Picked up LR from LiveRocks.com!

[Gatorfreak]

I drove to LiveRocks.com yesterday. About 2.5 hours for me. Mike and Ron are great. They spent over an hour with just my wife and I showing us around, giving advice, and helping us pick out some rocks. The facility is pretty cool too. Lots of cool stuff in those tanks!

I've been reading on here for a month or two but now that I finally got LR I have so many questions!

I have a 90 gal tank with 90# sand, and 60# base rock. I added 40# keys rock and 20# gulf rock from LR.com at about 6pm last night (when I got home). I just put the rock right in for a couple reasons... I wanted to minimize die-off and secondly, that I can't tell what's what anyway.

The tank cleared up over night so I couldn't take pics until this morning but I had to go to work. I'll post some pics tonight.

On to the questions...
1. I saw a starfish with about a 1" wingspan moving across the sand this morning. It has short,red bristles/hairs. What's that?
2. I have many crabs. Seem they're all red. I saw a larger one this morning with hairy legs but the body was not hairy. I've seen a pic of a "bad hitchhiker" that was a hairy crab but I remember it having a hairy body too. This isn't it, is it?
3. I hear clicking/popping. It's usually a single pop but sometimes multiple with a second or so in between. Not really rapid fire. I don't know if I can trust me ears but it sounds like they come from both ends of the tank. Pistol shrimp? Multiple pistol shrimp? Mantis shrimp?
4. Do feather dusters need light? In other words, should I position them so they have more light? I have lots of 'em.
5. How long should I expect it to take before I get an ammonia spike? I put in a piece of grouper (was caught the day before) that was about the size of a shrimp.
6. What, if anything, should I be feeding everything during the cycling?

I'm so worried about things dying! I could see tracks in the sand this morning so I know a lot of things are still living and moving around. I also got a purple sea cucumber and at least one hermit crab. Now I just can't wait to get home and see how things are going.

[malkore]

Grats on your purchase of some quality LR!

1. Sounds like a species of serpent star. should be safe
2. Not sure. I left 1 light colored, hairy crab in my tank, and pulled the red one out.
3. Mantis shrimp I think. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think pistols give a single pop...mantis do multiple pops.
4. Feather dusters don't need special lighting considerations. They are actually a tiny worm that filter feeds.
5. Very hard to say. Most of us who ordered from LR.com and got next day shipping never experienced an ammonia spike. Mike does such a good job of caring for the rock before and up to shipping/packing, that there's little to no die-off, and the bacterial colonies remain intact. However you're doing it right by playing it safe and assuming you'll have a spike. Monitior ammonia and nitrite for a week...if you see none, test nitrates...you'll probably have 5-10ppm, signalling a cycled tank.
6. I wouldn't worry about feeding right now. the LR has some edible algae on it, and you've got that piece of grouper in there.

[Gatorfreak]

I know what rock the shrimp came in on (Pistol or Mantis). I think I'll give that rock a dip in some freshwater tonight and see if I can get him to abandon ship.

[XXFirefighter]

SOunds like yout all set already...
Dip your rock with the mantis and I would take out the grouper.. You will not have any die off with you being so close...

I put fish in my tank that night I got my rock shipment and not 1 loss because of the no cycle... It's GREAT stuff...

Are you gonna add a little more rock? What do you want to put in your tank? If you want to use the LR as a biofilter, I'd add soem more.. abotu 1.5 -2 pounds per gallon. I got 100 pounds in my 55 gallon tank and use no other filters except AC for polishing the water...

[Gatorfreak]

I actually have another 60# of base rock rubble from hirocks.com. I put some of it in the sump but a lot of it is still out of the tank. Adding all of that will take me to 180#. I figure I'll be adding stuff in the future as I see things I want too.

I plan on having a reef with lots of inverts. Only fish I know for sure that I want are 2 clowns. I'm going to wait at least a few weeks before adding any fish though. I want to be really certain that everything is stable and healthy. I'm in no hurry to get more livestock. There's so much to see already.

Oh, and a note to those of you who are researching/setting up your tanks. All that work is so worth it when you finally get some LR.

