Who Here Uses TBS?

[Sting]

I just bought some TBS Live Rock (if you caught my "TBS Live Rock if Frickin Awesome" thread) and I am so pleased. I couldn't be more happy, and I just love it. I was wondering how many of you here use TBS? If you haven't checked it out- I highly recommend you do. It is simply amazing. I was just wondering because for example, Marine Warehouse's Live Rock sucks comparatively- but they told me Gulf Rock was "bad."

[luminary]

Most of my rock is gulf aquacultured...not from TBS, but basically the same rock. I've always liked it...It's definitely denser than the pacific rock, but that doesn't bother me.

[imgrtful]

watch out for mantis shrimp and really hairy crabs.we got a really nice mantis hitchiker with ours.he's bright green and i dont think he messes with anything.hes not a smasher so my tank is safe.but he's really cool and gets fed well.so i havent worried about him too much.the hairy crab eats anything that falls to the floor.we lost our long nose butterfly last week and he ate it.he's creepy looking,but cleans up messes real good

[Sting]

So far- it seems like the only crab I inherited is this little red one. I saw it run into the rock and it hasn't come out since I put him in. I don't think I got any mantis either. We hand picked it at the TBS store, and took it out of the water, examined it, and it was out for a little bit before it was packaged back in the water and we took it home. Most of the inhabitants fell out, and I think we got lucky. I think the only invertabrate hitch hikers we got were the crab, and 2 cucumbers (1 Black and 1 Tiger Tail). I haven't seen any other life running around, although it's only been about 2 hours and the water is almost completely clear again. One cuke is hanging out at the top and the other went into the rocks and it letting it's tentacles hang out, and the crab is out of sight (which stinks cuz he was cool!).

Along with the hitch hikers I got three different types of brain, and tons of small colonies of these hard corals that live in tubes and have small tentacles that they let out (any ID?) along with tons of sponges, plants, algea, and a really cool blue stony.

I am going to post something in the discussion forum when I put my pics up, so I can maybe get some ID's! This is so cool- I feel oficially in the hobby now- and it is so much fun already!

[imgrtful]

yea we ended up with 3 of the red crabs.a friend of ours picked up a nice closed brain for $12.he also got a pistol shrimp as a hitchiker.we also handpicked our rock and it was about a month or two before we found out about the mantis.

[imgrtful]

sorry about the back to back posts.i wanted to say that we were pleased with the rock we got from tbs and go there just about each time we're in tampa.if i have the money,i will get my rock from rocky or john on our next tank

[rreed]

Sting, I had my rock out of water for over 2 hours trying to catch or kill a big mantis that I had. Don't be surprised if you see a mantis soon. I had a eel hitchhiker in my rock from TBS. There is more inside that rock than you may believe. Good luck with new rock! Post some photo's. Ray

[imgrtful]

heres a pic of the mantis we got out of our tbs rock.had to really crop the crap out of the pic to get it to fit on here.so its kinda small