Does the life and color last?

[soaringfalcon2]

I've been following all the TBS package threads with great interest and have been amazed with all the life and color. Does it last? What does it look like a year down the road? Does it become like all the other rock and become coraline colored?

Thanks!!!

 

[docklink]

Well, I can't speak for a year as it's only been about 9 to 10 months (depending on if you want to date it from the first half or the second). The best I can answer is yes and no, which may be more confusing than helpful but....
The coraline has continued to spread and cover portions of rock that were bare when I received it (most of the rock is now pink with some more light protected areas a deep magenta). My macro algae is all but gone from the tank after having a veritable forest of several variaties of calurpula (you guessed it, went sexual in several waves and eventually didn't come back). I had some halimeda also but the clean-up crew mowed that down (amazing given it's structure) after the calurpula was gone. Same with some red gracillaria like algae.
Sponges have been a mixed bag. I have several green and pink sponges that have slowly enlarged. I had several grey sponges as well as some orange encrusting that disappeared from the tops of the rocks but have held on in more light protected areas. There is a yellow finger sponge that has waxed and wained that appears to be growing again. There are a number of sponges that were a beautiful baby blue when I received them that have faded to creamy color with just a hint of blue, yet they seem to grow and enlarge.
The corals were pretty much brown from the get go and those that were exposed to a lot of light (closer to the surface in my arrangement) don't seem to have faired well. At the same time, I had a brownish rose coral that was about the size of a dime that is now the size of a 50 cent piece and flourescent green.
I hope this doesn't sound too negative, as I really like the tank and the way that it has matured for the most part. If I had to do it again (knowing what I know now), I would have placed some rocks with sponges in a more shaded position and the same with some of the non-photosynthetic corals. I also would have reduced the number of snails and hermits a little earlier in the process as they quickly over whelmed the algae.
Over all, my nine month old tank looks like several 3 to 4 year old tanks I've seen that were started with non-TBS rock (sans the coral collections they might have ). Given that this is my first try at a tank of any kind, I think it's pretty good
HTH

 

[Bax]

Mine was doing really well for the first four months. What turned out to be the worst for the TBS life was a horrid red slime (cyano) breakout, it took almost four monhts to get it incheck. It really knocked out my TBS corals and coraline algea. Most of my sponges and all the tunicates and bryozoa are gone. Like doclink, my sponges hang on oin the darker spots in the tank.

Of my turkey wings, one of fore is left. I have severl kettle oysters that remain. Mostly all the barnacles are gone and the flat oysters too (welks/oyster drills got'em).

The spinny urchin that came on the rock dose areal number on the coraline too. In a small system like mine, you are better off without an urchin. He'll go in my 75 g when it's up soon.

Still, even with much loss in this attempt, much lives on, and I will include at least a percentage of TBS LR in the 75 g and mix with other rock too for that project.

Good luck!

 

[ccirish]

Just started

Just started

I just got my first shipment of rock and there is some white, blue and pink sponges. From what you guys are saying they don't seem to do well in strong light, correct? I also have 4 or 5 urchins do they do ok?

 

[docklink]

Re: Just started

Re: Just started

I just got my first shipment of rock and there is some white, blue and pink sponges. From what you guys are saying they don't seem to do well in strong light, correct? I also have 4 or 5 urchins do they do ok?

Green, grey, black and some orange and yellow sponge seem to do fine under my 260W of PC which is only moderate lighting. Purple, blue and some orange types tended to receed or shrink in light exposed areas. Just my experience and its possibly due to other factors (water movement; presence of cyano, which I had a bout of ; simple change of environment from where the rock was collected from to my tank).

The urchins will do well... may be too well. I had a couple and eventually evicted all but one as they were very efficient at stripping new coraline growth from the rocks. I had several bare patches of rock that would just start to get coraline growth when an urchin would mow over it and strip the area again. HTH

PS:

 

[kabboord]

I've had mine about 2 years I guess, everything but the coralline alga is gone. And as it went it was sure to cause problems.

 

[patsan]

Someone recently posted in my thread that their TBS is just about 3 years old, and so much of what came with the TBS is still alive and thriving. She even posted some pictures she took that day for us to see.
It was amazing, and great to hear that after 3 years, it still looked so beautiful!

 

[soaringfalcon2]

Thanks Pat!! Is that Part I or Part II of your thread?

 

[patsan]

Thanks Pat!! Is that Part I or Part II of your thread?

Part 1...page 113