Another log of a Newbie starting out with TBS rock!

[tygger]

What test kit are you using?

[dwculp]

I have three differnt test kits, Red Sea, Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, and Tetra. All give the same readings.

[dwculp]

I get to work early this morning so I can try and get a bunch of work done. The first thing I do is break out the ammonia test. I generally test 2-3 times a day, morning, afternoon and just before I leave work.

The ammonia test has an odd color, one I have never seen before a dark greenish blue. Blue does not show up on the color chart, The chart is shades of green. If this test is right my ammonia has shot up to greater than 2.5 in 24 hours!!

I panic.

I have three other ammonia test kits. I re-run this test and run two other tests with other kits. They all indicate 0. Whew......

I must have done that first test wrong, but I will keep an eye on it.

[dwculp]

Ran the test again and got a 0. Hmmmm, I know me and my obsesive compulsive ways, I will probably check 27 times today!! LOL

[dwculp]

After repeating the ammonia test yet again and getting a 0 again here are the water parameters as of this morning:


pH: 8.2
Temp: 27C
SG: 1.024-1.025
Ammonia: 0 (after another battery of tests)
Nitrite: 0.05
Nitrate: 10
PO4: 0.1
CA: 400

Diatoms are starting to appear on the glass, the tank has a general "dirty" appearance because of the diatoms. I HATE brown algae (diatoms), not only is it a pain in the rear, it is just plain ugly. At least green and red algae can at least look good!

[dwculp]

It is a ways off from adding fish but I wanted to start thinking about what fish I want and what order to add them in. I do not plan to add fish until after Thanksgiving, possibly mid December. These are the fish I am planning on keeping:

2 Percula clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 Flame Hawkfish
1 Lawnmower Blenny

What are your thoughts? Too much? What order should I put them in the tank. I was kinda wanting to put the Blenny in first to help out with hair algae control!

Any fish you would leave off the list or substitute?

[Paul Pos]

Just tagging along. Great job keeping us updated on your progress. I'm debating whether to mail-order some Fiji or Marshall island LR for the interesting shapes or to go with TBS for all the critters. Any thoughts?

[dood68]

sounds good to me teach

[Scuba Oz]

Was this TBS rock, un-cured, pre-cured or fully cured

[dwculp]

Originally posted by Scuba Oz
Was this TBS rock, un-cured, pre-cured or fully cured

TBS rock is shipped directly from the ocean, packed in ocean water, via same day air freight. I would supose you would call it "un-cured" rock, though I never saw an ammonia spike and many never do simply because there is very little die off on the rocks because it is shipped nearly fresh from the ocean.

Go here for more information.

[Scuba Oz]

Looked good in the photos, I will re-search this TBS before I order, I can have it shipped to Hobby airport I guess since you said you picked it up at your local airport

[dwculp]

Originally posted by Scuba Oz
Looked good in the photos, I will re-search this TBS before I order, I can have it shipped to Hobby airport I guess since you said you picked it up at your local airport

Do a lot of research, some people LOVE it, some people do not. The rock is aquacultured live rock. In other words it was rock mined and laid down on the bottom of the ocean and left to get colonized. The rock comes shipped in water and has TONS of life on it, I have sponges, corals (including a brain), barnacles, bi-valves and lots of other things on it. I got a TON opf hitch-hiker hermits, snails and other creatures including a serpent star. Others dis-like the rock because of the amount of life that comes on it and possible bad hitch-hikers you may have to deal with.

Personally, I was hooked on TBS rock over a year ago when I found Reef Central and I knew I would choose nothing else for my tank just based on the numerous threads and pictures here on RC. I am glad I started the tank with TBS rock and cannot wait for the next shipment. It is great rock and puts the $8.99/lb live rock at my LFS to shame.

[AJP]

Hey was just wondering when your next shipment comes in. Also if I may ask did you get the 40 gallon package and if so what was the final cost with shipping. I want to get some but the price scares me so far.

