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Stixy
New Members
Joined: 04 Jan 2009
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 Posted: 2009.01.12(Mon)2:07 Post subject: Artificial live rock? |
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Hey all, I was at my LFS on the weekend and was talking to the shop owner about liverock, after a bit of discussion he showed me this liverock that was DRY..... he was talking about it like it was the greatest thing to ever hit the earth, I as nearly convinced to buy a 17kg box (dry weight). Does anyone have any info on this stuff? I searched the web over and couldn't find the product, I'm not to sure what it was called but it was made in France. anyone??? anyone at all HELP!!!! I'm really thinking of buying a box.
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Miss Priss
Regulars
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
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Osprey
Advisors
Joined: 15 May 2006
Location: Okotoks, AB
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| Posted: 2009.01.12(Mon)17:18 Post subject: |
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It's fairly common practice to purchase a dry, calcium based rock to act as 'base rock'. Then you can purchase some real 'live rock', complete with little featherdusters, spaghetti worms, and coralline algae, to seed the base rock. With time, the lifeforms from the live rock will spread to the dry rock.
It's a lot cheaper than just buying live rock... I have some terrestrial rock in my tank. Be forewarned, though... often dry rock has more algae-bloom-causing contaminants than 'real' live rock. 
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Stixy
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Joined: 04 Jan 2009
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| Posted: 2009.01.13(Tue)3:35 Post subject: |
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thanks for the replies everyone but I think I should have explained it a bit better. OK its basically dormant liverock waiting to add water, apparently there is no need for cycling, apparently it's still a natural filtration system and apparently it will grow coralline algae...... I will be going to my LFS tomorrow so I will find out the name and a bit more about the product and let you all know what its all about.
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FloridaBoy
Moderators
Joined: 04 Jul 2004
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| Posted: 2009.01.13(Tue)19:41 Post subject: Re: Artificial live rock? |
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| Stixy wrote: | | I'm not to sure what it was called but it was made in France... |
LOL, oh boy, sounds like they are using some dishonest marketing of base rock or dead material, but I will reserve further comment until after you post your findings. See if you can get a website so I can take a look at their claims. One thing I can clarify for you right off the bat; dry rocks alone do not magically "store" or "generate" coralline algae. When a living source and proper water chemistry are present, corallines will certainly spread and cover dead rock (or even the glass sides of your tank) but that is not a result of the substrate. Lighting, low phosphates and particularly water chemistry all play a role here
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Last edited by FloridaBoy on 2009.01.23(Fri)0:40; edited 2 times in total |
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Stixy
New Members
Joined: 04 Jan 2009
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| Posted: 2009.01.14(Wed)1:34 Post subject: |
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OK, I have been to m LFS today and got the website and the product name.
www.aquaroche.fr
The product is called Aquaroche and he said all the same things again. I had a quick look at the site and it looks pretty legitimate, he uses it in his shop display tank and it looks pretty impressive, I
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Osprey
Advisors
Joined: 15 May 2006
Location: Okotoks, AB
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| Posted: 2009.01.14(Wed)2:30 Post subject: |
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From their website:
| Quote: | | Our rocks, with their specific porosity can be colonised by contact with wild live rocks in your private aquariums but can also be found in shops, already colonised par producers. |
As far as I can tell, these are artifically manufactured rocks. Specific shapes (for better stacking, which would be really nice, as anyone who's spent an afternoon fussing with freeform stacking of live rock can tell you), and a carefully balanced porous structure, for ideal filtration and colonization.
But there's no mention on the site, AFAIK, of dormant lifeforms in the rock. You'd still have to buy 'wild' live rock to seed it with... or the LFS could go to the work of seeding it for you.
Basically, this stuff is really high quality base rock- that's the theory, anyway. The guy at the LFS is either confused or trying to sell you snake oil.
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FloridaBoy
Moderators
Joined: 04 Jul 2004
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| Posted: 2009.01.14(Wed)13:02 Post subject: |
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Thanks for the link!
This is a CERAMIC product, made from clay and fired like a pot. The nice thing about that is you get control of the shapes and a lighter weight, which is great for stacking purposes. As the website shows, this can certainly be colonized and serve as a base for a growing reef system. To be clear, there are no dormant life forms in the product, it must be colonized by an existing live source.
Here are a few direct quotes from the site:
"The distinctive feature of Aquaroche products, compared to resin or compact natural stones, is that in a few months they will colonise and become "live"rocks."
"Our rocks, with their specific porosity can be colonised by contact with wild live rocks in your private aquariums but can also be found in shops, already colonised par producers."
http://www.aquaroche.fr/gb/produits/lv.php
Apparently they also offer a LIVING alternative, basically a cultured version of the same product as shown here:
http://www.aquaroche.fr/gb/actualites/autres.php
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MarkLehr
Moderators
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
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| Posted: 2009.01.25(Sun)18:01 Post subject: |
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I spend a lot of time on another site, and many of the experienced members there use these guys:
http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=28
I have heard nothing but good comments. In fact, I plan to use Fiji "dry rock" for my 180 gallon reef that I'm setting up later this year. |
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