If you have the time and patience making your own can be fun and cheap with good results. I tried the familiar internet recipes for diy rock. It took about four months for the ph to stabilize (i was pretty lazy about changing the water when curing) but once it did and i put it in my tank it only took a few weeks before little patches of pink and purple started to show up.
It only took days before bristleworms and little bristlestars found their new homes. I'm pretty sure that in few months you won't be able tell which rock came from the ocean and which came from the garage.
You can also make some cool pieces (like arches) which are rare in the LFS's. Just make sure you let it cure long enough so it doesn't make your ph spike.
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