TBS Rock and Weight

[Anonymous]

Being that I’m going with a Caribbean tank I wanted to go with Caribbean rock (and try to get some hard corals in the process). But I have concerns with the weight of TBS rock. How much weight/stress can the bottom of standard glass tanks take? IIRC the old 55 had 100lbs of dense gulf rock + a DSB in it. It worried me at the time. Additionally, living in CA there’s always the chance of small quakes where things might shift a tad or settle. Is this an issue I need to worry about?

I also remember hearing a long time ago of people putting a thin sheet of styrofoam between the bottom of the tank and the stand. Was this to push up against the glass and reinforce it? Does it work?

-Gregory

 

[jamesw]

I think the TBS rock is a great idea. I like the fact that they ship it totally wet and that you get a lot more life that survives than you would w/ indo-pacific rock. Not to mention it's the RIGHT life if you want a caribbean tank.

I don't know what to say about the weight. For a 55g you're talking about 120# or rock or something vs say 75 for fiji. Is that difference a major concern? I use styrofoam under my tank, but it's flat on the bottom, aka frameless. I would be careful putting styro under the bottom of it might bend the bottom up and crack it. The tank is designed to support the weight on the frame, not the bottom glass.

Cheers
James

 

[Saltlick]

The foam trick is designed to balance out minor variations in level so that the tank can be
under a tremendous amount of stress and still not have the "camel's back break" over a
tiny error in tank build. Always a good idea, but it will not make your tank stronger.
If you are planning a decent sand bed of 2 inches or more, I think alot of rock is OK.
But you are spot on about the weight. TBS is some heavy rock. Keep in mind you will need
to feed this rock phytoplankton or zoplankton from day 1 to keep 80% of the creatures
on the rock alive past the first week. Then all this life you paid for is gone except some
of the coral species. Your sponge may hang longer, but it will want the phytoplankton too
to live any length of time. But the barnacles will want near constant additives, as will some
of the other neato stuff that TBS is known for. Most times in the end you just have ugly,
heavy base rock and nice memories or photos.

 

[Anonymous]

The foam trick is designed to balance out minor variations in level so that the tank can be
under a tremendous amount of stress and still not have the "camel's back break" over a
tiny error in tank build. Always a good idea, but it will not make your tank stronger.
If you are planning a decent sand bed of 2 inches or more, I think alot of rock is OK.
But you are spot on about the weight. TBS is some heavy rock. .

Cool. Like the styrofoam idea.

Keep in mind you will need to feed this rock phytoplankton or zoplankton from day 1 to keep 80% of the creatures on the rock alive past the first week. Then all this life you paid for is gone except some of the coral species. Your sponge may hang longer, but it will want the phytoplankton too
to live any length of time. But the barnacles will want near constant additives, as will some
of the other neato stuff that TBS is known for. Most times in the end you just have ugly,
heavy base rock and nice memories or photos.

Yeah….I’ve been giving this some thought. This tank is going to be a 65 or 75 gal tall. The current plan is to initially plumb both the permanent sump AND a spare 125gal to increase the water volume during the cycling process. This way I can feed heavily and keep a good handle on the ammonia/nitrite levels with water changes.

Whadda ya think?

-Gregory

 

[jamesw]

I think you should just go with a bigger tank then

Cheers
James

 

[Saltlick]

Oh I don't think you need an overly elaborate plan for cycling, I was just pointing out that
if you are getting the rock specifically for the life on it, know beforehand that it is
covered mostly with barnacles. If you've never seen them feed, it takes you by surprise
the first time you put the rock in the water and these fans pop out and take a scoop of water in.
Giddy is the way I would describe it. Your rock looks covered with life. And then one day
they are all dead cause you didn't feed them phyto and zooplankton 4 times a day. But
there are certain items that are TBS typical that are likely to stay on through the toughest of
times. And the rocks will be covered in cool things. 75% of which will not make it whether you
cycle with the rocks in or out.

Personally I would use no rock to cycle. I would cycle with a dead piece of formerly raw shrimp
on my blank sand bed and just let all the various bacteria grow, then I would order a few pounds
of live sand and tank sludge from Premium Aquatics to seed your sand bed and refugium or sump.
I would feed the sand bed a few flakes of food or pellets, and once I began to see creatures like
bristleworms or brittle stars popping out for a snack, I would order my TBS rock and end the cycle
that way. That rock will come ready to drop in. Again, I do not like the stuff personally, but it does
have life on it. I wish you all the luck in the world on your aquatic endeavor. And remember, salt
costs money, no sense in greatly increasing your water volume to prevent water problems. You
are in a situation where you are actually trying to start water problems, hehe. You want the bacterial
solution to those problems to establish itself. Not that you don't KNOW this, just sayin.....

 

[Anonymous]

I would imagine that as those barnacles start dying, you're ammonia levels will skyrocket as well.

 

[Saltlick]

Not so much. They are about the size of a brine shrimp, and it is a slow death rate, say 30-50 over two weeks.
Not that it has NO effect, but I think the tank as a whole handles it like a speed bump.

 

[Anonymous]

Personally I would use no rock to cycle. I would cycle with a dead piece of formerly raw shrimp
on my blank sand bed and just let all the various bacteria grow, then I would order a few pounds
of live sand and tank sludge from Premium Aquatics to seed your sand bed and refugium or sump.
I would feed the sand bed a few flakes of food or pellets, and once I began to see creatures like
bristleworms or brittle stars popping out for a snack, I would order my TBS rock and end the cycle
that way. That rock will come ready to drop in. ..

I appreciate the advise.....It certainly makes more sense than my idea. Given the last time I cycled a tank the conventional wisdom was to throw in a bunch of borrowed damsels from the LFS (always thought this was a bit cruel) I was trying to adapt the cycling/curing info on the TBS page and minimize die off. I really like the idea of having it “pre-cycled” and then adding the rock. Makes much more sense…Thanks!

I think you should just go with a bigger tank then

Don't worry, it won't go to waste. :wink:

-Gregory

 

[Saltlick]

You will probably get a little diatom bloom when you put the rock in after the cycle.
Brown patches on the sand, glass and rock. That should go away or be eaten by snails.