I picked up my LR today

[aetaylor]

OK
here is the scoop on my TBS live rock. When I picked it up today I was very suprised to see 7 heavy boxes waiting for me at the cargo pick-up. This was just half of the order for my 120g tank package. The first two boxes I opened was the sand. This sand is better than any sand that I have seen in any LFS or in any of my friends tanks. When I emptied the sand in the tank it became sooo cloudy I couldn't see my hand an inch from the glass. Im sure it will clear up in a couple of days. Now for the LR. All I can say is WOW! They shipped me four huge pieces to start out with and the rocks were full of life. I mean there was nothing moving around but there were little clams, sponges and other things that felt slimmy to the touch. I went to the LFR the other day to look at their LR. THERE WAS NO COMPARISON. I will post pictures very soon. The only thing that I hope on the second shippment is that the LR comes in smaller chunks.
I still find it hard to swallow the price that I paid for the package. I know that if I pieced everything together I would be paying twice as much and getting a less quality rock. So I guess its a "Pay me now or pay me later" type of thing. So Im going to say If you can afford TBSs package, you can't go wrong buying it. You will get great LR, great LS, great customer service and super fast shipping. I mean the shipping was the same day, they shipped it friday I got it friday.
I will giving everyone an update on how the tank fairs during this process, so far, so good.

 

[nike6]

I picked up my live first shipment of TBS rock and sand yesterday, and had a similar experience. After putting the sand in, the water was so cloudy that all I could do was place the rock in the water. When I got up in the morning the water was crystal clear, then I aquascaped. The rock is incredible. There are vibrant colors everywhere! The customer service was second to none. Although I placed my order weeks ago, and they could not fill it because of bad weather, Mary was extremley polite every time I called her to get an update. I never felt as though she was thinking, "I wish he would stop calling me." The directions that came with the rock were great, and they even included a bag of bacteria to help kick start the cycle! I can't wait to get the second shipment. I would urge anyone who is thinking of purchasing TBS rock not to try to save money by ordering plain rock from someone else, and getting the package!
Shawn

 

[phil519]

Got my second half two days ago and cannot stop saying:

It was worth the wait!

My part one was in back in december. Due to my personal scheduling (and a little bad luck with the weather) I haven't been able to accept part 2 until now.

Simply outstanding.

I will cautiously note that I had 3 mantis in my 2nd half and caught every one of them (two of them in my display).

Also - thank you so much for the freebies (not the clown). Here's a great pic (everything except the maroon is from tbs):

 

[aetaylor]

Well I finally heard the dreaded clicking sound of the natorious Mantis Shrimp. Now it's time to put on my Shrimp hunter hat. Please, Im open to any and all suggestions. i would love to get them out before my second shippment.
My family has been into looking into the tank for hours. Like little kids finding all the sea life that came with the LR. WOW, it is so cool. Thanks TBS for bringing the family together on another venture. Your LR rocks.
A question that I have is how do I know if the sponge that is attached to the rock is alive or dead? If dead, how do I remove it from the rock without killing the other life that is attached to the rock?
Thanks!

 

[docklink]

Well I finally heard the dreaded clicking sound of the natorious Mantis Shrimp. Now it's time to put on my Shrimp hunter hat. Please, Im open to any and all suggestions. i would love to get them out before my second shipment.

Be aware that clicking can be caused by pistol shrimp, also. These are non-threatning and kind of cool. Usually a single click, though can be multiple.

My family has been into looking into the tank for hours. Like little kids finding all the sea life that came with the LR. WOW, it is so cool. Thanks TBS for bringing the family together on another venture. Your LR rocks.
A question that I have is how do I know if the sponge that is attached to the rock is alive or dead? If dead, how do I remove it from the rock without killing the other life that is attached to the rock?
Thanks!

A dying sponge usually will take on a whitish slimey appearance but not always. Your nose is the best way to tell. A dead sponge just plain stinks. Gagging stinks. The rock should have a clean, ocean smell. If its dead or dying, just peal it off with your fingers (rubber gloves help keep the smell off you). It should come pretty easy. An old toothbrush will help with remnants stuck to the rock. HTH

 

[phil519]

i caught four mantis in my latest batch of LR. The upside was that there were hardly any hitchhiking snails/crabs to catch (i'm guessing they were meals).

Clicking is not reliable indicator of whether it is mantis or shrimp. The pistol shrimp is incredibly secretive and even one the size of half an inch can make a very very loud popping sound - like this one I caught...this one was unusual because of the clear exoskeleton...

for scale:

On the other hand - I never heard the mantis click. They came out and were "checking" me out. I caught 3 in my display and the fourth one fell off my rock just before I put him in...

Each time the mantis came out (lights out, but enough light for me to see them) - I identified the rock they were in, was lucky in netting two of them after shifting the rock. The third needed a squirt of fresh water into the hole in the LR (keeping most of the lr in a bucket of saltwater - exposing only the hole). Out it popped out.

 

[Rockker]

I got my rock last October and almost all of my encrusting sponges are still alive. All but 1 of my 13 "yes 13" turky clams are still alive and my freebie condy is ALMOST A FOOT TALL.

He is huge and he is hosting a clarki clown.

I bought the 55 gallon package I would do it all again.

I am still seeing new things every day.

Rockker

 

[senorpyro]

you're aware that the bottom pic is of a mantis shrimp, and that the other two pictured creatures aren't mantis' - right?

 

[KewlWater]

i got lucky with my shimp noticed all 3 on my 2nd half before they got in the tank

 

[biomekanic]

When you catch your mantises, if you don't want them for yourself (they're great pets, much more interesting than fish IMO), offer them up for sale/shipping over on the mantis forum. There's lots of people willing to paypal you money to get one.

 

[biomekanic]

As an aside, if they're small (like 1" or 2"), just feed them like you would anything else in your tank, and they should leave your cleaners and fish alone.
I had one in my tank for over a year, and I lost fish. To my sally lightfoot crab - I caught it killing and eating one of my false percs.