Transhipped fish??? LivestockUSA???

Cassian · Sep 6, 2019

puffy127 said:
You should do an unboxing video or take lots of photos.

I might do that!

Cassian · Sep 6, 2019

Demmelition4 said:
I got tonga acros from them a couple months ago and everything went really smooth and (knock on wood) still have all the acros.

I also am 100% done ordering from LA as I have had horrible luck with them over the past couple months,

Nice! I was considering getting some acros from them later on.

Same here with LA. I’m sick of them

EMeyer · Sep 6, 2019

malacoda said:
Sorry to highjack the thread OP...

+1 on it being Walt Smith rock. I just got a 50lb box from them this past March. (Knew it was Walt Smith rock since they clearly say so .. and yes it's denser and less natural looking than pukani or other coral skeletons. But I wanted live 'live rock' from the Pacific and it's the only type available these days. (I used the same stuff from Tampa Bay Saltwater for my 20g a few years ago so was familiar with it.)

Anyhow, it cured in 1.5 weeks for me. Has several shades of pink, purple and maroon coraline already growing back in on it. I've got a ton of tunicates growing on it. As well as some zoa polyps and what looks to be a tic-tac-sized spot of SPS that's beginning to grow.

So I guess, as with many things, experience with it can vary. Some pics are shown in my tank thread if you want to see what it looks like: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/malacodas-65g-long-from-crystal-reef-aquatics.533883/

The pics are a couple months old and were taken during the initial 'ugly' phase ... which was short. The algae died off on its own in ~3 weeks and I couldn't be happier with the rock.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Mine actually looked pretty similar on arrival in terms of life - polyps, tunicates, sponges, coralline. I just happened to need smaller pieces, so I broke some of it apart. And was shocked.

For other reads who like me aren't familiar with the term "Walt Smith rock", I just want to emphasize that this is some kind of cement mixture that has been painted purple. Not something I'd knowingly order and put in a reef tank. It was really strange seeing such amazing life on such fake rock. In my experience the vendors selling this rock aren't doing enough to disclose how bad the rock itself is.

Amazing surface life though. I have never seen better.