Care to enlighten me? (cooking LR)

[untamed]

I admit that I have a non-popular opinion about Live rock. My tank does look a little more "untamed" than most people's tanks. That is mostly because of the LR that I obtained got into the tank with a rush trip straight from ocean to my tank.

I find the life on/in the rock itself so interesting that I would consider running a tank full of it without any fish at all.

It's kind of like comparing a garden to a forest. Gardens are beautiful, but carefully controlled/managed, while forests have a wildness that makes them attractive. I'm attempting to make a natural looking tank, not a controlled garden.

I agree that aquacultured LR might not be as good as naturally produced LR (density/porosity), but I can't justify what is happening to coral reefs worldwide when the aquacultured product does the job adequately. If reefs are broken by storms, I still think the broken pieces should be allowed to remain in place where they could continue to survive..not removed from the ocean.