Boat Rock
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What is Boat Rock? Have you seen those super low prices on live rock lately? Do you think the suppliers must have been taking advantage of you before if it's cheaper now? Think again my friends! Welcome to boat rock. The majority of live rock from the Pacific, which almost all comes through Los Angeles, California, is now being brought in by boat. That's right, boated to the U.S. from Fiji, Tonga, and even a load from the Marshall Islands was boated here. I'll bet a big flock of birds was following that boat across the sea! International air freight is tremendously expensive. Most of the cost of a box of live rock is freight, not rock. International air freight usually costs 2 to 3 dollars per pound, as opposed to domestic air freight which runs 50-cents to a dollar or so per pound. So the big shots thought there was a little money out there they didn't have their hands on, and decided there must be a way to get it. Their solution: Boat the rock here rather than air freight it, saving way over a dollar a pound, if not nearer two, and keep the difference, except a quarter to keep their rock looking cheaper. Boat freight is about .20 cents/pound. There are many live rock sellers in L.A. (wholesalers and retailers) selling this rock now. It has been on the market for months. Have you heard of it? Is anyone telling live rock buyers this? Would you want to know how your live rock got here? Yes, of course you would! Why? Because there is a difference in how LIVE rock is that has been air freighted in directly from the islands and rock that has been in a sea container and box for weeks or months. I suspect there is little LIVE about live rock that has been boated here. At the LEAST, it takes WEEKS out of the water to get here. Why aren't the big shot guys advertising this new method of getting rock here? I haven't heard a single breath of "check out our new rock, it was BOATED here." It is at the very least plain old lying, deceitful, scamming the consumer, unless you tell them. I find it so repulsive that they can't be honest to the buyer/customer that I am compelled to tell you about it. I would bet anything that you could not find anyone selling it, that would admit it to you! Otherwise, I would suggest asking! The sad thing is that many unsuspecting hobbyists buy this instead of an expensive filter, and are not getting what they expected. They then get out of the hobby, because they got dead rock. That's how much these guys care. Shameful, in the name of greed. Good ain't cheap, and cheap ain't good. You will always get what you paid for. The cheapest anything is never the best anything. This is especially true when you are buying live rock, or livestock of any kind. Would it be of benefit if you, the hobbyist, knew absolutely positively if your rock was boated or air freighted in? YES !! So, where is MACNA, those guys allegedly on your side to insure you get the stuff that has been handled properly, and are thoroughly informed of how? I don't see them taking up this issue. It's been out there on the market for over a year now. If you want to boat rock in, fine; but, you MUST tell the people what they are buying. It is no different than the automobiles that will be sold to unsuspecting buyers that were once flooded. What spores will sprout or what will grow out of rock that has been out of the water for many weeks? That's why they're not telling you! The only life on it are the flies. If a little purple coralline is all you want, it's fine for base rock, but it ought to be about $2 a pound cheaper. The cheapest rock is unfortunately what many are looking for. That rock has plummeted in quality, and that will affect the success of your tank, its inhabitants, and your enjoyment. We will never sell boated rock that came over in a shipping container. We only sell the real deal ... fresh live rock that has been air freighted in. Most of the time our live rock is less than 48 hours from island to you. Our customers tell us they get live crabs, urchins, cucumbers, macros, feather dusters sprouting, a myriad of life, and some have said they even got live sponges! That's how quickly our rock gets here. That's what real live rock is my friends ... covered in life, not death. It smells like the ocean or a tide pool. Not cement or a cesspool. the real deal birdfish |
The Los Angeles Harbor An abundance of boat traffic in the busy L.A. Harbor makes obtaining government import clearances (Fish & Wildlife Dept. and U.S. Customs documentation) for shipments a tedious operation. Live rock shipments can sit in wait for several weeks. 
Our live rock is sped to you using the most modern technology available to man ... jet engines! |
Here are some boats leaving the Marshall Islands :-) ...
We're not sure which boats they use ... we're still looking ...
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