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Testimonials

Richard,

You are absolutely the best!

Unbelievable,

My tank was decimated and now it is looking awesome with lots of life back in it. Still working on getting it all in the tank.

I don't know if I told you that I was sick, but between the doctor bills and insurance payments getting the tank back in shape was going to be a long haul.

You really picked up my spirits when I really needed it. The wife and kids are just ga ga over all the stuff.

I know the one item is a bulldozer/slipper lobster, but what is the red crab? I thought it was a sponge. I wondered why it was in a separate bag, then noticed when I was floating it that it had legs.

Christmas in January. What a concept.

Thanks! A whole lot!

Scott


Just wanted to thank you again this was so easy. Your rock is the most beautiful stuff, I had a handful of my salt friends over to view and they to are amazed. I'm sure you will be receiving orders from them also. The longer we looked the more we found. Once tank now cycles I will need another 10lbs to complete the look, but it sure is beautiful now. I can't thank you enough.

This is our 3rd tank, we had a 100 gallon (that was our starter) 10 years back it took almost 3 years to purchase all the filling for it and it never looked as beautiful as this right out of the box. My second is the 8 gallon which looks rather nice, but has been quite a job just finding small enough items to create a living reef, this one the 14 that is all yours is fantastic, sponges, crabs, barnacles, feather dusters, and I'm sure as it cycles and becomes adjusted other things will be showing up.

The air trip was easier than and store shopping, it only totaled 47.00 for the flight. I will be in touch with photos as tank settles and develops and in a couple of weeks will be wanting another 10lbs to complete my Tank. Am so happy I found your site, Thank You Again for making my new birthday gift the best one.

Nadine


Good Morning

Let me start by saying WOW.....

Package number 2 arrived on time and all in one piece. When I got home my son couldn't wait to open the boxes. We opened both boxes and placed the live rock, even though we are not great visionaries it turned out beautifully. Then it was onto the critter pack, again all we can say is WOW. Ok just one more time. WOW! We followed your instruction to the letter and I don't believe I even saw one snail not racing to claim a new spot in his new home. Everything you picked out was way beyond anything we could have imagined. It truly was Christmas in January!

I cant begin to express my gratitude for all you have done to make this a very rewarding experience for my son and I. Even my wife has turned into a closet tank watcher, though she may never admit to it. I cant wait to send you some pictures once I download them, its just AMAZING!!!!!!

MANY MANY THANKS !!!!!8-)

DAN & DREW
MARYLAND


Richard, we have just been astonished with the shipment you sent us and the time you did it in. We never expected to get our rock until after the holidays when we placed the order three days before christmas, but there it was the next day at Midway airport in Chicago. I was very excited to open the boxes when we got home but never expected to see we what I did. There were so many extra critters in the shipment for our 125 gallon tank. The three red/orange branch sponges are amazing as well as the three anenomes, but my favorite of all is the tiger goby. We have had almost no die off and all of the gorgonians that you gave us are all ready extending their polyps and feeding happily, I'm not sure what they are but they are beautiful. Our tank looks amazing now thanks to your rock and look forward to spending many hours in front of it. We will definitley reccomend you to all of our friends and any body who happens to ask where our rock came from. Thank You Richard we will defintiley have a colorful Christmas.

Sincerley,

Curtis M.


Richard,

Sorry I didn't write sooner, it has been hard to move away from the tank.

Love everything. Part 2 definitely exceeded all my expectations (I especially like the shrimp guy with the green stuff growing on him - he keeps jumping in front of one of the powerheads and getting a ride across the tank. The crab with the sponge on him is really cool too.)

All in all, I'm very happy with everything and will reccomend you to all my friends...which should be an easy sell once they see the tank.

Thanks for everything,
Kevin


Picked up part 2 at about 11pm and spent the evening acclimating and aquascaping...until about a quarter to 5am... . I'm still recovering, but it was worth it.

People constantly rave about Richard's generosity and I was expecting a really nice assortment of things, but I was completely unprepared for what he sent- it blew me away. He even sent two really neat fish (a tiger goby I believe, and some type of cool blennie), but they have so far been a little camera shy.

Richard- thank you for the incredible work and generosity which you have shown - I will be enjoying this for years to come and will definitely be in touch when I set up future tanks.

And now without further adieu... see the pictures.


Just wanted to say thanks again and pass along a couple photos. I took the 45 gallon package you just sent me, combined it with the 30 gallon package you sent me 8 years ago, and put it all in a new 75 gallon… looking great!

P.S. The tan colored anemone midway up on the left hand side of the tank was a free extra from the first package 8 yrs ago.


I just have to say I am blown away by this package. I was beside myself when I got part one of the package... I had no idea how fabulous part two was going to be! I was up until 2am (later than I've stayed up in *quite* some time...) just getting the rock and critters in there. Today is actual aqua scaping day though and I can't wait to play around with the arrangement! :-) I honestly, don't even know what to do with all of this, it truly is beyond my wildest imaginings... I can't tear myself away from the tank! Actually, I can't tear myself away from the tank, the books, and the online forums... :-)

Thanks SO much...

