Is there such a thing as cheap LR?????!!!

[sicklidkid]

Hey I will soon be starting a SW tank and i cant seem to find any LR that will fit my budget. I hvent had time to chack my lfs but i can only imagine how expensive they will be!! They always overprice everything! I have checked online but the shipping seems to defeat the whole purpose. Does any one have or know of a place where i could get cheap LR in the the california bay area? If not if i buy about 30lbs of baserock and 5-10 lbs of LR will i be ok?

[excited_newby]

If you find anywhere please tell me. I'm not in the same area but am looking for cheap LR too, or free hopefully.

[MrsPeel]

sicklidkid, have you thought about checking out various SW sites that have classified sections? I always see people in California breaking down their tanks and selling off their LR and other equipment. It may be wirth a try if you are in a tight budget and can go to the person's area to pick it up.

Just a thought to save a little $$

[hisc1ay]

I don't know where you've looked, but Liverocks.com is probably the place I'm going to go. Even if they're not the cheapest, the prices are very good, and from what I hear the service is impecable. Nearly anyone you talk to here will recommend them, and they're even a member of the forum, so you can't really beat that with a stick.

Good luck though. I've thought about doing the partial live rock thing. Eventually the stuff your LR has will affect the base rock, but obviously the tank will be cooler at first if it's mostly LR. It shouldn't hurt though to mix.

-j

[dralarms]

lr.com has it for 2.99 a lb. After shipping it's still a little over 4 bux a lb. that's half of what my lfs wanted.

[Biggen]

My LFS gets $6 a lb and I wouldn't call it live rock. Looks more like dead or dying tan/grey rock.

I second the advice to go with www.liverocks.com.

[Bearfan]

My LR from www.liverocks.com has grown incredible coraline algae and looks great. It was also packed full of critters (Including the recent discovery of a second cucumber). Go www.liverocks.com for sure.

[hisc1ay]

See?

But really...I'm sure there are many people in your situation, sicklidkid. I think it would be beneficial to many folks, especially newbies to SW, if you posted your experiences with finding the right stuff for you, good or bad. Let us know how it all turns out.

-j

[jvennitti]

sicklidkid,

I have seen many posts here suggesting mixing LR and base rock to save money. The downside is that it will take a greater amount of time to achieve the same LR results. But if $ is your driver, I'd consider that route. highrocks.com has been recommended for base rock. If you go the mixed route, it would seem that it would be best to get good quality LR with lots of life, such as liverocks.com. I actually bought all LR from there, but can understand you are working with a limited budget. I'd set a budget and get the most for your money, which may include picking up LR from the classifieds as was also suggested here.

Maybe someone can provide more advice on the mixture ratio of LR to base. IIRC, you should have at least 50% LR, but more is better and I'm guessing would shorthen the time to make it all LR.

Good luck,

Jeff

[dralarms]

For what hirocks.com wants for base rock you can get base rock from liverocks.com for about the same price.

Hirock $35.00 for 30 lbs = $1.16/lb including freight

Liverocks.com $60.00 for 30 lbs = $2.00/lb + freight

Cheers
Steve

[sicklidkid]

Well when i typed in my zip code my total for 10 lbs of live rock was about 85 dollars! That is not worth it for me. The shipping costed more than the rock itself. I cannot afford that.

[dralarms]

Well when i typed in my zip code my total for 10 lbs of live rock was about 85 dollars! That is not worth it for me. The shipping costed more than the rock itself. I cannot afford that.

Where was that?

[excited_newby]

Hahaha, I did the same for UPS, for 45 lbs of rock it was like 200 bucks shipping. Its silly really.

[Hypostomus]

Isn't hirocks.com base rock while liverocks.com has actual live rock?

[dralarms]

That's what I thought. Hirock.com is DRY base rock. Liverocks.com is actually liverock, just not as nice as their liverock.

[sicklidkid]

Yeah hirocks is dry. But i cant affrod liverocks.com. The shipping is more than the rocks. It may be better for people who live closer to there hq, but not for me, i live in california.

[dralarms]

I understand, when you get some live rocks it will seed your dry rocks. It may take a little time but it will eventually be all live.

Any type of LR added to the tank wether teaming with life or simpley bacteria/fauna related will always be much better than dry base rock. I was only pointing out the cost difference. Personally I would go with the live base rock but where cost is a major factor, the HiRock has substantial savings.

Cheers
Steve

Shipping at Liverocks.com is very reasonable.. For example here is one of my order breakdowns Shipped to me here in Oregon about the farthest that it could possibly be shipped..

40# live rock X $2.99 per pound = $119.60
Shipping to your door = $ 55.50
Total to your door = $175.10
Price per pound delivered is $4.38

Desc: 40 Lbs. of our Live Base Rock Subtotal: $ 80.00
Shipping: $ 66.89
Total: $146.89

I found that a Very awesome price for overnight shipping both ways it was much much cheaper than buying from the LFS..

James