Dead Rock

[geekdafied]

anybody interested in some dead rock or coral fossil's? I may go hunting for some today...

[SRT80]

what kind of coral fossils you wantin'? I have a big rubbermaid tub full of stuff. A really large table acro, some catpaws, some red stuff...looks like pipe organ skelaton? Might be junk.

Steve

[geekdafied]

Im talking more along the lines of base rock type stuff. Stuff that can be used as base rock or turned into liverock.

[SRT80]

I see, yea, i got some base rock from hirocks and alot of it has fossils. Good lookin' rock. Wayne is ordering a ton of it, I'm sure there will be good pieces in it.

Steve

[turboex901]

im always opent to baserock at a decent price. we have a 44 hex we recently bought that im dying to fill up. i enjoy aquascaping more so than the actual reef :) lauren thinks im an idiot because i think my rocks are "pretty" :) <~~steve

[geekdafied]

Well I didnt have much luck today. It was way to muddy to go to most places I usually go to. I have a few small pieces about 2-3lbs each or something like that and a few larger ones. I'll get pics up soon.

[geekdafied]

Ok here are the pics, I have them in a larger format if anybody needs to see larger pics. They range from like 1/2lb to 20+lbs each, there is 14 rocks total. I havent weighed them individually. I am more interested in trading... Trading for what? I dont know. Doesnt even have to be reef related. Just let me know what you got.

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n72/geekdafied/rocks/rock4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n72/geekdafied/rocks/rock3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n72/geekdafied/rocks/rock2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n72/geekdafied/rocks/rock1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

The pictures do overlap in case you're wondering.

[geekdafied]

If nobody wants it, its going into my liverock grow out tub after a good cleaning and boiling.

[waynesworld]

Where is that rock from?

[pitbullpooch]

waynesworld. i get the same type of rock in my back yard and at the river here in columbia tn. tennessee has a ton of reef rock under the ground. i got rocks with shells all over them that i dug up in my yard.

[pitbullpooch]

geekdafied. where are you at in tn

[waynesworld]

What type of shells I know there are a lot of freshwater snails and stuff in the rocks around but I have also heard of people using rocks not from the ocean and having some problems with there tanks over long periods of time. I am not a rock expert but I know that some areas that we used ground water for swimming pools and added chem got a bad reaction due to high iron.

[turboex901]

steve, i might be interested in that large table acro fossil/rock and maybe a few other pieces just for decoration in a small tank i have. pm me with how much youd want for it if you see this. thanks!<~~steve

[rcmike]

There can be other minerals in it that could cause some harm. I drill through the stuff every day. I wouldn't put any rocks in my tank that I just picked up around here. Are you sure all of that is even limestone? That kind of rock is all over the place around here in almost any creek.

Wayne, Iron doesn't usually come out of wells that are in bedrock (limestone). Also, TN used to be under the ocean so those fossils are saltwater.

[geekdafied]

For those of you that are wondering. Its all some kind of calcite or dolomite other then the blue. The blue one was pretty cool and is full of shell. NONE of the rocks has iron in it because of the lack of red (aka rust)

and when you boil them, you kill anything harmful in them. I have used them on numerous occasions and even have some in a 75g of my own, and never had any problems. Ive never had any one complain before about of it that my friends use. It looks like liverock because it USE TO BE LIVEROCK.

Calcite is calcium carbonate, which is basically a calcium reactor. dolomite is calcium magnesium carbonate. Which both are benificial in a reef aquarium. My brother is a geologist :) .

[geekdafied]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9093823#post9093823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pitbullpooch
geekdafied. where are you at in tn

Cookeville

[rcmike]

Okay, all I am saying is all rock is not created equal and there are other impurities in it. I can't say if it would cause problems or not. I'd actually be more concerned about stuff that may have seeped into it if it has been on the surface for long. If you are comfortable using it and are sure it is safe then have at it.

[geekdafied]

As far as things seeping into it. That could happen to ANY base rock you have or order from anywhere. Thats a risk you take with any base rock, atleast this stuff, I know where it came from unlike stuff you order online.

[pitbullpooch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9093971#post9093971 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by waynesworld
What type of shells I know there are a lot of freshwater snails and stuff in the rocks around but I have also heard of people using rocks not from the ocean and having some problems with there tanks over long periods of time. I am not a rock expert but I know that some areas that we used ground water for swimming pools and added chem got a bad reaction due to high iron.

as far as what i was told the rock that ive found in my area was live rock at one time. the lfs here sells it as base rock. i personnally havnt used it before but my wife used some in a freshwater tank for a few years. there was a thread on here a few years ago about this rock and someone from this area said he used it in his reefs but im not sure who it was but it was a regular here on the mtrc forum. most all of the base rock that you see online is rock that was dug up and cleaned just like this rock . some of the rock i find is pretty heavy though and then i find some that have the shells on it and it looks just like the fiji live rock i got in my tank. it has lots of holes and nice shapes .I made a ton of aragocrete rock a few years ago though so i use that as base rock.

[geekdafied]

I had to wear thick gloves carrying the blue rock, it has so many shells it was cutting into my hands when I tried to carry it.

I have some pieces I found around here that looks identicle to some of the rock I payed $6 a lb for from fiji. Its simple as hell to grow your own rock, you just gotta know how to do it the right way, so it grows quick.

