4) Caribbean - Very cool shelves and big, flat branchy pieces. Has a lot of the characteristics of Tonga branch, but not as dense. The Caribbean rock I have handled has been Haitian (I think), and is absolutely FULL of worms. Spaghetti worms, bristle worms, feather dusters, I don't know why, but there are always dozens of worms in the bag the rock comes in, so I dump them in the Live Sand vats, hehe.

5) Aquacultured rock - There are also many types of "Aquacultured" rock out there that are either man-made or mined rocks that have been kept in the ocean until colonized by marine life. Most of the man-made rock is a mixture of concrete, shells, and aragonite. Mined rock is usually aragonite or Limestone base rock. The aquacultured rock varies greatly in quality and appearance, depending on who is doing the culturing! Depending on where it is cultured, some of this rock may also be more likely to carry unwanted rock crabs and mantis shrimp. Tampa Bay Saltwater and Gulf-View are two companies that have a reputation for providing very high quality aquacultured rock. I have also seen some really bad examples out there- so be sure you are dealing with a reputable company if you are purchasing "Aquacultured" rock!

6) Misc.- There are many other varieties out there that can be hard to pin down. Buna spiny branch is a very nice looking rock that looks to be some kind of ancient acropora skeleton. Marshall Islands rock is very high quality, but is imported in smaller quantities, and is more expensive. I have also seen other Deep-Water Tonga rock that appears to be very similar to the Kaileni- perhaps just coming in through different importer channels.

Personally, I like to mix types of rock. It is my opinion that the wide variety of shapes and sizes looks more natural, and also should provide greater biodiversity from a wider range of fauna from different locations. Several of the types I have listed have specific advantages, and I like to mix the flat shelves of the Caribbean with the Kaileni Caves and Fiji boulders, with a few branches thrown in for something different. Reproduced with the very kind permission of: Darren Walker www.PalmettoReefs.com

When talking about live rock (LR), it is a misconception that the rock itself is alive. What makes it live are the many forms of micro and macroscopic marine life that live on and inside of it. The rock itself is only made up of the calcium carbonate skeletons of long dead corals, or other calcareous organisms.

There are different types of live rock. In J. Charles Delbeek's article "Your First Reef Aquarium", published in Aquarium USA in 1994, under the Live Rock section he refers to "reef rock" basically as pieces of coral or coral rock from outside the reef that have broken off and fallen to the bottom that then becomes covered with encrusting organisms, such as coraline algae and sponges. "Inshore rock" Delbeek refers to as rock from inside the reef that has a tendency to be more dense and becomes covered with macroalgae, clams, mussels, crabs, shrimps, and other unwanted organisms. In Delbeek's view, reef rock is much more desirable then inshore rock because it cycles more quickly and stabilizes a tank much faster.

There is also dead base rock, meaning it has no live growth on it. This is rock that is devoid of external life that probably won't see much light, so you can put other forms of more advanced live rock and corals on top of it to build your reef system base, once your tank has settled and the base rock is seeded or cured. Beginning a reef tank using seeded base live rock as the centre stones of the aquarium is not a bad idea. Once the base rock is established, then you can begin to add, slowly, more advanced types of live rock.

Some descriptions of live rock sold by suppliers can be confusing. For example, Live Rock supplier describes their Pacific live rock as, "Actually pieces of coral skeletons that have broken off reefs during storms. This 'rubble' washes in toward shore where it is collected in shallow water." So, is this a lighter type of "reef" rock, or heavier type of "inshore" rock? See what we mean?

Live rock becomes the main biological nitrification base or biological filter of a saltwater aquarium, while at the same time enhances the look of the aquarium and provides shelter for the inhabitants. To better understand what purpose live rock serves in an aquarium, Delbeek explains it like this:

No matter what type of live rock you choose to use, as you may know, a biological filter base base has to cycle and settle for your aquarium to run properly, and this pertains to the curing of live rock as well.

Live rock becomes the main biological nitrification base or biological filter of a saltwater aquarium, while at the same time enhances the look of the aquarium and provides shelter for the inhabitants. To better understand what purpose live rock serves in an aquarium, Delbeek explains it like this:

"The use of live rock immediately introduces into the aquarium numerous algae, bacteria and small invertebrates all of which contribute to the overall quality of the aquarium water. Live rock has just as much, if not more, surface area for bacteria than a trickle filter. Since live rock in the aquarium contains various types of bacteria, algae and corals, waste products such as ammonia, nitrate and phosphate can have a number of fates. Ammonia, nitrate and phosphate are readily assimilated by algae and photosynthetic corals growing on and in the rock. Ammonia can also be quickly converted into nitrate by the bacteria on and in the rock.  This nitrate can be either absorbed by the algae and corals, or it can be denitrified by bacteria in close proximity to the nitrate producing bacteria".

No matter what type of live rock you choose to use, as you may know, a biological filter base base has to cycle and settle for your aquarium to run properly, and this pertains to the curing of live rock as well. We also ship live rock out via our online store.