Re: Benefits Vs. Troubles
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7391781#post7391781 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dfm34
Does the good out way the bad here? It does seem that the potential for good hitchhikers is definitely not as great with other sources LR but would the potential for bad hitchhikers be as great from LR from another source? :eek1:
I am so confused!?!?!?!?!?!
Your chance of getting the same about of hitchhikers for other rock, good or bad, is IMO not even close, unless the other places ship their rock in water too.
There are pros and cons just like anything else I guess.
You will get crabs for sure, some good some bad. You will more than likely get at lease one mantis shrimp. You will get various plant life, some good some bad.
All the life, some like it, some it is great at first then more of a pain later on, why? When you get into getting actual corals you want to keep it is sometimes difficult to place them. To others this is never an issue.
For most people the majority of the life dies off after about 1-1/2 years or so, some things make it, a lot don't.
For a while there were folks with outbreaks of Cirolanid Isopods, there is a big thread on them, not heard much about them lately though, but just don't get fish for a couple months and this won't be a problem.
The "Package works" do it like Richard says and you'll be fine. If you have kids or a spouse you want to get interested in the tank then you can't beat it.
Me personally,
I bought the package, everything was exactly as they said it would be. I had bad crabs, got rid of all of them (I think). I had some nudi's, good crabs, I still have a mantis or pistol that I have not been able to see, only hear. I still have maybe 40% of the life on the rock that came on it. (1.5 years now). At this point, although it was great in the beginning, the novelty is gone and my interest is focused on the corals I want in the tank. I do have a goby that came as a hitchhiker, still alive and doing well. I have also been in a constant battle with some type of red plant that came on the rock, spreads like crazy and has been very difficult to control. I am still having to remove rock and chisel the roots out of the rocks when I see it growing.
If I had to do it over again knowing what I know now (not related to TBS but the hobby as a hole) would I do it again, I don't think so. Am I sorry I purchased it to begin with..... Nope.
Hope this kind of answers your questions.
