Gulf Live Rock.Com

[TnFishwater98]

So we got our rock today. It was pretty warm in the box. There were two big clams that had died on the way here, and they STUNK!! Removed the clams and most of the sponges, there is a nice red one i hope makes it, it was in good shape. Got the rocks in a bucket with some fresh salt water flowing through them completely submerged. Did a water change after about two hours. And will check on them in the morning and do another water change. There was some good stuff on them. Hoping some of it live through the transition.

How long was transit? You will notice more and more as you observe and it settles. What was you high temp today?

 

[Here we go again..]

How long was transit? You will notice more and more as you observe and it settles. What was you high temp today?

Transit was three days. Been observing and doing total water changes regularly.

 

[happyhourhero]

I put most of my nano pack into my display. I just had it curing in a 20g and then put in one at a time to the display and watched ammonia for a day or so per rock and never saw a spike. Some of the sponges are for sure growing now, tiny feather dusters, small clams, a couple time corals and lots of coralline colors. I brushed off most loose stuff before I put them in the tank. Not seeing much of the macro algae growing back yet. My prime piece has been buried by my pistol shrimp. It was pretty flat so naturally the shrimp covered it up. If cleaned it off twice but the shrimp just buried it again so I give up. Lol

 

[ReefHog]

Well, I'm happy to say at just over six weeks, my rock went through the nasty brown algae stage followed by the green hair algae stage and is now looking pretty clean with mostly coralline algae.

 

[Jeffcb]

Gulf of Mexico.

 

[ReefHog]

Yes

 

[happyhourhero]

Updating this thread that my rock is still producing life I didn’t notice when I scrubbed off my rocks. An urchin has popped up, several snails, lots of dusters and more corals are popping up. I ended up with no anemones and do continue to see new bivalves. This is all on a small box of nano.
The coralline all survived and some of the macro algae are actively growing. I can say I recommend this company if you are wanting some ocean direct rock and can at least let it spend a few days in a bucket or tub while you scrub it of die off. I added all of mine over the course of a week and added one rock at a time to my existing 25g with coral and fish and added a rock a day. Never saw an ammonia spike although the rock stank badly on the first day.

 

[djf91]

Sorry to bring this back from the dead. I have a 500 gallon newly setup reef (5 months) with a 100 gallon sump/ fuge connected. I was thinking about getting 25 lbs of premium rock + Sand from them to add to my biodiversity. I was planning to put this directly in my fuge. With my water volume do you think I’ll see any type of ammonia spike? I would like to add the sand and rock to the main display eventually but want to make sure no critters like mantis shrimp are being transferred. Has anyone found any of these with this rock?

 

[Tamberav]

Sorry to bring this back from the dead. I have a 500 gallon newly setup reef (5 months) with a 100 gallon sump/ fuge connected. I was thinking about getting 25 lbs of premium rock + Sand from them to add to my biodiversity. I was planning to put this directly in my fuge. With my water volume do you think I’ll see any type of ammonia spike? I would like to add the sand and rock to the main display eventually but want to make sure no critters like mantis shrimp are being transferred. Has anyone found any of these with this rock?

Are you having it shipped on a plane in water? If so, then die off could be minimal. Ammonia was huge when I had it sent USPS since they just wrap it in wet paper towels and no water.

Yes to mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp, and naughty crabs. Very possible to get all of those. You will get some pest nem's too most likely although they are not true aiptasia (a relative) and multiply slow.

 

[djf91]

Are you having it shipped on a plane in water? If so, then die off could be minimal. Ammonia was huge when I had it sent USPS since they just wrap it in wet paper towels and no water.

Yes to mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp, and naughty crabs. Very possible to get all of those. You will get some pest nem's too most likely although they are not true aiptasia (a relative) and multiply slow.

I appreciate the response. Yes I will ship overnight.

Have you guys seen anyone unwanted microfauna/ algae come in with this rock that you couldn’t beat? I plan to run this system as a mostly South Pacific SPS reef.

 

[Tamberav]

I appreciate the response. Yes I will ship overnight.

Have you guys seen anyone unwanted microfauna/ algae come in with this rock that you couldn’t beat? I plan to run this system as a mostly South Pacific SPS reef.

No but I have shallow lagoon tanks so beating pests is easy. I just attack the problem early on and manually/aggressively before things can spread. I am not part of the… “I can’t reach it” or “I can’t remove my rock, it’s all glued together or too large” club.

Besides crabs and mantis shrimp… buying frags of coral has worse pests in terms of hitchhikers and algae.

 

[ReefHog]

If your just looking for biodiversity , I’d just go with the base rock. Less chance of unwanted critters. That’s what I got and the stuff was great. Took less that two weeks to get to zero ammonia in rubber made bin.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

I don’t think the ammonia spike would be much if anything to that volume. I didn’t get any shrimp on my rock, but got a few little urchins, some clams, tunicates, and snails.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Sorry to bring this back from the dead. I have a 500 gallon newly setup reef (5 months) with a 100 gallon sump/ fuge connected. I was thinking about getting 25 lbs of premium rock + Sand from them to add to my biodiversity. I was planning to put this directly in my fuge. With my water volume do you think I’ll see any type of ammonia spike? I would like to add the sand and rock to the main display eventually but want to make sure no critters like mantis shrimp are being transferred. Has anyone found any of these with this rock?

I’ve heard there is a mantis shrimp “season”. Probably mating time during summer months. (This is what I heard or read about a year ago, might want to ask someone with more aquatic migration knowledge) So if the LR is collected during these months you might have a mantis shrimp. If the LR is collected out of this “season” the chances are slim you will get a mantis shrimp. They leave the area.
-Also the micro algae and other growth on LR will be duller during the winters months compared to the summer months but will brighten up once established in your tank.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Are you having it shipped on a plane in water? If so, then die off could be minimal. Ammonia was huge when I had it sent USPS since they just wrap it in wet paper towels and no water.

Yes to mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp, and naughty crabs. Very possible to get all of those. You will get some pest nem's too most likely although they are not true aiptasia (a relative) and multiply slow.

I have a few of these gulf wild anemones and haven’t had a problem with any of them. One species has reproduced a couple of times in over a year. Not considered invasive at all. Another species hasn’t reproduced yet. Looks very happy, healthy, and I would say Cool looking. I enjoy all the diversity.

 

[TnFishwater98]

I have a few of these gulf wild anemones and haven’t had a problem with any of them. One species has reproduced a couple of times in over a year. Not considered invasive at all. Another species hasn’t reproduced yet. Looks very happy, healthy, and I would say Cool looking. I enjoy all the diversity.

Here are two I’ve had for over a year that haven’t spread. My sexy shrimp even host them sometimes.