TBS Live Rock and Sand Disease Risk

Aaron Stone

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Messages
114
Reaction score
117
Location
Reno, NV
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am currently setting up a new tank and am curious what everyone's thoughts are on disease risk with TBS Live Rock and Sand (inch, velvet..)

I am trying to be a little more serious about fish quarantine this go around, though I have never had a problem in the past, and am wondering what the chances are of introducing fish disease from the start. If I am going through the effort of quarantining each fish as they come in, should I run the tank fallow for a period of time?
 

Fish Fan

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 8, 2017
Messages
4,191
Reaction score
10,188
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I'm a big fan of TBS live rock and sand, as well as trying to be very proactive about biosecurity. What I would personally suggest is that you start your tank off with their rock and sand, and just let it go for at least 45 days to maybe 60 days without any fish, and any fish parasites will simply die off without a fish to complete their lifecycle. After that time, add in quarantined fish only. In the first couple of months, you'll be amazed at all the critters and creatures that come on the rocks and sand, you'll be finding new things almost daily, so you won't even miss the fish :) Good luck!
 
OP
OP
Aaron Stone

Aaron Stone

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Messages
114
Reaction score
117
Location
Reno, NV
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I completely plan to use the live rock. Always have, and hopefully always will. It was more a question on the chance of bringing in disease along with it.

I'm a big fan of TBS live rock and sand, as well as trying to be very proactive about biosecurity. What I would personally suggest is that you start your tank off with their rock and sand, and just let it go for at least 45 days to maybe 60 days without any fish, and any fish parasites will simply die off without a fish to complete their lifecycle. After that time, add in quarantined fish only. In the first couple of months, you'll be amazed at all the critters and creatures that come on the rocks and sand, you'll be finding new things almost daily, so you won't even miss the fish :) Good luck!

That is a good point on not being bored without fish in the tank given all the fun critters. I think I will go this route. Thank you for the advise.
 

Fish Fan

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 8, 2017
Messages
4,191
Reaction score
10,188
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I completely plan to use the live rock. Always have, and hopefully always will. It was more a question on the chance of bringing in disease along with it.



That is a good point on not being bored without fish in the tank given all the fun critters. I think I will go this route. Thank you for the advise.
Their stuff comes right out of the ocean, so I think you have to assume that parasites will come on the rocks. But a two month fallow period, and they should all die out. Good luck!
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
76,144
Reaction score
75,343
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not that I know of, but it makes sense to be to be cautious here. Do you not agree?

It just seems far fetched to me to be a significant risk. I personally would not wait to add fish for that reason.
 

dangles

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
1,440
Reaction score
1,893
Location
Ohio
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
I used TBS sand to start my tank. Love it. A few months later I did an AquaBiomics TankDNA test because of a couple of random fish deaths. It came back completely clean of fish parasites/disease.

Obviously this is just a single “case study” so take it for what you will. But I would personally have zero hesitation doing it again.

Anecdotally, I have not read about anybody here doing TBS live rock or sand and regretting it (aside from a few larger pests like mantis shrimp or gorilla crabs). Quite the opposite. Nearby everybody I see post about it loves it. YMMV of course.
 

Fish Fan

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 8, 2017
Messages
4,191
Reaction score
10,188
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I don't know, I have heard of stories where people claim they got ich from a frag plug, so why not a rock? I've personally been doing the whole "quarantine everything 'wet'" of late, and to me that includes the rocks and sand. I really don't mind the wait, the rock is loaded with life and super interesting critters. I would use that time to QT the fish I wanted to add in a separate, medicated QT tank, which is about a two month process (using the R2R QT protocol by Jay Hemdal et. al.).
 

logibear

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 2, 2024
Messages
98
Reaction score
109
Location
Denver
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I used TBS sand to start my tank. Love it. A few months later I did an AquaBiomics TankDNA test because of a couple of random fish deaths. It came back completely clean of fish parasites/disease.

Obviously this is just a single “case study” so take it for what you will. But I would personally have zero hesitation doing it again.

Anecdotally, I have not read about anybody here doing TBS live rock or sand and regretting it (aside from a few larger pests like mantis shrimp or gorilla crabs). Quite the opposite. Nearby everybody I see post about it loves it. YMMV of course.
The amazing women that run TBS have also (reportedly) had their tanks tested for disease and was found to have none present. I trust them. @LiverockRocks
 

jabberwock

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2018
Messages
4,302
Reaction score
5,478
Location
in front of my computer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm a big fan of TBS live rock and sand, as well as trying to be very proactive about biosecurity. What I would personally suggest is that you start your tank off with their rock and sand, and just let it go for at least 45 days to maybe 60 days without any fish, and any fish parasites will simply die off without a fish to complete their lifecycle. After that time, add in quarantined fish only. In the first couple of months, you'll be amazed at all the critters and creatures that come on the rocks and sand, you'll be finding new things almost daily, so you won't even miss the fish :) Good luck!
Love TBS, and would say this is not a bad idea to also give you some time move rocks around and pluck out bad hitchhikers. Check my tank thread to see how I prepared for TBS live rock.
 

Kasrift

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 2, 2022
Messages
11,081
Reaction score
18,401
Location
San Diego
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
It just seems far fetched to me to be a significant risk. I personally would not wait to add fish for that reason.
I generally agree with everyone that live rock has great benefits, however someone recently (I see the post below where Aquabiomics came back good) sent an Aquabiomics and found ich.

I think if people are quarantining inverts, frags, etc., it'd be fair to say there could be something that slips through on rock just as easily. If someone is going to be fastidious on QT for everything, I agree with getting the rock and running your cycling for a full fallow period.

As a side note, I didn't read about this until recently, but I bought live rock in December and am using it to seed some dry rock and it won't see the display tank until another 5 weeks (also because I haven't set up my 200g yet). I'd assume at that point it will be clean of any parasites since it is some live rock with dry rock that is being seeded with pods that I'm culturing and phyto to feed the bacteria and pods.
 

spsick

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Messages
1,812
Reaction score
2,261
Location
Mpls, MN
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I’ll second (or third) that starting a tank with real ocean live rock with have 5 steps ahead of trying to create a sterile environment.

Just have to run it long enough to find the gorilla crabs and mantis shrimp if you go with Gulf rock. Not sure about Aussie rock.
 

Fish Fan

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 8, 2017
Messages
4,191
Reaction score
10,188
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I had a follow up thought I just want to share here. Again, how strict you want to be when QT'ing new livestock is a personal choice for sure. But many here at R2R like to QT everything "wet", so fish of course, but also inverts like snails, crabs, shrimp, etc. If it's possible that something like a snail could have ich on or inside it, would it not be possible that a snail that came on the TBS rocks could bring in parasites?

Again, I freely admit that the likelihood of getting a disease causing organism this way is very low, but to me a two month fallow when you first get your rock is insurance. Use that time to trap and remove and unwanted hitchhikers, and QT your fish in another tank.
 

steveschuerger

I love Gonis and Euphyllia. Maybe too much
View Badges
Joined
Dec 11, 2021
Messages
20,557
Reaction score
49,037
Location
Beantown
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’ve used live rock from TBS, KP and Gulf Live and added it when there were fish several times. No issues with weird fish diseases. I’d feel confident recommending that you put fish in sooner than later.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

IS THERE A FISH THAT YOU SWEAR YOU WILL NEVER OWN AGAIN?

  • Yes! I can think of at least one fish that I will never own again.

    Votes: 122 66.7%
  • No. I like all my fish!

    Votes: 41 22.4%
  • Maybe, but I think would give the fish one more chance.

    Votes: 16 8.7%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 4 2.2%

New Posts

Back
Top