Life Rock Cheap

[Markclaster]

Not sure where this should be posted but if anyone is thinking about using Liferock from Caribsea, I got 40# on Amazon for the same price everyone charges for 20. Actually, the same vendor is charging more for 20 lol.
Anyway, here’s the link if anyone is interested.

Caribsea Life Rock, 40-Pound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IK5TJU4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CJrlEbKPPR0P2

 

[NanCrab]

Not sure where this should be posted but if anyone is thinking about using Liferock from Caribsea, I got 40# on Amazon for the same price everyone charges for 20. Actually, the same vendor is charging more for 20 lol.
Anyway, here’s the link if anyone is interested.

Caribsea Life Rock, 40-Pound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IK5TJU4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CJrlEbKPPR0P2

That is seriously crazy that 20 lbs is $101 and 40 lbs is $85! I ordered my rock from ARC Reef. It hasn't come yet.
Thanks for the link.

 

[lmm1967]

That is seriously crazy that 20 lbs is $101 and 40 lbs is $85! I ordered my rock from ARC Reef. It hasn't come yet.
Thanks for the link.

That's amazons dynamic pricing - not the vendor.

 

[Markclaster]

That is seriously crazy that 20 lbs is $101 and 40 lbs is $85! I ordered my rock from ARC Reef. It hasn't come yet.
Thanks for the link.

I know, dumb right? I thought it was a mistake and I would either get 20# or my order would get cancelled. But it came and it was 40#

 

[NanCrab]

That's amazons dynamic pricing - not the vendor.

Really? That's interesting, how does that work?

 

[lmm1967]

Really? That's interesting, how does that work?

Any vendor selling on Amazon has several choices on how to run things.

Regarding pricing - the below are at least 2 of the options I know of. I have not been a large online vendor of anything for a few years so they may have more options now - but at a minimum you have the following available to you:

• Maintain consistent pricing whether there are 1 or 500 of something available - works well for MAP (price fixed - grrrr) product lines
• Let Amazon set the price - within guidelines you set - and Amazon runs algorithms on their entire platform and adjusts pricing based on good old fashioned supply & demand. Works well for non price protected items.

 

[Markclaster]

Really? That's interesting, how does that work?

Compare it to Uber surge pricing. Hi demand increase prices. Sales on certain things at brick and mortar could trigger price matching

 

[NanCrab]

Any vendor selling on Amazon has several choices on how to run things.

Regarding pricing - the below are at least 2 of the options I know of. I have not been a large online vendor of anything for a few years so they may have more options now - but at a minimum you have the following available to you:

• Maintain consistent pricing whether there are 1 or 500 of something available - works well for MAP (price fixed - grrrr) product lines
• Let Amazon set the price - within guidelines you set - and Amazon runs algorithms on their entire platform and adjusts pricing based on good old fashioned supply & demand. Works well for non price protected items.

Wow, thank you for the information! And yes...GRRR to price fixing!!

 

[lmm1967]

Wow, thank you for the information! And yes...GRRR to price fixing!!

MAP - I don't hate it for the reasons most people do - I hate it because of what it has done to small independent businesses in many industries.

When we had our performance parts business is when MAP (MSP, MVP etc etc - vendors call it different things) was really just getting rolling. Most manufacturers first started implementing it, not really enforcing it - or enforcing it selectively - on primarily the retail side of the business. Most of that industry is driven through wholesale distributors - there are about 4 or 5 big ones that pretty much supply ALL aftermarket performance type parts.

The MAP pricing sets a minimum price - what also happens though is it sets a maximum price. Because every single vendor is going to sell at MAP pricing - and every single WD knows it - and the wholesale pricing side of things suddenly stopped being a negotiation point. The maufacturers & WDs essentially have determined the profit margins on the retail side of that entire business. Profit margins dropped to mid single digit percentages. Just fine if you're running a $50m+ business - but try being successful running at under 3% true net profit margin on a $1m or $2m business - it's not worth it, the small guys shut down, the big boys get bigger, the retail support levels drop etc etc. You get the picture.

Just another thing with crazy unintended consequences that actually hurt the consumer - or, maybe it's intentional.

 

[NanCrab]

Completely agree with you. My take on it is that it cripples what capitalism and free market are supposed to be.

 

[lmm1967]

and to put it in perspective - I worked with 4 wholesale distributors - and we were in the top 25 customers in the entire southeast of one of the largest WDs (premier performance). So a top 25 retail business in the Southeast - and at the end of the day (year really) we were showing less than a 3% net profit on well over $1m in sales. And - it's a LOT of work. Even with most product listing & pricing as well as post sales processing being automated.

 

[Adam]

I wouldn't use that rock and their live sand. One or the other but not both. I'm not even going to use their sand unless its significantly cheaper than any other source. And then I'd rinse it so it's not "live" anymore.

 

[Markclaster]

I wouldn't use that rock and their live sand. One or the other but not both. I'm not even going to use their sand unless its significantly cheaper than any other source. And then I'd rinse it so it's not "live" anymore.

Why not both?

 

[Adam]

Something with the bacteria they use. It out competes others and becomes dominant. It sucks up Alk and can also lead to Alk precipitation in the sand bed.

 

[lmm1967]

I've experienced an odd bacteria bloom after adding 40 pounds of this rock to an existing system - I never could tell exactly what it was from but it was a pain to deal with and it started within a few days of adding this rock.

 

[Markclaster]

Something with the bacteria they use. It out competes others and becomes dominant. It sucks up Alk and can also lead to Alk precipitation in the sand bed.

Well crap. I used both. :/

 

[Adam]

Well crap. I used both. :/

I would take care not to add stony coral for 3 to 4 months, maybe a little more. That way you won't need to be dosing Alk, Cal & Mag. The one member here that recently had issues were compounded by the use of those things in addition to AquaForest Probiotic salt mix and several other of their products.

Just keep things simple and go slow is the only advice I can give.

 

[Markclaster]

3 or 4 months shouldn't be a problem lol It will probably take me that long to decide on a powerhead and a light