Tampa bay saltwater

Guttersnipe · Jun 6, 2020

Hi reef2reef!
Have any of you ordered rocks from Tampa bay saltwater before? What was your experience? How was the delivery process? Was it easy to pick it up from the airport?
Thanks guys!

Beardo · Jun 6, 2020

I purchased from them back in early 2016. Great experience for me and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
As far as the process at the airport, that was easy. Southwest had a seperate building at the airport (Oakland) and was overall pretty painless.

You will get some hitchhikers, some good some not so good. I had lots of pistol shrimp, red mithrax crabs, porclein crabs, gorilla crabs, a couple mantis shrimp and some parasitic isopods. The worst were the isopods but waiting to add fish starved them out.
Hitchikers don't bother me and can be dealt with. Well worth it to get good liverock.

Guttersnipe · Jun 6, 2020

Beardo said:
I purchased from them back in early 2016. Great experience for me and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
As far as the process at the airport, that was easy. Southwest had a seperate building at the airport (Oakland) and was overall pretty painless.

You will get some hitchhikers, some good some not so good. I had lots of pistol shrimp, red mithrax crabs, porclein crabs, gorilla crabs, a couple mantis shrimp and some parasitic isopods. The worst were the isopods but waiting to add fish starved them out.
Hitchikers don't bother me and can be dealt with. Well worth it to get good liverock.

Thank you so much for your input. This is exactly what I was looking for. How many pounds did you get? How is the shape and size?

Beardo · Jun 6, 2020

Had to find my old emails to Richard to refresh my memory.
I ordered just 100 pounds. I had some cured rock already to supplement. Did a mix of thr pukaki and eco 2.1. Shapes were good, no complaints. Richard will work with you on any specific requests.

Here is a pic from when I first set the tank up back in early 2016 and before I moved any livestock over from my previous 240, just to give you an idea. Things have changed significantly between a move and my inability to leave well enough alone.

Guttersnipe · Jun 6, 2020

Beardo said:
Had to find my old emails to Richard to refresh my memory.
I ordered just 100 pounds. I had some cured rock already to supplement. Did a mix of thr pukaki and eco 2.1. Shapes were good, no complaints. Richard will work with you on any specific requests.

Here is a pic from when I first set the tank up back in early 2016 and before I moved any livestock over from my previous 240, just to give you an idea. Things have changed significantly between a move and my inability to leave well enough alone.

Wow! That is beautiful. Thank you for posting this. I am definitely sold on getting some.

DerekAnthony · Jun 6, 2020

Just got 50 pounds in March. Pick up was extremely easy. Mixed in new tank with 40lbs Caribsea lifelock. Have caught 4 gorilla crabs, found emerald crabs, mantis shrimp, snails, bunch of sponges and sea fans, 80% happy with my rock sizes/shapes. I wish I would of done more of TBS rock and less life rock tbh. Been loving discovering new critters.

Vigo_the_mack · Jun 6, 2020

I will never do a tank again without tbs or something similar.. I set up a tank right after covid hit so couldn’t get it from Tampa bay, but found KP aquatics and was happy with that also. Real live rock is so much fun.

Difrano · Jun 6, 2020

Guttersnipe said:
Hi reef2reef!
Have any of you ordered rocks from Tampa bay saltwater before? What was your experience? How was the delivery process? Was it easy to pick it up from the airport?
Thanks guys!

I setup my first tank a biocube 32 with TBS rocks 5 years ago, it was awesome, first thing no cycle at all my tank went straight to Nitrates, second the hitchhikers it was amazing to discover something new everyday even for years, last month I upgraded the biocube to a RSR 250 and when I moved the rock discovered a lot of sponges, tunicates, dusters, snails even a couple of gulf pistol shrimp dropped during the transfer that I never added to the tank. I did not get any bad hitchhikers. I am pretty sure there is at least a mantis in the rock because I can hear the loud snapping, but have never seen it. And Third the attention and service by Richard, I live in Orlando and scheduled a pickup because I was going to the beach in Clearwater, I was very late coming back for the pickup and he put the rocks on his front porch at 10 PM for me to take them! that was just awesome.

I am contacting him for more rock for my 250, but looks like they cannot dive yet, I am expecting phase 2 of reopening here in FL will bring them back to work.

liverock · Jun 12, 2020

~~It has been a really rough 2020 for us ......covid....and weather....~~

Guttersnipe · Jun 12, 2020

liverock said:
~~It has been a really rough 2020 for us ......covid....and weather....~~

I will be ordering this weekend. Are you able to ship during this time?

Scruffymonk · Jun 12, 2020

Also interested in knowing when shipping will resume, as I was planning to place an order next week.

Guttersnipe · Jun 16, 2020

Scruffymonk said:
Also interested in knowing when shipping will resume, as I was planning to place an order next week.

I messaged them. Richard said he’s not shipping at the moment. But I can place and order and be on the wait list.
What’s going on in Florida that’s preventing the shipping of rocks?

Guttersnipe · Jun 17, 2020

hoju74 · Jun 17, 2020

Just got an order from KP and it's great. Currently cycling in my 120g

Fishcrisp · Jun 17, 2020

hoju74 said:
Just got an order from KP and it's great. Currently cycling in my 120g

I agree KP rocks is great they even have an option to shop with water. I try ordering from Tampa bay saltwater,but i had to wait a while.

hoju74 · Jun 17, 2020

Fishcrisp said:
I agree KP rocks is great they even have an option to shop with water. I try ordering from Tampa bay saltwater,but i had to wait a while.

I was going to try Tampa Bay, but Richard said he wasn't shipping at the moment. The only thing that would've delayed my KP shipment would've been weather.

Fishcrisp · Jun 17, 2020

hoju74 said:
I was going to try Tampa Bay, but Richard said he wasn't shipping at the moment. The only thing that would've delayed my KP shipment would've been weather.

Yea same here,he said it would be a while. Don't know the reason why. But im happy with KP rock.

User1 · Jun 17, 2020

I've never used TBS rock. However, I have from time to time exchanged emails with Richard @ TBS and found him to be a great person. Both just in general chit chat to mens health to reefing. Biggest mistake I made in this hobby was not using aquaculture rock. Two years into my current tank and only now do I believe it is 80% ready.

Here is an example of dry pukani rock matured for 2 years. Notice the red boxes? I've removed rock, turned it in some cases 180 degrees, and it is right back to square one looking like I just placed it into the tank. Yes, 2 years in and I can move some rock around and get that bare, moon base nine, sterile look. What I mean is that the rock is so porous that it takes a very long time to get the corraline algae and other bio diversity to wrap all of it up.

I know it is expensive up front. Two in college when I did my upgrade so I had to choose. Looking back it was a mistake. Looking forward I won't make it again

hoju74 · Jun 17, 2020

One of my favorite parts of getting the tank going was watching the rock come alive, so it was worth the expense to me. Not to mention all the bio-diversity you get by going this route.

DeniseAndy · Jun 17, 2020

I had an order into TBS and had to cancel because I really needed it sooner. Richard was great and I will order when he gets back to shipping. I used Gulliverock.com instead and it came in great. Easy pick up at airport (I got the ship in water option).
I want to try KP at some point too. Only been a week with the rock, but no major die off and looks great. Only found one mantis shrimp so far. Fun to see it growing in my observation tank. New stuff every day to see.
This is it after 24 hours: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/210g-acrylic-dream.385161/page-6