I have been looking for a place that sells Caribbean live rock due to the fact that this type of rock is more dense than the standard Fiji live rock that is used in most reef tanks. Live rock from the Caribbean tends to have more diverse life forms on the rock as well. I am converting yet another saltwater fish-only tank into a reef tank and decided to go with a foundation of Caribbean live rock. I was searching the Internet for a few hours one night and stumbled upon International Marine Fish and noticed that they were having a special on Caribbean premium live rock and decided to place an order for 50lbs. Once the order was placed, I felt like I was in the first class section of an airplane because of the customer service I received. I received an e-mail within a few hours from Gary Sharp, who handled everything for me from start to finish (Excellent communication and service). I had to go out of town (Holiday Travel) when the original ship date was set and asked if the shipment could be delayed a couple of weeks and Gary said that was not a problem and to give him a call when I got back in town. I called on a Wednesday morning and believe it or not, the rock was at my airport Wednesday night. I thought when I got the airway bill number on Wednesday that he rock would be there on Thursday but it did indeed arrive the same day. This was just a coincidence and there was probably a flight from FL to OH that day and everything just fell into place but for me, it was just another plus to my experience with International Marine Fish.
Well let’s get to the main reason for this review and that is the Live Rock itself. I must say that when I went to the airport to pick up the rock, I thought the box was filled with Alaskan king crab legs since this is the type of box I am used to getting when I get seafood shipped to me. I really like these types of boxes because unlike the standard box that can slip out of your hands easily, the boxes used by International Marine Fish has two handles on them and they carry very well indeed. That was definitely another plus for me. The rock itself was well packaged, was moist and had lots of life such as Caribbean algae, which I want to grow in my tank, sponges and even a few corals. To say the least, I was IMPRESSED!!! Next came the real test as to whether or not the rock would be cured as advertised. I may cure live rock a little different than most but I have been doing the same thing with live rock for over 10 years with great success. As soon as I get the rock, I pull off every piece of loose algae on the rock and scrape off all large sponges. I do this in order to minimize any potential die-off from the live rock. This also ensures that the live rock should be fully cured in a matter of days. I put the live rock in a 55-gallon garbage can with a submersible pump facing up for 24-hours with freshly made up synthetic saltwater, then I emptied all of the water and filled the garbage can with water from my main system for 24-hours. Next, I empty the water again and fill up the garbage can with more water form my main system as well as add activated charcoal for another 24 hours. After this, I do a smell test to check and see if the water is ready for a final soak (you may want to do an ammonia test). If there is no foul order, the rock is ready for my final dip. Before I put any live rock in my tank, I always have a 5-gallon bucket with the salinity much, much higher than what is normally in my system. Actually, I keep adding salt until the hydrometer reading is off the chart. Next, I dip each piece of rock into this bucket and get out my trusty flashlight to look for any BAD critters in the rock. This is a sure fire way of getting pistol shrimps, mantis shrimps, crabs and bristle worms to come out of the rockwork for sure. Invertebrates absolutely HATE it when the osmotic pressure is changed and they will seek out a better place, which to me is in the sump or in my fish-only tank where my golden puffer, snowflake eel, huma trigger or other carnivorous fish are always waiting for a good meal. After this last dip, the rock is placed into the tank and is ready to begin sprouting life again.
After two weeks, this rock is definitely coming to life and at least two of the hard corals are doing well. I have posted some pictures of the live rock for you to see. I think the rock is great and would definitely recommend it for the price, sizes and bio-diversity potential for any reef tank. I will post pictures of the live rock in my tank in the future when everything starts to grow well and after I place an order for a shipment of corals, which are priced very well indeed. If you are in interested in inexpensive live rock that will add more life to your tank than the standard Fiji rock, check out International Marine Fish, I did and would recommend them to anyone…
Dr. Mark McDowell - The Digital Reef
www.bomani.com
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