New TBS rock

[Dj Anarkee]

I received my TBS shipment last night and this rock looks amazing! It has a plethora of sponges, tube worms, barnacles, and macro algae. One of my favorite things? The way it sounds... weird right? I absolutely love hearing the pistol shrimp clicking away. I also received a couple of hermit crabs, and a half dozen snails or so. I found a few crabs that I tossed in the sump until I can identify them. I haven't aquascaped yet since the delivery was pretty late at night and the tank was cloudy. It has cleared up nicely and I'm looking forward to aquascaping and adding more sand tonight. Will post more pics. Thanks Richard!http://imgur.com/a/K90kx

[Dj Anarkee]

http://imgur.com/a/K90kx

[Dj Anarkee]

Not sure why pictures aren't working so here is a link.
http://imgur.com/a/K90kx

[Dj Anarkee]

Picture of my new rock after aquascaping. This is 60# of rock in a SCA 66 gallon cube. I'm in the process of trying to catch a punching mantis shrimp who is busting up the barnacles and killing snails. If he wasn't so voracious I'd love to keep him because he is beautiful. The LFS is willing to take him in and give him a good home, so hopefully I can catch him soon.

http://imgur.com/4N9Fv1K

[FrankB1]

That's great looking rock!

[GXPKY]

I always use Tapatalk to load pictures from my phone, seems like it's easier.

Looks like a great start, beautiful mature rock for sure

-Dennis

[ryshark]

Picture of my new rock after aquascaping. This is 60# of rock in a SCA 66 gallon cube. I'm in the process of trying to catch a punching mantis shrimp who is busting up the barnacles and killing snails. If he wasn't so voracious I'd love to keep him because he is beautiful. The LFS is willing to take him in and give him a good home, so hopefully I can catch him soon.

http://imgur.com/4N9Fv1K

Looks nice. How many pounds did you get? I'm looking into this rock for my new 66-gallon SCA.

[liverock]

Picture of my new rock after aquascaping. This is 60# of rock in a SCA 66 gallon cube. I'm in the process of trying to catch a punching mantis shrimp who is busting up the barnacles and killing snails. If he wasn't so voracious I'd love to keep him because he is beautiful. The LFS is willing to take him in and give him a good home, so hopefully I can catch him soon.

http://imgur.com/4N9Fv1K

Use a piece of raw shrimp up by the front glass....he will come running for it...and if you keep him fed, they usually do not bother anything else as this type is a wennerae..one of the most docile of the species....if his tummy stays full...

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com

[ryshark]

Looks nice. How many pounds did you get? I'm looking into this rock for my new 66-gallon SCA.

I just realized the answer to my question was in the original quote

[Dj Anarkee]

Use a piece of raw shrimp up by the front glass....he will come running for it...and if you keep him fed, they usually do not bother anything else as this type is a wennerae..one of the most docile of the species....if his tummy stays full...

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com

I got to the point where I said ok I'll just feed him and keep him. Then, I bought my first fish, a captive bred royal gramma. The first thing the royal gramma does after I acclimate him and put him in the tank? Straight in the mantis shrimp lair! There are 100s of holes, nooks, and crannies in this beautiful rock and the fish decided to pick the mantis lair to hide in. What are the chances?!?!? One expensive mantis snack... so back to trying to get the mantis out.

I've got the mantis to the point where he is comfortable eating krill from aquarium tongs, but still won't come out of his burrow more than an inch or two. I'm hoping in time he'll become more bold and I can net him, as he isn't interested in the bottle trap. Until then, no fish because despite feeding, if a fish presents itself to him I don't think he'll say no.

The sponges are holding up quite well, despite what others have said. I even have some new ones growing. I did catch one limpet taking a chunk out of a sponge so I banished him, while other limpets seem to leave the sponges alone.