Shipped vs LFS Rock

What is the cycle time difference? If your LFS has had the live rock for a month, then you drive it the 20 minutes home covered in wet towel with water from the lfs.

The other end would be ordering it off the Internet receiving it when it got there.

I will be getting 80-100lbs when I get it.

 

Afternoon,

The less time the LR is out of the water, the less die off that will occur during transport, the less cycling you will see, assuming you are starting with good live rock and not just "cured" rock which has not had time to build up the denitrifying bacteria.

Balance this with the cost of obtaining the rock locally and paying local taxes, to that of an out of state purchase with shipping costs....

 

don't forget your lfs order theres and it was probably shipped from farther away then yours.

i would say if you buy Liverock from a quality site its probably better. it will be slightly cheaper then a lfs and it will have more life on it. several site hold theres in a tank to with extreme flow to cure it for a month. at that time its probably the same as the kind you get a a lfs thats been sitting for a month. the big difference is you can pick the LR at a lfs

 

personally i would buy my live rock from my LFS because you get to visually see the pieces that you are picking, so you can pick the right pieces for your aquascaping ideas.. i think that is VERY important. and if you buy from your LFS, you can pick pieces with more surface area and more porous versus ones that are less surface area and very dense which makes it heavier and more expensive per pound.. my honest opinion

 

I just though of something
perhaps i should add i got my LR from liveaquaria.com 6 years ago. i have noticed a increasingly poor quality of LR from most suppliers. perhaps you should do the LFS thing.

 

I generally prefer to purchase locally. Maybe it is different where you are but my lfs live rock price is very competitive with online retailers. Also you get to pick out the rock, and it is good to help keep the local business open. That way if you need supplies asap you don't have to wait for it to be shipped.

 

just another option if money is a problem. You can get base rock from john at ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - Home then buy 10-15 pounds of live rock from the LFS to seed it in the tank with. Just another option, and his rock is very nice and porous.

 

It takes time. He only ships on certain days also. Did you try contacting john??? I just got mine last week and ordered at the end of feb. Its parcel post my friend, they dont call it snail mail for nothing. Send John an e-mail, he will get right back with you on it. Very helpful guy.

 

I talked to John earlier today. I wasnt downing him but since someone seems to feel I was I deleted the post....You might consider ebay also I have seen people closing out their tanks and selling their live rock on ebay.

 

oh, no, I didnt think you were downing him at all pal. Just trying to help yah out is all. Either way.