premium aquatics, tampa bay saltwater, or doctor fosters?

[pairenoid]

some concerns

I want to buy "cured" rock so that i have minimal cycling time, i noticed doctor fosters has 22lbs for 130 not cured, is that still good to buy?

premium aquatics has CURED live rock for 4.99, this sounds like the better deal but i also read all cured rock still has to be cured due to shipping


i also noticed yourreaf.com has free shipping and 4.99 a lb but the website looks shabby and unprofessional and it is not cured

i live in california so anything closer would be prefered even if its online

tldr: is there a big difference in buying "cured" or "not cured", which online retailer has the safest AND fastest shipping, i dont want to wait a week for this live rock since everyday wasted is more die off

also my budget is <130, but ofc as low as possible, i need around 20 lbs for my 20 g

 

[nikki_kaiser]

some concerns

I want to buy "cured" rock so that i have minimal cycling time, i noticed doctor fosters has 22lbs for 130 not cured, is that still good to buy?

premium aquatics has CURED live rock for 4.99, this sounds like the better deal but i also read all cured rock still has to be cured due to shipping

i also noticed yourreaf.com has free shipping and 4.99 a lb but the website looks shabby and unprofessional and it is not cured

i live in california so anything closer would be prefered even if its online

tldr: is there a big difference in buying "cured" or "not cured", which online retailer has the safest AND fastest shipping, i dont want to wait a week for this live rock since everyday wasted is more die off

also my budget is <130, but ofc as low as possible, i need around 20 lbs for my 20 g

would buy 1/2 cured live rock and 1/2 base rock. Base rock is dry rock sold by many fish stores and online retailers. It will be seeded by the live rock and eventually become alive. You are using the rock for your biological source so 1-2 lbs per gallon would be good. Cured live rock will have some die off when shipped but it should be okay if you are cycling your tank. Just get a soft bristles brush (new) and clean it off, rinse it in some saltwater. You are doing a fishless cycle right?

To be honest, if you spec out the prices locally and factor in the shipping costs and fact that you will have minimal die off, you may be close to what you might pay online. If you are getting some base rock vs. all live rock your cost would be less and you could get it ASAP. One of the disadvantages of buying online is that you can't pick out the pieces you want. If you have an idea of what you want your aquascape to look like this may not be the way you want to go. If you don't care then that's cool. I wouldn't order from a place that you've not ever heard of or someone on here hasn't ordered from. It would be a bad deal to expect one thing and end up with another.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

some concerns

I want to buy "cured" rock so that i have minimal cycling time, i noticed doctor fosters has 22lbs for 130 not cured, is that still good to buy?

premium aquatics has CURED live rock for 4.99, this sounds like the better deal but i also read all cured rock still has to be cured due to shipping

i also noticed yourreaf.com has free shipping and 4.99 a lb but the website looks shabby and unprofessional and it is not cured

i live in california so anything closer would be prefered even if its online

tldr: is there a big difference in buying "cured" or "not cured", which online retailer has the safest AND fastest shipping, i dont want to wait a week for this live rock since everyday wasted is more die off

also my budget is <130, but ofc as low as possible, i need around 20 lbs for my 20 g

In addition, don't forget to throw a few pieces of shrimp into a mesh bag or stocking and hang over the side. That's going to be the bacteria's food source!

 

[mfdrookie516]

I would save money and heartache and just buy base rock... $85 shipped for 50lbs from reefrocks.net and it'll surpass most live rock you get IMO. Just remember, nothing good happens fast in SW

 

[pairenoid]

thanks, another question now

if i have dry rock mixed with live rock, how does that effect the cycle time? i wanted 20 lbs of cured live rock to avoid any cycling (maybe 2 weeks waiting max)

i have no idea how i want to aquascape and my lfs just got their shipment today for 5.99 a lb, but since they just got it shipped from somewhere i am assuming it will be no different than me ordering online, since they will still have to "cure" it again like me

i want to emphasis that the only reason i want cured live rock is to save time, as in i want my fish ASAP. otherwise i would just buy 20 lbs of dry rock and wait a few months lol

ohhh and also, the tank is in my bedroom so i dont know if i could handle the smell during the curing process

