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Tampa Bay Saltwater LR LS

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    Posted: February 05 2010 at 2:06pm
I am looking at adding some new LR and LS to my tank to help diversify it, and have always loved the process that the people at Tampa Bay Saltwater do their LR and LS.  My issues is the shipping charges on it, and if the quality is still high with what they produce.  What I mean is that most if not all of the LR that you get from a LFS or online has 99% of the macro organisms removed.  From what I recall and have seen they leave a lot of it on.  Has anyone purchased from them that can give me some feed back?

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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Adam Blundell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 05 2010 at 2:17pm
Love their rock.  Has a lot of life on it.  It really is "live rock" and not just rock from the ocean.  I've never been disappointed in their stuff.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2010 at 11:14pm
Thanks for the feedback.  So I am really wanting to order some stuff with them, but wanted to know if anyone else wanted to join in on the order.  The reason is that they ship it via airlines and there is a minimum 100lb charge.  I know that my order will not be the total 100lb min, so someone could piggy back on my order and help out with the shipping charges.  I would not be ordering for about 2 weeks.
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2010 at 11:48pm
Well after doing some more reading on their shipping of LR, it seems that I probably will be close to the 100lb mark since I am wanting about 30lbs of rock.  With the water it works out to be about 60lbs.  Then with the 20lbs of LS and the other stuff it will be about the 100lbs.  Still if someone is wanting to piggy back on my order, let me know.
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mad Dawg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2010 at 3:25am
PM sent.
Todd
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2010 at 4:39pm
Last call before I order my stuff.  Did anyone else want to join in on my order?
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kevin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2010 at 9:40am
Just be warned, if you are adding it to an existing tank the rock will likely come with rock crabs and maybe a mantis shrimp. So if you are adding it to an existing tank you may not want those hitchhikers.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2010 at 9:46am
I know, and I plan on doing the trap thing to help catch the undesirable ones.  Thanks for the advice.
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2010 at 2:20pm
Finished placing my order with them...can't wait for it get here now!
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 9:42am
Well I just started to track the shipment.  It has left FL and is now about 9 hours away from arriving.  I'm not excited.....I'm not excited.....I'm excited!
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mad Dawg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 4:56pm
Yeah!  A box of rocks!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 5:24pm
The cargo place called...I am off to get my 'presents'!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 7:49pm
Well I was so excited I had to see all the fun stuff that was sent.  I have way more than what I ordered, but I think I might be missing one or two things.  Now, do I ditch scouts (given that I am in charge) or stay home to geek out on the all new fish stuff......such a quandery.  Anyway, I will be going, can't let the scouts down.  Oh, and I will post pics when I get a chance.
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dew2loud1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 10:44pm
Be prepared for a ton of mantis shrimp, the tampa bay stuff is all over vegas, and its got a ton of life but that always includes plenty of aiptasia and mantis shrimp...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shane H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 11:15pm

If you trap a mantis shrimp - let me know.  I have the perfect home for it!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CapnMorgan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2010 at 11:25pm
Some pics would be cool. I didn't know you are into mantis shrimp shane!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2010 at 10:08am
Yes I know that rock crabs and mantis shrimp are common on TBS live rock.  As far as the mantis shrimp goes a few people have found that if you feed them they tend to be okay.  I for one will be working on trapping them.  I have heard about aptasia on the rocks, but based on the reading the ones on their rock are non-invasive.

Prep:
Get the boxes, open the boxes, act like a kid at Christmas, stair at all the wonderful stuff, wonder where all of it will fit, and get to work.  I realized that the boxes were leaking, so thanks to a good suggestion from my wife all the LS and LR went into the tub (still in their plastic bags).  All of the other stuff when into the refugium to acclimate. Oh, and take pictures to remember the experience and to document the fun stuff I received.

I started out by removing ~1 inch of sand off of the top in the tank.  I used a ladle and medium bowl to remove the sand trying not to stir it to much.  It is currently in a separate tank for anyone who is interested.  Then I remove out several pieces of rock from my tank and put in with the sand with enough water to cover the rock.  Also removed anything that I had on the sand bed.

Setup:
Took the sand a bowl full at a time to replace what was removed, and then some, into the tank making sure to not put in the dirty water the sand was in.  After that it was a battle to just watch the water cloud up.  Used my filter sock to help remove the silt and junk from the water, and added in about 5 gallons of fresh mixed salt water to replace the water that was removed.  Also added a good amount of the live sand to the refugium.  After about an hour or so the water was clear enough to start putting in the rest of the stuff.

I put in the snails and hermit crabs first, and did the snail rescue procedure to save them from the lovely hermit crabs.

Carefully put in the rock into the tank and refugium.  I did not have time to work on the rock structure, so it went in as best I could at the moment.  Then I just started putting everything in.  I made sure that the sponges were never exposed to air, and did about the same thing for the gorgonians.  Then I tried to place things as best I could so they would not harm each other. 

All through out catching any of the rock crabs I could.  If anyone wants them I currently have about 6 and should have more as time goes on.  Also I made sure to remove anything living from the bag and put them into the tank.

Due to it getting past midnight and almost 1AM I had to just leave things the way they were. Today I will be working on getting the stuff where I want it, but we all know that it can sometimes take awhile (weeks/months) to get the structure how you like it.

Items received ... much more than what I asked for.
Orange tree sponge
Red tree sponge
(2) orange cluster sponges
(2) red cluster sponges
yellow branching sponge
yellow ball sponge
blade gorgonian
candelabra gorgonian
silver gorgonian
(2) tiger gobies
zebra tail blenny
serpent star
several snails
several hermit crabs
shells for the hermit crabs
(2) sea cucumbers
peppermint shrimp
Halimeda & various caulerpa
(2) flower anemones
at least 25lbs of live sand
more than 50lbs of live rock
Lots of hitch-hikers
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Richard

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mad Dawg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2010 at 11:03am
Cool!  I can't wait to see what you got!
Originally posted by WhiteReef WhiteReef wrote:

I put in the snails and hermit crabs first, and did the snail rescue procedure to save them from the lovely hermit crabs.

What is the "snail rescue procedure"?


Edited by Mad Dawg - March 03 2010 at 11:05am
Todd
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ahanix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2010 at 11:06am
Yeah, I want to know too, the little bastards killed 4 of my snails for their shells, and I had 7-10 extra shells in my tank, haha
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WhiteReef Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2010 at 12:48pm
What I do is find any that have turned over.  Then I pull them up and help them attach the the glass.  This is to get them out of the reach of the hermit crabs.  Other than that there is no real way to keep them from killing a snail, except for keeping them fat on other things.
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Richard

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