I find it difficult to talk about live rock without starting a rant myself....Let's just say that I also believe that LR is much more than bacteria on/in rock.
I chose to purchase aquacultured LR from Florida through
www.tbsaltwater.com
My reasons were:
1) I believe the rock has more life primarily due to more rapid transit time between ocean and my tank.
2) I KNOW exactly where/how the rock was collected and feel that it was done in an environmentally sustainable way that is monitored by the Florida government.
The downside was that it cost more than purchasing at a LFS due to shipping costs. Some would also consider much of the life that I got as downside...things like mantis, crabs etc. For me, I enjoy keeping those things. Also, the rock doesn't have the elaborate shapes that you can get with rock from other areas.
Have a look from pg 19
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...=28436&page=19
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400 gal reef. Established April, 2007. 3 Sequence Dart, RM12-4 skimmer, 2 x OM4Ways, Yellow Tang, Maroon Clown (pair), Blonde Naso Tang, Vlamingi Tang, Foxface Rabbit, Unicorn Tang, 2 Pakistani Butterflies and a few coral gobies
My Tank:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=28436