[c_stowers]

Geekdafied--You are correct, what you have is probably limestone and good for your aquarium as far as buffering is concerned. However, it probably has a ton of phosphate in it. TN and AL limestone is packed with phosphate. If your brother is a geologist, he should be able to tell you this. The rock also probably does have some amount of iron and other non-reef safe minerals. There was a huge article written on base rock 5-7 years ago where a geologist researched rock makeup all over the country. He/She showed data showing that if you want calcerous rock without phosphate and iron, you need to get it from the Miami/Keys area. I would not put what you have in my reef. Your welcome to do what you want with your tank, I just wanted to pitch in my two cents.

[waynesworld]

Mike the well I used the water was in SD. I don't think I would be able to get to water with out a very large shape charge as I am on top of a bunch of rocks.

[wooglin]

I think the Miami/Keys area is where Tampa Bay Saltwater gets their seed rock from.

[geekdafied]

I have never had any problems with phosphate. But I do also run charcoal in my filters since I run and open top on my tank. Never know what could get in there by accident. All they people that use "holey" rock which is limestone, never have mentioned aby problems with phosphate either.

[geekdafied]

lol dont get me started on that tampa bay saltwater rock stuff... I have heard so many complaints about that place.

[wooglin]

TBS rock is awsome. Its in such high demand that if you place an order you can often expect to wait quite along time before you receive it.

I am a little biased. I have 175 lbs of it. Have had it for over three years. Stated out with a 30lb package then upgraded to a 75 gallon package in a 75 gallon reef ready. I have hundreds of different types of sealife in my tank that you just cant buy. I dont know of any other way you could get the kind of stuff that survives the trip from TBS to your tank.

Of course there are negative stories; setting up a tank with rock and sand that has life that you expect to live can be a challenge if you dont follow a well thought out plan. You have to do the exact reverse of what most are told to do when setting up a reef tank. Mainly you have to do very large water changes for the first 2-4 weeks, and you have to check the rock for any large sponges or other life that may have died and scrub it. Otherwise its great. The hairy crabs and mantis that live in my reef tank that came as hitchhikers are just part of my tanks ecosystem. As long as enough food makes it to the floor they dont bother anyone. Between them , the 15 serpent stars, and the cucumber, my sand stays pretty free of detrius without any help by me.

[geekdafied]

I use to work at LFS here and ordered 100lbs of fiji rock direct from fiji, overnighted, had to pick it up at the airport. To this day (3years later) stuff still just shows up. I have some kind of stomatella, that is unknown. I have been intouch with people from the australian zoo to find out what exactly is, and the most they could come up with is some type of stomatella that is undescribed to their knowledge. They asked me to send it to them to study it, and I was like "hell naw!" if its something unknown, why would I want to part with it? haha.

[turboex901]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9105380#post9105380 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by geekdafied
I use to work at LFS here and ordered 100lbs of fiji rock direct from fiji, overnighted, had to pick it up at the airport. To this day (3years later) stuff still just shows up. I have some kind of stomatella, that is unknown. I have been intouch with people from the australian zoo to find out what exactly is, and the most they could come up with is some type of stomatella that is undescribed to their knowledge. They asked me to send it to them to study it, and I was like "hell naw!" if its something unknown, why would I want to part with it? haha.

it would be cool if you sent it to them though, maybe they could throw youre name into the scientific name......kinda like helfrichi's firefish :) <~~~steve

[wooglin]

Its rare to be able to get Carib. rock that has only been out of the water for 24 hours. Overnight from Fiji has got to be really expensive for 100's of lbs.

That is the difference with some aquaculture rock. It is never out of the water. It goes straight from the ocean to a container with saltwater, it is stored in large containers with proper filtration and water movement, and when it ships it is in water and overnight via air-freight.

Someone should setup a company selling Carib rock that is truly live, and shipped in water. I have a feeling it has not been done because it cant be done without losing money, or having to charge 30 bucks a pound.

[geekdafied]

water weighs like 8.4lbs per gallon, so to ship rock with water can get extremely expensive, thats why its shipped wet. I have a good method for curing liverock if you're interested in it, its a method I perfected working at the fish store. We use to order 100's of lbs of it. I came up with a method that has very little dieoff, only thing that doesnt make it, is stuff that died during transit.

[wooglin]

I dont cure live rock at all. I put it into my tank live, and keep it live.

Tampa Bay Saltwater ships their rock in water, and litrally it is on its way to your airport the same day it leaves their facility (it is same day delivery). When I got mine it had been in transit only 8 hours, and that included waiting to be loaded, flight, and pickup. To top all that off it is shipped in water. There are 100's of snails, crabs, serpent stars, sea cucumbers, etc that are hitchhiking. Its just a different kind of experience compared to live rock that is actually in a state of decay (how much decay varies).

[rcmike]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9104981#post9104981 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by waynesworld
Mike the well I used the water was in SD. I don't think I would be able to get to water with out a very large shape charge as I am on top of a bunch of rocks.

Hehe, our rigs drill better through rock than anything else.

[waynesworld]

Well if you need to train some of your crews you can come down here and pop me in a few deep holes I was thinking of a geothermal chiller for the big tank

[gflat65]

Ahhh. Geothermal heating and cooling with solar powered delivery pumps. What a life...

[rcmike]

Well, we don't have a geothermal license although I don't know if it would be required for that. :D If you watch Dirty Jobs tonight on the Discovery Channel he is drilling water wells in TN with Watson Drilling. He drills in your area I think.

Michael