LIVEROCK
Premium Grade Fully cured Live rock £185 per 20kg box delivered overnight
We cure live rock for one month before sale in 10 foot x 10 foot x 3 foot vats under metal halides with a serious flow rate. This vat has no aeration, those bubbles are from flow alone!
The live rock market in the UK today can be summed up in one word "childish". Basically we have several merchants saying that their rock is the best and everyone else's is c**p. Surprisingly, a little research will often reveal that many of these people buy their rock from the very same place ! Others invent places where their rock comes from, several of which have no (legal) live rock trade at all ! Others offer live rock at too good to be true prices, 'buyer beware' there really is no such thing as a free lunch !
Our advice would be check that the rock you intend to purchase is well cured (at least a month) and if possible pick it up in person have a good look at the rock and smell it (a slightly sea weedy seaside smell is perfect, but there should be NO toe-curling rotten egg smell).
We source Fiji live rock from Walt Smith International (WSI) the main reasons for this are:
- WSI offers very good quality rock which we have little difficulty in curing (seeding) within a month to our stringent specifications of releasing no ammonia or nitrite once ready for sale.
- "All WSI is guaranteed to have been collected using ecologically sound methods by responsible collectors."
Here's what our suppliers say about their rock:
What is live rock and how is it formed?
"Live rock" can be one of the most valuable elements in a marine reef aquarium as not only is it used as a building material for an aquarist's reef, but it can also play a substantial part in the biological filtration of the aquarium and add interesting organisms to the tank throughout its life.
"Live rock" or bio-rock is a natural by-product of erosion processes around coral and limestone reefs. Chunks of rubble rock, colonised by many types of micro and macro organisms, fall onto the seabed, often during tropical storms.
How is it collected and shipped?
Divers collect the rock from various depths of water, depending on the type of rock and diversity of life that is required, and then the rock is shipped as quickly as possible to the wholesaler.
The rock is always shipped without water in cardboard boxes with plastic liners so as to preserve as much moisture as possible. There are two main reasons for shipping the rock without water: firstly, the type of life that good "live rock" should support will not be significantly affected by shipping dry, and secondly, if the rock was shipped submerged in water the freight costs added to the cost of the rock would make it too expensive for the majority of aquarists to buy.
What should I look for when buying "live rock"?
For "live rock" to be biologically beneficial to the aquarium, it needs to be highly porous, allowing water to percolate deep into the rock's core. This means that the rock should be relatively light for its size. Low oxygen levels deep within the rock allow de-nitrification to take place, which will help to prevent the build up of nitrates in the aquarium, which is probably the most important feature of "live rock".
The rock should also have a good covering of coralline (pink encrusting) algae which, as well as having aesthetic benefits can also contribute to improving the water quality. However, it should not be covered in large numbers of polyps, sponges, soft corals or macro algaes. These will decay during shipping and when they are added to the aquarium can cause water pollution and damage to the biological balance in the aquarium. Before placing the rock in the tank, the rock should be examined carefully and cleaned of any excess decaying matter. It may also be necessary to "seed" large amounts of rock in a separate system to allow cleaning and re-colonisation of bacteria to take place, before adding the rocks to an established system.
What can I expect from "live rock" in my aquarium?
Once established, "live rock" can be used as the sole means of biological filtration in a reef aquarium. These new, natural methods of reef keeping rely on very few mechanical devices to look after the aquarium environment, perhaps only using a protein skimmer and mechanical filtration system to help with water quality management. These methods are gaining great popularity and can be very successful if used correctly.
Over a period of time the "live rock" will change and develop with the pink encrusting algae spreading over the rocks and rocks joining together. New algae and organisms will continue to appear giving the aquarist a continuously evolving eco system.
What rock is available?
Premium Grade Rock
This type of rock comes from various sources around the world and offers very good value for money. The rock comes in an assortment of shapes and sizes and is well known for its excellent biological capacity.
Caribbean Rock
This variety of rock is sourced from an experienced supplier in the Caribbean. It comes in particularly attractive shapes, most of which tend to be flatter than other types of rock. This often makes it an easy rock to build reefs with. It also has particularly good coverage of pink coralline algae and produces significant amounts of animal and plant life over time.