 

[nikki_kaiser]

Okay, I just switched my tank over to a long 55 vs. a tall and moved all my live rock and added about 15 lbs of base rock. I had NO cycle and total amount of rock I would guess at about 75 lbs. With that I would add that I got rid of all my fish except one clown and 3 shrimp because I want this to be a reef tank so had to. You have no fish yet but you will have live rock and you will be seeding the base with it. Your cycle is hard to predict because everyone has different experiences however, you will have a bacteria source and the idea is to grow that by constantly feeding it. I really have never had a cycle last me more than 3 weeks using live rock that was cured but also had sand from my other tank to seed it with. I know some who have had much longer and I've also heard of people having live rock die off during a cycle...never had that. Can you get a used filter pad from your LFS? I have always used this when cycling as well and I really think it helps.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Is this your first SW tank? If so, I'd highly recommend starting from base rock. This gives you time to familiarize yourself with how the tank works. I started with base rock in my reef tank in December and had fish by New Years. I'm not doubting you, but I really think you'll end up disappointed if you try and rush the process.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

Is this your first SW tank? If so, I'd highly recommend starting from base rock. This gives you time to familiarize yourself with how the tank works. I started with base rock in my reef tank in December and had fish by New Years. I'm not doubting you, but I really think you'll end up disappointed if you try and rush the process.

+1 on the learning curve. I know you are excited and really want to get it done fast but the above statement holds true for learning. While it might not seem important, the biological system is one of the most important keys to maintaining a system. As I said, I had no cycle when switching tanks however my live rock was well established. Now I've never cycled with just base rock so I can't give a first hand educated response to that or even try. I will tell you this much though, unfortunately in this hobby when you rush things it usually ends in disaster. An example would be not quarantining your new fish. If you put a fish that had ich in your new tank you will contaminate the tank and most likely have issues until you remove all inhabitants and let it run its life cycle until gone. That's a lot of work and a pain. It does suk to have to wait but any new fish added to a tank with ich is bound to get it at some point. See my where I'm going? Patience pays off but isn't a lot of fun! LOL!

 

[pairenoid]

im thinking 15 lbs fiji cured lr, with 6 lbs dry macro rock

this seem ok? this should have minimal cycling since its cured and i should have enough filtration to add a fish after the cycle without waiting for the seed rock right?

 

[nikki_kaiser]

im thinking 15 lbs fiji cured lr, with 6 lbs dry macro rock

this seem ok? this should have minimal cycling since its cured and i should have enough filtration to add a fish after the cycle without waiting for the seed rock right?

They sounds good. You need to add one fish maybe two at a time. If you add too many your biological system can't keep up and you will kill them. For example, add two clowns...wait 2-3 weeks plus...then add another fish. Make sure your fish are compatible and appropriate for your size tank or they will end up dying. Some people think they can add juvenile tangs to small aquariums. Tangs are swimmers! They like lots of area and eventually get to be rather large fish. It would be like putting a Great Dane in a small run.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

They sounds good. You need to add one fish maybe two at a time. If you add too many your biological system can't keep up and you will kill them. For example, add two clowns...wait 2-3 weeks plus...then add another fish. Make sure your fish are compatible and appropriate for your size tank or they will end up dying. Some people think they can add juvenile tangs to small aquariums. Tangs are swimmers! They like lots of area and eventually get to be rather large fish. It would be like putting a Great Dane in a small run.

*that...grrrr...on this stupid iPhone! Sorry! LOL!

