LIVE ROCK
Archive Page
Archive Page
This page features photos and information on live rock which is no
longer available that was previously on our Live Rock Photos & Pricing page.
The following types of live rock are currently unavailable ...
Fiji Pukani Live Rock
Vanuatu Live Rock
Indonesia Live Rock
Manado Live Rock
Fiji Pukani Live Rock
Vanuatu Live Rock
Indonesia Live Rock
Manado Live Rock
Fiji Pukani live rock is no longer available
FIJI PUKANI LIVE ROCK (Wild)
This is the real-deal air-freighted Fiji live rock from Walt Smith. It's as close to the what we would call the "good ol' days" stuff available today from Fiji.
This is air-freighted Fiji live rock. It is the same price as the Indo types (mostly due to same increases in international air-freight), but there is a more consistent supply available.
As you can see, it is full of nooks and crannies, with lots of different types of encrusting stuff, multiple colors of coralline algas. This is "birdfish approved" real deal fresh Fiji live rock.
There is other Pukani out there that is boated over with or as Tukani and other types, so if you find some much cheaper, that is what it is.
There are two types of boxes available. One is the regular Pukani which will be a mix of small, medium, and large pieces, which is 44 pounds. Then there is the large pieces box, which is larger pieces and is 66 pounds. They may use a smaller piece or two fill up weights to the 20 or 30 kilos.
Thanks to Terry L. of Phoenix, AZ for photos of his Pukani live rock upon arrival ...
"Here are a couple of pictures of the live rock. Color was better a few days ago.
It's been in the dark since I got it. This is as good as I've seen for a long time." -Terry
Thanks to Frank C. of Duncan, SC for the following photo.
This photo of a hard coral growing out of the live rock
was taken about a year after he received his Fiji Pukani ...
FIJI PUKANI LIVE ROCK (Wild)
This is the real-deal air-freighted Fiji live rock from Walt Smith. It's as close to the what we would call the "good ol' days" stuff available today from Fiji.
This is air-freighted Fiji live rock. It is the same price as the Indo types (mostly due to same increases in international air-freight), but there is a more consistent supply available.
As you can see, it is full of nooks and crannies, with lots of different types of encrusting stuff, multiple colors of coralline algas. This is "birdfish approved" real deal fresh Fiji live rock.
There is other Pukani out there that is boated over with or as Tukani and other types, so if you find some much cheaper, that is what it is.
There are two types of boxes available. One is the regular Pukani which will be a mix of small, medium, and large pieces, which is 44 pounds. Then there is the large pieces box, which is larger pieces and is 66 pounds. They may use a smaller piece or two fill up weights to the 20 or 30 kilos.
Thanks to Terry L. of Phoenix, AZ for photos of his Pukani live rock upon arrival ...
"Here are a couple of pictures of the live rock. Color was better a few days ago.
It's been in the dark since I got it. This is as good as I've seen for a long time." -Terry
Thanks to Frank C. of Duncan, SC for the following photo.
This photo of a hard coral growing out of the live rock
was taken about a year after he received his Fiji Pukani ...
Here are some comments we have received from some of our customers ...
"We got the live rock; it's in the tank. BEAUTIFUL. Thank you; I will surely contact you when I'm ready to add corals!!
It looks beautiful; lots of orange & purple on it. Some soft stuff sponges I guess and one little crab was still moving. One little clam didn't close up so in the trash; another one closed tightly; he went in the tank. TONS of dead sea stars in one box; put a few in where I can watch them to see if they come back. The rocks smelled great--no funk at all; just salty; little iodine.
All in all, I am extremely happy with what I got from y'all--excellent quality; *LOTS* of little things too numerous to name just out of the box. Can't wait to see what manifests itself over the next few months. Just like the old days!!"
Karl & Tanya P., Cleveland, OH
April '16
~~~
"Man the rock is......stinky!! Haha, no it was great! Really, really, fresh! Overall, the rock was awesome man! Very porous, almost perfect pieces. It was covered in red, pink, orange, purple, and a little bluish coralline algae.
