Hey there,I was so excited after BRS and Ryan talked about how great TBS products were and was going to add their sand and rubble to the new tank I’m about to build. While I understand there will be hitchhikers per their website and most of them good; Aptasia is a very different kind of problem. Can someone from TBS respond on the increase in bad hitchhikers I’ve seen on R2R posts lately?
And before anyone slams me that there are no guarantees in what you get with live products, I am specifically asking since TBS cites very little issues like these and many on this site have used the product on many generations of their tanks.
I am really wanting to get this product and love everything the brand stands for, but as a very new reefer, I’m trying to be as cautious as one can.
The Tampa Bay Saltwater farm was the first live rock farm in Florida, it is located in the Gulf off Tarpon Springs. Lifeforms found on the farm have been consistent over the past decades. Couple things to keep in mind, the water temps historically swing from the high 40s to the high 80s. This temp fluctuation is not conducive to the many fish/coral diseases. Our holding system is run on natural salt water with no UV sterilizing, no dosing, no skimming and no additives. We do not contaminate our system by buying/selling fish/coral from other parts of the country/world. Everything is diver harvested from the Gulf of Mexico.
If you are concerned about certain hitchhikers:
Add TBS products to a life supporting, appropriately sized aquarium complete with oxygenated flowing water, and light. This could be the display tank or an observation tank depending on your situation. We recommend waiting at least a week before slowly adding lifeforms, you can wait longer to observe. During this time, you will have the opportunity to pick and choose what hikers you want or don't want. Dislike macroalgae, pick it off. Intimidated by a gorilla, set a trap. See a whelk, grab it out. Unwanted nem, add a peppermint. Baby octopus, net at night. Snapping pistol shrimp, buy a goby. Tiny isopod, wait it out. Horrified by mantis, trap and sell. Stone crab, melt butter. Expired tunicate, scrape it off. Tulip snail, save the shell. Cup coral, let it be.
Folks, we harvest from the ocean! J & M touch every rock more than 5x and in doing so remove hikers that the majority of our customers don't want. Keep the big picture in mind, our products have 0 of 10 known coral pathogens, 0 of 42 known fish pathogens and 0 of suspected coral pathogens. I'd be far more worried about the unquarantined fish added to the tank then a disliked trappable lifeform.
Rock on.