd]

Ok then so cured is the way to go! Taking it from the store to your house in a container with the water its been sat in is also the thing to do, just dont pour the water into the tank Yea?

 

[andywg]

Keep it in a sealed bag with some mositure in (should have a load still dripping out from the bag). There's no need for a bag full of water.

If it is fully cured there will be almost no die off, and the bacteria already housed will deal with it. If you buy cured make sure to buy some livestock so that bacteria still has a food source. I bought 5.5kg cured with a pair of small clowns and noticed no problems (obviosuly the amount has to be upped later on).