Long Term Success Using Aquacultured Live Rock

[Fish Fan]

@Sierra_Bravo wow, great pics, thanks for sharing!

@robert teseo very cool about the wrasse!

Thanks again for the feedback guys! I'm definitely interested in the rock for sure, I'm still deciding on "The Package", but it definitely looks interesting. Does anyone know why it ships in two parcels?

 

[robert teseo]

read the web site. pt 1 is the base. after that cycles, if it does, the 2nd part is added that includes the livestock and the pretty rock. that wat they don't go thru the stress of the cycle.[and maybe die off]

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

@Sierra_Bravo wow, great pics, thanks for sharing!

@robert teseo very cool about the wrasse!

Thanks again for the feedback guys! I'm definitely interested in the rock for sure, I'm still deciding on "The Package", but it definitely looks interesting. Does anyone know why it ships in two parcels?

Because of the live sponges, gorgonians, peppermint shrimp, crabs, etc. The sand needs to settle for a day and to make sure the base rock has time to recover in case there is any die off. I had trace ammonia for about a week after my first shipment. After one week it was up and processing ammonia and nitrites.

 

[NS Mike D]

just to mess you up, there is a trend to limiting rock in the DT to only what you need to anchor your frags, going bare bottom and using marine pure in your sump. WWC has gone bare bottom and heavily feeds corals. Their thought on sand that is very helpful at first, but over time time it causes more problems than benefits. They can keep the detritus suspended bare bottom to get pick up in the filters.

My favorite supplier of awesome frags limits his rock to the DT while he relies on marine pure blocks in the sumps for the heavy lifting. His thoughts are that live rock loses its effectiveness over time (it eventually clogs) while he can swap out the marine pure blocks as needed.

 

[Fish Fan]

just to mess you up, there is a trend to limiting rock in the DT to only what you need to anchor your frags, going bare bottom and using marine pure in your sump. WWC has gone bare bottom and heavily feeds corals. Their thought on sand that is very helpful at first, but over time time it causes more problems than benefits. They can keep the detritus suspended bare bottom to get pick up in the filters.

My favorite supplier of awesome frags limits his rock to the DT while he relies on marine pure blocks in the sumps for the heavy lifting. His thoughts are that live rock loses its effectiveness over time (it eventually clogs) while he can swap out the marine pure blocks as needed.

Hi! Yes, this is exactly my plan for my 40 gallon SPS tank, minus the Marine Pure, I've read some negative reviews about those products (and they are hugely expensive for what they are). The tank I'm discussing here will be a secondary tank, and I'm looking into this live rock and possibly the sand as something of an experiment. But thank you for your advice!

I figured as much on the two shipment thing with "The Package". Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Fish Fan]

just to mess you up, there is a trend to limiting rock in the DT to only what you need to anchor your frags, going bare bottom and using marine pure in your sump. WWC has gone bare bottom and heavily feeds corals. Their thought on sand that is very helpful at first, but over time time it causes more problems than benefits. They can keep the detritus suspended bare bottom to get pick up in the filters.

My favorite supplier of awesome frags limits his rock to the DT while he relies on marine pure blocks in the sumps for the heavy lifting. His thoughts are that live rock loses its effectiveness over time (it eventually clogs) while he can swap out the marine pure blocks as needed.

Hi! Yes, this is exactly my plan for my 40 gallon SPS tank, minus the Marine Pure, I've read some negative reviews about those products (and they are hugely expensive for what they are). The tank I'm discussing here will be a secondary tank, and I'm looking into this live rock and possibly the sand as something of an experiment. But thank you for your advice!

I figured as much on the two shipment thing with "The Package".

 

[Fish Fan]

From Tampa Bay Saltwater, did anyone have to pay any additional fees at the airport? It mentions this possibility on the website, and it's a concern of mine being in New York. I'm upstate, not near the big city, but it's still New York, and there's fees on everything. I wonder if there's a way I can find out about this, or estimate the cost somehow. I will admit that "The Package" is getting quite expensive, especially with the two deliveries, but if there's that much life it may be worth it.

Thanks again, I really appreciate all the first hand information!!!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

From Tampa Bay Saltwater, did anyone have to pay any additional fees at the airport? It mentions this possibility on the website, and it's a concern of mine being in New York. I'm upstate, not near the big city, but it's still New York, and there's fees on everything. I wonder if there's a way I can find out about this, or estimate the cost somehow. I will admit that "The Package" is getting quite expensive, especially with the two deliveries, but if there's that much life it may be worth it.