There were two clusters of acropora that appear just skeletons now, although one still had a purple hue. Some plate corals, and I'm pretty sure I cleaned off some dying mushroom looking coral. There are some circular green with with stripe corals that are still live but I can't identify. Several dead brittle stars, a few dead bristle worms, a couple dead crabs. There was also a few sea slug looking things, and a few unknown to me worms. All those were doa too. I am starting to see trails in the sand through the front pane, so some life is starting to stir. :)
I have been doing water changes daily...about 25-30 gallons. Taking 3-6ppm ammonia down to 1-1.5. Been cycling since Saturday. Have the salinity around 1.020-1.021 and the temp 71-73, just like you said. Have only had light on while I'm doing the water changes. I am hoping to go to every other day, or every few days here soon. I think with the next water change, I'm going to situate the rock into the places I actually want them in the tanks. I have them spread out now for circulation purposes. Thanks again for everything man!"
Jeremiah G., Louisville, KY
April '16
~~~
"The Fiji Pukani is awesome! What impressed me the most was the size of the rock in addition to the quality. I wasn't expecting such large pieces and was very appreciative of them. I can't wait for the rocks to come-back to life to see what sprouts out of them. Thank you Mitch for making this all happen ... it was painless picking them up at the Air Cargo Terminal. I'll be happy to tell anybody that calls that you guys are the BEST! Keep up the great work!"
Willie C., Ontario, CA
March '16
~~~
"Thank You Very Much! This is VERY nice rock! No dense pieces and excellent variety of life. A grade for sure. :-) "
Andy B., Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 10, 2015
Here is an update from Andy regarding an earlier box ...
"More beautiful things on the Fiji rock! Fluorescing fanworms and giant black or orange tunicates 1-1/4" in size! You da man! Keep me updated on my upcoming box - play time!"
~~~
"Thanks so much for getting back to me. That's great customer service. Anyway, my ammonia finally went away after numerous water changes. I was happy with the shape, sizes and quantity. They were great pieces. I would certainly recommend you guys."
Regards, Melanie, Ohio
July 21, 2015
~~~
"The rock is here and it looks great, thank you very much! Lots of life, and definitely a lot of rock for 44lbs! There were quite a few starfish in the box, sadly most were dead, but there was a few crabs, and even a mantis shrimp. I threw them in the sump and I think they may live. It wasn't too stinky, but certainly there was some die-off. My wife was shocked at how light is it! For 44lbs, it's a load of rock! It's very porous and has lots of great holes and shapes."
Daniel H., April 15, 2015
~~~
"The rock has exceeded my expectations .... there is so much life on the rock ... I think there are literally 7 different colors of coraline algae - greens, pinks, reds, oranges, purples.
There is lots of other encrusting life as well. Three several inch sponges (2 orange, 1 red) survived. There are these beautiful little dark maroon and bright green tube-like structures clustered on one rock that lived. Lots of kinds of macro-algae.
There are these incredible light-blue dots on one of the pieces of rock that look like some kind of small growth. On one of the larger rocks, there must have been an encrusting SPS coral they removed because I see 3 separate areas-patches on the rock where the SPS seems to have survived! I don't understand how the SPS is living given my ammonia levels, but it is. I've already given a little VHO light each day because I don't want the SPS or coraline algae to die.
I have a clean-up crew in there, so I'll monitor the algae growth. There is a small dime-like dark purple encrusting organism with little hairs that is beautiful - I have no idea what it is. The list goes on and on. And to top it off, last night when I put on a small strip of LED blue lights, some of the red encrusting coral (it must be soft coral I think) were glowing neon colors! I had never seen anything like that before as well.
The rock was packed very well with a great variety of small, medium, and large pieces.
I feel sorry for people who by dry rock because there is no way they'll ever have the diversity of life in their tank without fresh-shipped rock like this."
Thanks,
James - Portland, OR
April '15
Fiji Pukani live rock is no longer available
Fiji Pukani Large Pieces
Thanks to Tony L. of Albuquerque, NM for sharing these photos of his Fiji Pukani, large pieces ...
Thanks to Jeff Howard of Oklahoma City for the following photos. These were some large pieces, so it's hard to tell where one piece ends and another begins, but it gives you a good idea of the shapes of Fiji Pukani.
