Nah, ocean live rock or bust. Amazing stuff.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.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Nah, ocean live rock or bust. Amazing stuff.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.
I used to think that way, but after fighting uglies for 3 years I've come around. I'll skewer a few gorilla crabs and mantis shrimp if I don't have to deal with GHA, bryopsis, dino, and chryso outbreaks every other month.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.
Most people used to "cure" it in holding bins with a skimmer for a few weeks to keep die-off manageable and pic out the bad hitchhikers. When we got imported rock from Fiji, Tonga, Marshal Islands, etc. it was often days on the dock or in pools of water in to the sun, etc. It just had less live macro inverts, but still came with die off and aiptasia, etc.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.
lolNope, probably one of the best things you can do for a new tank to Jumpstart your biome.
Yup. My dry rock tank = me ripping out GHA, blackouts, siphoning, etc, for years. Aiptasia came in through frags.I used to think that way, but after fighting uglies for 3 years I've come around. I'll skewer a few gorilla crabs and mantis shrimp if I don't have to deal with GHA, bryopsis, dino, and chryso outbreaks every other month.
I’m pretty sure tide pool corals are really different than the ones in the hobby. And not a lot of things actually get exposed at tide pools. Most life are in the little pools of water that probably have huge fluctuations of salinity.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.
From internet site:I’m pretty sure tide pool corals are really different than the ones in the hobby. And not a lot of things actually get exposed at tide pools. Most life are in the little pools of water that probably have huge fluctuations of salinity.
Local guy was selling old Marshall Islands and Fiji rock from the 70s that was in his garage. I bought enough for my new build and then some. Wish I had bought the lot. These rocks are amazing.Most people used to "cure" it in holding bins with a skimmer for a few weeks to keep die-off manageable and pic out the bad hitchhikers. When we got imported rock from Fiji, Tonga, Marshal Islands, etc. it was often days on the dock or in pools of water in to the sun, etc. It just had less live macro inverts, but still came with die off and aiptasia, etc.
It certainly has its risk with regard to importing unwanted life, but it is a faster way to stability for many people.
If the "old" pacific LR was still available I would take that any day over gulf maricultured rock, but choices are pretty limited now. Sadly, I had 5 gallons pails full of fiji and tonga lumps and rubble.. I think it all went into a dumpster several years ago on accident when cleaning a storage area.
That hitchhiker looks tired... What is it?Here's an updated pic now that the water has cleared a few hours, and my first hitchhiker.
Found this nem surfing around the sand bed (guessing lightbulb?)
I am so very embarrassed for what I paid for my rock.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.
My best guess was lightbulb nem. Could be a corkscrew, could be aiptasia. My peppermint will probably eat it either way. It committed an aiptasia genocide on the last rock in the tank. I mean like 200+ heads in about 3 weeks. Never saw another one after.That hitchhiker looks tired... What is it?
I can't speak to other experiences. This was my first time ordering with them. Other reviews I read had them hit or miss, so I took a gamble to save some money. We'll see how it turns out with time.Mine was all individually wrapped in soaked paper towels and that was only a few months ago. I *DID* have a lot of anemones I had to zap but the sponges, tunicates and corals survived and have done well