Weather

Jocko said:
So how have thing been down there? I guess you're still pretty backlogged with orders?
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The Gulf is still zero vis....so we went to the Keys friday and got a load of Keys rock, we have that in stock and shipping...
Thanks
TBS
 
Got my rocks today Richard, the keys rocks are just what I needed, like the plants that are on it. Thanks for the bag of crabs also, the trigger and puffer loved picking at them.
 
pangaea6 said:
Got my rocks today Richard, the keys rocks are just what I needed, like the plants that are on it. Thanks for the bag of crabs also, the trigger and puffer loved picking at them.
Click to expand...

Good deal, trigger food!

If you will notice the keys rock has many types of coralines that we do not see growing on out Gulf rock, and just wait till you put good lights on it, the plants will go crazy!
Thanks
TBS
 
I am gonna wait for the Gulf rock :) Not really much of a plant guy. All corals/coraline/life etc. :)

gimme some good news on the vis :)
 
Sorry guys, but word on the street is that they are in the midst of the worst red tide outbreak on record. I haven't seen any updated on when that might clear up.
 
I placed my name on the waiting list in April and never heard a thing. I called back in June to be told that I would get a call back soon. I have not heard anything from you guys (TAMPA BAY) When I try to call...I get the machine. DO I have to start the wait all over again or what?
 
Keys rock

Keys rock

ccradr said:
I placed my name on the waiting list in April and never heard a thing. I called back in June to be told that I would get a call back soon. I have not heard anything from you guys (TAMPA BAY) When I try to call...I get the machine. DO I have to start the wait all over again or what?
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We still are not diving the Gulf, so we have been going to our Keys site for rock, just got another 1000 pounds in stock two days ago.

We have it in stock ready to ship!

TBS
 
You guys at TBS havent seemed to catch a break this year. First it was rough seas all winter, then an early huricane, now red tide.

However i will still wait patiently for my second 1/2 of rock, no matter what mother nature throws your way.
 
Keys rock

Keys rock

banik said:
You guys at TBS havent seemed to catch a break this year. First it was rough seas all winter, then an early huricane, now red tide.

However i will still wait patiently for my second 1/2 of rock, no matter what mother nature throws your way.
Click to expand...

We do have keys rock in stock, ready to ship!

TBS
 
Are the differences between the gulf rock and keys rock primarily due to environmental differences between the two locations or to differing amounts of time the rocks have been at the sites?
 
Jocko said:
Are the differences between the gulf rock and keys rock primarily due to environmental differences between the two locations or to differing amounts of time the rocks have been at the sites?
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Both....we get totally different growths on the two locations...yet they are only about 250 miles apart, and in the same ocean.....

TBS
 
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Richard, I saw an article online from the Tampa Tribune with some rather disturbing quotes from you. How has the red tide affected the gulf aquaculture site? It doesn't sound good. :-(
 
Man that article sounds horrible.:sad1: Better stock up on the keys rock I guess. I couldn't imagine my inventory being wiped out for 2-3 yrs. Maybe the mantis shrimp won't repopulate as quick, if there is a bright side.
 
Jocko said:
Richard, I saw an article online from the Tampa Tribune with some rather disturbing quotes from you. How has the red tide affected the gulf aquaculture site? It doesn't sound good. :-(
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Is not good news especially for the other rock farmers offshore, they are totally wiped out.....the dead zone is from about 3 miles to 40 miles out from manatee county to Hernado county....

Is the worse we have ever seen in 30 years...thank goodness our rock is just 2 miles offshore and has escaped the brunt of the damage...

We are going to the Keys every few days to get rock from our site there, in fact Mark is coming back with 1000 pounds tonight again.

We are going to do an investigative dive on the site later this week to see how it looks.
TBS
 
Wow that's horrible. That would definitely be good if closer inland got spared! Not just so we can still get gulf rock, but also I'd imagine it would take alot less time for life to return to the other sites from a mile inland as opposed to from 37 miles out!

Could it take years before the other guys even have rocks to sell? Is this going to put them out of business?

We'll keep our fingers crossed for you. Guess I'll wait for the result of the investigative dive before I decide if I'll take keys rock for part 2.

Thanks for the update. And best wishes to you and the other rock farmers.
 
Jocko said:
Wow that's horrible. That would definitely be good if closer inland got spared! Not just so we can still get gulf rock, but also I'd imagine it would take a lot less time for life to return to the other sites from a mile inland as opposed to from 37 miles out!

Could it take years before the other guys even have rocks to sell? Is this going to put them out of business?

We'll keep our fingers crossed for you. Guess I'll wait for the result of the investigative dive before I decide if I'll take keys rock for part 2.

Thanks for the update. And best wishes to you and the other rock farmers.
Click to expand...

We get red tide every year, but it comes and goes, and moves around. Red tide affects every coastal state from Maine to California. Is nothing new to us, but this year is being compared to an event of the same magnitude occurred in 1971.

What has happened is the seasonal timing of the red tide came early this year, we first saw it in January. It usually only lasts a week or two and is not harmful to the gulf, other than some fish kills.

But this year it came and did not go away, and with the extreme temperatures we are having this year the gulf is running 91-93 degrees which is unusually hot.

So the red tide was trapped by a thermocline on the bottom and could not swim out of the temperate layer, it depleted the dissolved oxygen level to "0" which has killed the bottom dwellers.

It appears that this area is most sever off of Manatee, Pinellas and Hernado countys, and starting a few miles off shore to about forty miles out. It is truly an environmental disaster which not only affects liverock, but every other industry water related here in this area.

The good news is Mother Nature acts fast, this has happened before and was seen to become "normal" again in less than a year, so the Gulf will bounce back, it will just take some time.

Tonight on the news, the local scientists working on this say the levels of the red tide bacteria are gone in many areas, and in much lower levels where they did find it, so we are on the mend already.

The coastal area from land out to 3-5 miles seems to have fared better than the other areas, but we will see soon as we are going for a dive this week on the Gulf site to see what up. Hopefully the tidal currents and flow kept the oxygen levels up, at least it appears that way now.

I have heard from two other farmers out in federal water<12 or more miles out> and the news is not good.

Meanwhile Mark is making the marathon trip to the Keys site to harvest rock, he leaves early in the morning, drives 350 miles down there, goes diving and gets 1000# or rock then drives home the 350 miles...all in the same day...
so we are stocked!

TBS
 
Yikes!!! Just the one way trip down there is awful!! I could not imagine doing a round trip and diving too, all in one day!! Mark deserves a medal. :)
 
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