How much for this live rock?

[bigreddastud]

I'm thinking about buying this live rock. How much do people think it is worth? The guy isn't sure and I don't want to completely insult him if I lowball him too much. It's from a 4 year old 75G setup. He thought it was about 80+ pounds.

Please comment on what you think about it's quality too, since I've never purchased LR before.

[Wally]

Have you any idea what he wants for it? I would guess not more that you can purchase it for at your lfs.

[jackdp]

My LFS charges about $6/lb you can find LR online sometimes as cheap as $3/lb..given that I would say the street value of that 80lbs is somewhere $240-$400

[reefrunner69]

I'd pay no more than about 4-5 per lb.

[fishfreek]

Originally Posted by reefrunner69

I'd pay no more than about 4-5 per lb.

I was going to say $4/lb. Since you can get rock that looks about like that online for around $3/lb.

$5/lb if your really feeling generious. Dont go for anything higher than that. The LFS prices for rock is highway robbery. Should be illegal to sell something for 1000% profit.

[kidkameleon3]

I got some peices that look pretty similar in maturity.I paid $4 a lb from a guy.I'd tell him you'll give him 4 for 50lbs and if he wants to sell the rest you want a price break

[bigreddastud]

What do you think about the quality of it? I am new to liverock.

[reefrunner69]

I'd say it's fair, the pic is a little over exposed, so it's hard to tell the color. It's basically a coraline encrusted rock with some macro algae. As will happen in an aquarium for 4 years, most of the hitchiker corals and "life" is gone, this is to be expected, but does not ,imo, increase the value as much as it detracts from it. I have had my aquacultured LR in my tank for almost 2 years and still have alot of the hitchiking corals and worms etc...all over the rock as well as many corals I've added encrusted to the rock. Personally I think you can do better and be happier with some aquacultured rock from LR.com.

[SquishyFish]

Wow...ya'll are much more generous than we are down here. I have bought and sold about 500lbs of LR outside of the LFS market. Your generally looking at 2-3.00 per pound for cured rock.

Squishy

[reefrunner69]

LOL, you would not even think to insult me by offering me 3 bucks a lb for my LR How much I give depends on what's on it. I don't have a piece in my tank that is not fully encrusted with lots of corals, heck some are bound together by a couple different corals.

[Reefaddict]

Usually you can get extremely good deals from someone who is taking down their tank. I know this guy who works in my LFS, and he recently got 100lbs of LR for 20 bucks!!! Obviously this is ridiculously cheap, but, if I were you I would try to feel the guy out. If he needs to get rid of it, he may just give it away.

My advice is: don't offer him much at all for it, and don't worry about insulting him with a lowball price, because you can always get LR cheap if you look around...especially check out you local fish clubs. Usually membership is free, and around here they have auctions every so often, where you stand to save some real money!!!