WTB Live Rock

Hey Tony,
What area are you in? I have some dry rock (about 50 lbs or so...much more than you need) if you're interested. Dry rock is good because it doesn't come with any hitchhikers like aiptasia and majano, but it is more work. You have to cook it by putting it in a dark bucket with a power head and do weekly water changes for a month. I would like $2 a lb. Let me know if you're interested. I can provide pics upon request.

--AJ

 

Hey Tony,
That's a great question...you know, I don't know for sure. It might extend your cycle time. Anyone out there have an answer? BTW, you have the right attitude about setting up your tank. Your patience will pay dividends when you're able to keep all your fish and corals alive by not putting them thru a cycle.

Also, you can always bust up your live rock into smaller pieces... Is it purely size that's bothering you or is it the rock itself? Not porous enough, etc.

--AJ

 

It depends on the state of the dry rock. If the dry rock has a bunch of dead matter on it (which is likely) it will have an impact on the cycle. You will essentially be cooking the rock in the tank instead of a separate container. There's nothing wrong with doing it this way if you don't have any livestock and you're willing to wait. Just make sure your protein skimmer is working right. Cooking rock can also be a "smelly" process, so be ready for that as well.

Hope that helps.

-JB

 

That's kind of what I was suspecting JB.  When I was cooking my rock, the first water change looked like tea and stunk bad.  The rest were not too bad.  With that in mind, if it were me, I would cook the rock in a separate 5 gallon bucket.  Even adding more live rock later may cause a mini-cycle while the bacteria colonizes the new rock.
Considering that it sounds like you're looking for specific things with your rock, I would feel better about getting you pics and making sure you know what you're getting before you commit to buy anything.  I'll see what I can get in the next day or so.  I'll post them on this thread.
--AJ

 

AJ, I need some rock too if you have some left after tony pics what he wants... want to seed about 150 pounds of dry rock myself.

 

Sounds good. I have about another 50 lbs or so that I just took out of a tank that had majano and aiptasia on it. It's drying now and will need to be cooked. You can buy it now for $2 a lb, but you will want to dry it and cook it before you use it. I'll take pics of everything and post it shortly.

--AJ

 

Ah it looks like I didn't read. I thought it was live rock. Dry rock isn't going to seed my tank much LOL.

 

Hey Tony, if you like what AJ has and get him the funds, I can pick it up at Fall Fest this weekend and bring it to Cedar Falls. It would be about half the distance for you to drive if you wanted...

If you bring some water containers I can also do a water change before you come and save my water from my tank. This water will be full of beneficial bacteria that will help your cycle, plus you won't need to use any of your synthetic salt on it!

Let me know if your interested, otherwise I'd be interested in some of AJ's rock for my new upgrade from a 72 gal. to a 125 gal.