Best Base Rock?

[Myka]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

I'm not sure I actually want to make my own rock...I've heard that making it yourself doesn't create a rock that is (finely) porous enough. You seem to be able to make fairly large holes in the rock from the granules of rock salt, but you can't make tiny little pores that the anaerobic bacteria like to colonate. Any comments on that?

Originally Posted by Canuckgod420

what are you going to dinged 25-40% at the border for?
I dont understand.

Ok, I'll write down the charges I received when I bought a used protein skimmer for $110 that was sent via UPS. The seller paid for the shipping, but I received this bill from UPS about 6 weeks after the package arrived:

$6.25 - Customs GST
2.09 - Brokerage GST
0.26 - COD GST
$8.60 Total Government Charges

$29.00 Entry Prep Fee
5.85 Disbursement Fee
4.25 CA COD Surcharge
$39.10 Total Brokerage Charges

$47.70 Total Charges

On a $110 item!!!!!!!!!! This is 44% the value of the item. I won't be accepting any items sent by UPS from the US ever again. Their brokerage fees are ridiculous. The government charges are based on the value of the item, which I can understand and am willing to pay. If I receive an item via USPS from the US, then the government fees are all I pay, and I pay those when I pick the item up at the post office. The UPS brokerage charges don't vary much with the value of the item, but do vary according to the size of the item (although not much). You're usually looking at $30-50 brokerage fees from UPS for average sized items, then about 8% government fees.

Originally Posted by Tom R

I have used Caribsea Lace Rock for Base Rock. It works very well. It is very porous so it will accommodate bacteria well. I bought a box and just took a hammer and chisel to the pieces I wanted to adjust to sizes better suited to my needs.

Tom R

Thanks Tom! I am worried that I will get a bunch of small pieces when I order a 50 lb box. I bought a box of Caribsea reef rock a couple years ago, and they came as a bunch of heavy non-porous boulders, and there wasn't a piece over 8" in the box. Did you receive big pieces in the lace rock?

[skylord]

The people at garf don't seem to have any issues with that and they have some rather nice stuff. I have seen it in tanks and had a piece in my tank for a long time( gave it back to my Bro-n-law when it got covered in GSP). I wouldn't do the whole tank with the stuff but cant see any issues with making base rock. You can add any number of food items to make smaller pores.

Scott

[Myka]

Originally Posted by skylord

The people at garf don't seem to have any issues with that and they have some rather nice stuff. I have seen it in tanks and had a piece in my tank for a long time( gave it back to my Bro-n-law when it got covered in GSP). I wouldn't do the whole tank with the stuff but cant see any issues with making base rock. You can add any number of food items to make smaller pores.

Scott

I'll take a closer look. Thanks.

[Tom R]

My box of Caribsea Reef Rock was all large rocks that I had to break up into usable pieces. petrified reef rock.

Tom R

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Tom R

My box of Caribsea Reef Rock was all large rocks that I had to break up into usable pieces. petrified reef rock.

Tom R

My Reef Rock came really small...most pieces about 4-6", and ugly. LOL. I'm worried that the Lace Rock will be small like this...?

[Psyire]

You could always ask Marco Rocks if they will ship USPS...

[Myka]

I don't know if USPS will ship packages that big...but ya I did send them an email asking. Thanks!

[adidas]

if you can tell the rock place to declare the item as a "gift" you wont get the brokerage charge with UPS IIRC. Broker is for importing