New 75g package

aujosh84 · 09/29/2013, 08:46 AM

First a little background information: I set up my first saltwater tank my sophomore year in college. 10 gallon tank, some liverock, a clown fish and a damsel. Went well for about a year and a half, then decided to upgrade to a 30 gallon tank. Ich popped up, wiped out my fish, everything went downhill.

A few years later I decided to make the leap again, but learning from my first experience and reading a LOT I was determined to do things the "right" way this time. I found TBS saltwater online, ordered the the package and went from there. Everything went GREAT until it was getting crunch time for finals, job interviews, and moving, then it started going downhill. Gave my rock to my aunt and gave everything else away.

After moving to Florida I couldn't wait to set up a tank, but decided that I wasn't going to do that until I had a more permanent form of resident. We bought our house last year and had been talking about setting up a tank when my aunt called and said that she was done and we could have her tank if we just picked it up.

After a month of drilling, plumbing, and carpentry work we finally got water in the tank. Picked up the first part of our package yesterday and things are really starting to come out!

After 19 hours in the tank we've found:
couple of brittle stars
LOTS of whelks (they gotta go!)
2 red footed snails. They look like whelks, and what I've read has me leaning in that direction. Sad, since they look awesome. One is already in the fuge.
3 porcelain crabs
4 gorilla crabs
2 urchins
1 cup coral
1 half bleached tubastrea head, the polyps are out and happy now though. we'll see how he does
1+ shrimp, either mantis or pistol. We've heard the pops and cracks but haven't seen it yet
Cerith snails
Trochus snails
Hermit crabs

Just checked my parameters and got these:

0 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
20 Nitrate

Is it possible to cycle that fast? We picked it up local and went straight in the tank with it, but wow! I wasn't expecting a reading of 0 this morning. I'll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days.

Pictures coming shortly.

aujosh84 · 09/29/2013, 10:01 AM

Shortly after putting rocks in:
http://imgur.com/5MWe6l7.jpg

Urchin:
http://imgur.com/Y4f6HmG.jpg

Red Footed Whelk?
http://imgur.com/OKJlZ8J.jpg

Other stuff:
http://imgur.com/2FxZUO8
http://imgur.com/8IEat4M.jpg
http://imgur.com/DgyJ7nd.jpg
http://imgur.com/ZdwVck5.jpg
http://imgur.com/RafU5YM.jpg
http://imgur.com/lyQ623s.jpg

liverock · 09/29/2013, 10:08 AM

Good job man!

You have real live rock and sand......that was harvested and kept in water from the Gulf of Mexico....all the way to your tank, thus there is little die off. My rock is different from anything else you have seen, as it is truly alive and never requires, curing...as it is not sick.

Thus you have little chemistry issues....same as most folks that go the Package route, but be ready to change water if you have too...every tank is different....some require water changes during the cycle...some don't...stay on top of it and by next weekend you should be ready for part two!

I am diving Tuesday for more rock for your second 1/2!

sea ya
Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com
www.itzalodge.com

aujosh84 · 09/29/2013, 10:12 AM

Awesome! I'm got my fingers crossed that it will be ready on Friday.

olsonjl · 09/29/2013, 02:21 PM

Nice writeup. I'm awaiting my second shipment myself. I concur with your account. We can't get over the diversity of life on our rocks.

I can't wait to see pictures of your second batch, and post my own.

aujosh84 · 09/30/2013, 06:08 AM

Last night the ammonia went up to .2 (after some aquascaping). Measured this morning and its back at 0. Weird stuff going on last night. Worms swimming all over the aquarium. I thought they may have been epitokes, but they didn't look anything like bristle worms.

aujosh84 · 10/01/2013, 06:57 PM

A few pics of the first package, not all is from TBS, we've got a couple of pieces of baserock mixed in:

Just a few of the feather dusters. I've never seen this many on liverock ever, and I've had TBS rock in the past.

aujosh84 · 10/02/2013, 07:51 AM

Saw one of these last night:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platyctenida

It was like a pair of spider silk threads hanging off the back of the snail. Every once in a while something would catch in it and you could see it pull it in. VERY cool...don't know if i would ever be able to get a picture of it, but i'll try if i see it again.

aujosh84 · 10/08/2013, 01:15 PM

Got part 2, TONS of new stuff. Here's a pic, will get some more soon, including close ups:

Cashda · 10/08/2013, 01:21 PM

Awesome, I get my part 2 on Thursday...CANT WAIT!!!

olsonjl · 10/08/2013, 03:36 PM

Looks wonderful! Nice job. Pat yourself on the back!!!

aujosh84 · 10/09/2013, 07:27 AM

More pics:

Seafan, gorgonian, and sponge. The seafan normally has poplys extented, he was just being shy for this shot:

Colonial Tunicates. Grown a lot over the past few days:

Ctenaphore. This guys just pops up all over the place, hard to get a good picture of him:

Tubastrea? If you look close you can see all the spionid worms, they are EVERYWHERE.

