Gulf rock arrived, but looks mostly dead. Any opinions?

[rennjidk]

Will this bounce back? I knew they weren't going to be submerged, but I at least expected them to be wrapped and wet.

Theres also a couple of bi-valves (looks like mussles?) which I'm wondering if I keep?

 

[saltytanked]

That’s exactly what you want lol It’s all gonna die anyway.

 

[steveschuerger]

The rock doesn’t look too bad. And you’d be surprised what might pop up or show up even months down the road. By the way where’d you get it from?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Doesn't look dead to me. Yes, some parts of it may be dead, but certainly not all of it.

 

[JoJosReef]

Where did this come from? And it wasn't shipped wet? Did it arrive completely dry?

Note: this is NOT exactly what you want. If it was still wet when it arrived, it should have die-off of the macrofauna on the outside, but still going to have the bacterial diversity you're looking for on the inside. Some of the outside life might persist, but I'd expect any sponges, tunicates and corals to die. Bivalves also might be hard pressed depending on how long they were dry. Have you had an ammonium spike since introducing it to the tank?

 

[rennjidk]

The rock doesn’t look too bad. And you’d be surprised what might pop up or show up even months down the road. By the way where’d you get it from?

I got it from Gulfliverock. They just filled the box and laid a wet paper towel across the top instead of actually wrapping each rock. There was maybe 3oz of water at the bottom of the container with a 1" pistol or mantis, and a couple of baby brittlestars fighting over it.

I know the crazy stuff you'll see after a couple months, so I'm hoping the inside of the rocks trapped some water and critters.

 

[saltytanked]

I got it from Gulfliverock. They just filled the box and laid a wet paper towel across the top instead of actually wrapping each rock. There was maybe 3oz of water at the bottom of the container with a 1" pistol or mantis, and a couple of baby brittlestars fighting over it.

I know the crazy stuff you'll see after a couple months, so I'm hoping the inside of the rocks trapped some water and critters.

So it was wet. That is exactly how it comes. If your expecting it to be drenched that’s not gonna happen due to gravity.

 

[steveschuerger]

I got it from Gulfliverock. They just filled the box and laid a wet paper towel across the top instead of actually wrapping each rock. There was maybe 3oz of water at the bottom of the container with a 1" pistol or mantis, and a couple of baby brittlestars fighting over it.

I know the crazy stuff you'll see after a couple months, so I'm hoping the inside of the rocks trapped some water and critters.

I’m a little surprised and disappointed to hear how it was packed. I got a 20 lb order from them last November and all the rocks were wrapped with a fair amount of water. Sounds like someone just took the lazy way out to pack.

 

[rennjidk]

I’m a little surprised and disappointed to hear how it was packed. I got a 20 lb order from them last November and all the rocks were wrapped with a fair amount of water. Sounds like someone just took the lazy way out to pack.

That's how I've always seen them packed. Idk why Im always the chosen one, lol. Amazon even delivered my sand a day late and to the wrong address, so it was a scramble getting it all together today.

 

[JoJosReef]

That's unfortunate, and I'm mentally logging that away about Gulfliverock for the future. I know that when they don't ship submerged, it is meant to be wet with paper towels, but that seems like, sorry to say, just lazy packaging.

I would imagine that fully wrapping the rocks with wet paper towels would at least help with the sponge/tunicate populations that don't particularly like exposure to air. I would imagine it also helps in trapping moisture inside the rocks.

On the plus side, it looks as if you have a viable gorg and macroalgae, so that's a plus!

 

[Lavey29]

Doesn't reef rock and corals in certain areas get exposed to dry air and sun depending on tide conditions for periods of time? So they probably dry out quick in hot sun yet everything seems to survive and thrive as the tide rolls back in.

 

[fish farmer]

I got it from Gulfliverock. They just filled the box and laid a wet paper towel across the top instead of actually wrapping each rock. There was maybe 3oz of water at the bottom of the container with a 1" pistol or mantis, and a couple of baby brittlestars fighting over it.

I know the crazy stuff you'll see after a couple months, so I'm hoping the inside of the rocks trapped some water and critters.

How many days did it take to ship? Overnight moist and not too warm/cold, you will be surprised what can survive. If it sits in the box for several days is when you expect more die off.

Does it smell? Are you monitoring ammonia in the tank? Personally when I received moist rock like this I would vat cure it and inspect/remove things that I knew were dead like sponges that smelled or turned black. My rock would usually cycled in a few weeks.

 

[jabberwock]

Hmmm, pretty good but not ideal in my experience. When I got ocean live rocks they were totally submerged. I think it will work out for you, but mine were loaded with good hitchhikers.

 

[BeanAnimal]

That is the the way it all used to be shipped. Just a box with some damp paper in it. Tonga, Fiji, etc. The rock is fine and will have die-off as is to be expected.

 

[rennjidk]

How many days did it take to ship? Overnight moist and not too warm/cold, you will be surprised what can survive. If it sits in the box for several days is when you expect more die off.

Does it smell? Are you monitoring ammonia in the tank? Personally when I received moist rock like this I would vat cure it and inspect/remove things that I knew were dead like sponges that smelled or turned black. My rock would usually cycled in a few weeks.

It was UPS overnight so fairly quick and around 80F where I live. There wasn't much of a smell, which I took as a good sign. I do not monitor ammonia and do not have a test kit for it.

 

[rennjidk]

So it was wet. That is exactly how it comes. If your expecting it to be drenched that’s not gonna happen due to gravity.

I never said I expected them to be drenched, just not dry to the touch.

If I'm paying $200 for a literal box of rocks, they can spare the $0.30 worth of paper towels and take 3 minutes to individually wrap them. That would keep them plenty moist for the 18hr trip. I don't think that's being unreasonable.

 

[braaap]

That stuff is nasty. I don't understand why people buy it. Sure if you want a pest tank it is great. But hard pass from me.

 

[Lavey29]

That stuff is nasty. I don't understand why people buy it. Sure if you want a pest tank it is great. But hard pass from me.

Nope, probably one of the best things you can do for a new tank to Jumpstart your biome.

 

[JoJosReef]

That stuff is nasty. I don't understand why people buy it. Sure if you want a pest tank it is great. But hard pass from me.

My pest tank is rockin'

 

[braaap]

My pest tank is rockin'

It does look good. But you are likely the rare example. Pretty much every time someone posts they got a mantis shrimp or aiptasia etc in that rock. Hard pass.