TBS is it worth it?
- Thread starter drillsar
- Start date
live rock has all but disappeared online. nearly everyplace is selling the purple colored stuff, even fosters and smith where i used to get my live rock from.
the tbs stuff i have ever heard about on the web has usually been good variety of stuff but you always get some unwanted hitch hikers like gorilla crabs and turf algae. when i ordered my rock last fall for a different tank i ended up getting the stuff on ebay that some dude sells cheap from puerto rico. i seriously doubt its legal (harvesting rock from pr isn't). but t was solid chunks with no holes for hitchhikers and had ok color. i figured for under $3 a pound delivered i would take my chances. it did take like 2 weeks to get here, ammonia wasn't to bad so i just let it cure for a week and tossed it in my running 40 br. did not raise the ammonia levels any. if you didn't have an established bioload it would take a while to cycle completely.
the tbs stuff i have ever heard about on the web has usually been good variety of stuff but you always get some unwanted hitch hikers like gorilla crabs and turf algae. when i ordered my rock last fall for a different tank i ended up getting the stuff on ebay that some dude sells cheap from puerto rico. i seriously doubt its legal (harvesting rock from pr isn't). but t was solid chunks with no holes for hitchhikers and had ok color. i figured for under $3 a pound delivered i would take my chances. it did take like 2 weeks to get here, ammonia wasn't to bad so i just let it cure for a week and tossed it in my running 40 br. did not raise the ammonia levels any. if you didn't have an established bioload it would take a while to cycle completely.
d2mini
Premium Member
live rock has all but disappeared online. nearly everyplace is selling the purple colored stuff, even fosters and smith where i used to get my live rock from.
the tbs stuff i have ever heard about on the web has usually been good variety of stuff but you always get some unwanted hitch hikers like gorilla crabs and turf algae. when i ordered my rock last fall for a different tank i ended up getting the stuff on ebay that some dude sells cheap from puerto rico. i seriously doubt its legal (harvesting rock from pr isn't). but t was solid chunks with no holes for hitchhikers and had ok color. i figured for under $3 a pound delivered i would take my chances. it did take like 2 weeks to get here, ammonia wasn't to bad so i just let it cure for a week and tossed it in my running 40 br. did not raise the ammonia levels any. if you didn't have an established bioload it would take a while to cycle completely.
That rock looks horrible. Looks like the "mostly dead rock" I can get at my lfs.
TBS is most definitely worth it, especially if you go with The Package.
Best way to start a new tank IMO.
And no, you don't get "turf algae". Nothing growing that would be nuisance type stuff.
d2mini
Premium Member
d2mini
Premium Member
Shoot Richard an email.
I think southwest freight is usually around $1/lb? But you have to account for all the water weight.
liverock
RC Sponsor
live rock has all but disappeared online. nearly everyplace is selling the purple colored stuff, even fosters and smith where i used to get my live rock from.
the tbs stuff i have ever heard about on the web has usually been good variety of stuff but you always get some unwanted hitch hikers like gorilla crabs and turf algae. when i ordered my rock last fall for a different tank i ended up getting the stuff on ebay that some dude sells cheap from puerto rico. i seriously doubt its legal (harvesting rock from pr isn't). but t was solid chunks with no holes for hitchhikers and had ok color. i figured for under $3 a pound delivered i would take my chances. it did take like 2 weeks to get here, ammonia wasn't to bad so i just let it cure for a week and tossed it in my running 40 br. did not raise the ammonia levels any. if you didn't have an established bioload it would take a while to cycle completely.
This is what real live rock that is harvested and shipped underwater is supposed to look like and cost less than the purple rock online...
You make the decision....
whosurcaddie
New member
That pretty much says it all.^^^^
d2mini
Premium Member
SouthFla
New member
joshky
Acros & Wrasses
I picked up a 30g package yesterday, which is 60lb of rock and 30lb of sand plus all of the inverts and added goodies that he includes. So far I'm very happy with my decision, the 2.1 Walt Smith live rock he sent me had some interesting shapes and he included quite a few arches that look natural and are the perfect size for my tanks footprint. To make the same pieces with, say, Marco rock, you would have to put in some DIY labor using a cement mixture or epoxy or other methods such as zip ties etc..
I'll be taking photos either this weekend or next week, as soon as I find enough free time to do so. I still have to try and place all of my acros, unfortunately I didn't get to it yesterday so that's my number one priority right now.
My initial reaction, would I do it over? Yes I would. Some of the coolest rock I have seen first hand, and I've also seen the rock from floridaliverock.com as my brother bought quite a bit of it at one time. While that rock has its highlights as well, my issue with the rock that my brother received is how heavy it was and how uninspiring the shapes were. Plus a lot of it is loaded with macro algae, which can be pretty cool in the right system, but it wasn't right for mine.
So far I have only seen (and caught) one gorilla crab, and I've seen a boatload of red mithrax and porcelain crabs. I could not believe how many of those suckers were on my rock, they were falling off as I picked the pieces up out of the bag. I definitely think the good will outweigh the bad in the grand scheme of things.
I'll be taking photos either this weekend or next week, as soon as I find enough free time to do so. I still have to try and place all of my acros, unfortunately I didn't get to it yesterday so that's my number one priority right now.
My initial reaction, would I do it over? Yes I would. Some of the coolest rock I have seen first hand, and I've also seen the rock from floridaliverock.com as my brother bought quite a bit of it at one time. While that rock has its highlights as well, my issue with the rock that my brother received is how heavy it was and how uninspiring the shapes were. Plus a lot of it is loaded with macro algae, which can be pretty cool in the right system, but it wasn't right for mine.
So far I have only seen (and caught) one gorilla crab, and I've seen a boatload of red mithrax and porcelain crabs. I could not believe how many of those suckers were on my rock, they were falling off as I picked the pieces up out of the bag. I definitely think the good will outweigh the bad in the grand scheme of things.
CafeReef
New member
Dennis, not Dave.
I new when I was going off memory that Dave didnt sound right haha. Logic was there, execution was not
At some point down the road I will be setting up a 220g tank. I've read many of the threads / posts re: TBS package, and am considering it for my build. I do have a question though - with so many mouths to feed (all of the life on the rock, and the CUC that is included), how to you feed "the package"?
Tweaked
FUP&A Member
Great question indeed and also an issue. The live rock is placed in a new tank lacking the diversity of an established tank full of bacteria, and some of the hard coral hitchhikers suffer. It is best to try powder foods, phyto, and maybe some mysis, but this is a double edged sword as you cycle and don't want to feed a "bloom".
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