Gulf live rock shipment in...and some ID ?

[WheatToast]

Hers a couple pics of mine.

Phenomenal looking rock, especially with all of the different encrusting algae hues! You might want to remove the Dictyota in the first image though (or let the urchin, at the bottom of the image, consume it); it could become invasive:
https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

 

[WheatToast]

this may also be helpful as you find more life

Gulf Live Rock.com

gulfliverock.com

Great resource! I have found this website to be helpful as well:
http://web.archive.org/web/20210510215846/https://www.tbsaltwater.com/thepackage/organisms.html

 

[mehaffydr]

Phenomenal looking rock, especially with all of the different encrusting algae hues! You might want to remove the Dictyota in the first image though (or let the urchin, at the bottom of the image, consume it); it could become invasive:
https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

Thanks for the info. I will manually remove that if the urchins don't. I actually have 2 of those urchins that I have spotted so far. I will be moving this rock to my display in 3-4 weeks. Right now just giving it QT/Fallow time to be sure No Ick or Velvet
I would like to know what that large coral on the left is. It is actually encrusted some sort of clam and it moves when the clam opens and closes.

 

[JoJosReef]

Great resource! I have found this website to be helpful as well:
http://web.archive.org/web/20210510215846/https://www.tbsaltwater.com/thepackage/organisms.html

That is a great link! Can't believe I haven't seen it before. ID'd about half of my current unknowns! Thanks!

 

[Solga]

Lots of really good info in this !!
As soon as I can figure out how to get a picture of it, I have identified something else in my live rock also. Last night as my lights were wind down, I thought that I maybe had another aiptasia...but as I got to looking, all I could really see was these clear tentacles, (maybe 5-10mm long) with little tiny balls on the end of each tentacle, sticking out of the live rock. It looks as if they are coming out from inside the rock in a circular hole.
I tried to get pictures, and even turned off all of the flow, and tried to get pictures from the top, but everything was kinda blurry and hard to make out.
After a little while of searching on the links that everyone provided, and a little google searching, I have figured out that I have a hidden cup coral !!

One thing I can tell everyone who is new to getting live rock from the Gulf of Mexico, and looking for identification. Instead of just searching for "cup coral", "star coral", "rose coral", etc put the word "Caribbean" in front of them, and the search will result in a whole bunch of relevant information, rather than pictures of flowers, or 'coral' colored decorations.

 

[Solga]

Found this little guy today... (Edit: video wouldn't show, and a picture isn't clear enough). Looks like a tiny 1/8" nassarius snail.

And the corky finger is definitely looking better, and actually extending polyp tips now... and even though the colors aren't lively, I kinda like this thing.

 

[JoJosReef]

Found this little guy today...
And the corky finger is definitely looking better, and actually extending polyp tips now... and even though the colors aren't lively, I kinda like this thing.

I would consider that a prize coral if you can keep it alive and growing. The ones that come in on the rock may not pop, but I think they look great on the rock.

 

[Solga]

I would consider that a prize coral if you can keep it alive and growing. The ones that come in on the rock may not pop, but I think they look great on the rock.

I couldn't agree more ! My caribbean rose coral is actually doing pretty good too... Under blues, it has a little more bling to it tho. Lol

 

[WheatToast]

That is a great link! Can't believe I haven't seen it before. ID'd about half of my current unknowns! Thanks!

Thanks! The resource is no longer on the new Tampa Bay Saltwater website, so I had to search for it on the Internet Archive. Are there any plans to bring it back @LiverockRocks?

 

[Solga]

Thanks! The resource is no longer on the new Tampa Bay Saltwater website, so I had to search for it on the Internet Archive. Are there any plans to bring it back @LiverockRocks?

I can't speak for them, but I can say that in my email communication with them, I was told that they are hoping to have the new website going by the end of this month.

 

[LiverockRocks]

Thanks! The resource is no longer on the new Tampa Bay Saltwater website, so I had to search for it on the Internet Archive. Are there any plans to bring it back @LiverockRocks?

End of March, is the plan for the new TBS website reveal and Oh Yeah, the identification guide is coming back.

 

[Solga]

I can't find it now, but this thing was crawling on the back glass this morning when the lights came on... About the length of my pinky nail, but the witdth of a pencil...

 

[JoJosReef]

I can't find it now, but this thing was crawling on the back glass this morning when the lights came on... About the length of my pinky nail, but the witdth of a pencil...

Some type of polyclad worm?

 

[Solga]

Some type of polyclad worm?

I looked it up, and although I can't ID a specific species, it appears you are right. Here is a video of the flatworm moving... Looks as if it has eye stalks and a bushy type tail...

new found live rock hitch hiker... nudibranch

youtube.com

Small update also, about a half hour ago I seen it crawling on the front glass, so I removed it.

 

[Solga]

After looking at the video a few dozen times, I'm not so sure it isn't some kind of nudibranch, instead of a flatworm...

 

[WheatToast]

After looking at the video a few dozen times, I'm not so sure it isn't some kind of nudibranch, instead of a flatworm...

I am no expert on these, but I am seeing rhinopores (the pair of tentacles on the front) and cerata (the gill plume on the back) on the creature, which are characteristic of nudibranchs.

 

[Solga]

I am no expert on these, but I am seeing rhinopores (the pair of tentacles on the front) and cerata (the gill plume on the back) on the creature, which are characteristic of nudibranchs.

Thank you for that picture and the explanation!! I was trying to figure out what the bushy tail (gill) thing was, but didn't quite know how to describe it to look it up.
The coloration & markings of the one that was crawling on my glass kinda threw me off too. My eyes are not good enough to get a good look at it, without some kind of magnification, like through my phone.
Thanks again !

 

[Bert47]

Lol, it's in the title of this thread. But yeah, just like a couple others have said, it's from gulf live rock . com. It's the 17 pound nano package, and I had it shipped overnight to my door. Very little die off, and a nice ocean smell. So far, no mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp, or gorilla crabs.

Thank you for the pics and the explanation ! I'll probably just rinse mine I the 5 gallon buckets that I used the first time then.


Thank you !! I am more than pleased with them

Gulf life rock

I live on the gulf coast in Mississippi so I thought he was just talking about rock that came out of the Gulf of Mexico lol. I wonder if gulf live rock is in driving distance of me?

 

[Solga]

I live on the gulf coast in Mississippi so I thought he was just talking about rock that came out of the Gulf of Mexico lol. I wonder if gulf live rock is in driving distance of me?

As far as I know, the company Gulf Live Rock, as well as Tampa Bay Saltwater, are located in Tampa Florida. Not sure of the driving distance, but I have used both companies, and have nothing but good things to say about both of them !!

 

[Bert47]

As far as I know, the company Gulf Live Rock, as well as Tampa Bay Saltwater, are located in Tampa Florida. Not sure of the driving distance, but I have used both companies, and have nothing but good things to say about both of them !!

Probably a little further than I would like to drive but shipping to my door should be fine I think I’m about 10 hours away. Should stay wet for that long with minimal die off if any.