Ocean Rock As Live Rock?

[drag]

on a recent fishing trip in texas i saw some nice looking rocks (the tide was down near the jettys) . these rocks were very porous. i picked some up to examine them and saw some small crabs ,barnacles, and even bristtle worms just at a glance.

so i was thinking instead of buying live rock for my 100 gal tank i plan 2 buy soon. i could use these ocean rocks that look very similar to fiji LR. i was thinking of drying it out and once it was base ocean rock i could place it in the tank and seed it with some fiji LR from my 30 gal.


in theory it should work i belive. would save me hundreds$$$

i brought back one small pice. i boild some water and placed it in there to get rid of any bad additions it would bring in to my tank. then i washed it really good and then waited a day and washed it again with tap water . when i was happy i placed it in the tank heres a pic really porous huh.

 

[Mr Miagi]

In theory it would work, but a few notes for you to research and consider.

Is it legal to take anything from that area? Have you checked with the local Fish and Game or local Wildlife Office in the area for permission?

- Why not buy base rock which is already dried, and been sitting in the shops for a while? Rather than have to remove from your local area, rock and organisms (effectively live rock) to be killed (and turned into base rock) when you have a resource already there for your use? I am aware ocean rock comes from an ocean, and no matter where it comes from its being removed, so im not being nieve, just pointing something out for you to consider.

- Why wont the local species be "friendly". You dont know whats on live rock, but you dont boil that before you add it. Another reason to buy already dried base rock. Its been done for you, so you dont need to remove more.


- If your only planning to buy a tank, consider your options, and maybe try and find other hobbysist in your area closing down tanks, selling cheap, giving away stuff etc. That way your effectively "re-cycling" LR, not letting it go to waste.

Thats just MO I guess, others may vary.

 

[SkiFletch]

Its basically gulf of mexico liverock that you've got there. Perfectly suitable for use in an aquarium. As Mr Miagi said, I'd look for a local club in Houston and see if you can find a local reefer breaking down their tank and looking to get rid of LR. You can get it really cheap and really good quality from another reefer ($3/lb) and if you buy a lot, usually they'll cut you a break lower than that.

I'd also be a little wary about collecting rocks anywhere in the US. Local laws vary significantly on what can and cannot be removed from the sea so try and make sure you're not breaking any of them when taking rock from wherever you choose to.