Another happy TBS customer

[ybenormal]

I've purchased several pounds of "live" rock locally over the past few months but kept revisiting the TBS web site and procrastinating about making a purchase. Well, I finally took the plunge and placed an order on Saturday for delivery on Monday. The shipment arrived on time, well packaged and everything in great shape. Rocks and critters were all placed in the tank within about 3 hours of arrival and I spent the next few hours in front of the tank with a magnifying glass marvelling at all of the life on the rocks.

The tank is a 29g plumbed in line with a well established 55g tank and about 25g of sump so I was hoping for a fast and easy cycle. Imagine my surprise when nitrates measured over 75 the following evening! A quick cross-check with two other nitrate test kits showed that nitrates were actually around 15 and the first test kit was immediately trashed. After two days, ammonia is .2 and nitrate readings are still around 15. So far so good...

Thanks to Richard and team for the excellent turnaround and great product. Like any proud new father, it's now time for me to post a few pics and show off my new babies:

 

[ybenormal]

And a few more pics for your viewing pleasure:

 

[HowardW]

Very nice pics! Just keep up with the water changes and keep water parameters in check and the rocks will continue to flourish and look better and better.

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Great camera, great pics, great rock.

 

[ybenormal]

Thanks guys. The pics don't really do the rocks any justice. I blame that on the operator (me) more than on the camera.

Nitrates dropped to zero (checked with three test kits) and ammonia is still barely detectable after having the rocks in the tank for three days. I'm still going to keep very close tabs on everything for the next few weeks though.

 

[gebman]

Great looking rocks ybenormal. Glad you and TBS were finally able to hook up!! How many pounds did you get? Any cool creatures emerge from the holes in the rock yet? I just discovered a new crab after 1 week. Dont know how they hide for so long At least it wasnt a gorilla crab

 

[ybenormal]

I bought 25lbs and placed all rocks directly on the sand, hoping to ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“scape the tank tonight or sometime this weekend. Parameters are still excellent. In fact, nitrates in the tank loop (29g + 55g +sump) have dropped to zero when they used to hang around 15-20 and ammonia is undetectable.

More feather worms appear every day and I've seen them in at least 6 or 7 colors so far. I also have a large Spaghetti Worm in at least one rock and a couple of extra snails that I did not order (but don't mind having...). The most interesting discovery so far though was a piece of LR about the size and shape of a small lemon, encrusted with coraline algae that I noticed in the corner of the tank two days ago. I figured it must have broken off one of the larger pieces. Then I realized that it was actually a large hermit crab! He blended so well with the LR that I hadn't noticed him before. I've also noticed what appear to be small anemone (not aiptasia as far as I can tell) but they are one the backside of the LR and hard to see right now. Oh yeah, my shrimp molted sometime last night or today!

I have noticed clouds shooting up out of several of the rocks occasionally but I have yet to find any mantis or gorilla crabs. Hopefully you and the other folks that bought LR before me took all of them!

I've kicked on the TEK T5 lights now and will extend the time a little each day until I get to the light cycle that I want. I expect to see more critters popping up with the extra lighting and as the rocks continue to settle in. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll post pics if anything interesting is found.

 

[rupnow]

Your rocks look great. Looks like you snuck into my house and photographed my tank. Mine have been in for 3 weeks and look better every day.

I also see the rocks expelling clouds of white stuff. I figured it must be one of the filter feeders (barnacles maybe?) Anyone know for sure?

 

[HowardW]

Those may be peanut worms.

 

[ybenormal]

The puffs from the rocks are sudden, almost violent, and a cloud of debris is expelled in a column extending 3-5". Peanut worms do this? It's happening often enough and from so many places that my water looks like someone has stirred the sand. Hopefully it will settle down eventually.

I did some 'scaping today and found lots of little stars under every rock. Still no mantis or gorilla crabs yet!

 

[HowardW]

Yes, they almost look like mini volcanos erupting, LOLOL.

Some of my rocks also have little piles of debris from the smaller eruptions which I think I may gently vacuum off with my next water change.

 

[ybenormal]

I spend way too much time in front of the tank now, magnifying glass in hand, watching the now-familiar life forms and searching for new ones. Of all the rocks in the tank, this one has to be my favorite right now:

I noticed what appears to be a Red Rock Anemone on this rock:

And these guys are on a few rocks. Any idea what type of anemone this is?

In an earlier post, I mentioned a hitchhiker hermit crab that blended in so well that I thought he was a rock at first. Here's a pic of the fellow. You decide...

 

[Grand Wazoo]

You have some really neat LIFE on those rock, ybenormal!!!!

The crab is something I've never seen before. But those hairy legs scare me...

Cheers--

Mike

 

[figuerres]

about the "Anemone":

I have seen a few kinds on TBS rock that do not seem to be the "Evil" ones but are related and look a lot like them.

but I have also seen folks thing it was an Anemone when it was actually a cup coral.

some of the cup corals are deep in the rock and surrounded by coraline alge and other growth, to be really sure get a look at the mouth if you can and verify that the base is not a coral polyop.

this can be hard to do sometimes....

I have seen cup's with color or clear like an Anemone.

but the cups have the base that anemones do not.

and yea you will find *MANY* critters....
for example look for tiny bits of what look like colored glass jars --
tunicates.
some look like encrusting sponges.

also if you get a flashlight with a red lens -- like military night ones.
you can view the tank late at night and you will often fins more life that is nocturnal -- some times the tank may sawrm with night time zooplancton, pods, crabs,shrimp etc....

the red light is "invisible" to many of them and less disturbing to the ones that can see it.

 

[ybenormal]

Yeah, I noticed the similarity between the tentacles of the "anemone" and of the cup & tube corals and was leaning in that direction but wanted to get the opinion of others. I have looked for a base but all I can see at the moment is the tentacles. Whatever they turn out to be, they seem to be doing ok for now.

I have lots of tunicates in the other tank and the sump that are included in the loop. I haven't noticed any on these rocks yet but I'm sure they are there.

 

[ybenormal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7094106#post7094106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Grand Wazoo
You have some really neat LIFE on those rock, ybenormal!!!!

The crab is something I've never seen before. But those hairy legs scare me...

Cheers--

Mike

It is definitely a hermit. His shell is covered in calcium and coraline though and looks like a rock. It is about 1.5" long and 1.25" wide. SO far I haven't see him munching on anything important. No guarantees that will last though.