TBS for newbie?

[catdoc]

Just getting started at this. At this point, taking it slowly and I've had the tank filled with sand + live sand for culture for about a week. (It's a 90 gallon, btw) Now, seeing all of the amazing pics of TBS rock, I'm thinking I want to go that route. The rock is amazing, but I'm worried that as a newbie, I may not be ready for all of that diversity! LOL! My original plan had been to just start up the sand bed and add some live rock, then give it a couple of months while I got the hang of the water chemistry. Our LFS live rock looks so barren now! Is it a bad idea if I go with the TBS package while I'm so new to this? I would hate to kill off my critters as I learn.

Thanks,
Christy

 

[hdtran]

(a) Get a few books to supplement your internet research
(b) Do your research & planning
(c) Get your equipment set up (actually, all you really need is lights, skimmer, & 'vigorous' circulation)
(d) Go for it! The TBS stuff is 'instant reef.' Just add (salt) water
(e) That said, go for it, but be patient (e.g. don't test the water every 5 minutes to try to chase your chemistry down). A hitchhiking snail won't starve if you don't feed it; a hitchhiking fish (has been known to happen) won't starve ditto; etc. If your pH looks low (8.0 instead of 8.2), don't try to bring it to 8.2 in one shot, but rather, plan on going to 8.1, then, 8.2. The only chemistry you really want to keep nailed is the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates; you do that by water changes. (Oh, and the temperature and salinity, don't forget that).
(f) Don't forget a helper to help unload boxes from the airport

Richard & Mary are typically the ones who pick up the phone; Richard's the e-mail maniac. They are all cool & helpful, over the phone or via e-mail. You can't go wrong.

The pictures that you see here don't do the rocks justice--there's no way they could. There's so much diversity of life, and different things pop up every day (sea urchin, about 1/4" test and 1/2 to 1" overall size; baby sea cucumber popped out of nowhere; juvenile cleaner shrimp; more worms than I can count; limpets galore; snails emerging from the deeps of the sand; etc.) Ask any of their customers--Landlord just now, Wooglin, who's keeping a great log with great photos (but I'm sure the tank is far better in person than via digital camera), Okiebones, BruddahCrispy; and others who've posted; we're all converts. (Resistance is futile, prepare to be assimilated by TBS rocks :strooper: )

 

[landlord]

Christy,

I second the words of Hy. I was fortunate enough to go down and get my own stuff. Richard is a swell guy. He'll take care of your needs. If your lucky enough to get to go to his shop, he may even put you to work. Or maybe that is because I gave him a hard time in a previous post!

-landlord

 

[drock59]

I agree with the previous post but you can never go wrong with getting the amount of rock you need. IMO, since you are just starting up you may as well start with the best rock around. I think you should get as much as you need and go from there. Just my two cents.

 

[hdtran]

oops, forgot one very important item in the equipment list:

(c) Get your equipment set up (actually, all you really need is lights, skimmer, & 'vigorous' circulation)

You also need to get a digital camera to take pictures!!!!

 

[drock59]

May want to check out www.liverocks.com

 

[okiebones]

I spent quite a bit of time looking into who to buy the rock from. TBS won out because:
1- They aquaculture, hence help preserve the natural reefs
2- The rock they are culturing has been underwater for almost 10 years! Much, much longer than ANYWHERE else I saw. Including the above linked vendor.
3- Richard and Mary were raved upon by virtually everyone who had anything to say about the live-rock scene.
4- Everything they said was true....now that I've dealt with them I would probably feel "jipped" by another vendor.
5- I love the natural reef look vs. the "coiffed" appearance of other rock that comes bare.

I've mentioned before that I've reieved my first shipment of a 150# package and can't wait for the 2nd shipment. The 1st is so pretty it will be difficult to top it but I'll find out in the next day or so. Richard is down collecting blue-leg hermits and upon return will be shipping the rest of the lot. Can't wait!

Went ahead and bought a pair of Pajama Cardinals which are in my quarantine tank for awhile. Pics coming as soon as the next rock comes in!

 

[kaiyokanman28]

The pictures that you see here don't do the rocks justice--there's no way they could. There's so much diversity of life, and different things pop up every day (sea urchin, about 1/4" test and 1/2 to 1" overall size; baby sea cucumber popped out of nowhere; juvenile cleaner shrimp; more worms than I can count; limpets galore; snails emerging from the deeps of the sand; etc.) Ask any of their customers--Landlord just now, Wooglin, who's keeping a great log with great photos (but I'm sure the tank is far better in person than via digital camera), Okiebones, BruddahCrispy; and others who've posted; we're all converts. (Resistance is futile, prepare to be assimilated by TBS rocks :strooper: )

Preachin' to the CHOIR, boy! Can I get an AMEN! LEMME HEAR YA! I say again...CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!

