This is my first venture into the salty boards section here...
So i've read just about every discussion on and off this site about live rock and where to buy and whats good and how much you need and which base and blah blah blah. NOW i think i'm educated enough to make a decision. and my decision is that no one really sells what i want.
Ok, so if you want live rock, you want it live. Therefore, the seller should send it to you as live as possible so that if and when die-off occurs, you stand a better chance. As industry norm, it seems that every piece takes long trips from wherever its collected, sits in some containment warehouse, and has a whole lot of time out of the ocean. Therefore, it takes some damage and must be "cured" of this die off before they ship it. I can appreciate that. Its great! but why is it neccessary?
What I want doesn't seem to exist. Either that or the nature of the industry is so competitive and hung up on saying catch phrases like "cured" and stuff, that they don't really even think of alternatives. Even if it comes fresh from your backyard and into your tank, if you tell someone that your lr isn't cured, they'd turn up their nose at you... because?
Imagine this: the guys go out to harvest, put the lr in a bucket as they collect it. they get on the boat with their bucket full of fresh picked live rocks full of life and hitchhikers and all kinds of goodies all submersed in good old sea water. then they put a lid on it and ship it to you. Do you need to cure it? no. it never left the water. Will there be die off? yes, as its shipped. would that happen anyway? yes. so why the heck cant they just ship it fresh?
Ok, that was a bit of a rant. but its something that I need some other input on.
So... Is there anywhere that I can buy aquacultured live rock that hasn't been abused, dosed, transshiped, and stressed to near death before it even gets to me? Anything short of wading into the Jersey shore and hoping to pull out a chunk of corraline with sponges and coral all over it?
Feel free to join the rant or give any suggestions. thanks in advance.
So i've read just about every discussion on and off this site about live rock and where to buy and whats good and how much you need and which base and blah blah blah. NOW i think i'm educated enough to make a decision. and my decision is that no one really sells what i want.
Ok, so if you want live rock, you want it live. Therefore, the seller should send it to you as live as possible so that if and when die-off occurs, you stand a better chance. As industry norm, it seems that every piece takes long trips from wherever its collected, sits in some containment warehouse, and has a whole lot of time out of the ocean. Therefore, it takes some damage and must be "cured" of this die off before they ship it. I can appreciate that. Its great! but why is it neccessary?
What I want doesn't seem to exist. Either that or the nature of the industry is so competitive and hung up on saying catch phrases like "cured" and stuff, that they don't really even think of alternatives. Even if it comes fresh from your backyard and into your tank, if you tell someone that your lr isn't cured, they'd turn up their nose at you... because?
Imagine this: the guys go out to harvest, put the lr in a bucket as they collect it. they get on the boat with their bucket full of fresh picked live rocks full of life and hitchhikers and all kinds of goodies all submersed in good old sea water. then they put a lid on it and ship it to you. Do you need to cure it? no. it never left the water. Will there be die off? yes, as its shipped. would that happen anyway? yes. so why the heck cant they just ship it fresh?
Ok, that was a bit of a rant. but its something that I need some other input on.
So... Is there anywhere that I can buy aquacultured live rock that hasn't been abused, dosed, transshiped, and stressed to near death before it even gets to me? Anything short of wading into the Jersey shore and hoping to pull out a chunk of corraline with sponges and coral all over it?
Feel free to join the rant or give any suggestions. thanks in advance.
