We make aquacultured Live Rock at a price cheaper than wild rock, yet with an appearance and a chemo-filtering capacity comparable to wild rock.

Our eco-Live-Rock has the following characteristics:

1. Incredibly natural-looking appearance with lots of crevices and caves (often nicer looking than wild rock).
2. Excellent porosity and surface-to-volume ratio.
   
3. Fully cured and tank-ready (simply take it home and add it to your marine tank).
4. Ingredients: Approximately 70% Nova Scotia granular limestone (50% aragonite, 50% magnesium carbonate; an excellent source of magnesium) and 30% cement (excellent calcium source).
5. Guaranteed Aptasia-free and mantis-free! (no pests)
   
6. Reef-safe (reefs were not harmed in the production of this rock).
7. Reef fostering (we donate 100% of profits for reef conservation... learn more).

Here we explain how do we do it:

First we prepare our secret mixture using Nova Scotia limestone (50% aragonite, 50% magnesium carbonate), coral fragments, shell bits (oyster, mussels, scallops and snails), Portland cement and 100%-natural porosity-enhancing agents.

Then we use our mixture to make pieces that look like coral rubble. After the rubble pieces harden, we conglomerate them together mimicking what happens in nature. The result is amazingly natural-looking rocks!

The hardening reactions of cement produce calcium hydroxide (also know as lime or “Kalkwasser”), which is an additive commonly used in saltwater aquaria to replenish calcium used by corals and to raise pH. However too much Kalkwasser can over-increase pH in you tank potentially harming aquarium organisms, therefore we have to submerse our rocks in seawater (with very frequent water changes) to allow the Kalkwasser to leach out of the rocks. This process is called "kuring" the rocks.

Note that about 90% of the hardening and Kalkwasser production occurs very fast, therefore our eco-Live-Rocks have to spend several months in our "kuring" tanks, preventing the bulk of the reaction from occurring inside your tank (potentially raising pH and harming organisms). Also note that the remaining 10% of the Kalkwasser-producing reaction occurs very slowly... which means that our Standard eco-Live-Rocks act as a calcium slow-release for up to 1 year. Corals love this slow and steady supply of calcium! Once the rock is fully reacted the Kalkwasser-producing benefits stop.

After our eco-Live-Rocks have been "kured" or neutralized, they have to spend some time in our grow-out tanks, where they are maintained in aquarium-like conditions with vigorous currents and light. After a few months beneficial bacteria and diatoms have colonized the rock (Standard eco-Live-Rock). After many month more, the rocks also get colonized by coralline algae and other aquaria organisms (like sponges, worms, snails, etc.), acquiring shocking colors and an even more natural looking appearance (Premium eco-Live-Rock). Both Standard eco-Live-Rock and Premium eco-Live-Rock continue to leach beneficial magnesium into your aquarium as the limestone slowly dissolves.