longevity of extras, clean-up crew, etc.

[schmuttis]

I would like to direct this thread to those of you that have had a TBS package for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24 months or even longer.

I was curious what items have died and what is still alive and thriving and how long you have had them. If things have died, did they cause any pollution to your system? What would be the signs that the item isn't doing well?

I have the following items that came with my package but I'm sure others would like to know about other items too. Also any words of wisdom that you have learned about keeping any of these items alive would be great to have too.

sponges attached to the rock
branch sponges
clump sponges
clams
flame scallop
feather dusters
pistol shrimp
octopus - I know our female will die soon but I'm wondering about her babies
pederson shrimp
snails
peppermint shrimp
cucumbers
brittle stars
hermit crabs (btw, how frequently do they change shells? I don't have any in the tank but I have some that I have collected off beaches. Can I use them?)
decorator crab
condi anenome - I read these aren't really reef-safe - is this true?
flower anenome
tube corals
cup corals
gorgonians
trunicates
barnacles
macroalgae (I have a paint brush and fan-like ones)

Thanks for sharing any knowlege you have gained.

 

[siren]

Re: longevity of extras, clean-up crew, etc.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9808803#post9808803 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by schmuttis

condi anenome - I read these aren't really reef-safe - is this true?

No anenome is truely "reef safe", for all of them can, and potentially WILL eat your fish. It just depends on the type, as to weather or not your clowns will host.

As far as things that I have found as of yet on my TBS, the list includes:

Mantis Shrimp (about 6)
Plenty of sponge
Stone crabs
Clams
Whelks
Hermit Crabs
Peppermint Shrimp
Varius Caulerpa
Pistol Shrimps
All types of goody worms
Pocilin crabs
Deco Crabs

Still counting stuff too!

I have noticed alot of die off with the stone crabs. Why? I have no idea, but every stone crab that meets it's iminant doom is my favorite type

 

[schmuttis]

So all of these things have survived for 4 years?

 

[siren]

I never said 4 years...

I've had it for a few months

 

[wooglin]

My tbs tank is about four years old and all of the following are still alive and kicking (and this is despite a tank catastrophe that occured while out of town two years ago).

Sponges
Crabs
Lots and lots of brittle stars
Cucumber
Pistol Shrimp
Mantis Shrimp (in species tank)
Macro Algea
Lots and lots of different feather dusters
Lots of SPS and LPS such as cup corals, etc.
Tons of unidentified things continue to pop up as the tank ages.

I will say this, the sand is critical, lots of neat life springs forth from the sand you get from TBS. It may not be the consistancy of sugar, but trust me you want the sand, it is a hot bed of life.

 

[figuerres]

it depends...

for example I got some rock about 5 years back, on that rock were "buds" of some corky finger gorgonians.

today they are huge, may have to frag them soon!

solitary cup corals -- they are tough!! not very showy but they keep on living thru alomost any abuse / accident.

pistol shrimp -- not sure which time he came but I have had him for at least 2 years (perhaps much more) I never see him
well one tank move I found him and saw him.... he stays deep in the rocks most of the time.

cukes, snails, blue legs, and other stuff -- will live very well as long as the tank is stable and you get the mantis and gorilla crabs out.

tunicates and some stuff need good care to live --

I have a clam / mussle that came last year still going ok.

really I'd say it's a lot of how well we manage the tank.
I know now that I killed a lot of stuff my first 2 years that today I'd be much more able to keep.
learning -- that's tough some times...

 

[Jocko]

After 2 years:

sponges attached to the rock - certain kinds will die off. other kinds will spead.
branch sponges - all of mine died off.
clump sponges - not sure what this means. probably same as other sponges.
clams - got an oyster (looks like a rock). He died recently. May have been something I did. Not sure. Seems like they might be able to survive longer though.
flame scallop - you got this with TBS rock?
feather dusters - the tiny, little ones spread alot. the regular sized ones seem to do fine.
pistol shrimp - Must have gotten a baby one. After about a year he was like 4" and causing so much trouble he got his own tank. He's pretty awesome tho.
octopus - I know our female will die soon but I'm wondering about her babies HUH? You got an octopus and it had babies? I wouldn't think the young would be able to survive in a reef tank.
pederson shrimp
snails - snails always die. especially the popular gulf species since they come from waters that are typically colder than we run our tanks. well that and they are stupid and always fall upside down and die. at least they are cheap.
peppermint shrimp - still have mine. they are much bigger though!
cucumbers - both my TT and DD are still alive.
brittle stars - definitely alot less now than there used to be.
hermit crabs (btw, how frequently do they change shells? I don't have any in the tank but I have some that I have collected off beaches. Can I use them?) - Hard to tell since there are so many of them. Definitely add extra empty shells. Hermies are obsessed with shells.
decorator crab - Mine lasted about a year.
condi anenome - I read these aren't really reef-safe - is this true?
flower anenome
tube corals - keep them in lower light areas and give them plenty of flow. Once they are happy you should get good polyp extension and they should start to grow fairly well.
cup corals - I have a couple that have survived. They are white and live in completely shaded area. I guess they must be non photosynthetic?
gorgonians
trunicates - they seem to survive ok.
barnacles - they die eventually.
macroalgae - all of the red stuff eventually disappeared. alot of the green stuff will grow. some will grow too much. I've had some disappear for a year and then suddenly come back out of nowhere. I also lost alot of stuff to the two urchins I got. They are lawn mowers. Urchin isn't on your list but I still have one that I got on my rock.

 

[schmuttis]

siren,

I thought you had the TBS for 4 years since you had 4 years hobby experience on your signature.

 

[schmuttis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9817911#post9817911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jocko
After 2 years:

clump sponges - not sure what this means. probably same as other sponges. I have two - about the size of a closed fist.
flame scallop - you got this with TBS rock? Yes, it is neat but unfortunately it likes to stay in a dark crevass so to show it off we need to get out the flashlight.
pistol shrimp - Must have gotten a baby one. After about a year he was like 4" and causing so much trouble he got his own tank. He's pretty awesome tho. What kind of trouble was he causing? We have 5 of them and have left them since we thought they were reef safe.
octopus - I know our female will die soon but I'm wondering about her babies HUH? You got an octopus and it had babies? I wouldn't think the young would be able to survive in a reef tank. We moved the mother and her eggs into our sump. Unfortunately she refuses to eat anything and we have tried everything that anyone has suggested. We saw a few babies after they hatched but haven't seen them recently. They could easily be in the macro algae and we just can't see them or they may have died. Time will tell.
snails - snails always die. especially the popular gulf species since they come from waters that are typically colder than we run our tanks. well that and they are stupid and always fall upside down and die. at least they are cheap. That's a shame since they do such a great job of cleaning up.
brittle stars - definitely alot less now than there used to be. Did they just die or were they consumed by some other tank creature? I really don't see mine doing much. They just seem to lay in the dark between the rocks.