sally666
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Do I have to buy live rock from Petco for my new saltwater tank or will live bacteria in a bottle suffice? I am worried that the live rock from Petco might come with diseases.
Buying live rock from Petco vs. live bacteria in a bottle?
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I'd say, your local PetCo store can vary WILDLY from store to store, meaning some are better than others for sure.
But I say dry rock and bottled bacteria IF <<and that's a BIG if, real, high-quality live rock is not in your budget, because it would be the best option, arguably.
But I say dry rock and bottled bacteria IF <<and that's a BIG if, real, high-quality live rock is not in your budget, because it would be the best option, arguably.
jabberwock
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Real ocean live rock is your friend.
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sally666
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Why is bottled bacteria ineffective?
TastesLikeChicken
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I personally don’t think it’s ineffective. I’ve used it to cycle quarantine tanks rapidly and it’s worked. It’s a hotly debated topic and you will get different opinions.
SliceGolfer
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Maybe these shops are still available versus Petco.
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As well as the fish you put in the tank, coral you buy, macro algae you add. Ocean rock IMO is the easiest and best way to go.
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There's nothing "wrong" with starting a tank with dry rock and bottled bacteria, but using real, high-quality live rock from places like Tampa Bay Saltwater is like starting your tank on steroids. Not cheap, but *worth it*, in my opinion.
Behold!
Next would be high quality live rock from a solid Local Fish Store (LFS).
After that, I would seriously consider using dry rock and sand and bottled bacteria (high end - Dr. Tim's, Fritz, BioSpira), and just resolve yourself with the fact that your tank will take much longer to settle out (months!), and you may struggle with a longer "ugly phase", as they say.
I'm hesitant to suggest PetCo live rock. As I mentioned earlier, PetCo's can and will vary based on the market and the staff.
I have a local pet store I stopped into recently - not a quality LFS and not a PetCo either - and they had a tank full of disgusting brown rock, with aptasia and all kinds of stuff I don't want in my tank, and the kicker for me was that they had a sign on the tank that said "Start your tank off right, with live rock!". I'm sorry, get out of here with that stuff! I'd rather have a bottle of bacteria.
Behold!
Next would be high quality live rock from a solid Local Fish Store (LFS).
After that, I would seriously consider using dry rock and sand and bottled bacteria (high end - Dr. Tim's, Fritz, BioSpira), and just resolve yourself with the fact that your tank will take much longer to settle out (months!), and you may struggle with a longer "ugly phase", as they say.
I'm hesitant to suggest PetCo live rock. As I mentioned earlier, PetCo's can and will vary based on the market and the staff.
I have a local pet store I stopped into recently - not a quality LFS and not a PetCo either - and they had a tank full of disgusting brown rock, with aptasia and all kinds of stuff I don't want in my tank, and the kicker for me was that they had a sign on the tank that said "Start your tank off right, with live rock!". I'm sorry, get out of here with that stuff! I'd rather have a bottle of bacteria.
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sally666
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When you mention "Ocean rock", does that mean going to the beach or coast and grabbing a rock from the ocean?
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LOL! I was in a LFS awhile back and they had just purchased someone's teardown and were add the live rock to there tanks and it was full of the biggest bubble algae I've ever seen. A week later I was in and some guy was with his family buying a fluvial all in one and a bunch of that live rock. I wanted to step in and stop him, but I thought better of it.
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Post 12 is what I am talking about. Tampa Bay Salt Water. 20 pounds 6.00 per pound over night shipping to your airport packed in water. It's rock that's been sitting miles out in the ocean for a year or more.
PotatoPig
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This is illegal in quite a few places, so if you’re going to try this then make sure to check your laws first…
On here when people say Ocean rock they mean from one of the vendors who will ship it to you via air freight. This is the most expensive option for starting a tank, but some people swear by it.
In terms of ammonia processing bacteria and cycling a tank the bottle bacteria and dry rock works fine, especially if you’re going for a fish only tank.
Other bacteria and biodiversity will get in anyway - every time you add crabs, snails, corals, etc you’ll get some.
Petco varies a LOT. IME their “live rock” tends to be dry rock that they’ve cycled for you, but in their tanks with fish and so there’s a pretty big disease risk. This is kinda the worst of all worlds - more expensive than dry rock, but no real benefit over cycling the rock yourself, and almost all the biodiversity you get will be biodiversity you don’t want. I’d recommend dry rock+bacteria before this.
Also, if possible, find a quality local fish shop that does reef stuff.
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