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| Pests, Hitchhikers, and Diseases Have a pest and need help getting rid of it, or found something cool and don't know if it's good or bad? Does a Critter have an odd spot? This forum is for you! |
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08-25-2009, 01:09 AM
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#1
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 73
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live rock tips
i know it sounds a little cheap, but i was wondering if anybody knew what kind of live rock is most likely to bring a pistol/mantis shrimp or at least another kind of interesting hitchicker. is it the size, kind or shape of the rock maybe??
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08-25-2009, 01:16 AM
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#2
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Kid Reefer
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 2,105
Reviews: 20
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Matters where it comes from. Tampa bay live rock has a good chance to have an n. wennerae mantis shrimp hitchhiking in it. I think pistol shrimp are more sand dwelling so harder to get one as a hitchhiker.
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08-26-2009, 12:18 AM
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#3
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 73
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kool nice man thanx... what about figi live rock any comments about that??? the reason i ask is cuz i been to dozens of places around my area and all i find is figi LR
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08-26-2009, 01:35 AM
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#4
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Kid Reefer
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 2,105
Reviews: 20
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Well the problem with fiji rock and trying to get a mantis is that the mantis wont be active. N. wennerae are among the most active and common so they are easy to find and fun to have, I had a mantis shrimp in my tank from fiji live rock and only saw it twice, and the second time was it dead cuz i killed it out of my rock, it killed 4 of my fish. tampabaysaltwater.com is a good place to order some LR that has a good chance of having 1 or 2 mantis shrimp in the rock along with some other things like corals.
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08-26-2009, 01:42 AM
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#5
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The Ninja MOD
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Planet P.....Why Me?
Posts: 13,624
Reviews: 23
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Ill throw a different slant on this. Buying rock for a specific animal (the possibility of that animal) isn't the best way to buy rock. When buying LR you want the most porous rock you can get (Tonga, Marshal Islands etc.) This provides more surface area for beneficial bacteria. Being that these bacteria are the biological filter for your tank I would say that this is far more important than the hope for a hitchhiker. Tampabay rock is dense and not very porous at all from what I have seen. Porous rock also tends to have more interesting shapes.
I would strongly recomend buying rock for its value as a filter and the asthetics of certain types. If you want a mantis buy one!
Just my take on the subject.
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08-26-2009, 01:45 AM
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#6
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Kid Reefer
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 2,105
Reviews: 20
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I think that guy has some nice rock for the area, ive seen alot of pictures and it looks pretty good. Besides that, the mantis will make it more porous by drilling holes all over it.  |
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08-26-2009, 01:54 AM
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#7
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 73
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thanks for the advice guys im definetely checking that site, and ill do some research on what u said motorslave.  |
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08-26-2009, 01:56 AM
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#8
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Kid Reefer
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 2,105
Reviews: 20
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I bought my mantis off tampabaysaltwater but got my LR from my LFS, i did this to get the right sizes that i wanted and to get some hitchiker corals for free, always a good idea to look for corals on the LR if you get to choose . |
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08-26-2009, 04:36 PM
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#9
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 73
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excuse my ignorance but whats LFS???
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08-26-2009, 04:38 PM
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#10
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Indiana
Posts: 992
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local fish store..also check out marco rocks if your going to just get some rock..good prices and very porous..-drew
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08-26-2009, 11:05 PM
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#11
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 73
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ok
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08-27-2009, 12:58 AM
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#12
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Plankton
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Spring, TX
Posts: 11
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I have to agree with motorslave. The LR bought for the tank should be the best for filtration, and aesthetics. We choose our rock carefully for our tanks: it's going to be a part of the rockscape for a very long time. Our LFS's often have mantis and pistol shrimps for sale that have come in on rock. I would take that approach, so you'll be successful on all fronts.
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08-27-2009, 07:14 AM
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#13
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I've got the REEF rash!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 34,108
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LFS = Local Fish Store.
__________________
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08-27-2009, 10:11 PM
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#14
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 69
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I agree.  Buy LR based on looks and filtration. You can always get the cool critters later!! |
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08-27-2009, 10:26 PM
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#15
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The Ninja MOD
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Planet P.....Why Me?
Posts: 13,624
Reviews: 23
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Another advantage to more porous rock is flow. The more open and porous the rock, the more you can benefit from the flow in your tank. The ability of the flow to get in and around the rock is a great help in maintaining the health of your tank. Dead spots (no flow) is a prime spot for detritus to collect and settle into the rock. Over time it wil become saturated with phosphates and you will have n algae issue that will be stuborn. Open and porous rock will allow he flow to prevenmt the settleing of detritus and thus help in keep the tank free of algae and even provide for an easier maintainence routine.
Non porous rock being much denser doesnt go as far when it comes to filling up the space in the tank. The porous is generally "larger" looking and will fill up the tank quicker thus it is a bit more economical depending on what you pay.
It's just better all around. from everything I have heard the Tampa Bay rock is very dense and lacks much in the way of shapes.
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