 

[pairenoid]

ok thanks, this is my first SW but i have experience with freshwater

i know i cant have much, im going to have a goby and a pair of firefish maybe, actually i was going to go with 15/6 but the prices didnt work out like i thought

it was 135 for 20 lbs of cured live rock overnight shipping

or close to 130 for 15 lbs and 6 lbs, so i just opted for the 20 lbs!

the shipping was high but unavoidable , i dont get why its the same price to ship for tues as it is for wed/thurs/fri but i should have it tomorrow since i chose tuesday delivery

 

[nikki_kaiser]

thanks, another question now

if i have dry rock mixed with live rock, how does that effect the cycle time? i wanted 20 lbs of cured live rock to avoid any cycling (maybe 2 weeks waiting max)

i have no idea how i want to aquascape and my lfs just got their shipment today for 5.99 a lb, but since they just got it shipped from somewhere i am assuming it will be no different than me ordering online, since they will still have to "cure" it again like me

i want to emphasis that the only reason i want cured live rock is to save time, as in i want my fish ASAP. otherwise i would just buy 20 lbs of dry rock and wait a few months lol

ohhh and also, the tank is in my bedroom so i dont know if i could handle the smell during the curing process

I need to stress that this may help with your cycle time but can't guarantee a time it will be finished cycling. I only know what I've done that's worked for me. My advice is that you tell your LFS guy what you are wanting to do. I have heard that there are things you can add to the tank to make it cycle faster like stuff you add to the water, I've just never used it. When I actually cycle a new tank I do the following: Use cured live rock, use biomedia from my other filter, some sand from my other tank that I throw on top of dry aragonite sand I bought for that tank, and I throw in my bag of shrimp (usually I use 2) that has a string so I can fish it out and add more if needed or take out when finished. By the way, the shrimp smell TERRIBLE when taken out.

I really think you should ask him what he thinks.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

ok thanks, this is my first SW but i have experience with freshwater

i know i cant have much, im going to have a goby and a pair of firefish maybe, actually i was going to go with 15/6 but the prices didnt work out like i thought

it was 135 for 20 lbs of cured live rock overnight shipping

or close to 130 for 15 lbs and 6 lbs, so i just opted for the 20 lbs!

the shipping was high but unavoidable , i dont get why its the same price to ship for tues as it is for wed/thurs/fri but i should have it tomorrow since i chose tuesday delivery

Cool! Just try to be patient with it all. I would still call your LFS and pick their brain. Do you have any friends with saltwater that you could get a filter pad or two to use in your filter?

 

[nikki_kaiser]

One last thing...and I've never used these so I'm not giving advice to do so BUT, here is a link of what someone else found with bacteria additives and speeding up the cycling process. Does it work? I have no idea as I've always done it the way I described above. If you decide to try this I would love to hear about what you chose to use and how it worked for you!

www.fishlore.com/fishforum/aquarium...ht-now-bacteria-hiatt-system-mini-review.html

 

[pairenoid]

sweet thanks,

im kind of worried because i bought the rocks and chose over night shipping and chose for it to be delivered on tuesday, but i checked ups tracking and it says estimated date friday..

 

[nikki_kaiser]

sweet thanks,

im kind of worried because i bought the rocks and chose over night shipping and chose for it to be delivered on tuesday, but i checked ups tracking and it says estimated date friday..

Can you call them? If you paid for overnight shipping then I would tell them that it is expected today and that you paid for overnight shipping.

 

[pairenoid]

I thought I did overnight, I chose tuesday to be my delivery day, it cost like 30 bucks and I heard PA does overnight for 30

anyways i sent an email and he said "sorry it looks like your shipment will take 3-5 days, it should still be fine yada yada"

I sent him another email saying Im sure I chose over night delivery but he hasnt responded, maybe I got mixed up because well why does it allow me to chose what day I want it delivered and not comply! :/

its not the biggggest deal since cured rock was only a dollar more per pound, just kinda sucks that I will have to clean it more myself lol

also ive been getting my salt water ready but the hydrometer is so innaccurate lol, i knew it would be inaccurate but im getting readings that go all the way up, or all the way down, every other time ><

i think taking care of a sw tank is going to be v ery frustrating lol

 

[nikki_kaiser]

That would make me mad regarding the shipping. Try rinsing it with RO water really well and then try again. I use both kinds.