Marco Foundation Rock worth the money?

[Saltywaters]

Ordering my first Marco rock tonight and wondering if Foundation Rock is worth the money. Sounds like a really smart idea for stability and i'm sure the rocks will look cool coming out of the sand.
For the price of them I am having a hard time adding around $200 to my order, are they worth it? Are there any alternatives?

 

[KrisReef]

Alternatives? How about live rock? It's not as easy to make a rock sculpture-scape out of but it may be superior for providing real live reef microbiome to jump start the system?

I have not used their product so I don't have direct experience with it, but I have laid brick for my patio but I wasn't trying to grow coral on it.

 

[Saltywaters]

Alternatives? How about live rock? It's not as easy to make a rock sculpture-scape out of but it may be superior for providing real live reef microbiome to jump start the system?

I have not used their product so I don't have direct experience with it, but I have laid brick for my patio but I wasn't trying to grow coral on it.

Thank you KrisReef.

I was looking for Alternatives to Marco Rocks Foundation product they sell which has a ground flat bottom.

 

[KrisReef]

Thank you KrisReef.

I was looking for Alternatives to Marco Rocks Foundation product they sell which has a ground flat bottom.

I figured that, but I still had to try and change your mind!

Hopefully folks with experience with the dry rockscapes will weigh-in here shortly.

 

[saltcats]

I use the foundation rock and I really like it, it gives me peace of mind that my base is stable and not putting pressure on the glass in just a few tiny points. And yeah, I do love the look of the rocks peeking up from the sand! My RFAs seemed to like it too, both anchored their feet to the part of the rock under the sand.

Not sure what size tank you are setting up but you may be able to get away with less - a few foundation pieces with the regular rock spanning gaps between it.

 

[Saltywaters]

I use the foundation rock and I really like it, it gives me peace of mind that my base is stable and not putting pressure on the glass in just a few tiny points. And yeah, I do love the look of the rocks peeking up from the sand! My RFAs seemed to like it too, both anchored their feet to the part of the rock under the sand.

Not sure what size tank you are setting up but you may be able to get away with less - a few foundation pieces with the regular rock spanning gaps between it.

Thank you Saltcats

I'm setting up a 75 gallon. I was going to order 4 Mediums, and 4 or 5 smalls but 75lbs of standard rock until I looked how much it was going to cost hahah
Do you think that would be too many foundation rocks ?

 

[MoshJosh]

I love my flat-on-one-side rocks. . .

I use this or the purple version:

Dry Base Live Rock SHELF Box (40 lbs) South Seas - Caribsea

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

Note that all my tanks are bare bottom though. . .

 

[MoshJosh]

One thing to note make sure the rock is exactly where you want it before adding sand. . . good luck getting it flat on the glass after moving it. . .

 

[saltcats]

Thank you Saltcats

I'm setting up a 75 gallon. I was going to order 4 Mediums, and 4 or 5 smalls but 75lbs of standard rock until I looked how much it was going to cost hahah
Do you think that would be too many foundation rocks ?

I'm not sure how much that is exactly (is that BRS's measurement system?)... I ordered mine by the lb from premium aquatics.

For reference I got 2lbs for my nano tank (1.3 sq ft bottom area in the tank) and then ~10lbs for my upcoming 50 lagoon (including the original 2lbs as I'm upgrading). This seems like plenty to me for the scapes I've been playing with.
The size of the 2lb piece I ordered -

 

[Bakedpwn]

im going to try STAX off premium aquatics for half the cost and looks like the same amount of everything

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

wet tile saw does wonders for making foundation rock. Also for when your making coral islands

 

[aquaholics_anonymous]

How easy would it be to saw a flat section from one of their regular rocks?

 

[JReef128]

i purchased the 9lb bag and glued a few pcs together to form a nice base plus you’ll have additional pcs to build your scape

9lbs Reef Saver Frag Mount Dry Live Rock

MarcoRocks Reef Saver Frag Mounts are one of our favorite options for mounting new coral frags for placement in our display tanks. The natural shapes and small size of these pieces allow them to easily blend into the aquascape rather than being an eyesore like large discs or plugs can. Since...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[tylertheman]

I used regular marco rock and cut flat pieces with my miter saw. Just had to buy a diamond blade for it but it saved a ton on money. I loved the idea of flat rock on the bottom but couldn't afford the extra money for the flat rock.

 

[Tombigbee]

I used regular marco rock and cut flat pieces with my miter saw. Just had to buy a diamond blade for it but it saved a ton on money. I loved the idea of flat rock on the bottom but couldn't afford the extra money for the flat rock.

I used regular marco rock and cut flat pieces with my miter saw. Just had to buy a diamond blade for it but it saved a ton on money. I loved the idea of flat rock on the bottom but couldn't afford the extra money for the flat rock.

Great idea! Just saved me $100

 

[mjszos]

Foundation pieces are great, but I personally have a hard time justifying the cost of the flattened rock. A diamond blade on a miter saw, a tile saw, or a diamond blade for a bandsaw all accomplish the same thing.

Be sure to spritz the rock with water to keep the dust down. If not, wear some sort of mouth and eye protection as it will create SO much dust.

 

[rhitee93]

I don't really see the value. This is what the normal marco rock looks like after a year. I don't regret not buying the flat rocks, but I understand that many people like them.

I haven't had any stability problems, and don't quite get the "Rocks erupting from the sand" argument.

 

[winzig]

Ordering my first Marco rock tonight and wondering if Foundation Rock is worth the money. Sounds like a really smart idea for stability and i'm sure the rocks will look cool coming out of the sand.
For the price of them I am having a hard time adding around $200 to my order, are they worth it? Are there any alternatives?

I really like the stability of the foundation rock.

 

[Kobkobico]

I thought about buying foundation rock, but in the end just placed regular Marco rock directly on glass. I did some research, and couldn't find any negative experiences with doing so. Thought about using egg crate, but also read stories of burrowing fish getting injured.

Been 6 months so far with some fairly large pieces and has been working fine.