"It is great! Just as promised, very light! The one huge show piece ... that went dead center. Big enough that it took 2 of us to lift it, but once in the tank, so buoyant that I could move and position it with one hand. I built the two side 'islands' from some medium to large pieces. There was a lot of rock." - Jeff Howard
Jeff also sent a video clip of his rock which can be seen on our Our YouTube Channel
Note: Large pieces can take much longer to cure because of the large internal area, so you don't get a quick cure with large pieces.
"We got the live rock; it's in the tank. BEAUTIFUL. Thank you; I will surely contact you when I'm ready to add corals!!
It looks beautiful; lots of orange & purple on it. Some soft stuff sponges I guess and one little crab was still moving. One little clam didn't close up so in the trash; another one closed tightly; he went in the tank. TONS of dead sea stars in one box; put a few in where I can watch them to see if they come back. The rocks smelled great--no funk at all; just salty; little iodine.
All in all, I am extremely happy with what I got from y'all--excellent quality; *LOTS* of little things too numerous to name just out of the box. Can't wait to see what manifests itself over the next few months. Just like the old days!!"
Karl & Tanya P., Cleveland, OH
April '16
~~~
"Man the rock is......stinky!! Haha, no it was great! Really, really, fresh! Overall, the rock was awesome man! Very porous, almost perfect pieces. It was covered in red, pink, orange, purple, and a little bluish coralline algae.
There were two clusters of acropora that appear just skeletons now, although one still had a purple hue. Some plate corals, and I'm pretty sure I cleaned off some dying mushroom looking coral. There are some circular green with with stripe corals that are still live but I can't identify. Several dead brittle stars, a few dead bristle worms, a couple dead crabs. There was also a few sea slug looking things, and a few unknown to me worms. All those were doa too. I am starting to see trails in the sand through the front pane, so some life is starting to stir. :)
I have been doing water changes daily...about 25-30 gallons. Taking 3-6ppm ammonia down to 1-1.5. Been cycling since Saturday. Have the salinity around 1.020-1.021 and the temp 71-73, just like you said. Have only had light on while I'm doing the water changes. I am hoping to go to every other day, or every few days here soon. I think with the next water change, I'm going to situate the rock into the places I actually want them in the tanks. I have them spread out now for circulation purposes. Thanks again for everything man!"
Jeremiah G., Louisville, KY
April '16
~~~
"The Fiji Pukani is awesome! What impressed me the most was the size of the rock in addition to the quality. I wasn't expecting such large pieces and was very appreciative of them. I can't wait for the rocks to come-back to life to see what sprouts out of them. Thank you Mitch for making this all happen ... it was painless picking them up at the Air Cargo Terminal. I'll be happy to tell anybody that calls that you guys are the BEST! Keep up the great work!"
Willie C., Ontario, CA
March '16
~~~
"Thank You Very Much! This is VERY nice rock! No dense pieces and excellent variety of life. A grade for sure. :-) "
Andy B., Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 10, 2015
Here is an update from Andy regarding an earlier box ...
"More beautiful things on the Fiji rock! Fluorescing fanworms and giant black or orange tunicates 1-1/4" in size! You da man! Keep me updated on my upcoming box - play time!"
~~~
"Thanks so much for getting back to me. That's great customer service. Anyway, my ammonia finally went away after numerous water changes. I was happy with the shape, sizes and quantity. They were great pieces. I would certainly recommend you guys."
Regards, Melanie, Ohio
July 21, 2015
~~~
"The rock is here and it looks great, thank you very much! Lots of life, and definitely a lot of rock for 44lbs! There were quite a few starfish in the box, sadly most were dead, but there was a few crabs, and even a mantis shrimp. I threw them in the sump and I think they may live. It wasn't too stinky, but certainly there was some die-off. My wife was shocked at how light is it! For 44lbs, it's a load of rock! It's very porous and has lots of great holes and shapes."
Daniel H., April 15, 2015
~~~
"The rock has exceeded my expectations .... there is so much life on the rock ... I think there are literally 7 different colors of coraline algae - greens, pinks, reds, oranges, purples.
