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Help me choose live rock vendor


Spiderguardnano

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Spiderguardnano

so i know i know another live rock thread again lol

 

but I'm picking up a Im 10g tomorrow for a great deal

 

i wanted to try all live rock to determine which route i like being that went the dry rock side in my previous build

 

im stuck between

 

gulf live rock or KP aquatics live rock

 

was wondering what were the up to date reviews on these vendors

 

 

-ousss

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This summer I set up a tank with live rock from KP Aquatics. I was very happy with the coralline coverage on the rocks as well as the variety of coralline. I've had all kinda of fun macroalgae pop up on my rocks too. There was a number of pencil urchins that I picked out and a few crabs. No mantises or other "bad" hitchhikers that I have seen. Overall I've have been very happy with the rock. THe price wasn't bad either.

 

However, if I had to do it over again, I think I'd go with Gulf Live Rock. If you've seen Guits' tank you'll know why. He has managed to get a bunch of Manicina and a few other Florida corals on his rocks. (I just have a few dime sized patches of some SPS on a few of my rocks.) Since my tank is a Caribbean biotope, the Florida corals are a cool bonus.

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Spiderguardnano

This summer I set up a tank with live rock from KP Aquatics. I was very happy with the coralline coverage on the rocks as well as the variety of coralline. I've had all kinda of fun macroalgae pop up on my rocks too. There was a number of pencil urchins that I picked out and a few crabs. No mantises or other "bad" hitchhikers that I have seen. Overall I've have been very happy with the rock. THe price wasn't bad either.

 

However, if I had to do it over again, I think I'd go with Gulf Live Rock. If you've seen Guits' tank you'll know why. He has managed to get a bunch of Manicina and a few other Florida corals on his rocks. (I just have a few dime sized patches of some SPS on a few of my rocks.) Since my tank is a Caribbean biotope, the Florida corals are a cool bonus.

awesome thanks for the feedback do you have the link to your tank and guits tank

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also what are you guys thoughts on the walt smith pukani from premium aquatics?

I just visited my co-worker's house tonight and he used Pukani rock. It has some really great shapes and was very porous.

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Spiderguardnano

I just visited my co-worker's house tonight and he used Pukani rock. It has some really great shapes and was very porous.

was it the one from premium aquatics?

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awesome thanks for the feedback do you have the link to your tank and guits tank

 

Here is my tank: Mirya's Floridian Flower Garden. Work has been a pita so there haven't been many recent pic updates. I keep telling myself I want to do an update, but I keep on having new deadlines to deal with...

 

And here is Guits' tank: Guits' Rose Garden. He said he has ordered from Gulf Live Rock several times, requesting pieces with hitchhikers, specifically Manicina. He has given away a bunch of rock to get his collection of Florida corals.

 

*cough* If you order from GLR and manage to get some Manicina and don't want them, I'd be happy to buy them off you! ;)

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I think the Pukani is new for Premium, I would skip the dry from BRS. Did nothing but leech Phosphates in my tank and that was after a acid wash. I went with Manado and its great stuff, had Premium had Pukani I would have probably went with that as I love the shpaes it has.

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  • 4 weeks later...

lol i thought i was looking at my own thread for a second. I had the same dilemma and had it narrowed down to the same two. ended up going with KP aquatics for various reasons, one being price, but i regret not going with gulf live rock which seems to have prettier more consistent results. My rock was dense and not too shapely, and had a mantis shrimp. what'd you end up going with?

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Gulf Live Rock, for sure. The uncured, 'premium deco live rock' stuff. The nano special's surprisingly cheap, and arrived smelling nice and fresh! I've got three separate patches of coral that made it through the cycling process, interesting macros, way too much coralline, five different kinds of teeny copepods, free CUC in the form of detritus-eating worms, bivalves, sponges, a tiny sea apple, and general awesomeness.

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Dry Marco rocks lol boring I know just didn't want to deal with pest algae

 

In reference back to your original post - I have 2 nanos with Gulf Live Rock and 1 nano with KP Aquatics rock. I've been happy with both companies, for different reasons. Gulf Live Rock is much more "interesting" with the hitchhikers however in my personal experience somewhat heavier and more algae both desireable and not so desireable. KP Aquatics was very clean and seems porous but less "interesting." I think both are fantastic!

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Gulf Live Rock, for sure. The uncured, 'premium deco live rock' stuff. The nano special's surprisingly cheap, and arrived smelling nice and fresh! I've got three separate patches of coral that made it through the cycling process, interesting macros, way too much coralline, five different kinds of teeny copepods, free CUC in the form of detritus-eating worms, bivalves, sponges, a tiny sea apple, and general awesomeness.

 

I took your word for it.

 

I'm like 0 and 2 on my own. We shall see.

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I got some gulf live rock, no regrets. Came with some corals and a lot of decorative macro's. There is some pest algae but I run GFO so it hasn't grown at all... I have a small urchin slowly eating it away.

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  • 1 month later...

I am finally ready to order the rock for my Fusion 10 tank.

 

I am considering rock from Gulf Live Rock or KP Aquatics. I am thinking GLR but I am concerned with the "not so desirable" algae mentioned earlier in the post.

 

My first choice was Tampa Bay Saltwater but the freight to Cleveland will kill me. My rock would run between $115 and $150 for 10 lbs of rock.

 

Please let me know if you have any input to help me with my final decision.

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Spiderguardnano

I'd say kp just because there are at least 3 users here that are using them with good results did you check out teenyreef build yet? His rock looks awesome

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There are lots of people using GLR, too (seriously, look at Kat's tank, it's amazing), and the pest algae is easily removed and kept at bay by controlling nutrients. Other uncured live rock will have the same problem. And my GLR came with awesome non-pest algae, too; things like halimeda and two or three types of pretty caulerpa. ...That phosguard and matrixcarbon promptly starved.

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There are lots of people using GLR, too (seriously, look at Kat's tank, it's amazing), and the pest algae is easily removed and kept at bay by controlling nutrients. Other uncured live rock will have the same problem. And my GLR came with awesome non-pest algae, too; things like halimeda and two or three types of pretty caulerpa. ...That phosguard and matrixcarbon promptly starved.

I decided to go with Gulf Live Rock.

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