Live Rock search underway!

[AnalogPro]

Hi all!

I'm quite new to this forum yet have been reading the posts for quite some time. I've been a freshwater aquariast (sp???) for about 15 years and finally decided to break out of my shell and go to saltwater.
I'm VERY impressed with the collective knowledge of saltwater aquariums here!!! That's probably why I decided to post this..

I'm looking for a good vendor of Fiji live rock in the Portland/Vancouver area. Any suggestions??? I have a 49g tank and would like to start off with 10lbs of live rock.
At this time, there are no fish in the aquarium, yet after the live rock does its nitrite spike, then I'll consider other life forms...

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated.

Thanks!

[sanblas]

soutas has nice rock, woodys isnt quite as nice, but is cheaper...upscales supposedly has nice rock, havnt looked at it. I think at all the LFS youre looking at about $6 or so a pound. if youre just looking for 10lbs, someone in the forums might have extra rock too.
hope that helps

[wanareef]

Welcome

Why only 10#'s? It would be best to get all the LR at once and just have one cycle. Also, if you go to Woody's, get a small vial of "ammonioum chloride", this is for kick starting the cycle and you won't have to use a fish or that shrimp. And while you are there, you get a cup of sand to help with seeding of the tank. Too.

I'm assuming that you will be having a reef - what kind of "other" equipment do you have or will have? What kind of corals - ?

Just my .02

[Lowman]

Soutas definately has the best rock in town. Worth the price. Cayes also gets some nice stuff everonce in a while.

[onthefly]

Soutas by far!

[funstarfish]

i like the stuff i got fomr upscales quite a bit but soutas stuff is more cured.

[DennisW]

AnalogPro, Ive got about 75-100lbs of nice Fiji curing now. Im gonna sell it for $2.50 a pound. It shouldnt be much longer until it ready. You could come take a look at it. Im sure its cured enough now if you want to use it to cycle your new tank. Let me know. dennis4679@yahoo.com

Dennis

[funstarfish]

don't forget mr dennis, i want a big piece or 2

[Gaidin]

I have a friend down in corvallis that is getting rid of a tank full of some nice Marshall Island Rock... its fully cured since the tank has been up and running for a long time... I am sure he would give you a great deal on it... and IIRC the tank was only a 55 so there should be plenty of rock for your tank.. PM me for details... and i will get you in touch with the guy... that is if you dont mind driving for it.... or possibly meeting somewhere for it..

[XsploveReefin]

Dennis I am in when could i come and look at some
Bryan Friend
Cell 971 563 1979
Aim JDM4lfe

Gimmie a call and we could setup a time

[ReefTrout]

I wish that I had my tank ready! But thanks Analog for giving me some things to think about.

[AnalogPro]

Thanks for all the advice!!!!

To be honest, my wife really wants a cowfish and a puffer, so I cannot do a reef tank. At least that's what people tell me.
Therefore I only wanted some life rock to spice up the aquarium a little.
I am MORE than interested in buying 30-40lbs of live rock if sold for $2.50 / lb!! I was on a budget and really didn't want to deal with a huge debt for rocks... I'm sure a lot of us can relate to that! =]

Yesterday I checked out Upscales in Tualatin. The man was nice enough to let me handle all the live rocks and weigh them, but wasn't very helpful in answering my other questions.

Hopefully this weekend I can check out Soutas and Woody's. BTW, where is woody's???? I looked for them on yellowpages.com but with no listing. Anybody know??

Okay.. so next big question.. What specific gravity and pH should I be trying to keep my aquarium with live rock? I've heard anywhere between .021 to .026. That's kind of a large margin. Especially with a puffer and cowfish. Anyone know??

Thanks again for all the input!!!! I owe ya'll a beer! =]

[Illusion]

Woody's is also know as Seahorse Aquarium.. www.seahorse-nw.com

For Salinity I try to keep the Levels as close to NSW as possible.. That being about 1.026-.027 or 35ppt... Unless you are using a Refractometer I would suggest aiming for about 1.024-.025 at about 80F

HTH<
James

[funstarfish]

if you are doing fish only, most people go a bhit lower than nsw, around 023 or 024. also, for a puffer, a 55 seems a bit small. has your wife ever SEEN a reef tank? how about an anemone and clowfish combo?