There is lots of other encrusting life as well. Three several inch sponges (2 orange, 1 red) survived. There are these beautiful little dark maroon and bright green tube-like structures clustered on one rock that lived. Lots of kinds of macro-algae.
There are these incredible light-blue dots on one of the pieces of rock that look like some kind of small growth. On one of the larger rocks, there must have been an encrusting SPS coral they removed because I see 3 separate areas-patches on the rock where the SPS seems to have survived! I don't understand how the SPS is living given my ammonia levels, but it is. I've already given a little VHO light each day because I don't want the SPS or coraline algae to die.
I have a clean-up crew in there, so I'll monitor the algae growth. There is a small dime-like dark purple encrusting organism with little hairs that is beautiful - I have no idea what it is. The list goes on and on. And to top it off, last night when I put on a small strip of LED blue lights, some of the red encrusting coral (it must be soft coral I think) were glowing neon colors! I had never seen anything like that before as well.
The rock was packed very well with a great variety of small, medium, and large pieces.
I feel sorry for people who by dry rock because there is no way they'll ever have the diversity of life in their tank without fresh-shipped rock like this."
Thanks,
James - Portland, OR
April '15
Fiji Pukani live rock is no longer available
Fiji Pukani Large Pieces
Thanks to Tony L. of Albuquerque, NM for sharing these photos of his Fiji Pukani, large pieces ...
Thanks to Jeff Howard of Oklahoma City for the following photos. These were some large pieces, so it's hard to tell where one piece ends and another begins, but it gives you a good idea of the shapes of Fiji Pukani.
"It is great! Just as promised, very light! The one huge show piece ... that went dead center. Big enough that it took 2 of us to lift it, but once in the tank, so buoyant that I could move and position it with one hand. I built the two side 'islands' from some medium to large pieces. There was a lot of rock." - Jeff Howard
Jeff also sent a video clip of his rock which can be seen on our Our YouTube Channel
Note: Large pieces can take much longer to cure because of the large internal area, so you don't get a quick cure with large pieces.
Fiji boat rock is no longer available
FIJI BOAT ROCK
As many of our customers know, we stayed away
from offering the Fiji "boat rock" as long
as there were choices of air-freighted Fiji rock available.
With this being the only type of live rock available from
Fiji for quite a while, and so few other choices for
live rock, we have made it available. However,
once again, Fiji is shipping some air-freighted live rock,
so please see above for a higher quality Fiji live rock.
As far as "boat rock" goes, it is important to note that this is a higher grade of Fiji than the common basic boat rock. The pieces are chosen for shapes. It costs more than the standard basic grade of boat rock. It will have some purple coralline on it, and, although it "cures hard" ... meaning it may take longer than the air-freighted live rock for instance (which can cure fairly quickly in a week or two), and may require more water changes. It will lose some of its color, then it will come back better than when you first saw it, in a couple months. Then likely be very good with coralline in 6 months.
This is acceptable budget live rock that works well for the base of your reef, or the whole thing if you are patient and have time to let it flourish after curing a couple months. It is bacterially active and the purple coralline will come back well. Pests aren't a problem.
Here is an example of Fiji live rock for reference purposes.
These are photos from one of our customers, which were taken immediately upon receipt ... right out of the box.
FIJI BOAT ROCK
As many of our customers know, we stayed away
from offering the Fiji "boat rock" as long
as there were choices of air-freighted Fiji rock available.
With this being the only type of live rock available from
Fiji for quite a while, and so few other choices for
live rock, we have made it available. However,
once again, Fiji is shipping some air-freighted live rock,
so please see above for a higher quality Fiji live rock.
As far as "boat rock" goes, it is important to note that this is a higher grade of Fiji than the common basic boat rock. The pieces are chosen for shapes. It costs more than the standard basic grade of boat rock. It will have some purple coralline on it, and, although it "cures hard" ... meaning it may take longer than the air-freighted live rock for instance (which can cure fairly quickly in a week or two), and may require more water changes. It will lose some of its color, then it will come back better than when you first saw it, in a couple months. Then likely be very good with coralline in 6 months.
