[Michael W]

Seems there is a school of thought that live rock MUST be cured to be added to an existing tank. If the LR is not used as the primary filter and I WANT the creatures on the rocks, is there really an issue to NOT curing the LR?!

Our LFS is fairly responsible and I let it set in their tanks for a spell. I also force them to bag the LR and box vs. airing it out and wrapping it newspaper. I'm talking 2 - 5 pounds per trip done every few months so not a big bio load or risk (10 year old tank with a good skimmer, lots of LR, an "old" wet/dry filter, and activated carbon. The tank is copepod heaven so the filter feeders don't need any additional foods (partial reef tank -- no large stony coral population. That is for the new tank in June).

I do clean out the animals/plants that don't make it (mostly the Macros/certain corals) and clean them daily of debris, but I find it an interesting challenge to keep the sponges, tunicates, corals, sea cucumbers, clams, and Gorganians/Sea Rods alive after purchase. It is almost like Christmas to see what I'll get -- currently have a brain coral, 2 sponges, a four clam cluster, many big tunicates with children, sea squirts and an 18 inch bushy Sea Rod that is magnificent that the LFS employees had a bet on. I also have 2 urchins hitchhikers that may/may not get to stay (depending on calcarous algae consumption and eventual size) and a hermit that was already "eliminated" by my Arrow Crab. The splashes of bright orange and red really set off the tank and I can't imagine intentionally killing them off to "cure" the LR.

 

[badxgillen]

If it is good quality live rock then it does not need a cure time especially in a established system capable of dealing with a small organic break down.Usually live rock needs "cured" when it has been shipped from original ocean destination, to a wholesaler,to pet store, then to customer. Most of that transit is dry time. If you can get some rock form a more direct source then there is more reason to get it into the tank sooner than later.I miss getting nice rock from the ocean,no middle man.

 

[cwmorrow]

I bought some live rock, mailed from Puerto Rico to Arkansas. I stacked it in a ten gallon salt water tank, and it smelled like road kill for a week. Some peanut worms and various other creatures survived, as I changed the water often.
That may be where the mantis/Bobbit/Monster from the deep that is terrorizing my 100 gallon came from.

 

[Michael W]

I have a creature that we still have not figured out yet -- it pops like a jack in the box and appears to filter feed. It does NOT move or change positions or appear to have a tube. No one at any LFS can identify or have a found it on-line

Also just got an 18" Gorgonian on a 2 lb piece of live rock -- it was a $25 gamble. It had a little spine showing and was beat up but it pulled through and is beautiful (if I can keep the Raccon off of him -- 2 more months until the new tank!). The other Gorgonians left at the store (3 weeks later) are now twigs. I shouldn't complain too much about the Racoon, he does eat most bad hitchhikers like Apastasia and worms.

I bought some live rock, mailed from Puerto Rico to Arkansas. I stacked it in a ten gallon salt water tank, and it smelled like road kill for a week. Some peanut worms and various other creatures survived, as I changed the water often.
That may be where the mantis/Bobbit/Monster from the deep that is terrorizing my 100 gallon came from.

 

[badxgillen]

Is the filter feeder similar to a barnacle?I do love a good hitchiker like brittle stars,acro crabs, and tiny small coral polyps.

I wish there were only good hitchikers but unfortunately I have seen my fair share of bad ones such as planaria,aptasia, acrapora eating flat worms, red bugs,teddy bear crabs,montipora and zoanthid eating nudibranchs, and many types of nuisance algae.

 

[Michael W]

Is the filter feeder similar to a barnacle?I do love a good hitchiker like brittle stars,acro crabs, and tiny small coral polyps.

I wish there were only good hitchikers but unfortunately I have seen my fair share of bad ones such as planaria,aptasia, acrapora eating flat worms, red bugs,teddy bear crabs,montipora and zoanthid eating nudibranchs, and many types of nuisance algae.

I don't believe it is a barnacle -- I looked into those and it didn't fit. It looks like it has a hard surface the "head" (what I can see when it pops up) is vaguely triangular and looks hard/calcerous. When flat on the surface, it is flush and invisible with calcerous algae growing ove the top. When it pops up, a "mouth" opens by simply allowing each side to move open and form a triangular mouth that goes about halfway to the back. It is brown/gray and NEVER moves expcept to go up and down like a jack in the box (it stays up most of the time and goes in when sudden stimuli appear -- light, tough, loud bump/vibrations)

I believe it is a Mollusca -- a class of worm-like critters with hard skin but no shell. I'm guessing it is burrowed in but I cannot find an "exit" on the other end. I'll have to see if I can attach a picture.

I had some planaria but they were eaten and I think some small crabs are hiding in some rocks and the Panther has been stalking them relentlessly. I saw a tiny claw crab at my tweezers when I was removing some red hair (wire) algae.

Pictures of unknown being: 1. Side View Up (about the size of a nickel) 2. Side View Down (in a flash) 3. Front view coming back out

Anyone who can figure out what the heck this is has my eternal respect!!!!

 

[Michael W]

I thought I would show the Gorgonian I picked up from the live rock. It is almost completely healed and seems to be thriving since my tank is swarming with copepods and other little "critters".

Our Mandarin is in heaven.

 

[badxgillen]

Now that is a nice score,are you going to go with more gorgonians? I am going to setup a non photosynthetic tank at some point in the future. I believe the type you have is partially photosynthetic so it does benefit from lighting,this makes it much easier to keep than some of the other zooxanthellae lacking corals.

 

[Michael W]

Now that is a nice score,are you going to go with more gorgonians? I am going to setup a non photosynthetic tank at some point in the future. I believe the type you have is partially photosynthetic so it does benefit from lighting,this makes it much easier to keep than some of the other zooxanthellae lacking corals.

I haven't been able to identify the exact species but I believe you are right -- there is NO color in the LED light and it seems to open more during twilight times (maybe that's due to feeding times are near there).

It is my third Gorgonian -- they and some of the soft corals are thriving. I like how the Gorgonians move in the currents and are easy to feed (nothing). The Bubble Tip Anenome on the other hand -- what a freakin's weird creature. It finds its spot at the very bottom of a 30" deep show tank and thrives, I bump its rock and it moves an inch -- it starts shrinking.