tampa bay saltwater live rock

[youareafever]

hi, just wanted to get a second opinion on the 65 gallon "package" from the tampa bay saltwater website. it includes live rock, live sand, and all kinds of kritters. it would be great if someone who bought from them before can tell me how there experience was with the whole ordering, shipping, recieving and what not.

thanks,
ray

 

[mr_X]

i don't see a 65 gallon package on the site, but the 55 gallon package consists of 110 pounds of live rock. i think that's more than you need.
also, i think it's a little soon to be adding tigertail cucumbers and serpent stars to a new tank, and i don't think there is enough food for them yet.
i also think the amount of hermits and snails they give you is way too many.

 

[Anonymous]

Their live rock is really nice but a bit more dense than some of the pacific rock. Also, a lot of the really cool algaes, encrusting organisms , mollusks etc long term will likely die off slowly.

Usually they ship them rock and sand first then the critters later if I'm not mistaken. I'd halve the number of snails and cut the number of crabs by 3/4 and pass on the cuke - the serpent star will be fine. They are some of the easiest inverts to feed and very hardy compared to most echinoderms.

 

[Anonymous]

Now personal experience, however from what I've seen other's comment, that "per pound" you get a whole lot less rock than with other types of rock.
Also in one of Anthony Calfo's book he even says that live rock is a self-renewing resource, so the whole "aquaculture" mentality for buying from TBSW might be a bit over rated, and you won't save any money for local shipment because they ship it in water, so you're paying for them to ship you a bunch of ocean water on top of the rock.

Also unless they've changed their "package" deals have changed, they have WAY too many "kritters" for clean up and such for a tank of that size, but in their defense most places have put in too many.

 

[bleedingthought]

I don't like florida rock at all, if that helps. Dense and not interesting looking.

 

[blackcloudmedia]

I was actually thinking about getting some too. Rock that is. THe shiz my local LFS' (plural) have been trying to pass off for the past year is just insulting. Its base rock covered in dead coralline, no life, and MAYBE bacteria...who knows. Its not like you can see the bacteria. WTF. SO Im considering getting some FL rock.

P.S. I want live rock badly but Im scared to get it online, I dont want to recieve the same crap in the mail that my LFS' call live rock. WHen I first got in to the hobby I got lucky and found beautiful Fiji rock that still has its color two years later.

 

[metalac]

P.S. I want live rock badly but Im scared to get it online, I dont want to recieve the same crap in the mail that my LFS' call live rock. WHen I first got in to the hobby I got lucky and found beautiful Fiji rock that still has its color two years later.

First look around and see if a local reefer is dismantling an aquarium. I got more than half of my rock that way and it's WAAAYY better looking then the stuff I got from LFS. Just make sure that aquarium is in good shape. I got it from a reputable member over at frontierreefs forums.

 

[DaFrog]

If you go with TBS rock, you will end up with amazing sponges, nice macro algaes, porcelain crabs, amphipods, and such from the get go - I started my tank six months ago and am still amazed at the critters I have - See at http://percula.net

 

[Anonymous]

I was actually thinking about getting some too. Rock that is. THe shiz my local LFS' (plural) have been trying to pass off for the past year is just insulting. Its base rock covered in dead coralline, no life, and MAYBE bacteria...who knows. Its not like you can see the bacteria. WTF. SO Im considering getting some FL rock.

Out of curiosity what is it that you consider "live" rock. If you're expecting a plethora of sponges, corals and other lifeforms that are very visible you will be sadly disappointed regardless what you get.

P.S. I want live rock badly but Im scared to get it online, I dont want to recieve the same crap in the mail that my LFS' call live rock. WHen I first got in to the hobby I got lucky and found beautiful Fiji rock that still has its color two years later.

What color is that? Purple of the coraline? Most rock you get is going to be in transit, shipped dry (maybe with newspaper that's moist) and take 24 hours, it will arrive, stinky, stanky, and in no condition to put into a new tank.

 

[mr_X]

If you go with TBS rock, you will end up with amazing sponges, nice macro algaes, porcelain crabs, amphipods, and such from the get go - I started my tank six months ago and am still amazed at the critters I have - See at http://percula.net

you received all of those things on that page on your rock?

 

[DaFrog]

Yes - Very lucky - I need to post more pictures of teh sponges - I have 6 different types right now and some exhibit very interesting behaviors

 

[mr_X]

my friend has that same cucumber. it NEVER moves. you got a horse shoe crab on your live rock?

 

[bleedingthought]

Did you get any mantis shrimp in the rock?

 

[DaFrog]

The cuke is a filter feeder - Once it found its spot, it decided to stop moving
Yes, I had one mantis shrimp - I had to wait for it to grow to about 2" long before being able to trap it! Gave it to my LFS
I also have what I believe are two pistol shrimps - They were 1/2 long last time I saw them
The horseshoe crab came in the sand - Very interesting critter: It spends most of its time buried and only comes out about once every 10 days for half a day

 

[blackcloudmedia]

I was actually thinking about getting some too. Rock that is. THe shiz my local LFS' (plural) have been trying to pass off for the past year is just insulting. Its base rock covered in dead coralline, no life, and MAYBE bacteria...who knows. Its not like you can see the bacteria. WTF. SO Im considering getting some FL rock.

Out of curiosity what is it that you consider "live" rock. If you're expecting a plethora of sponges, corals and other lifeforms that are very visible you will be sadly disappointed regardless what you get.

The rock that they are selling looks like it came from the bottom of the sea away from light for years. Theres absolutely no coralline, no worms, nothing.

P.S. I want live rock badly but Im scared to get it online, I dont want to recieve the same crap in the mail that my LFS' call live rock. WHen I first got in to the hobby I got lucky and found beautiful Fiji rock that still has its color two years later.

What color is that? Purple of the coraline? Most rock you get is going to be in transit, shipped dry (maybe with newspaper that's moist) and take 24 hours, it will arrive, stinky, stanky, and in no condition to put into a new tank.

I know about curing live rock. And yes by color I mean coralline. WHen I got into the hobby I was lucky enough to find live rock COVERED in coralline and critters. He said it was straight from Fiji and it smelled like it too. All Im saying is IM sick of LFS making people pay hundreds of dollars for live rock that isnt so live at all.

 

[Anonymous]

Gotcha, although I'd hardly say the LFS is "making" anyone pay for it. But I do get your point.

As for sponges I got quite a few different colors/kinds of sponges in my tank, my LR was shipped "moist" not wet, did go through the funk of all hell when curing, and some did pull through. Getting sponges is great, however keeping them will require you to have the proper conditions and flow, since they are by in large only filter feeders.

 

[mr_X]

i had some strangely looking coralline on the rock i got. green mostly. nothing else really. meanwhile, a year later, i have purple sponges, yellow sponges, and white sponges, and the green coralline didn't make it.
i guess you just have to wait and see what happens. :?

 

[Anonymous]

I've had a rainbow variety of coraline as well, although every time the purple kind always dominates, tis a shame too some reds & yellow versions are quite pretty.

 

[blackcloudmedia]

Shipping Would cost about $350.00 via fed ex to your door, of p/u at the airport shipping would be $60...not much of a choice!

----- Original Message -----
From: The Black Cloud Media Company
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 2:28 PM
Subject: shipping to Jacksonville

Hi I am in Orange Park/Jacksonville Fl. Is it possible to get a shipment of 20 lbs of sand, and 10 lbs of rock straight to my door? It is impossible with my schedule to make the hour and a half drive in traffic to JAX airport. If so what would be the price range.

Thanks for your time.