This is acceptable budget live rock that works well for the base of your reef, or the whole thing if you are patient and have time to let it flourish after curing a couple months. It is bacterially active and the purple coralline will come back well. Pests aren't a problem.
Here is an example of Fiji live rock for reference purposes.
These are photos from one of our customers, which were taken immediately upon receipt ... right out of the box.
... and, something sprouted ...
... a leather!!
Special thanks to Nelson S. of Augusta, Georgia
VANUATU LIVE ROCK
Vanuatu live rock is currently unavailable
Vanuatu live rock is often the lightest or biggest piece per pound of any live rock available (except for Manado). There is usually one big piece in each box, and a couple nice larges, besides smaller ones. Coverage is usually excellent ... and, in our opinion it's as good or better as Marshall Islands ever was. More grows out of it after curing. Purple zoos, blue and lime green sponges, we've heard of all kinds of wild post-curing growth.
Thanks to our customer Phil of Chicago for the following two photos ...
Check out the blue sponge that grew out of this piece!
Vanuatu live rock is currently unavailable
Vanuatu live rock is often the lightest or biggest piece per pound of any live rock available (except for Manado). There is usually one big piece in each box, and a couple nice larges, besides smaller ones. Coverage is usually excellent ... and, in our opinion it's as good or better as Marshall Islands ever was. More grows out of it after curing. Purple zoos, blue and lime green sponges, we've heard of all kinds of wild post-curing growth.
Thanks to our customer Phil of Chicago for the following two photos ...
Check out the blue sponge that grew out of this piece!
JAVA - BALI - INDONESIA AREA LIVE ROCK
Indonesia live rock is currently unavailable
Up until April 2015 for the last couple of years prior the only real deal fresh air-freighted live rock currently happening was from Indonesia. Some months it may be from Bali, others Java, the big island in Indonesia. Either way they are about the same, the famous "Indo" rock. Dead coral pieces with multiple colors of corallines, great shapes, nooks and crannies, lots of life.
Java is harvested and then cleaned and stored in concrete vats, or runs, that circulate to the sea. So, the initial hard cure from collection takes place over there, before they ship, and the cure here will be light to moderate at most. It can be as fast as a week since it we get it island to you in less than 72 hours.
These are from one of the original shippers there. It might be a once a month (or more) thing, so plan way ahead and please be patient ... it is worth the wait! It is beautiful live rock. We have carried it before when it was available. They have not been shipping due to each piece counting as a coral against their allotment of CITES quotas.
Photo courtesy of our customer Fish 'n' Ships of Texas
"There was no trace of sponge when the rock arrived, and after curing several of these are growing some kind of bluish and a goldish color sponges. Do you know what they are?"
No ... Birdfish does not know what these are! The fun of live rock!
Thanks to Fish 'n' Ships for sending the photos!
Indonesia live rock is currently unavailable
Up until April 2015 for the last couple of years prior the only real deal fresh air-freighted live rock currently happening was from Indonesia. Some months it may be from Bali, others Java, the big island in Indonesia. Either way they are about the same, the famous "Indo" rock. Dead coral pieces with multiple colors of corallines, great shapes, nooks and crannies, lots of life.
Java is harvested and then cleaned and stored in concrete vats, or runs, that circulate to the sea. So, the initial hard cure from collection takes place over there, before they ship, and the cure here will be light to moderate at most. It can be as fast as a week since it we get it island to you in less than 72 hours.
These are from one of the original shippers there. It might be a once a month (or more) thing, so plan way ahead and please be patient ... it is worth the wait! It is beautiful live rock. We have carried it before when it was available. They have not been shipping due to each piece counting as a coral against their allotment of CITES quotas.
Photo courtesy of our customer Fish 'n' Ships of Texas
"There was no trace of sponge when the rock arrived, and after curing several of these are growing some kind of bluish and a goldish color sponges. Do you know what they are?"
No ... Birdfish does not know what these are! The fun of live rock!
Thanks to Fish 'n' Ships for sending the photos!
Customer comments we've received regarding Java live rock ...
