My LFS selection is sparse and expensive. I'm considering buying online. Any advice? Will there be die off with shipping?

I can't recommend a merchant but I can tell you that there will be some die off during shipping. However the bacteria that makes the system work will survive and make your tank cycle.

Is this for the 14 gallon? So you need no more than like 20 lbs?

Remember, you are going to include the cost of shipping. For that small amount, it may be worth it to buy local.

Dave

Dave so I've heard 1 pound of rock per gallon. Is that right? Should it be more? I don't want to overload with live rock and want to keep good water circulation.

That is just a "rule of thumb", like the "Watts per gallon". Yeah, you really want as much rock as you can put in there for biological filtration purposes. However, if it is not pretty to look at, what's the point. Also, if you "cram it" and reduce overall flow around your reef, you'll have problems.

Personally, I put as much as I can, keeping aesthetics in mind, and remembering that most of the corals I put in there, will be on a small rock, and need room to grow. You also want to have room for schooling fish to scoot around in.

If you have a sump, with a chamber that is somewhat empty, you can add more rock there for filtration boost. If not, do the best you can providing as much rock in the display.

Don't forget... the volume taken up by 1 lb of dense, Fiji Rock, is much less than a single pound of lighter, porous rock. Again, the "pound per gallon" is just a ball park range.

Dave

So there is premium fiji, bali, EVA, uaniva. Is there one better than others??

My LFS selection is sparse and expensive. I'm considering buying online. Any advice? Will there be die off with shipping?
The advantage of buying at the LFS is choice. You get to HAND PICK each piece and that is a BIG advantage!!! Shipping LR in MAY be cheaper by a little bit but you lose choice. You have to keep the rock you get. I have seen some pretty shabby LR in my day. Will there be die off with shipping?????? OF COURSE! There is die off anytime you remove LR from water. Even taking it home from the LFS. There should be less die off from the LFS to home because of the length of time involved.

So there is premium fiji, bali, EVA, uaniva. Is there one better than others??
In terms of beauty? Yes. In terms of effectiveness? Probably not. The more porous (light) the rock, the more pieces you get per pound. Because you need a small amount my advice is to shop around the LFSs and hand pick.

Dick

So can I set up my live rock in say 2 stages? Buying half the rock and setting it up in the tank. And then next week or 2 buying the second half of live rock that I find at a LFS?

Of course, if that's what you choose to do. Remember, nothing can go into the tank in between those two purchases of LR. Your tank is not going to be cycled in two weeks. If, by chance it was partially cycled, it would begin anew due to the die off of the second load of LR.

Dick

whereabouts in NC are you??? There are a lot of great LFS's in the Raleigh area

check out marco rocks they have great stuff.

whereabouts in NC are you??? There are a lot of great LFS's in the Raleigh area

Mr. Tang, I'm in Charlotte.

check out marco rocks they have great stuff.

Matt, will the marco rocks be difficult for a newbie like me to cycle?

it's exactly the same it just takes longer. you can get 80 to 90 % dry rock and the rest live rock to seed it which will help it go faster. thats how I'm doing it.

Me too.. my tank with 90% cured Marco Rock

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d176/JustDavidP/Runninwithrock.jpg

Me too.. my tank with 90% cured Marco Rock

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d176/JustDavidP/Runninwithrock.jpg

Nice Stand Dave.:up:

Ya that how I'm doing my tank to. But mine is more like 50%. Ya I know Dave I got allot smaller tank then you.

That "stand" was once one of my mother's dining room cabinets :D She moved to FL and was going to toss it away. I just used 2X3 inside to sturdy it up, removed the drawers and put the drawer faces back on and viola.. a fish tank stand for a 38 gallon tank :D

I like it. The hard part was making a matching hood. Now I'm just going to make a three sided, slip skirt kind of frame to hide the ugly oak colored rim of the bottom of the tank.

Dave

mickster32

Goto Rc and check this thread out. Here's a guy who is selling like 800lbs. of LR!!! CHEAP!!!!
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1057380&goto=newpost

That was downright nice of you too hook em up in the Carolinas Mike. THAT is what TR is about. Karma, thank yous, and a big ol' beantown hooorah for you bud!

Dave

Thanks JustDavidP

Just trying to help out a fellow reefer!!!