[dwculp]

Originally posted by adamjonpeterson
Hey was just wondering when your next shipment comes in. Also if I may ask did you get the 40 gallon package and if so what was the final cost with shipping. I want to get some but the price scares me so far.

I did get the 40 gallon package. The actual package was $468.00. Shipping cost to Dallas for the first portion was $70.00. I imagine the second portion will weight less as it does not have the live sand so probably $60.00 for the second shipment and a total, overall cost of about $600.00.
Hopefully I will be able to get the second portion of the package during my Thankgiving break.

[jaze36]

Great thread, your students are very lucky!

[dwculp]

Originally posted by jaze36
Great thread, your students are very lucky!

Thank you!

In other news, I got ANOTHER ammonia test kit and it came out 0 also. I will still be nervous, even though I have no reason to until tomorrow.

I also spied another fairly large crab, I do not know what kind as he scurried under a rock before I got a good look. I am telling you, more and more stuff keeps showing up in the tank.

I think aliens are beaming stuff in.

[Scuba Oz]

With all the talks of "Hitch-hikers" should you be worried of getting something you dont want or need? I hear talk of giving what sounds like cured rock a saline bath, I know I am new but now I am a little confused. Anyway, the rock looks great, just wanted to know if this was a concern

[dwculp]

Originally posted by Scuba Oz
With all the talks of "Hitch-hikers" should you be worried of getting something you dont want or need? I hear talk of giving what sounds like cured rock a saline bath, I know I am new but now I am a little confused. Anyway, the rock looks great, just wanted to know if this was a concern

You can get some "bad" hitchkiers such as gorilla crabs and mantis shrimp, but you can remove them. I did not get any mantis or gorilla crabs on this first shipment. TBVS recomends that you DO NOT dip their rock in freshwater or a hypersalinity solution as you will kill much of the kife on the rock. If you are looking for rock with LOTS of life on and in it and are willing to put up with some possible bad hitch-hikers I say go for it.

Day 10:

pH: 8.2
Temp: 26C
SG: 1.024 - 1.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
PO4: 0.1
CA: 400

I will post more pictures as soon as I get the camera back!!

[tygger]

When are they suppose to send the part of the "Package" that consists of the cleanup crew?

[dwculp]

The only time that I have available to schedule delivery is the week of the 22nd. I will call them sometime next week to schedule delivery.

[dwculp]

I checked out one of our newer cameras and this shows the color so much better!!!

A snail crawling across a bi-valve.









Random shots of rock.






My favorite view of the tank - from the left


Reef central now tells me I am out of space!! I had a few more really good shots, oh well, time to get a photo hosting service I supose!!

The tank looks dirty because of the darn brown algae. Hate that stuff!!

[dwculp]

Just saw my cause of all my clicking noises. Just found a gorilla crab, he shares the big rock with my decorator(?) crab. He is big, quarter to half dollar sized!

Where does this stuff keep coming from, amazing I tell you, stuff just keeps popping up. I really believe at this point that aliens REALLY are beaming stuff into the tank!!

Update: Not a gorilla crab, it is a porcelain crab!

[OCDP]

hehe its so exciting! TBS rock is just one thing after another!

Glad you found your clicking culprit. If you need an image host go to www.imagelink.org, sign up and post some freebie pics.. then delete the ones that you arent using.

Looks great so far That rock is so cool.

[AJP]

I would use photobucket.com or sanpfish.com for the pictures

[dwculp]

I found a tiny anemone in the sand. I do not know if it is Aiptasia, I snapped a few pictures and when I get a picture hosting account I will throw them up here for you to examine. It is only about 1/2 inch tall with 5 very slender arms that apear very faintly "tiger stripped", it has a large central disk/mouth compared to the size of the arms.

So far I have been lucky with no bad hitchhikers, that I know of. However, everytime I examine the tank I find something n ew. Who knows what in the world crawls out of this stuff at night when I am not here!!

Here are the water parameters:

pH 8.2
SG: 1.024-1.025
Temp: 26
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
PO4: 0.1
CA: 400

I am now heading to my girlfriends house to grill steak and watch the election. May the best man win!