"I love the rock. Had 3 live crabs that Nancy put in her tank. My skimmer has not gone crazy, my water has stayed clear and only showed a trace of ammonia on day 1. I checked this morning and have 0 ammonia and 10 ppm nitrate. I do have alot of plants growing. Is the rock that fresh or is it going to be a delay in curing? The Irian Jaya was the only other rock that did this and it cured in less than a week."
Thanks, Terry L. in AZ
_____
"The rocks look great! They are porous so I think I have enough."
-Len H. in CA
_____
"... after all of this wait I finally have my rock. Picking it up early this morning from CMH could not have gone any smoother. Between the information you gave me, and the people at the Southwest Cargo Pick-up, the whole process was a piece of cake. There are several decent pieces in each box. And, the entire shipment is teeming with life. I think I stopped counting after I found around 15-20 little crabs that made the journey. In addition to that I also found several several small "clam like" inhabitants, a few medusa worms, a couple of snails, a mantis shrimp about 3.5" long (he didn't survive).
Most pieces are just covered in coralline and other fauna. Can't wait to see what grows out of all the cracks. I am happy with the pieces I have and will definitely be able to make a beautiful display with them. Thanks again for all of your help. I will definitely try to get some display tank pics after the curing and aquascaping takes place. I definitely do like the rock."
Kind Regards, Eric J. in OH
"I love the rock. Had 3 live crabs that Nancy put in her tank. My skimmer has not gone crazy, my water has stayed clear and only showed a trace of ammonia on day 1. I checked this morning and have 0 ammonia and 10 ppm nitrate. I do have alot of plants growing. Is the rock that fresh or is it going to be a delay in curing? The Irian Jaya was the only other rock that did this and it cured in less than a week."
Thanks, Terry L. in AZ
_____
"The rocks look great! They are porous so I think I have enough."
-Len H. in CA
_____
"... after all of this wait I finally have my rock. Picking it up early this morning from CMH could not have gone any smoother. Between the information you gave me, and the people at the Southwest Cargo Pick-up, the whole process was a piece of cake. There are several decent pieces in each box. And, the entire shipment is teeming with life. I think I stopped counting after I found around 15-20 little crabs that made the journey. In addition to that I also found several several small "clam like" inhabitants, a few medusa worms, a couple of snails, a mantis shrimp about 3.5" long (he didn't survive).
Most pieces are just covered in coralline and other fauna. Can't wait to see what grows out of all the cracks. I am happy with the pieces I have and will definitely be able to make a beautiful display with them. Thanks again for all of your help. I will definitely try to get some display tank pics after the curing and aquascaping takes place. I definitely do like the rock."
Kind Regards, Eric J. in OH
MANADO LIVE ROCK
Manado live rock is currently unavailable
A multi-colored and purple live rock with lots of open areas. Some looks very similar to Marshall Islands live rock, with light, open, and airy pieces. The box weights have recently been running low at approx. 50 pounds, with the maximum at 62 pounds. It is typical of good Indonesia area live rock in being fantastic, 5-star, stellar, live rock. Some good sized pieces.
Thanks to Doug C. of New Jersey for sharing this Manado live rock picture
from Feb. '13 ... one box in about a 55-gal. tank.
These three photos below of Manado live rock were shared with us by one of our customers!
Thanks to Jess M. in New York for the great pictures!
Manado live rock is currently unavailable
A multi-colored and purple live rock with lots of open areas. Some looks very similar to Marshall Islands live rock, with light, open, and airy pieces. The box weights have recently been running low at approx. 50 pounds, with the maximum at 62 pounds. It is typical of good Indonesia area live rock in being fantastic, 5-star, stellar, live rock. Some good sized pieces.
Thanks to Doug C. of New Jersey for sharing this Manado live rock picture
from Feb. '13 ... one box in about a 55-gal. tank.
These three photos below of Manado live rock were shared with us by one of our customers!
Thanks to Jess M. in New York for the great pictures!
Our Toll-free Order Information Lines
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from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Central Time)
(866) 874-7639
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Monday through Friday
from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Central Time)
(866) 874-7639
(855) 225-8086
