I need live rock, anyone want to go in on an order with me??

[Mr James]

I plan to order some rock within the next couple of weeks. During that time I am going to see if anyone else wants some as well as investigate where to get it. TBS is out and has backorders. I am thinking of PA, or Liveaquaria.com or a few other places. I am also checking out the boards looking for GOOD deals on used live rock. Although I am concerned that if I buy someone else's rock, I may also be buying there red bugs and flatworm problems.

[liao]

Sorry don't need any but how many pounds are you looking for?
That guy(hollin..) in Tally I guess didn't work out for you.

[Mr James]

He was a little higher than where I wanted to be.

[Bildobastig]

i wish i would have found this communtiy earlier .. i just sold 400 lbs of prem. fiji

[SueQ]

How much are you looking to get, what type, and about how much per lb?

[Mr James]

These days, any rock I can get would be good. I am hoping to get around 100 lbs or so of Fiji or Marshall. "It don't matter man"... Just need rock. I have about $200 I pln to spend and hope to get as much as I can. Sue are you looking to buy or sell?? Where are you located??

[SueQ]

There's a LFS here in Pace (just east of P'Cola) that sells Fiji for $5.99/lb and they've got ~15lbs of base rock that has tons of pods and some coraline growing on it for $2.99/lb. It was tucked away in another tank for a little while. They're always getting stuff in and probably would work with you if you wanted something like Marshall. I've only been to one place in P'Cola and their price was higher and the quality wasn't as good.
When I was looking online, it seemed that after s/h the price always seemed to end up $5-6/lb. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right spots?? But, I like their prices, picking my own pieces, getting honest advice, etc. etc. If you don't see it, they will order it for you and I thought I overheard them say something about shipping to your door, but don't quote me on that.
You're in FWB, so Pace and P'Cola can be a hike for you, but if you're willing to make the drive they are worth the visit. I know there is a decent place in P'Cola, but don't know the name or their prices. Anyone??
Anyway, hope this helps:)

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6834408#post6834408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr James
These days, any rock I can get would be good. I am hoping to get around 100 lbs or so of Fiji or Marshall. "It don't matter man"... Just need rock. I have about $200 I pln to spend and hope to get as much as I can. Sue are you looking to buy or sell?? Where are you located??

[Mr James]

If you are connected to that store, you are doing a good job advertising by saying their rock is cheaper and better than online rock. Any store will order you in a pump or skimmer, but how much of a mark-up do they want? As far as advice, I have yet to run into a pet store that is running their systems with up-to-date equipment. Even better, rarely do I visit stores thaat sell the products they actually use!! That is how I quickly determine whether or not a store is good or bad, IMO.

Sue, do me a big favor, do some heavy reading here on Reef Central and determine on your own which way is the best for you and your tank. I am not scolding you by any means, (speaking of getting honest advice) it's that I don't know what practices this store uses?!? What shape is their rock in?!? How have they cared for it and where did they get it from?!? Do they have diseases, Ich, Red Bugs, Flatworms, etc... I know that when I order from Tampa Bay Saltwater, their rock is coming from the Gulf of Mexico and is "fresh". The pet store has critters, but what kinds, good or bad?

What is the name of this store?? To show you that I am not a hypocrate, I am going to go and visit this store. Please tell me what it is. I can even meet you there and we can talk tanks and such. It's not too far!! I used to drive 2 hours to Premium Aquatics when I lived in Indiana. Even their advice was questionable at times. RC gives you a broad range with many, many different opinions. Your job is to gather all of them together and pick out the good stuff. I'm on my 6th completely new reef system and still haven't done things "the right way". Hope to talk to you again and hope I didn't scare you off.

[Mr James]

Hey SueQ, I read your other posts. Are you looking for a new tank?? I have a 56g AGA corner tank that will not bow and will hold up to the test of time. It is not reef-ready, but a simple hang-on over flow can take care of that problem. It has a black laquer stand and custom, matching canopy. The canopy was made to house metal halide lights. I used it for freshwater last year when I forst moved down here. We can work out a deal if you want, meaning, payments and such. Shoot me a PM if you are the least bit interested. I will post a picture of it in this post.

[SueQ]

I understand you have had some bad experiences w/ LFS and your intent probably was to protect others from experiencing this. I too have had some run ins w/ LFS not only here, but also in previous places of residence. Rest assured, while the marine aquarium thing may be a little new to me, I do know a bit about fish and have been lurking here for a while now even though I only registered recently.
To answer your other questions:
1)markup. Can't speak for everything they sell, but most of the products I have purchased from them comparable to major catalogue prices. Sure even those are marked up, but people gotta make aliving and their prices are fair, IMHO. Plus there's the advise, which is just their opinion of course. But aren't we all entitled to that???
2) I've rarely been in a store that sells or advocates what they use. The stores and production facilities I've been to use "old" technology like diatamacheous filters, UV and Protein skimmers. Their needs are different from the home hobbyists and these methods work fine for them. It's an apples and oranges comparison. They can't spend capitol updating their equipment every year when some new fangled gadget hits the street. Harry hobbyist can afford to dump some money into new pumps/filters/etc each year b/c it's just a hobby for us.
3) Thanks for the tank offer,but that size and style are not in my plan
:)
4) Diseases, etc. Now this I am familiar with;) and No, I've not spotted anything like that with their stock. Can't say that about other places I've been to.
As I said, there are also a couple places in P'Cola. Check them all out when you have the time. Each person has their own opinion about where they like to shop and why. No hard feelings if you walk away with a different opinion about each shop :)

[Mr James]

Hey, you never said what the name of the store was that you were originally talking about. "There's a LFS here in Pace (just east of P'Cola) that sells Fiji for $5.99/lb and they've got...." <---- That one.