Difference in rock????

[EMUreef]

Whats the difference between live rock/dry rock and base rock.

[FaViaFrEK]

Live rock= alive with critters, bacterial, pods, food all the yummy stuff you need and want in your tank. Except un-wanted pests, worms, pods, snails, crabs and algea.
Dead rock=opposite. Advantage no pest, disadvantage needs life.
Base rock=ugly rock, not unique for reef scape, used for structural integrity of the reef. Some use it some don't.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Live rock = from a tank or ocean and has bacteria and other living things on it (sponges, algae, coralline coral, coral, feather dusters, ect.)

Dry rock = calcium carbonate rock that is either of terrestrial origin, removed from a tank or ocean and allowed to dry (killing all of the above life) or it could also be man-made rock (mixture of concrete and aragonite, ceramic or possibly others materials I can't think of)

Base rock = low end live rock. Generally it looks like dry rock but has the bacteria and sometimes a few other living things established on it.

HTH,
Tom

[Sir Patrick]

^ +2 to 2 great answers!

[Mike]

My preference is for Dry rock now and I have been doing this a while. The reason is just as stated lack of pest. You can also work with dry rock without fear of fouling it. Making it live is not hard since what we are mostly interested are bacteria anyway. You can do that with prodibio or by just buying some corals. if there is any rocky base or culture plug you will get bacteria and critters.

I now use the rock from MArco Rocks and have been nothing but happy. Like I said easy to make uniques structures and I dont have to worry about a cycle at all if it is out of the water like live rock. Also there is no need to cure the rock either (I prefered fresh rock when I used live rock), no "cooking" no aiptasia.........Just a better choice all the way around.