Fish Heads’ Real Reef line adds Shelf and Nano Live Rock!

A couple weeks ago we brought you the battle royale between Walt Smith’s Fiji Cultured Live Rock and Fish Heads new Real Reef Live Rock. What we didn’t know at the time was that the folks at Fish Heads already had more in the works. Just last week, Fish Heads launched two new variations on their Real Reef Live Rock – Shelf Rock and Nano Rock – and they sold out! Meanwhile, a solid sampling of both new man-made live rock lines had been set aside, and arrived this week for a quick unboxing and aquascaping project. For retailers, this is a good look at how Real Reef rock will arrive at your shop.

Opening the box from Fish Heads Inc - the clownfish says, "I've defied all odds to be here - Acclimate me well!" — Opening the box from Fish Heads Inc – the clownfish says, “I’ve defied all odds to be here – Acclimate me well!”

First look at Reef Real packing job — A look at the Reef Real packing job – all the rock came wrapped in damp newsprint.

Fish Heads Real Reef Rock unboxed - newspaper at left, rubble in box, rock at right. — Fish Heads Real Reef Rock unboxed – newspaper at left, rubble in box, rock at right.

The Nano Rock is is a bit more porous with more cavities than the initial Real Reef we sampled earlier. There seemed to be a fair amount of rubble from the shipping process, and that largely seemed to be from the Nano Rock.

The Shelf Rock is truly something to marvel over. Having tried to make shelf rock myself with DIY recipes, I know how difficult it is to get thin pieces. The Real Reef Shelf Rock is truly ideal shelf material…most pieces were no more than an inch thick.

Aquascaping with the Real Reef rock was admittedly a time consuming task, and I had some help. Ultimately for the project at hand (the new Ecoxotic 25 gallon LED Aquarium System), we opted to use about 5 pieces of rock, drilled, and held together by two fiberglass rods and some putty epoxy. Drilling with a masonry bit certainly took time…the dense composition of the rock made drilling a slow go. We broke one piece of shelf rock, and one chunk of a the largest rock sent, during drilling. In both places, the breaks were not directly from drilling, but from too much pressure being placed on the rock to keep it stable during drilling. In that respect, I’ll claim “amateur hour” – the last time I set up a new display tank was years ago!

See also How to Cure Live Rock

Ultimately, the Real Reef rock was perfect for this particular project. Having not been in the ocean at any point, there was zero concern over unwanted hitchhikers or fish pests being on this rock. Additionally, being fully established and cured already means no home curing, die off, or break in period.

Honestly, Real Reef rock lacks the hitch-hikers that new marine aquarists go bonkers over (but when you can’t have any fish or corals yet, even a hydroid or tiny feather duster is exciting). If you can get past that fact, you’ll find that the Real Reef rock is truly handsome live rock, without any of the downsides that the real thing can bring. Indeed, the Real Reef rock seems to offer a unique solution for the aquarist looking for live rock that isn’t coming off the reef, and yet provides a much more attractive and equally safe alternative to the dry rock that is so prevalent these days.

As you probably caught on, Fish Heads Inc is strictly wholesale. You can find Real Reef Live Rock both online and at local fish stores around the country – anyplace that offers Fish Heads farmed corals can get Real Reef Live Rock too!

Real Reef Rock Aquascape in an Ecoxotic 25 gallon LED Aquarium System

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Matt Pedersen

Matt Pedersen is an interactive software developer and part-time fly fishing guide originally from Chicago, IL and current living in Duluth, MN, USA. Additionally, Matt has experience as a professional orchid breeder and certified fly rod builder. Matt has been a marine aquarist for 23 years, and an aquarist for 28+. After spending time on every side of the aquarium industry (retail, commercial and private maintenance & installation, wholesale, hatchery), he currently considers himself a "professional hobbyist". Most recently, Matt has currently spawned 22 species of marine fish, successfully raising 8 of them to date including one worldwide first (the Harlequin Filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris), as well as attempted another 6 invertebrate species to date. Most all of this was accomplished with less than 100 gallons of total working capacity, and all in closed culture. In 2010, Matt Pedersen was selected as the breeder of choice to work with the now famous "PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish" from the SEASMART program, and chronicles the efforts to propagate this one-of-a-kind fish online at The Lightning Project. Matt Pedersen is credited with starting MOFIB (Marine Ornamental Fish & Invertebrate Breeder's Association) and writing for multiple publications including Coral, Koralle, Practical Fish Keeping, Reef Hobbyist Magazine and Reef Builders. Matt has spoken at numerous aquarium clubs and events from coast to coast. He currently sits on the MBI (Marine Breeding Initiative) Council, a project dedicated to bringing the concept of a unified Marine Breeder's Award Program to hobbyist organizations across the country and around the globe. In 2009, Matt was awarded "Aquarist of the Year" honors by both IMAC West and MASNA in recognition of his accomplishments and contributions to the marine aquarium hobby. Last updated October, 2010.