Is LR.com the way to go?

[lukasnca]

Actually I lied ... one more complaint ... There were about 8 brittle stars in my box -- some of them pretty big but they were all placed under the rocks so by the time they got to me they were a mush of legs and star bodies.

I'll assume that they all somehow went under the rock themselves but I felt bad that so many starfish were dead -- I put them in my fuge just in case there were any survivors but they disintegrated pretty quickly.

 

[steve-s]

(1) wetwebmedia claims that due to the higher density of aquacultured atlantic rock its not as good for biological filtration. Zack told me that he would look for an answer to this but never got back to me.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?p=224121#224121

Also due to the fact that a lot of the life in these rocks is from the atlantic its not exactly meant for aquariums that host life mostly from the pacific (wetwebmedia repeats this again and again)

That's just splitting hairs . Unless you are trying to set up a biospecific tank to a particular region, it's pretty much moot. Mixing bio types will not harm or hamper the set up of a reef tank in any way. In fact, increased biodiversity is often the goal.

Cheers
Stev

 

[Zack]

Thank you very much Steve, I knew I had gotten back to you on that. If you have anymore questions about it feel free to post in that thread.

Also due to the fact that a lot of the life in these rocks is from the Atlantic its not exactly meant for aquariums that host life mostly from the pacific (wetwebmedia repeats this again and again)

Thanks again Steve, I am sure that most if not all the members here have corals/fish/LS/LR from different places in the world and it works out just fine.

I am also very sorry about your starfish, we tried to pack your order with a lot of life and am not sure how your starfish got to the bottom of the rocks :|

 

[Zack]

As for me trying to sell you more, you mentioned ordering more in that link Steve supplied and think I just gave you a quote :?

 

[lukasnca]

Actually if you look at my response to Zack's article I mentioned that his response was incorrect and that the wetwebmedia articles refer mostly to TBS rock. TBS is aquacultured in much the same way as liverocks.com rock.

Zack and I chatted on AIM after I posted my response and he "promised" to go look into this further -- that was August 5th.

As for the whole biotype discussion ... the wetwebmedia articles pretty much indicate that unless you are setting up an [exclusively] atlantic biotype tank then you should avoid atlantic aquacultured rock.

Anyway ... if you want atlantic aquacultured rock/lifestock you can check out TBS as well ... http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/ They have essentially the same stuff with the exception that they can ship to your local airport which ends up being much cheaper.

I think that its great that Zack believes in his product and likes his job, etc. This forum does seem like a big commercial for liverocks.com sometimes though ... and as I found out after I spend ummm over $200 with them ... they may not be the best option out there ... not for everyone anyway ... so I'm just trying to give people a second opinion.

 

[steve-s]

As for the whole biotype discussion ... the wetwebmedia articles pretty much indicate that unless you are setting up an [exclusively] atlantic biotype tank then you should avoid atlantic aquacultured rock.

Please provide a link to the article you are refering to. I looked at WWM and found one veiled mention of it which was more towards it being to dense and not towards it being any kind hinderance as far as region. If that's the case, the same can be said on many types of wild harversted rock, especially Fiji. IME, Fiji rock is one of the highest density and least desireable. If anything, most refernces I found concerning aquacultured rock by WWM staff was quite possitive and supported it's use over that of wild collection.

I think that its great that Zack believes in his product and likes his job, etc. This forum does seem like a big commercial for liverocks.com sometimes though ... and as I found out after I spend ummm over $200 with them ... they may not be the best option out there ... not for everyone anyway ... so I'm just trying to give people a second opinion.

I am not sure why it would bother you that a Forum sponsor is well recommended, in fact it speaks volumes about the quality and integrity of the Vendor. Alternatives are always welcome but please do not "knock" another product in the process. If you wish to write a review of both the LR.com and Tampabay products, please submit one for review. I am sure many would be happy to read it but please report strictly factual information.

Cheers
Steve

 

[lukasnca]

Steve,

I believe that there were quotes/links in my original posting that you quote above. I'm not a marine researcher and can't validate the statements that wwm makes. I've relied on their advice in the past and can only assume that the people on there know what they're talking about. Zack seems to feel that they are biased against LR.com for financial reasons. I can validate that statement about as much as I can validate any of the statements that wwm makes.

Zack also validated that he's spoken to the person who wrote the WWM information and that they don't agree and have decided to disagree about the quality of florida rock.

I bought LR.com rock as the positive feedback on this website just got the better of me. I've never ordered from TBS though having looked through their website it looks very similar to LR.com. This message asked "Is LR.com the way to go?" and I merely posted my experience and information that I had found online -- that's about as factual as I'll be getting. I also posted the TBS information as it might save people money if they're set on going with florida rock.

I'm not at all bothered that a Forum sponsor is well recommended. I wish that I had looked on reefcentral.com though as their Forum sponsor TBS is well recommended on rc.com and their shipping is cheaper. I'm sure that liverocks.com could look into using the same shipping methods as TBS and match them on that as well.

Anyway my statement was mostly intended to point out that there are other opinions out there which don't really make it to this message board.

For whatever its worth Zack offered to send me replacement live rock for the first shipment that I received that caused my ammonia to go through the roof for about two weeks. You don't usually see good customer service with online companies (the fishy ones anyway) so its nice (and surprising) when you do find it.

Luke.

 

[Zack]

I am sure TBS saltwater goes through the same issue we do with shipping airport to airport as you can read in the sponsor forum it is a sticky.

 

[steve-s]

Anyway my statement was mostly intended to point out that there are other opinions out there which don't really make it to this message board.

I have absolutely no problem with people sharing experinces and opinions, it why we come here and it should be encouraged. What concerned me was you took an opinion to the next level quoting a well known informative website stating they where apposed to it's use in an article. Up until that point I had no interest in this thread whatsoever. If your mention of the article was intended to lend credence to your opinion/reference, then I feel I have the right to scrutinize that article by reading it for myself. Since I have not been able to find that article on my own, I was asking for your assistance with providing a link which I have not seen.

All I'm saying is an opinion is one things, quoting others to support that opinion is quite another.

Cheers
Steve