Oh yeah, we're definitely converts. Ain't no better advertising for a company on the planet than building a reputation from satisfied customers.

I STILL find new and cool things on my rock, my sea urchin count is up to 4 (3 long-spined and 1 purple short-spined that likes to pick things up and climb up the sides of the tank. It's kind of funny walking in and seeing a piece of rock making its way up the side of the glass :lol. I'm constantly finding new porcelain crabs, and decorator crabs.

The corals that hitch-hike along are amazing too...I have 7, count 'em, SEVEN open-brains, lots of mollusks, and sponges and cup corals galore.

And I was just as much of a newbie coming into this when I chose TBS, and I never regretted it. Their rock really is almost maintenance-free. About the ONLY downside is that you DO get little beasties like mantis shrimp and gorilla crabs, but even those aren't that big of a deal. The crabs abandon ship quite readily if you follow the instructions and lay the rock out for 20 or 30 minutes before putting it in the tank. I had a mantis or two do the same thing. But there were a couple of diehards that survived and are now in the tank. I managed to catch one of the mantis shrimp, and working on the others...but they're not doing anything that i would consider detrimental. A few less barnacles is about the most damage they've caused.

All in all, you won't regret getting TBS.

Cheers!

Andy :wildone:

 

[kashmir]

I' waiting on my final shipment of TBS rock. 75 gal tank cycled in 5 days. there is no other source of LR for me

 

[Marine19]

TBS is the only rock I would have now.Excellent quality and lots of life I give TBS a big thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup:

 

[drock59]

how is the coralline looking on this rock?

 

[SE TX HYDROPONICS]

i noticed that several of y'all had ordered this rock....i do not want to order it and pick it up from the airport...have any of y'all ordered through fedex with no problems.....and i already have a mud sump with macro algea....is it going to hurt it? and i am using the ecosystem meathod with no skimmer.....am i going to have problems cycling this rock?

 

[liverock]

Fed ex $$$$

Fed ex $$$$

Fed ex cost $4 a pound to ship with,,,,compared to about .45 cents a pound on the airlines...

Richard TBS:rollface:

 

[SE TX HYDROPONICS]

yeah but there is a 100 dollar min. and i only want about twenty pounds....

 

[OrchidMan]

yeah but there is a 100 dollar min. and i only want about twenty pounds....

I believe you have that backwords. It is a minimum 100 lb charge so 20 lbs or 100 lbs will cost the same thing.
I am in Oklahoma (about the middle of the US from Tampa) and it cost about 40 and change per 100 lbs by SouthWest Airlines.
I would guess that 20 lbs of rock will ship at 40 to 50 lbs total. Wonder what you would pay for 40 lbs shipping weight by FEDEX. And that would still be 24 hours minimum door to door.
We had our rock in our tank about 14 hours after Richard packed our first load and the same when Mary packed the second half of our package.
You will not get a cheaper rate the way TBS ships. Air is the only way to think about this.
Gary

 

[8~LiQuiD~8]

how is the coralline looking on this rock?

Coraline is good, if you can find a spot on the rock that is not encrusted by colorful sponges, tunicates, crustations, and corals for the coraline to grow

 

[SE TX HYDROPONICS]

thanks for the info orchidman....i quess i will be taking a trip to the airport soon....

 

[delta]

the life on this rock is insane its actually live rock
check it out this is no lie and ill be posting some of the critter tommorrow got a filter feeding crab upclose and personal

but this is just one piece of rock atleast 30lbs

if you buy the package you cant beat the price

oh yea my tank cycled in 4 days ammonia only .5ppm thats it.

like hdtran stated its an instant reef

 

[boyooso]

Yes, Instant REEF.

And an INSTANT REEF that my Local fish store owner drooled over.

Corey

Sometimes, I feel like a cheater!

 

[delta]

as far as the shipping i got six boxes borrowed the family truckster you knoe the station wagon from national lampoon vaction and it filled the entire back with the seats down. tell me how much will fedex charge you for a truckster full. we even had the brakes smoking on the ride home. never said the car was in gret condition but better than my pickup in this weather.

130 lbs LR, 130 lbs sand plus water it was a total of like 340lbs
total shipping 139.00 took less than 6hrs to have it in my hands

oh yea that reminds me its shipped in water not damp news paper.

heres a tank shot