Thanks again, I really appreciate all the first hand information!!!

You pay the freight fees at the airport. I did not notice if there was anything additional but I don't think there was. I would have noticed if it was more than a few bucks.

Unless you want the peppermint shrimps, gorgonias, sponges, cukes, brittle stars, etc., for a 20 gallon I'd ask for all in one shipment. I would also mention that you want only Walt Smith 2.1 rock. Their old original base rock is dense and not as attractive.

 

[Fish Fan]

To be clear, I'm leaning towards a 65 gallon tank, I figured I already have about 80 pounds of dry base rock, and to that I thought adding about 20 pounds of the live stuff would do it. But, now I'm considering maybe doing "The Package" for one of my IM Fusion 10's, and asking him to ship all at once. Then, maybe I can do just the rock for my 65 gallon. In fact, I already have several bags of cheap CaribSea sand that I was planning on using in the 65. But doing "The Package" in a ten gallon gives me the "experience" without breaking the bank. I think on a ten gallon scale getting everything in one shipment would pose a huge cycle or die off problem, I can even fishless cycle the tank first to give it a head start.

I do want to ask about the Walt Smith 2.1 rock, I have heard good things, do you really think it's that much better? Is it more porous, I'm guessing?

Thanks very much!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

To be clear, I'm leaning towards a 65 gallon tank, I figured I already have about 80 pounds of dry base rock, and to that I thought adding about 20 pounds of the live stuff would do it. But, now I'm considering maybe doing "The Package" for one of my IM Fusion 10's, and asking him to ship all at once. Then, maybe I can do just the rock for my 65 gallon. In fact, I already have several bags of cheap CaribSea sand that I was planning on using in the 65. But doing "The Package" in a ten gallon gives me the "experience" without breaking the bank. I think on a ten gallon scale getting everything in one shipment would pose a huge cycle or die off problem, I can even fishless cycle the tank first to give it a head start.

I do want to ask about the Walt Smith 2.1 rock, I have heard good things, do you really think it's that much better? Is it more porous, I'm guessing?

Thanks very much!

I like it - it has done very well for me.

 

[Fish Fan]

^Awesome! I'll make sure I ask for that rock.

Thanks again!

 

[phil bevilacqua]

Hi! Thank you for the reply! Yes, I have for years been reading great things about TBS, as well as Gulf Live Rocks. It looked to me like TBS was a lot more expensive, but maybe it's because they are shipping in water. I will take another look at TBS, but I have yet to find anyone that has been disappointed with Gulf Live Rock, and they do have an option to ship same day airport to airport.

Thanks for your reply!

It’s up to you... just my experience with Tampa Bay… Airport to airport huge boxes full of water and their rockers just unbelievable All my sponges are still alive and so are the stony Coral’s that were already growing on the rock

 

[Fish Fan]

It’s up to you... just my experience with Tampa Bay… Airport to airport huge boxes full of water and their rockers just unbelievable All my sponges are still alive and so are the stony Coral’s that were already growing on the rock

Yes, yes, I am slowly getting talked into TBS, definitely hard to beat if he ships in water, unlike other places that ship in damp paper towel.

Thank you again!

 

[robert teseo]

the airport fees are the shipping. you don't pay tbs for the shipping. you pay the carrier at pick up. in ny I use s w airlines. direct flights from tampa.

 

[Fish Fan]

the airport fees are the shipping. you don't pay tbs for the shipping. you pay the carrier at pick up. in ny I use s w airlines. direct flights from tampa.

Yes, I do understand that you're paying the shipping directly to the carrier, not TBS. I get that the freight is about $0.90/pound, with a 100 pound minimum, but it then says that there maybe be additional fuel surcharges, etc. Maybe I'm being overly concerned, but I'm just afraid there will be a ton of extra fess beyond the $100 freight charge, and if I do a large sized "The Package" that cost is doubled for the two deliveries. I'm good with $100 plus the cost of the rock or "The Package" itself, but just worried there may be unexpected charges along the way.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Just reach out to Richard @ TBS: [email protected]

They are good about responding.

 

[Johniejumbo]

Which live rock did you go with?