Is this LR Good?

[euro_Boy_To]

I just bought some LR from the LFS for my very first time

I have NO idea if it's good or not, I tried to pick the ones with the most green on them.. which seemed to be right under the HOB filter.. here is a pic. It's probably hard to tell.. but does it look any good? And what do I have to look for when I pick it?
The guy said it's from Fij.

 

[ryguy]

never seen LR like that before. I'm surprised it doesn't have any purple coraline growth on it. It almost looks like base rock. What was the pound price?

 

[euro_Boy_To]

shucks.. I knew there was somethin wrong with this rock...
everyone who says they got live rock has purple stuff.. this just has a little bit of green slimy stuff...

it was $7 canadian per pound.. maybe I'll return it and smack the guy a little bit for lieing to me it's live rock..

 

[Devilishturtles]

It does look like base rock. I think you got shifted... Take it back and slap him, good plan.

 

[melosu58]

For the same price you can order online and pay shipping and maybe be cheaper. But you`ll have to cure it first. That`s the only good thing about buying from LFS is that it is already cured.

 

[tecwzrd]

Actually to me it looks like most lr I’ve seen offered in most lfs. “live” is a relative term and some lfs will buy in bulk and ship in quality lr to sell at a slight profit most others will buy “aquacultured” lr which essentially is base rock that has been dumped into the ocean for a year or two and re-harvested and sold as lr which has limited growth on it.

This rock has very little life compared to better quality lr you can find online. Still for $7 Canadian it’s about the going rate in most lfs and shipping would kill you if you ordered online.

The rock is still very much “live” as far as bacteria goes and as melosu58 said it shouldn’t need curing if it’s been sitting in your lfs for the last couple of months.

 

[seaham358]

Looks like LR too me... Not all rock has coraline on it when you buy it. The bacteria is the big thing so you don't have to cure it. Coraline will grow over time if you keep the tank parameters right.
When I set up my 125 all my rock was gray and it was shipped in from fla.. Over time the CA grew..

 

[euro_Boy_To]

well, I hope it's enough to start my cycle..

about how long does it take for ammonia levels te begin usually, after LR or shrimp is put in?

 

[geckofrog]

Looks like typical local fish store "live rock", I suggest to order online, you can get higher quality and even have it delivered via airport freight to save a ton on shipping vs Fedex (yes even to Canada)

Figure at least 8 weeks to cycle your tank

 

[tecwzrd]

If the lr is cured then you will have to add an nh3 source (shrimp) to get it started. You should start to detect nh3 anywhere from 3-5 days from adding usually. One cocktail sized shrimp should be good for your 30 gal.

The main reason I would add a shrimp is because even if the rock does have bacteria it would be sparse if the lfs didn’t keep an nh3 source with it and it’s better to be on the safe side and build it up slowly by cycling with the shrimp before adding clean up crew/ fish.

 

[seaham358]

what size tank and how much lr.

 

[euro_Boy_To]

its a 29g with 10lbs of lr, I'm thinking of adding more to speed things up.. I
'm hoping to have it cycled in 3 weeks.

thanks

 

[seaham358]

If the LR is already cured you may not have a cycle.. I put 60 lbs or lr in my 55 and I never had a cycle. Ran the tank empty for 10 days and all tests were good, tossed a fish in and all has been well.. I would add at least 10 more lbs.
tossing in a piece of shrimp would not hurt things..

 

[ryguy]

euro_boy, Where are you in Canada?

I got my LR from J&L aquatics in vancouver, and paid $6.29 for their most expensive rock (vanuatu) which is awesome. Tons of colours, and great shapes.

It might be similar to the LR many have seen in their LFS, but I still think you could do MUCH better for MUCH less. J&L have fiji premium for just over $4 CAN, with lots of purple on it.

Coraline doesn't just appear, something needs to be introduced into the tank with it on it to seed more growth. My recommendation would be to get good coraline coverage to start, otherwise you should just go with cheap base rock and wait that out. No sense in spending $7 a pound on bacteria colonized base-rock, IMO. There's more to LR than just bacterial colonization!!!

 

[malkore]

its a 29g with 10lbs of lr, I'm thinking of adding more to speed things up.. I
'm hoping to have it cycled in 3 weeks.

thanks

you want at least 1lb of live rock per gallon of water, up to 2lbs per gallon.

I have 65lbs in my 40gallon, and it feels 'right'. but you'll want 30lbs just to ensure the live rock can do all the bio-filtration.

 

[euro_Boy_To]

J&L has the same kind of Fiji rock that I got, and from the pictures of Coral life on it mine has exactly same

So I actually do have a few corals on them aready.. one pretty big one.. I just never knew what it was

Also I just noticed some extremely small color changes(Reddening) already starting to happen!.. I think my oxygen rich tank is helping.. all the oxygen bubbles off the walls are gone now.

 

[ryguy]

The reddening you are talking about is probably a diatom bloom. It's too early for you to see coraline growth.

The pics on the J&L site don't look like the pic you posted, but maybe in person it's different. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. My only concern was the price you paid for similar looking rock. I wanted you to be happy with your purchase. If you're happy, I'm happy!!

 

[euro_Boy_To]

Well... knowing that Vanuatu rock is out there makes anybody having this rock unhappy, but what can you do...

Also what I thought was coral is probably not :| oh well.. maybe it will come out within a few months.

Maybe Big Al's has some good rock.. I m gonna visit them tomorrow.

 

[ZivioRR]

IMO, Big Als sells stuff at a higher price compare to JL and Kinged.

 

[ryguy]

IMO, Big Als sells stuff at a higher price compare to JL and Kinged.

thats not an opinion, it's a FACT!!! almost double with many items. steer clear.