[revhtree]

Oh, and a note to those of you who are researching/setting up your tanks. All that work is so worth it when you finally get some LR.

Very True!!!

Can't wait to see the LR pics!!!

[steve r]

i have been very happy with my live rock from LR.com as well. i got mine shipped to wisconsin. i have a ton of little feather dusters, 3 brittle stars, a few small shrimp i have not seen since i dumped the rock in, an emerald crab ( i think ) he is green with some brown hair, 2 small clams, a tiny snail, and what i think is a conch. its not a snail. i also have a bunch of small clumps about .25 inches that look like a cluster of tiny grapes or bubles. they are clear or tinted blue and are growing a little bit each day. anyone know what these are?

my stuff has stayed pretty hiden. i only see a leg of a starfish once in a while and the clam and conch at night. the emerald crab stays in a hole all the time. he move to the opening very rarely.

i have not seen an amonnia spike yet either. seems like nothing really died, but i also have very low nitrite and nitrate readings so from what i have gathered i may have to add a piece of shrimp to start the cycle

anyway, this is just my experience with LR.com. sounds similar to yours. i am sure we both be very happy.

steve r

[Gatorfreak]

Well I'm more convinced that I have a Mantis now. He's clicking constantly. Using a flashlight, I'm pretty sure I saw him in a hole in the rock I thought he was in. I have the rock a dip in freshwater but he didn't come out. I went to Publix and got about 4 gallons of carbonated water. It was about $4. So I dunked that rock in the carbonated water (after adding salt, bringing up temp, etc). A few critters hopped out but no Mantis. While doing this, I hear him clicking inside the tank! Now I know for sure I saw *something* bigger than any of my little crabs in the rock I dunked (before driving to Publix). I think he moved to another rock while I drove there. How likely is that? I'm going to make a trap now, I guess.

I really don't want to put all the other critters through the stress of various dippings.

[fishfreek]

How likely is that?

Its quite possible. Mantis are fairly smart. Proably moved after you did the FW dip cause he didnt like that but it wasnt enough to make him drop out.

[XXFirefighter]

FWIW, I have been having clicking since day one... I got 4 mantis out in total.. Still hear the clicking and no sigh of him @ all... Nothing is getting killed so I'm not worried about it...

[Nate C]

Amazing... I've had 40lbs Keys LR from them for just over 2 weeks now, and have not heard any clicking at all (yet). No signs of mantis.

At one point I thought I had a "wounded" snail but turns out that it is a conch also. I have found tons (100+) feather dusters. At least 1 hairy legged crab, At least 1 brittle star, and 1 Aiptasia.

I pulled the entire rock the Aiptasia was on (lucky for me it was a small rock, with nothing else interesting on it)

[Gatorfreak]

I started another thread about my green aiptasia... http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=34913

I think it's cool and I plan to keep it as long as it doesn't become a menace.

[TygGer]

Let's see some pics

[Gatorfreak]

Ok, here we go with some pics!






It has been 1 week now. No ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates. Everything has been stable and going well.

[RocketSeason]

very nice! mine came with alot of tube worms too!

[boardsurfer]

Looks great! My only concern would be to change your avatar

[Gatorfreak]

I need an avatar that has the flag at half-mass. I'd raise it back up once we get Spurrier back. I'll weep tears of joy if that happens. Will be very interesting to see if the Gators show up to play against you dawgs. I think this will be your year to beat the once-mighty Gators.

[boardsurfer]

That would be great if you guys would get Spurrier back. He brought so much to college football and the SEC. He is definitely missed by many...

I'll be at the game in Jax this weekend. Good luck to getting a great coach, and good luck Sat.

[Gatorfreak]

I just had an idea. I have about 50# of the hirocks rubble. I was thinking of attaching them together in some sort of cool formation. Maybe an arch bridging across my two big rocks. What sort of epoxy should I use?

Also, looks like I'm getting some diatom growth. Not that much yet. Should I cut back on the lights (currently 12 hours with 2x150W MH) or just let it ride and get some snails at some point?

[crage34]

nice rock