Rock loaded with hitchhikers (lots of pics)

[tektite]

OK, I got my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock yesterday. Talk about hitchhikers!!! Got lots of pics of cool animals.

The rock was incredible. They were covered in living things of all sorts. Within a couple hours of being in my tank, feather dusters were out, tons of barnacles were sweeping the water (very cool looking), snails were emerging, anemones opened, heard lots of click-clicking from mantis shrimp, you get the idea.

So far I've seen species of (though I'm sure I'm missing lots of things) – crabs (gorilla, some red type, porcelain), mantis shrimp, lots of snails, limpet, octopus (yes, octopus), serpent star, coral, lots of copepods, anemone, bristle worm, lots of other worms, feather duster, barnacle, sponge, gorgonian, tunicate, and red macro algae.

Rock out of the box:

Living things – just guesses as to what some of these things are:

Porcelain crab hiding:

Red, blue, tan sponge/coralline algae (?):

Tiny feather dusters in red sponge (?):

Red tunicates/sponge (?) and red macro algae:

 

[tektite]

Snails:

Barnacle feeding (hard to see but its little sweeper was out):

Tiny gorgonian?

Feather duster:

Weird thing cruising my glass:

Bristle worm (?) it was iridescent, cool looking:

Something cool:

Little orange anemone of some kind:

Another anemone of some kind:

Mantis shrimp checking me out:

Coral:

Octopus (very tiny but cool):

 

[tektite]

Very cool stuff, lots more I haven't been able to get pics of too.

 

[yungreefer2410]

wow are you going to tr and keep the octopus alive?

 

[molsen187]

that is some great looking rock. from what i've seen tampa bay aquatics has some great rock and prices. i'm def getting my rock from there when i do another tank. great pics too.

 

[BarbMazz]

Isn't it fun?! Just wait until you get Part 2!!

Rock wasn't out of the water for long, was it?

With mine I never had an ammonia spike; I measured twice per day as instructed and never had to do a water change after Part 1 or Part 2. I was prepared to, though.

Tell us about your tank!

 

[seafansar]

Way cool! Love the octopus and mantis! That "tiny gorgonian" is a hydroid. They can become annoying and sting your corals. Might want to pick it off the rock before it spreads.

 

[cbrownfish]

Cool stuff! The "weird thing cruising the glass" is a Hair Worm .

 

[tektite]

wow are you going to tr and keep the octopus alive?

I would have liked to but have no way of doing so. Thanks for help on the ID's everyone. One of these days I'll start a chronicle about my tank

 

[greene394]

Very cool looking stuff!! Congrats!! What are u going to do about the octopus?? I am courious....

 

[tektite]

The octopus died last night, I think the shipping was hard on it. I found it on the side of a bag, out of water. It lived for an hour or two though.

 

[yungreefer2410]

oh that sucks. would of been very cool if you could have

 

[greene394]

I am sorry!!! :cry1: That sucks! Even though it died, you still got some AWSOME ROCK!!! If you can sometime put a link up to where you got the rock from. I would love to check them out! Thanks a bunch!! Congrats again!

 

[tektite]

Sure thing. I got the rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. It's aquacultured too, so there's no impact on any reef when it's harvested. The rock I got was literally taken from the ocean and the very next day shipped to me

 

[RyanG]

Tampa Bay Saltwater has GREAT rock but is becoming renouned for the mantis shrimps that you get with it. That can be a plus or minus depending on what your goals are.

 

[goldenmean]

Looks great Tektite! great photos too!
More and more cool critters will appear in the coming weeks.

My TBS tank is approaching 2 years old and my wennerae mantis is my favorite critter. He has been a great reef tank mate.
Almost all the mantis that comes in on TBS LR is of this small species and the fear and hysteria that comes with a mantis HH is in IMHO and experience totally unnecessary.

 

[BarbMazz]

My mantis in the display is the same kind and he is very cool to watch.

 

[tektite]

I've been looking forward to having mantis, I think they're cool. A couple keep poking their heads out to watch me, it's amusing.

 

[rmlevasseur]

I'm more of the "if I didn't add it I don't want it" kind of guy, but I have to admit that rock is VERY cool!

 

[BigJay]

yessiree.. thats true live rock. I think I'm gonna try to make a drive by there one of these days to pick up a couple pieces of his rock.