This stuff will have to cure for a couple of weeks since they just got it in...FYI I'm planing on doing a water change after it cures then I'll run carbon and gfo for a couple of days
This stuff looks awesome. I made the drive down to the shop to see what came in - this is the first fresh rock shipment of the '15 season, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. You will certainly want to cycle it our separate from a reef, unless you're starting a brand new system, in which case this stuff would start you a RICH cycle - and seed you with what appears to be 3 distinct corallines, a couple macro algae, and various hangers-on... In previous years, this stuff has proven to be RIFE with life, and this batch seems to be the same. Skimmer is really working on the rock system now!!!
Got my rock on Wednesday and again I was very happy with it!! As for fresh...you couldn't get any fresher!! In the bottom of the box was 2 crabs and a mantis shrimp!! Talk about fresh!!
The newer batch had more coralline and less shrimps/crabs... yet we still pulled a porcelain crab out, found a couple pistols, and some nice pieces sporting macro algae - teacup, feather, couple reds. Still some great pieces in there - most of it doesn't need to cure any longer, the rock pools have handled that well and there are only a couple larger ones with any odor left. The boss did post pictures.
AND - the Fiji that's cooking right now is stellar as well! Not some base rock, not typical dense boat rock - this has shape, caves and hollows, shelves and branches... It's BARELY started to cook though, so that stuff should wait. It's more dense than the Manado, but it makes up for that with some very interesting shapes and a huge variety of sizes. We were trying today to decide what it looks like to us... maybe Pukani? Or if anyone remembers some of the old Timora?
Here is a piece of the manado I picked up last week. It's been cycling for about 10 days now. The growth is tremendous for a new tank and really jump started this 20 gallon.
Rock came in today . Well packaged n the boxes were not a soggy wet mess . I looked at a few pieces and it's definitely fresh .
I called PA n left a message to call me back . I will post pictures later after they call me back .