Is it out of stock again?

Sep 13, 2023: We’re sold out for now.
Here’s a status report: 

  • This month we tested two batches of sand and one of rubble.
  • The rubble and one batch of sand tested clean, with complete nitrifying communities. 
  • Those are sold out now.
  • Another batch of sand tested positive for Cryptocaryon. Another example of why we test!
  • We are culturing several new batches of aquacultured Live Reef Rubble . This is the authentic coral rubble material we’ve always used, this time with a 100% aquacultured community. We are growing and testing this material in house, so it will probably take a couple of months before its ready. 

If you’d like to be notified by email when the next batch is available, you can sign up here for Live Reef Rubble and here for Live Sand.

 Why is the Live Reef Rubble out of stock?

This is a question we hear a lot. The answer is important, so we thought we’d address it here. 

Right now, the biggest answer to the question is: international shipping still hasn’t returned to normal since the pandemic. Its hard to find any suitable material to work with. Importers are bringing in far fewer shipments, and are focusing more on high end corals and less on the comparatively heavy pieces of rock we need to prepare Live Reef Rubble. 

Beside, this isn’t a simple wholesale-to-retail operation. We’re actively farming and testing this material and this takes time. We maintain each batch of the rock in an isolated, fish-free system. We routinely inspect and clean the material, and incubate it in reef conditions with snails and peppermint shrimp to make sure no Aiptasia make it through. 

More importantly, we also test each batch using DNA sequencing. This is always the limiting factor. 

It’s also why we can’t just sell any of the rock we’re currently holding, until we get a clean test report for it. At any point in time our systems are full of sand or rubble, awaiting test results. 

Here’s the thing: the absolute best source of live rock we’ve found still has about 18% of batches contaminated with pathogens or parasites. That’s about 1 in 5. Its not a gamble we’re willing to take with your tank, or our company’s reputation. So we wait for the tests to come in, and sell only the rock or sand that passes those tests. 

We’re sorry for the inevitable delays this introduces, but remain committed to providing tested, certified, pathogen and parasite-free live rock for the saltwater aquarium hobby. We hope this post explains the reason for these delays. 

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