LR vs DRY

I am currently in a 120 build that I used all dry rock for and will seed only with water from a reefer buddies tank. I also did this on my last build. I only go this route. For one, I set my rockscape up and leave for many days, in the current case weeks. This allows for changes, tweaking, etc. that otherwise would not be possible with "live" rock. Another plus, no unwated hitchhikers. The dry rock does not introduce aptasia or other pests. The only negative aspect I have ever seen is that the cycle time and maturing of the tank can take longer. Trust me, within 4 months, the rock will deepen in color and you will see purple coraline algea off over the place. In fact, on my last setup, within 3 weeks, I could see copipods and other creatures running crazy in the display at night. So in my opinion, the wait is worth it. And last but not least, the cost savings can be enormous. I purchase my rock from Marco Rock and it runs around $2/lb, shipped. Depending on the source you use, local stores get upwards of $8/ld for the live rock. Hope my opinion and experinces are useful.

 

I wouldn't hesitate using some dry rock if you like the look of it better. That is all I have ever done and have always had success. More recently I made my own rock and used probably 85% dry in this manner.

 

I went the dry rock and seed it route in my tank. It's way too early for me to claim any great success; right now I have a brown diatom bloom going, but overall I'm glad I used the dry rock.

Bulk Reef Supply has great rock, but only every so often. I also bought a lot of it from club members who had it lying around for one reason or another. $2 a pound is pretty much a standard rate for dry rock IMO.

 

If you like the rock (shape, sizes, etc.), then I would allow it to dry for 3 to 4 weeks, then cure it.  If you don't like the rock, buy new.  Marco or BRS has rock pretty reasonably and it's really nice stuff.  I've seen some great Marco rock, and I have the BRS Pukani rock...great stuff.  Depending on the amount that you get and the sales that they have going on at any given time, you can get it from anywhere between $2.50 (awesome sale about a month ago) and $3.50 (current price) for the BRS Pukani.  I don't know about the Marco rocks as I have not priced it out recently.
A couple of things to consider when using dry rock or when curing on this.  When using dry rock, you should cure it in a container (garbage can, rubbermaid stock tank, etc) for about three weeks prior to using it.  During this time, you will do multiple full water changes on the rock.  The same process is used whether you dry out rock that you previously used or purchased new dry rock.  Here's a link for this process (http://www.greateriowareefsociety.org/Resources/GIRSWiki/tabid/163/Default.aspx?topic=%22Cook%22+Live+Rock). This process talks about a two month process when using existing live rock.  For me, a three week process (using dry rock) was sufficient.  This process gets the remains of any kind of dead biological matter off of the rock before using it.   I used this process and below is a picture of the water that came off of the rock after the first week of curing.  

Most of the water looked like this (pictured above)

This is the water that came out last which has the majority of the sediment.
This 5 gallon bucket is only half full and you can't see the bottom.  Additionally, the smell was *horrible*.  Pretty darn close to that of skimmate.  You should do this process with a container that can be covered to prevent light from getting in.  The first week is the worst, then it gets better from there.  In total, it took around 180 gallons of RO/DI water and about a box of salt to complete this process.
Here's a few more pictures of the rock that I cured for my tank:






Now, to Chad's point, it is considerably cheaper than buying the $8 to $12 a lb stuff locally, but don't forget the other costs and investment in time that you're making to get this savings...salt, electricity, water, impact to domestic tranquility /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif , etc.
Hope this helps you decide which direction you will go on this.
--AJ