Is it weird that I want hitchhikers?

Yes, in a cycling tank die off from live rocks is to be expected. All those nice little critters may not survive the cycling period. With this being said i have mushroom coral who survived my entire cycle. I did lose the other two but a single one survived and has now split twice.

Infact it was my first "ID this" post if i recall correctly

 

I'm sure there will be die off, just like there is anytime you buy live rock, but the live rock from this website is only $6 a pound so it's already cheaper than most lfs', and there is always the chance that what you get doesn't die off and flourishes like your mushroom.

 

i guess thats a fair argument

 

$6pp? It may be even cheaper since it claims it includes shipping for all INCONUS orders. I'm already looking to get some rocks from here.

 

Nice rock, personally I enjoy and fully appreciate rock like that, Not only do you get what you see, but it can be months later things will make it's presence known, eggs will hatch and grow, things will grow big enough to see much later.

mantis shrimp was the worst hitchhiker I ever got, but some would welcome them, I didn't like feeding it my clean up crew members.

I learned at times you will find life stock on this rock you could never buy, wanted or not, I saved this site, love the rock.

 

Just curious, what kind of risk to the water quality is there when you add live rock to an already functioning aquarium? ( New to this hobby)

 

if there is a substantial amount of dying biomatter on the LR there can be a cycle in which NH4 and NO2 become a danger

 

I also enjoy rock with tons of life and have always used it in my tanks. That rock looks nicer than what I was able to get in the past. Anyway with my cube I got a nasty hitchhiker, some ugly xeina that formed a super thick mat that couldn't be pulled off. It started over running my corals, literally growing over them and it wouldn't come off. Finally found someone that still had fluke tabs and had to nuke the tank. It worked and I didn't have any real losses, but I am hesitant to get ocean rock again. At least in a nano.

 

+1

I used to think hitch hikers would be cool, until I had a bad experience with a 55g tank that I started with cultivated LR. There were a few beneficial critters, but the majority of what survived the cycle were pests. Unfortunately, most are difficult to eradicate once established in your tank. I still love critters, but personally, I prefer a more controlled environment.