Best source of Bio-Diversity?

[dwair]

Well just added 15lbs of Live Rock from KP Aquatics to my tank. Still a new build, so fish are still finishing QT, but will be adding them in a couple of weeks.

But I'm looking for more Bio-Diversity. I've heard of many sources - Garf, IPSF, Pacific East Aquaculture. Anyone have good/bad experiences and what did you order if you did?

I was thinking the Mix n Match from IPSF - Doing the wonder mud/worms/pods, etc. My fuge consists of Miracle mud and rock right now as its still new tank, haven't really added anything else to it yet as I just don't have a bioload yet. So putting in that mud/worms/pods and maybe some of their macro algae would really make it take off, little concerned my bioload won't be enough to sustain it yet, only 3 fish are going in, in a couple of weeks.

Anyways, thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Reefing102]

Live rock definitely put you at a head start for the bio-diversity. I haven’t heard of garf grunge in years, is it even still around? Not sure what IPSF is but I know Pacific East is a sponsor here and can’t say I’ve ever heard anything bad about them

 

[LuizW13]

Why don't you just buy some live rock from a couple different LFS's? Probably way cheaper and still diverse.

 

[Saltyreef]

Ipsf hands down

 

[old salt reefer]

Every frag you buy comes with the bio-diversity from the tank it came out of. Sometimes they also come with that tanks pests(as can live rock). Also once that bio-diversity moves into your tank it takes awhile to "even" itself out into the right numbers of each organism.

 

[dwair]

Ipsf hands down

What did you end up ordering from them?

 

[dwair]

Live rock definitely put you at a head start for the bio-diversity. I haven’t heard of garf grunge in years, is it even still around? Not sure what IPSF is but I know Pacific East is a sponsor here and can’t say I’ve ever heard anything bad about them

I'm not sure if they are, the website is still active, but its by email to order. IPSF is Indo Pacific Salt farm.

 

[Saltyreef]

What did you end up ordering from them?

Mud

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What does biodiversity mean to you?

Different types of bacteria?
Larger organisms like worms and copepods?
Sponges, coralline, and other encrusting organisms?

 

[dwair]

What does biodiversity mean to you?

Different types of bacteria?
Larger organisms like worms and copepods?
Sponges, coralline, and other encrusting organisms?

All of the above honestly. Worms/Pods for sure, I've got the coraline covered with the Live Rock. Would like Sponges and different bacteria which I was hoping would be covered by the "Wonder Mud", etc.

 

[BanjoBandito]

mixing live rock just sounds like a pest explosion!

 

[fish farmer]

What did you end up ordering from them?

When I ordered from them I got the 9 for $99. Wonder mud, Live sand activator, trochus grazers, hermits, nerites, strombus snails and whatever other snails they had at the time.

It doesn't look like they have as many snails in the package as they used to. It took about two or three days to get from Hawaii to Vermont but everything survived.

 

[dwair]

When I ordered from them I got the 9 for $99. Wonder mud, Live sand activator, trochus grazers, hermits, nerites, strombus snails and whatever other snails they had at the time.

It doesn't look like they have as many snails in the package as they used to. It took about two or three days to get from Hawaii to Vermont but everything survived.

Happy with the purchase?

 

[fish farmer]

Happy with the purchase?

Yes. The brittle stars did well, trochus snails spawned, strombus snails spawned. I could have done without the nerites, they are more a shoreline snail that seemed to crawl out of the tank more.

 

[Skyfish]

I bought a pack from IPSF, live wonder mud, live sand, pods, some random inverts. My biggest compliant was you couldn't buy the live mud without the package. I felt like it was a good purchase given my small amount of live rock i started with (maybe 5 lbs).

 

[Reefing102]

Also, with your KP rock, give it some time. Mine that I got a couple weeks ago has a ton of sponges and tunicates that have started growing on it. It took a few days for the diversity to start popping up after shipping

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

When I set up my tank 25 years ago, I got fresh wild Florida live rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Nothing I have ever seen has come close to it in terms of things that came with it. Tons of brittle stars, rock boring urchins, sponges, mussels, pistol shrimp, barnacles, etc.

One may not want everything that comes with it since some will not survive, and some may get a pest, but it was an incredible way to start.

I do not expect the ocean aquacultured live rock has as much, but I'd seriously consider it if I was setting up again.