Where can I pick up some rocks and bring them home?

[David P]

pm sent

 

[DennisS]

Hello,

I'm starting my first salt water aquarium. I need to have some ocean rocks (AKA live rock) to help in the biological filtration process. ....... I believe that most dive places don't allow divers to pick anything from the bottom, right? Can anyone suggest a place where they allow divers to bring rocks home legally?


Thanks!
Patrick

Florida is out, here's a list of prohibited to collect species:

Prohibited Species: All harvest is prohibited of the following species:
Live rock, Bahama starfish (Oreaster reticulatis), longspine urchin (Diadema antillarum), Venus sea fan (Gorgonia flabellum), common sea fan (Gorgonia ventalina), any hard or stony coral (Order Scleractinia), or any fire coral (Genus Millepora).

 

[Snowbear]

For one of the best online resources for info from knowledgable folks about aquarium reefkeeping, try the SaltwaterFish.com message board.

 

[cinder4320]

David P, thanks for confirming that there is no such thing as “farm raised rock”. A rock is a rock. It cannot be grown.

Thats not true. Of course you cannot grow a rock but you can take normal rocks (concrete aggragates) and when placed in tanks with already live rocks (covered in corraline algae and beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms) the stuff will spread to the previously plain rocks. It happens all the time in your own aquarium. That is why you can buy some cheaper boring pieces for your base and place a few nice pieces on top. Over time the plain rocks will become beautiful too. Thats what farm raised rock means.

Miranda

 

[Scuba Brad]

I'd recommend the desert. There are tons of rocks that you can have.

Happy Diving

 

[H2Andy]

there is no such thing as “farm raised rock”. A rock is a rock. It cannot be grown.

you don't understand what live rock is, or what the farms do.
did you read the link i provided for you?

of course the rock itself can't be grown. but you start with a plain chunk
of coral skeleton or limestone, and you end up with lots of life forms
attached to it and inside it.

ta-dah, you've just grown live rock.

[edit -- oops...i hadn't seen Miranda's response. what she said!]

 

[chip104]

Would the following be possible: Take porous rocks from the desert and put them in a mesh bag. When you go diving stow the mesh bag somewhere. Then after a couple o' months or so, go diving again and collect it. You've got liverock! Ingenius...

 

[Brewone0to]

Stop the madness.PLEASE (I mean this post very sincerely)
Do you really need to own a marine "killing box"?
I had one for years,and when you finally get everything right,you'll have many thousands of dollars in hardware alone.
Lighting is quite expensive and bulbs have to be replaced at aprox 25% of expected lifespan(They stop delivering the whole spectrum of light needed to support life)Then there is the chemistry itself(hundreds of dollars for testing gear alone)
then the pumps,air pumps,heaters(several are needed)chillers to keep water cooled.(Everything mentioned befor produces heat which must be removed)
So, Basically you will have to play"God" over this enviroment of a few petty gallons(Not ever going to work out as something always happens)when even God himself has issues sometimes(Red Tide)Oh did I mention that you'll be needing the capacity to store up to three separate water supplies for water changes(it takes at least 2 months to properly process and mix artificial sea water,no matter what someone has told you)Of couse this time can be cut down if you have your own Reverse Osmosis water filtration unit(they are about 4-500 dollars for one that produces a few gallons a day)then you only have to store 2 changes.Hmm It just never seems to work out,Unless you own the shop that supplies all these needs(And fish,inverts,coral,live rock)
So, Please take my advise and use all that money and go to places and see the reefs the why God intended them to be.It's alot more fun(And cheaper too)I go on a trip to various places of mine and my wifes choising every year,dive the whole time I'm there,Vacation,eat ,drink,buy keepsakes and gifts for coworkers/friends.And still it is cheaper than trying to play God in the "Killing Box" I shut down(And I allready owned most of the things aforementioned)My favorite times were releaseing fish only to find that the $50 fish didn't like the new $100 fish and killed it,getting injured in the fight and starting a parasite overtaking of all the tanks inhabitants(even with UV Sterilizers you can't controll it)and all inhabitants have parasites..Oh,my wife reminded me of the time someone smoked a cigarette in the house and killed of alot of coral and live rock.
that one caused a chain reaction that eventually wiped out over $1200 worth of coral,rock,and fish. hm
It just isn't worth it I'm telling you.So PLEASE don't do it.


PS my tank was under a hundred gallons......So, how large of a tank did you say you guys were going to try this in?

 

[Brewone0to]

No Chip104, That would be considered made made reef and still they would take you to jail,taking car,boat,and anything else used in retreiveing the rock.

The companies that do that sort of thing have specific areas (and permits) to do such operations.

I once knew a Importer that did just that and he spent years going through the red tape to be able to do it(and marauding butterfly and angel fish ate most of what he produced) lol

 

[chip104]

No Chip104, That would be considered made made reef and still they would take you to jail,taking car,boat,and anything else used in retreiveing the rock.

The companies that do that sort of thing have specific areas (and permits) to do such operations.

I once knew a Importer that did just that and he spent years going through the red tape to be able to do it(and marauding butterfly and angel fish ate most of what he produced) lol

alrighty, thanks for the clear up Brew...scrap that idea...