Ocean Live rock fans

[H3rm1tCr@b]

The only reason my tank is still running is due to some TBS liverock. It introduced an insane amount of biodiversity, like bacteria, crabs, pistol shrimp, rare coral (dinos killed them ), a killer worm (who was killed), mantis shrimp, sponges, etc. I still have new things popping up two years later!

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Live rocks is the foundation of reefs. I've seen too many dry rock failures and restarts. Get it right the 1st time by getting the real deal.

I totally agree. If I had known that good live rock would work wonders, well I don’t think I would have lost so many dang animals to dinoflagellates!

 

[Sump Crab]

I totally agree. If I had known that good live rock would work wonders, well I don’t think I would have lost so many dang animals to dinoflagellates!

Unfortunately I think a lot of new people are steered away from ocean live rock these days. If they only knew…

 

[Sump Crab]

@C4ctus99 did you pick up your rock?

 

[kazeespada]

I also got in 10lbs of KP aquatics premium rock today. Tank is looking full!

I put most of the TBS rocks in my refugium as I’m trying to change over from chaeto to caulerpa and the TBS stuff didn’t disappoint and had a couple different macros growing on it. I did place two pieces of TBS into the DT that had some nice cup corals on it.

What are the orange sticks?

 

[Sump Crab]

What are the orange sticks?

Some type of sponge

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Unfortunately I think a lot of new people are steered away from ocean live rock these days. If they only knew…

Yeah, I was terrified of it when I started like six years ago. I thought bristle worms were the worst, algae was bad, etc. I kept losing animals until I stopped caring about perfection. I’m hoping more hobbyists (especially the newbies) learn to appreciate rock covered in organisms. Sure, you might end up with a mantis shrimp (or if you’re really lucky, a bobbit worm), but that is part of the process!

 

[Tamberav]

Unfortunately I think a lot of new people are steered away from ocean live rock these days. If they only knew…

Some buy ocean live rock but then see a worm or a crab and ask how to bleach/dry it all

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Some buy ocean live rock but then see a worm or a crab and ask how to bleach/dry it all

That always makes me sad. But, if it does turn out to be incompatible with your reef, you can always feed it to a mantis!

 

[C4ctus99]

Got some base rock from @sbreefco yesterday and got it in! Some sponges, snails, coralline, bivalves, and a sea squirt!

Yes… I know the tank needs more water…

Also, portrait mode on iPhone is pretty crazy

 

[C4ctus99]

Also, what is the wavy looking rock, I can’t remember the name… she said they didn’t really get it anymore though

 

[2Wheelsonly]

The only reason my tank is still running is due to some TBS liverock. It introduced an insane amount of biodiversity, like bacteria, crabs, pistol shrimp, rare coral (dinos killed them ), a killer worm (who was killed), mantis shrimp, sponges, etc. I still have new things popping up two years later!

This is what hold me back, the last thing I want to be doing with my life is chasing a mantis shrimp around my 450G tank like an ****** before it kills $1,000's worth of fish. It will be like the first Alien movie trying to kill the thing before it grows big.

F that. I am about to pull the trigger on some TBS rock...hoping I get lucky.

 

[Sump Crab]

This is what hold me back, the last thing I want to be doing with my life is chasing a mantis shrimp around my 450G tank like an ****** before it kills $1,000's worth of fish. It will be like the first Alien movie trying to kill the thing before it grows big.

F that. I am about to pull the trigger on some TBS rock...hoping I get lucky.

I could be wrong but I think mantis shrimp is less likely to hitchhike on keys rock (kP aquatics). You would have to ask KP though.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I could be wrong but I think mantis shrimp is less likely to hitchhike on keys rock (kP aquatics). You would have to ask KP though.

I’ve ordered from tbs before, from what I remember reading the mantis shrimp are very rare but would be a total bummer if I ended up with one. Going to order from KP also but their stock is limited and the price is high (not a complaint, I know it’s good stuff). 500 lbs would be $$$

 

[geeked]

I've used dry rock and used live ocean rock. Both have pros and cons. I liked dry rock more in the end, live ocean rock looked better in the beginning but most things die off pretty quick. Dry rock with Dr. Tims bacteria is perfect for me.

 

[chousecat]

I totally agree. If I had known that good live rock would work wonders, well I don’t think I would have lost so many dang animals to dinoflagellates!

Doing my research on live rock for my next tank, so you're saying the biodiversity that comes with live rock would decrease your chances of getting Dinos? Cause that is a big one for me! Had a small fight with them and said no more

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Doing my research on live rock for my next tank, so you're saying the biodiversity that comes with live rock would decrease your chances of getting Dinos? Cause that is a big one for me! Had a small fight with them and said no more

Live ocean rock is what you really want. Just think about the complexity in regards to what serves as the building blocks of a coral reef. It's practically unimaginable how much life there is within a single square inch of live ocean rock and each organism serves a purpose and helps support other life forms. I've started multiple tanks with rock fresh out of the Indo Pacific and can't say I've had to suffer what so many people believe is inevitable "the uglies". That's not actually a process you have to go through if you use live ocean rock. There is a difference between live ocean rock and LFS live rock that was dry 2 weeks ago before being dunked in bottled bac...a big difference. Still even that would probably be better than bone dry dry rock though.

 

[C4ctus99]

Doing my research on live rock for my next tank, so you're saying the biodiversity that comes with live rock would decrease your chances of getting Dinos? Cause that is a big one for me! Had a small fight with them and said no more

I can’t speak to Dino’s… I haven’t been doing this very long and never encountered them.

I got just some base coralline rock and within about a month had a booming amphipod population, a free crab, brittle star, and some other neat stuff that I think helped keep my tank in good condition. Did not really have to worry too much about over feeding cause there were plenty of detrivores to pick up the rest

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Doing my research on live rock for my next tank, so you're saying the biodiversity that comes with live rock would decrease your chances of getting Dinos? Cause that is a big one for me! Had a small fight with them and said no more

Yeah, in theory. More experienced hobbyists believe that the biodiversity aids in mitigation. You might have a small bloom if the nutrients bottoms out, but the local bacteria and microorganisms are usually very good at taking care of it. Just make sure the nutrients isn’t super low, a tank that is slightly dirty will fare better.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

This is what hold me back, the last thing I want to be doing with my life is chasing a mantis shrimp around my 450G tank like an ****** before it kills $1,000's worth of fish. It will be like the first Alien movie trying to kill the thing before it grows big.

F that. I am about to pull the trigger on some TBS rock...hoping I get lucky.

What I would have done differently with mine (if I had the $$$ of course,) would be keeping the rock in a separate tank, even a sump would work, and placing some feeder mollies inside to look for signs of predators. If you do end up with a mantis, you will probably be able to bait it out in a trap. Usually the ones shipped in rocks are smashers, so the fish would most likely be just fine (medium and up sized will not care.) I have seen a few people feed them heavily to keep them from smacking fish, sometimes it works!