Sponge and gorgonian:

HUGE gorgonian:

Sponges, Tunicates, and Feather dusters:

09/29/2013, 08:46 AM	#1
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	New 75g package First a little background information: I set up my first saltwater tank my sophomore year in college. 10 gallon tank, some liverock, a clown fish and a damsel. Went well for about a year and a half, then decided to upgrade to a 30 gallon tank. Ich popped up, wiped out my fish, everything went downhill. A few years later I decided to make the leap again, but learning from my first experience and reading a LOT I was determined to do things the "right" way this time. I found TBS saltwater online, ordered the the package and went from there. Everything went GREAT until it was getting crunch time for finals, job interviews, and moving, then it started going downhill. Gave my rock to my aunt and gave everything else away. After moving to Florida I couldn't wait to set up a tank, but decided that I wasn't going to do that until I had a more permanent form of resident. We bought our house last year and had been talking about setting up a tank when my aunt called and said that she was done and we could have her tank if we just picked it up. After a month of drilling, plumbing, and carpentry work we finally got water in the tank. Picked up the first part of our package yesterday and things are really starting to come out! After 19 hours in the tank we've found: couple of brittle stars LOTS of whelks (they gotta go!) 2 red footed snails. They look like whelks, and what I've read has me leaning in that direction. Sad, since they look awesome. One is already in the fuge. 3 porcelain crabs 4 gorilla crabs 2 urchins 1 cup coral 1 half bleached tubastrea head, the polyps are out and happy now though. we'll see how he does 1+ shrimp, either mantis or pistol. We've heard the pops and cracks but haven't seen it yet Cerith snails Trochus snails Hermit crabs Just checked my parameters and got these: 0 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 20 Nitrate Is it possible to cycle that fast? We picked it up local and went straight in the tank with it, but wow! I wasn't expecting a reading of 0 this morning. I'll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days. Pictures coming shortly. __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works

09/29/2013, 10:01 AM	#2
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	Shortly after putting rocks in: http://imgur.com/5MWe6l7.jpg Urchin: http://imgur.com/Y4f6HmG.jpg Red Footed Whelk? http://imgur.com/OKJlZ8J.jpg Other stuff: http://imgur.com/2FxZUO8 http://imgur.com/8IEat4M.jpg http://imgur.com/DgyJ7nd.jpg http://imgur.com/ZdwVck5.jpg http://imgur.com/RafU5YM.jpg http://imgur.com/lyQ623s.jpg __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works Last edited by aujosh84; 09/29/2013 at 10:16 AM.

09/29/2013, 10:08 AM	#3
liverock RC Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Tampa Posts: 3,836	Real live rock and live sand...makes all the differance! Good job man! You have real live rock and sand......that was harvested and kept in water from the Gulf of Mexico....all the way to your tank, thus there is little die off. My rock is different from anything else you have seen, as it is truly alive and never requires, curing...as it is not sick. Thus you have little chemistry issues....same as most folks that go the Package route, but be ready to change water if you have too...every tank is different....some require water changes during the cycle...some don't...stay on top of it and by next weekend you should be ready for part two! I am diving Tuesday for more rock for your second 1/2! sea ya Richard TBS www.tbsaltwater.com www.itzalodge.com

09/29/2013, 10:12 AM	#4
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	Awesome! I'm got my fingers crossed that it will be ready on Friday. __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works

09/30/2013, 06:08 AM	#6
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	Last night the ammonia went up to .2 (after some aquascaping). Measured this morning and its back at 0. Weird stuff going on last night. Worms swimming all over the aquarium. I thought they may have been epitokes, but they didn't look anything like bristle worms. __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works Last edited by aujosh84; 09/30/2013 at 06:27 AM.

09/29/2013, 02:21 PM	#5
olsonjl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 39	Nice writeup. I'm awaiting my second shipment myself. I concur with your account. We can't get over the diversity of life on our rocks. I can't wait to see pictures of your second batch, and post my own.

10/01/2013, 06:57 PM	#7
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	A few pics of the first package, not all is from TBS, we've got a couple of pieces of baserock mixed in: Just a few of the feather dusters. I've never seen this many on liverock ever, and I've had TBS rock in the past. __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works

10/02/2013, 07:51 AM	#8
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	Saw one of these last night: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platyctenida It was like a pair of spider silk threads hanging off the back of the snail. Every once in a while something would catch in it and you could see it pull it in. VERY cool...don't know if i would ever be able to get a picture of it, but i'll try if i see it again. __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works

10/08/2013, 01:15 PM	#9
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	Got part 2, TONS of new stuff. Here's a pic, will get some more soon, including close ups: __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works

10/08/2013, 01:21 PM	#10
Cashda Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 163	Awesome, I get my part 2 on Thursday...CANT WAIT!!! __________________ "Don't confront me with my failures, I have not forgotten them." - Fountains of Wayne Current Tank Info: Red Sea Max 250

10/08/2013, 03:36 PM	#11
olsonjl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 39	Looks wonderful! Nice job. Pat yourself on the back!!!

10/09/2013, 07:27 AM	#12
aujosh84 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indialantic, FL Posts: 247	More pics: Seafan, gorgonian, and sponge. The seafan normally has poplys extented, he was just being shy for this shot: Colonial Tunicates. Grown a lot over the past few days: Ctenaphore. This guys just pops up all over the place, hard to get a good picture of him: Tubastrea? If you look close you can see all the spionid worms, they are EVERYWHERE. Sponge and gorgonian: HUGE gorgonian: Sponges, Tunicates, and Feather dusters: __________________ wde Current Tank Info: 75g reef in the works