Bad Hitchhikers on Live Rock

[AndyH5512]

Has anyone had issues with mantis shrimp hitchhiking in on the Keys Rock from Liverocks.com? My LFS warned me of this possibility. Thanks.

 

[David03]

I just got two shipments from Liverocks.com. It is beautiful rock.

Not sure if I got mantis shrimp, but now have some good and bad hitchikers.

Good side- Gorgeous serpent star, cool coral, feather dusters and other stuff that I discover every day.

Bad side- Some aiptasia, and a couple of crabs (I want a reef tank with corals, so that isn't necessarily a good thing for me).

But hey, it's nature, you get some good with the bad. If I wanted a completely sterile environment, I might have taken up another hobby. I say go with Liverocks.com, their stuff is awesome. Some risk, but it's life.

Best of luck,
David

 

[Hara]

I have bought a good bit of liverock from them and in about 240 pounds I had 11 mantis shrimp. There rock is much more dense thatn fiji or other non man made rocks, but if that doesnt bother you as far as appearance, then the mantis shrimp are easy enough to take care of before you put the rock in the tank. As well as finding all the "bad" crabs and such.

 

[AndyH5512]

How are you ridding the liverock of the Mantis shrimp?

 

[Hara]

each piece of rock went into a bucket, some of the mantis were easy to catch ahold of using forceps. when all else failed, the rock got a quick fresh water dip.You can search each piece thoroughly enough before putting the rock in your tank.

 

[SkinnyPete]

I got 100lbs of rock including keys a few months ago. I was sure I had some mantis from all the snapping noises. I didn't think they could all be pistol shrimp. Mike at lr.com told me it was possible, but that it is more likely to be pistol in the keys....that the mantis are more often found in the gulf rock than the keys.

Turns out I have like 5 pistol shrimp. No mantis.

 

[AquaBear]

I read somewhere to dip your LR in very heavy salt water, about 1.030, for 30 seconds to flush critters off. Of course, that would probably include all the desirable things too, so I guess it's a matter of how clean you want your rock.

--Aquabear

 

[Florida8]

I haven't bought LR online,but I have bought from multiple LFS and have gotten Mantis shrimp here and there. I do not dip my rock and all pieces went right in my tank as I was turning a FO to reef I only added a pc per week as to not cause a spike or problems. I was able tocatch all mine with a trap easily. But to me it wasn't worth the risk of killing the "good" stuff.

Kimberly

 

[AndyH5512]

The funny thing is that the LFS says the Mantis Shrimp are worth $30. However, based upon what I have heard about them, I would not want them in my tank.

Has anyone had any issues with the Keys Rock being more dense and heavy than "regular" liverock?

 

[Zack]

Many people are willing to purchase mantis as they have their own set-up for them. The mantis that will come in your rock are not as dangerous as you may think. Many of the customers do keep them in their tanks with little to no problems.

The dense issue has been long talked about in the hobby and found not to be significant in amount hobbyist would order at all.