What Live Rock to get

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Hey guys,

I am finally planning to start my marine tank this weekend but need some advice regarding the live rock.

I only want to get 20% store bought live rock because of financial constraints and the rest is from dead rock or fake rock. I'd prefer to get dead rock to save myself time so besides bio rock what other rock is suitable? I have seen some "coral rock" at a shop so I presume that is fine? Where in JHB can i get bio rock at decent price?
 
Hi Highlander - rather go for more bio-rock (dead-rock) and do as Henk suggests. Save up if you have to, for one of the types of live rock that Henk has mentioned.... They are indeed expensive. But rather this way.... You can always add some more later on...

BTW - once you have added the live rock, soon thereafter you will start seeing pods appear. They come in with the live rock...
 
The live rock is the heart and lungs of your tank, if you get the best rock you can afford (fiji - IMO) then you will enjoy the hobby much more.
 
The live rock is the heart and lungs of your tank, if you get the best rock you can afford (fiji - IMO) then you will enjoy the hobby much more.
I agree whole heartedly, do your best not to skimp on good quality live rock, even if it takes you 6 months of buying 3 or 4 kg's of rock a month.

If you are like me and can't afford to spend thousands of rands on rock all in one go, buy a few kg's every month and stock your tank accordingly, in other words, I would buy about 5-10kg's of rock one month and then also add one fish or a coral so at least there is something to look at in the tank. In between buying the live rock also add a little bit of bio-rock, even if it takes you 6 months, take it slow, buy what is best for the tank and you will be greatly rewarded and have less problems down the line.
 
Also the nice thing about your idea Viper, is you get great diversity in the tank as you not buying from one big batch of LR that has come from one source.
 
Also the nice thing about your idea Viper, is you get great diversity in the tank as you not buying from one big batch of LR that has come from one source.
Quite right, you get the best of both worlds.
 
just to add,Ceramic rock leaches phosphates.cure it for atleast 2 months before introducing it to your system,the last thing you want to end up with is algea blooms
 
just to add,Ceramic rock leaches phosphates.cure it for atleast 2 months before introducing it to your system,the last thing you want to end up with is algea blooms

Do Guys still use ceramic rock ?
 
yup yup... man you must see what this synthetic LR of mines got on it.... its ceramic rocks thats been left in the bali sea for a few months... full of pulseing xenia :p
 
Mekaeel - where did you read about ceramic rock leaching phosphates?

I have some in my tank, and I have not yet had ANY nuisance algae grow on it for the past 9 months, since I have put it in..... only corralline?

Kanga also had +-80% of this bio-rock/ceramic rock in his tank - and had no nuisance algae on it?
 
Mekaeel - where did you read about ceramic rock leaching phosphates?

I have some in my tank, and I have not yet had ANY nuisance algae grow on it for the past 9 months, since I have put it in..... only corralline?

Kanga also had +-80% of this bio-rock/ceramic rock in his tank - and had no nuisance algae on it?

cant remember where i read about it,was sometime back.remember i also had a hair algea problem in my old tank?i had ceramic rock in there and im pretty sure that was the cause.
 
to be honest i probably could buy 3-4 kgs per month but in the long run i dont want to say that ive spent R3000+- on 20 kg of rock. Its just too expensive.

So if I can save costs on bio rock then I would like to go that route.

any1 know where I can get bio rock in JHB?
 
Is ceramic porous, or is it just being used to make up volume for the reef?
 
yeah i was thinking of making my own rock as well. Its just the time and effort issue.

planning to use the white cement, aragonite, and salt method....
 
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