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#1
12-17-2009, 01:05 AM
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So bummed out...
Hey everyone.
As some of you may know I am trying to start up a 90g tank. I can't afford to buy all 120lbs or so of live rock from the lfs so I have been trying to collect what I can. I had a guy lined up that was suppose to get me about 40lbs of rock to get me started and I just found out that he sold it out from under me! Im so miserable right now cuz this was gonna be the start of getting the ball rolling and now it came to a screeching halt. Im just wondering were I can get live rock at the best price? It looks like i'll have to start all over again. Thanks 
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#2
12-17-2009, 01:28 AM
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Just wait a while. Every so often someone tears down their whole tank and has a bunch of live rock to get rid of.
Your other option to purchase dead base rock for cheap and use a few nice pieces of live rock to seed it.
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120 gallon sps/anemones/LPS reef since 2004 Apex controller 8 x 54 watt T5 PowerModule Herbie's silent overflow system Jebao DC 12000 return pump Jecod CP-40 Cross-flow circulation device Mini Bubble King 180 Barr Aquatics calcium reactor Bucket fuge
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#3
12-17-2009, 01:29 AM
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I pretty much haven't bought any live rock, it seems live a rip-off to me, especially consideirng the quality you get.
I bought a used 120G that came witha decent amount, and added a bunch of base rock at about $2/pound. I managed to find some really nice looking pieces too. I'd suggest just buying a few pieces of LR and going base on the rest. It'll all be live eventually anyway. You should also be able to order base rock off the internet for fairly cheap. For example: http://www.eco-reefer.com/
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#5
12-17-2009, 03:12 PM
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You don't need that much rock, 120lbs is quite a bit for a 90 gallon but of course still doable.
As already mentioned you also don't need to use live rock, my first tanks were setup with almost 100% base rock which doesn't always look quite as nice but it's way cheaper, (50lbs for less than $100). Plus in my mind it's just rock and what you put over it matters more. You can however get nice looking base rock but it costs a little more but still usually cheaper than live. Dried rock should weigh less than live so even if the price per pound is the same you should get more with dried. First reef tank (100% base rock)  Last edited by sphelps; 12-17-2009 at 03:18 PM.
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#6
12-18-2009, 12:22 AM
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make some
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http://www.photobucket.com/newbuthandy
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#7
12-18-2009, 12:49 AM
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Quote:
It's easy and fun, especially if you have little kids around that like to get dirty!
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#8
12-18-2009, 06:17 PM
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It's all about porosity.
If you have base rock with lots of pores in it, it will still be a decent biofilter... What makes actual live rock (or dead coral fossilized) so good for a biofilter is that it is exceptionally porous, with the more expensive rock usually being congruent with how light it is (light being an indicator of how porous or empty it is on the inside). For a good biofilter, you need not only surface area, but also area where water can move but no oxygen can get to inside the rock. If you don't have enough of both of the oxygen rich and oxygen poor surface area interacting with your water, you won't be able to get the proper bacteria forming to filter it. Base rock in general is not very porous, especially inside where the oxygen is poor... so you can wind up with a pretty half ass biofilter if you skimp on the LR... I've had LR for sale at 3$/lb for some time, the average used price seems to be around 3.50$/lb, how much cheaper are you hoping to find it for?
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#9
12-18-2009, 06:44 PM
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Well were just looking for a decent deal on live rock. Paying 10.99 or 9.99 per pound for live rock is just not doable right now. Really at that price we'll be able to afford like 30 to 40 pounds. And thats not going to make much of a dent in my 90g lol.
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