Should you Really be so Scared of Hitchhikers?

[PeterEde]

Todays live rock isn’t anywhere as near as bad 15 years ago when you had a high rate of bad hitchhikers. I used to be scared to reach into live rock tanks for fear of mantis shrimp and blue ring octopuses!

I was present at my lfs for delivery of lr and they got 2 octopus from it. One I picked up from the floor. Awesome

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I was present at my lfs for delivery of lr and got 2 octopus from it. Awesome

Cool...where from? (Source of the rock)

 

[PeterEde]

Cool...where from? (Source of the rock)

Gbr is their source

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Gbr is their source

Cool... probably originally from Cairns...I was actually doing research earlier to figure out just where the Australian stuff comes from

 

[i cant think]

Cool... probably originally from Cairns...I was actually doing research earlier to figure out just where the Australian stuff comes from

The majority of imports from Australia seem to come from the Pitcairn Islands however I doubt the LR does (Purely due to Australia being over 3000 miles away).

If I ever get back into the LFS systems (As in working in one) then I may be able to try and find out where certain things come from in more depth however last time I was in one we mainly went off of the waters around that country (Which can be quite vast). So if a fish was from Indonesia that’s pretty much all the information we’d get and know. The only way to tell specifically where in the water it’s from is if that fish had a colour variant for specific areas, so Scotts Wrasses have colour variants from Vanuatu, Australia, Fiji, and the Cook Islands.
Hopefully that makes Atleast some sense.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I

The majority of imports from Australia seem to come from the Pitcairn Islands however I doubt the LR does (Purely due to Australia being over 3000 miles away).

If I ever get back into the LFS systems (As in working in one) then I may be able to try and find out where certain things come from in more depth however last time I was in one we mainly went off of the waters around that country (Which can be quite vast). So if a fish was from Indonesia that’s pretty much all the information we’d get and know. The only way to tell specifically where in the water it’s from is if that fish had a colour variant for specific areas, so Scotts Wrasses have colour variants from Vanuatu, Australia, Fiji, and the Cook Islands.

My reasoning behind that is due to Cairns Marine being the major supplier of live rock in Australia...they're based in Cairns (as for where precisely the rock comes from we'll probably never know exactly but due to the heavy restrictions I doubt they expend too much of their quota on live rock from the select restricted areas instead of rare corals which they also collect)

 

[Donnydickerson]

I started my 4 year old tank with rock taken from the intercoastal ( here in FL). I don't do dips, don't quarantine, and don't freak out at something new showing up in the tank.
As of 6 months ago, I stopped doing water changes, got rid of the filter socks, and stopped using a skimmer. My filtration is only live rock, chaeto and filter floss.
So, I'm doing the opposite of everything I was told in the beginning.
The result... My fish are fat, my corals colorful and growing well, and some amazing little critters have appeared.
BTW, a LOT less work on my end!!

This is my vision. May need to talk with you more. Awesome stuff

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Is Indonesian live rock available at all in the States? If I was over there that's what I'd probably be after...

 

[Lyss]

This is my latest hitchhiker — they’re all over, multiplying and thriving in the tank for whatever reason. I have ulva and normal turf algae on the rocks but that’s it, so it’s a bit of a mystery to me as to what they’re thriving off of. Coolest find yet. Stuff like this makes up for when you find something bad. I think that rn anyway, b/c I haven’t found anything truly bad in a while.

Alyssa Yeager | New York City on Instagram: "Coolest hitchhiker yet. There are lots of these lettuce sea slugs in the reef now — this is one of the larger ones. . . . . . . #reef #reeftank #seaslug #reefer"

90 likes, 0 comments - hyperfocusnyc on August 28, 2022: "Coolest hitchhiker yet. There are lots of these lettuce sea slugs in the reef now — this is one of the larger ones. . . . . . . #reef #..."

www.instagram.com

 

[Kathy Floyd]

I have been there…Eunice damaging and nasty!

What is Eunice?

 

[Rene']

This is my latest hitchhiker — they’re all over, multiplying and thriving in the tank for whatever reason. I have ulva and normal turf algae on the rocks but that’s it, so it’s a bit of a mystery to me as to what they’re thriving off of. Coolest find yet. Stuff like this makes up for when you find something bad. I think that rn anyway, b/c I haven’t found anything truly bad in a while.

Alyssa Yeager | New York City on Instagram: "Coolest hitchhiker yet. There are lots of these lettuce sea slugs in the reef now — this is one of the larger ones. . . . . . . #reef #reeftank #seaslug #reefer"

90 likes, 0 comments - hyperfocusnyc on August 28, 2022: "Coolest hitchhiker yet. There are lots of these lettuce sea slugs in the reef now — this is one of the larger ones. . . . . . . #reef #..."

www.instagram.com

Those are awesome little algae eaters! Any crabs in your tank will eat then though

 

[Tamberav]

Hitchikers scare me… I never pick them up alongside the road…

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Hitchikers scare me… I never pick them up alongside the road…

Haha...with how some people talk about them you'd think that's what was intended

 

[PeterEde]

Cool... probably originally from Cairns...I was actually doing research earlier to figure out just where the Australian stuff comes from

Just sent off an ICP. That goes to Cairns too.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Just sent off an ICP. That goes to Cairns too.

I just saw you're in Adelaide! You already knew it came from Cairns then...I assumed like a majority of members you were from the U.S. or UK in which case I think the fact that it came from Cairns would be news to them

 

[PeterEde]

Haha...with how some people talk about them you'd think that's what was intended

I just saw you're in Adelaide! You already knew it came from Cairns then...I assumed like a majority of members you were from the U.S. or UK in which case I think the fact that it came from Cairns would be news to them

Nah just knew it was most likely from Qld. But Cairns makes sense. The LFS did tell me a name once

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Nah just knew it was most likely from Qld. But Cairns makes sense. The LFS did tell me a name once

So I'm curious what they charge for it down there given the fact that it doesn't have to be shipped across the ocean (supposedly in water too which would make it extra heavy) pretty sure in the U.S. they pay $25 USD a pound for it

 

[PeterEde]

So I'm curious what they charge for it down there given the fact that it doesn't have to be shipped across the ocean (supposedly in water too which would make it extra heavy) pretty sure in the U.S. they pay $25 USD a pound for it

$30 per Kg I think I paid.

Shipped in some water. Enough for hitch hikers to survive.

I scored many a hitch hiker. I mentioned earlier being there to see 2 octopus from one delivery. One was palm sized the other thumb nail size

 

[Twiztidninja]

Yes! what the heck is this thing?! I'm not sleeping tonight

 

[PeterEde]

Yes! what the heck is this thing?! I'm not sleeping tonight

A rock