This is some of the best Live Rock available for purchase
anywhere in the world, be sure to let us know if you are looking for any
specific shapes or sizes in the comments box on checkout and we will do our
best to try and get you exactly what you are looking for! The price for the selected method includes shipping. Airlines shipping is highly suggested but you will have to pick it up at an airport close to you, currently we are only shipping via Southwest Airlines due to COVID-19.
Our Aquacultured Live Rock started out as upland dry rock
from ancient coral reefs (Commonly sold as Reef Saver or South Seas rock) in
1997, we selected two sites in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 13 miles from
land in 30 feet of water. We dropped hundreds of thousands of pounds of this
hand selected rock on these sites that were previously just barren sandy
bottom, creating our very own reefs. After more than 20 years these reefs are
just teeming with LIFE including: Corals, Sponges, Coralline Algae, Truncates,
Oysters, Barnacles, Worms, Crabs, Shrimp, Micro and Macro Algae, Starfish and
much much more! You can find out more about our process here: https://www.saltybottomreefcompany.com/MakingLiveRock
Frequently Asked Questions about our rock
What makes your rock different than the rock in my Local
Fish Store?
The short answer is LIFE! Most Local Fish Stores either
order from Live Rock suppliers in the Pacific, where the rock is collected then
packed in wax coated boxes and shipped by boat to the US. This long shipping
time causes most of the life on the rock to die off and leads to extensive
curing time. Or make their own Live Rock by placing Dry Rock in their tanks,
this does give them the bacteria, but little to no other hitchhikers.
Our rock is handled much differently, we own the reef, and
we do all our own diving and distribution, so you get the freshest Live Rock
available just hours between collection and delivery in many cases.
How should I get my Aquacultured Live Rock Shipped?
We HIGHLY suggest Airlines shipping, this is by far the fastest way
and usually the cheapest, however it does mean you would have to pick the rock
up at the airport. With airlines shipping you normally receive your rock on the
same day, saving a lot of die off and saving a bunch of the biodiversity. This
is usually a very simple thing to do as the cargo facility at most airports is
not the same place that you would go as a passenger, and it is quick in and
out. If you have any questions on this process, please contact us we will be
more than happy to explain the whole process in detail and give you the address
and phone number of the cargo facility near you.
More information about Airlines shipping can be found here: www.saltybottomreefcompany.com/airlinesshipping
We offer the options of Live Rock being shipped submerged or
moist.
Submerged Shipping means your rock is packaged in insulated boxes with
multiple thick plastic bags and then the box filled with water. This is the
best way to ship rock, however the downside is it makes the boxes very heavy
and therefore much more to ship.
Moist Shipping means your rock is wrapped in wet paper and a little
water is placed in the bottom of the box. This is a good way to ship Live Rock however,
do expect some die-off as most sponges and other sea creatures will
probably not survive this shipping.
Does this Rock need to be Cured?
Yes and no. It really depends on how you get it shipped along with a plethora
of other things, but basically the shorter the time the rock is out of the
water the less "curing" needs to be done.
What is curing?
Curing Live Rock is simply acclimating the rock to your tank.
Anytime a piece of live rock is exposed to air, or even just moved there will
be some die off. The amount of die off depends on how long the rock is exposed
to air, any temperature fluctuations and what marine life is on the rock. To
minimize curing time we remove most sponges that we know are harmful when they
die off, we also keep the rock submerged as soon as possible after harvest
including on the boat and during all transport.
How curing is it done?
Curing can be done in a few different ways, the easiest is if your setting up a
new system you can cure it right in the tank. The die off from shipping should
begin the cycle and the established bacteria colonies should remove the ammonia
quickly resulting in a very quick cycle.
You must be ready to and willing to do water changes. Simply
monitor the ammonia, if the ammonia is rising in the tank you much complete
water changes to keep it low. You should also try and find the source of
ammonia, usually just a piece of sponge or other hitchhiker, removing this
should lower the ammonia. Most people never see any spike, but pleas be ready
and testing as ignoring a spike in ammonia can cause all the Live Rock and
anything else in the tank to die.
Another method is in a bucket or clean trashcan, simply
place the rock in the container with a power head or wave maker giving plenty
of flow. Keep testing the water, doing changes as necessary and monitor the
parameters, when the ammonia and nitrites are at zero your new rock is cured.
Tips on the Care of Live Rock
Live Rock needs plenty of flow, many of the organisms that live in and on
the rock are filter feeding, so water flow is important. Low water flow is not
ideal for the long term survival of most of the biodiversity on the rock. You
also need to have adequate lighting, this is a bit trickier as not all of the
organisms on the rock like bright light, so it may take some trial and error to
get this correct.
Feeding, as stayed most of the hitchhikers on the rock are filter feeders, so
they will need food of some type as most aquariums used today try to filter out
all organics in the water, feeding can be accomplished by dosing your tank with
our Live Rock and Coral Powder.
We do not suggest using any type of dips, medications, or other methods
of removing “bad” hitchhikers. These methods are indiscriminate and may harm “good”
hitchhikers as well. If you want aquacultured rock with a much lower risk of hitchhikers, check out our Coralline Live Rock.
[ITEMPRICE]