A Hello! from a misplaced southerner.

[MusMusculus]

Hady y'all! (I don't really say that, but I'm from the southeast and wanted to keep up appearances. )

I just wanted to introduce myself. I've recently moved to the Seattle area from Virginia and have decided to jump back into reef-keeping after a short (20 year) break. Things look to have really changed and I've been reading voraciously for the last few months. I was pleasantly surprised to find an active club in the area and hope to get involved as time allows. Also, I was hoping for some advice.

I have set up a 29 gallon glass tank with 4 inches of extremely fine grain sand and 10lbs of Marshall Island rock. However, this rock is really not what I was expecting, so I'm going to get another 30lbs or so of Caribbean rock. Has anyone tried shipping rock from Florida? Also, has anyone dealt with Tampa Bay Saltwater? I do prefer the idea of aquacultured rock and the pictures of that rock look excellent. Are there any other live rock distributers (local or online) that I should consider for very life-filled rock? Thanks in advance!

 

[scytale]

Welcome to RF!

We can't offer any sweet-tea, but we've got some lovely micro-brews for you to try....

I'm sure some others will chime in on online rock buying experiences--there's also usually a few people selling LR in the Livestock for Sale forums here...

And if you haven't been yet--you'll want to check out some of the local saltwater stores:

-BarrierReef in Renton
-Saltwater City in Bellevue
-BlueSierra in Issaquah

...you might not find the exact rock you're looking for--but you'll find plenty of other eye-candy...

(And welcome to "the left-coast"-- I moved here from Tobacco Rd., NC not too long ago.....)
Travis.

 

[jezzeaepi]

"However, this rock is really not what I was expecting, so I'm going to get another 30lbs or so of Caribbean rock. Has anyone tried shipping rock from Florida? Also, has anyone dealt with Tampa Bay Saltwater? I do prefer the idea of aquacultured rock and the pictures of that rock look excellent."

Im probably the only one on this board thats used them, so Ill give you my opinion.
I wouldnt do it again.
Avoid their package, and cure the rock regardless of what they say. Their rock is covered in annoying algae, and youll never be able to remove it all. A year later and I still have tons of problems with algae. I can keep it in localized areas, but some patches just wont ever go away.
The hitchikers are numerous, and both good and bad. Although this is the most interesting part, it provides the biggest annoyance. You will not be able to remove all the pests, plain and simple. I still have one gorilla crab that I cant get out. I also have numerous predatory polycheates that are benign when small, but become predatory when they achieve a foot or two in length. Ill never be able to get rid of all these. The goodhitchikers are numerous, dont git me wrong, but for a beginner, chances are youll loose most of your goodhitchikers to your bad ones. Examples: I lost 4 porcelain crabs and a serpent starfish to the most fishes predatory crab Ive ever seen. The vast majority of my sponges were eaten by limpets. Most of the filter feeders die in time. The hitchiking corals are all non photosynthetic, and actually bleach under tank lighting.
If your unlucky enough to go the package route, you get sand and rock at the same time. Well, the rock is going to be shedding detrus for the next 2 months, and its all going to end up in your sand bed, where its going to fuel the most viscous cyano outbreak youve ever seen. If they didnt ship you the sand till way later, youd have a chance to vacuum all that detritus off the bear bottom, and wouldnt have to deal with the agae blooms every "TBS" tank goes through.
And finally, on a personal note, the owner really ticked me off when he sent me my second half of the shipment. You see he sent it, and never told me. So consequently my shipment sat in a freezing warehouse overnight. That rock suffered a lot of losses, and the owner never offered me any compensation.
Avoid them. They are overpriced, and the shapes of rocks they ship you suck. You can not build a aquascape with them at all. Its like trying to build a reef scape out of baseball sized round chunks.



Rock is important part of the tank, but there are many aspects that are even more important imho. What other kind of equipment are you running right now? Do you have a sump?

Peace

 

[MusMusculus]

Welcome to RF!

We can't offer any sweet-tea, but we've got some lovely micro-brews for you to try....

I've noticed the nearly unforgivable lack of good sweet tea--and BBQ! But the beer certainly is good.

Thanks for the list. I haven't found Saltwater City yet, I'll try them this weekend. I just made it to Reef Mystique the other day. Lots of rock, but not quite what I was looking for (seemed dense, too.)

Im probably the only one on this board thats used them, so Ill give you my opinion.
I wouldnt do it again.

Thanks for the review! That is what I was afraid of--too many baddies. I don't mind a few late-night crab hunts, but I don't want to do it for months at a time. I do like the life on the rocks, but I don't want to be in a constant struggle to keep it alive. Also, I didn't realize the corals were of the non-photosynthetic type. I have a 250w 14000K halide and two T5HO (actinic) bulbs lighting the tank (20" deep).

I don't have a sump. I am running a seaclone skimmer (I know, junk), a Koralia 3 for flow, and a HOT Magnum 250 that I plan on running intermittantly for carbon and for water polishing. I set the tank up with 4 inches of very fine sand, but this may be taken out due to a constant sand storm. Too bad, it looks great up until the pumps are on. I may add a hang-on refugium later, or a sump. The tank isn't drilled and overflows make me nervous, so I will probably go with the hang-on.

 

[jezzeaepi]

My biggest recomendation would be drilling your tank now and adding a sump. Even if you dont use most of it, it will allow you to use a much better skimmer, add stability to your tank, and youll thank yourself in the longrun. Im stuck adding a sump now to an existing system and man is it a pain. I would never trust my floor to a hang on overflow, so Im stuck doing this crazy reverse set up.
It may seem like a lot of work now to take out your sand and rock and water and put it in large bin while you drill the tank, but trust me its a lot easier then doing it down the line =P
Peace and GL.

 

[steven11]

Welcome! PSAS is a great club. I will be a first time member for the 2007-2008 year. I really have liked what I've seen from the outside!

We have a lot of really good local reef shops. My favorites are Barrier and Blue Sierra.

To get your tank going, as said befor, get an external over flow box or drilled tank to add a sump/fuge. I have a "nano" as well and love it. The fuge will do so much for your tank. If you get your tank set up with a fuge, pm me and i will set you up with some very healthy and pod filled cheato. Again, welcome and good luck!

 

[MusMusculus]

Thanks for the advice, all (and especially for the offer, Steven!). I went ahead and ordered a 45mm hole saw today. I haven't yet decided to drill this tank, but if I don't I'll certainly drill the next one. Would a 10 gallon work OK as a sump for a 29? I could manage a 15H as well (I only have 22" of length in the stand). Thanks again!