Christine


Good morning Richard,

I received the rock last night and I was amazed at what you sent me. I couldn't be happier with the quality of the rock and the amount of life on and in them. The plane was three hours late because of a very bad thunderstorm that subsequently had me traveling down the highway at thirty miles per hour in a torrential downpour. It didn't help that the airline had incorrect markings for the building that the rock was being held in which didn't help my increasingly bad mood. All that changed however when I opened up the first box and saw all the wonderful rock that you had sent. I was literally in shock at what I saw. My girlfriend and I would take each piece out and examine it on a table for a couple of minutes before putting each piece in. It was so much fun and we really enjoyed ourselves with even that small glimpse into our new favorite hobby. It took us about an hour just to get all the rocks into the tank and that wasn't even with aquascaping. They all sit nestled in the bottom waiting my return tonight to do some interior decorating. It took us just as long as getting the rock in as it did trying to save each and every crab and shrimp that was scurrying around in the bottom of the bags. The two corals you sent were just icing on the cake, once again I can't thank you enough. You have a customer for life and rest assured you will be talked about every time I walk into my LPS or when I talk to others about the gorgeous rock in the bottom of my tank. Thanks again Richard, you truly are a salt water enthusiasts Santa Claus =)

Jeffrey Hartman


Hey Richard,

Thank you so much for all the fantastic rocks and all the extras. It really filled up my tank all I can say that it is totally awesome! I was up until 230 this morning arranging everything, my wife was shocked this morning when she saw it. You really out done yourself. I always recommend your rock to everyone I talk to. Can not believe anyone would want to buy any of that dead Fiji rock at the fish store. I will send some pictures to you later today once I put the lights back on. Thanks again..... its so beautiful... we are so pleased!!

Ric Moriarty


Oh Richard,

We are astounded. Mick is oohing, ahing, and gasping in wonder. "Can we put them in right now," he asks? I told him we have to slowly acclimate them.

My oh my. The English have a colloquial for it, "We are 'gobsmacked.'" What beautiful, exquisite specimens. You have blessed us beyond that which we ever expected or imagined.

Mick is so very thrilled and deeply touched by your generosity, thoughtfulness, and big-heartedness.

My eyes are tearing over the beauty of each gift in each bag, over my husband's delight, and over your kindness beyond words.

Thank you is too weak a phrase and yet, it's all I have, for I am speechless.

So, THANK YOU,

Karen


A school ordered a Package for a 10 gallon.....but they had a much larger tank....so on Part 2, I fixed them up with a bunch of critters/sponges/plants....and an octopus they were wanting......the schools are in such bad shape money wise, I just wanted to help them out a bit....

He is the science teacher at the school......we need more teachers like him who really care for our kids in school. Here's a picture they sent me.


Hi Richard!!

I left early this morning and picked up the packages at the airport. I can't believe all the stuff you sent! Everything, including every single critter, arrived alive and in very good shape. The rock is now in the tank and the plants and animals are acclimating. That was a perfect amount of rock for my 90 gallon as I can't fit even one more piece if I wanted to!

I just want to tell you that I am EXTREMELY HAPPY with your service and you are more than generous with the extra stuff you included in my package.

I will definitely promote TBS as a highly desirable company to do business with! Again, I can't be any more pleased than I am right now with the rocks and critters you sent me.

Oh yeah, the anemones: These are a HUGE hit with my wife. Of all the things that will be in the tank, these are her favorite. And you know that saying; "when the wife is happy..." Of course I love them too :)

Thank you very much, Richard, and when the tank settles down, maybe tomorrow, I will post pics in the TBS thread at Reef Central for all to see!!!

Jim


Hi Richard,

After reading the testimonials for TBS I had high expectations from your shop; however, you’ve exceeded them at least 10 times. Thank you very much for shipping such wonderfully ‘live’ live-rock.

My tank is chock full of fan worms, beneficial macro algae (Caulerpa Mexicana), crustaceans, bristle and other worms, stars, snails, and other critters that survived remarkably well during shipping. Every one of the rocks you sent had small soft corals and sponges attached and they all lived. The Caulerpa attached to the rock looked a little beat up when it arrived; however, it greened up and started growing fast in just a few days. I’ve purchased cured and uncured rock from several other sources and none of it comes close to yours. Clearly, I received rock that spent very little time out of the water.

The best surprise was the beautiful corals that came with my second shipment of the "package". I truly was not expecting such large, colorful specimens. The critters were very active and took to their new home right way.

Finally, the same day shipping via Southwest cargo was surprisingly affordable. I expected to pay 2-3 times what I would normally pay for priority next day service; however, it actually came to about half what I would have paid for that weight and distance. Picking up at the airport wasn’t a problem…I prefer that to having the rock ride around in a delivery truck anyway.

Sincerely,

David Bjurman-Birr
Albuquerque, NM


Richard,

Plain and simple, you are a truly giving person, and a great boon to the Saltwater community. Thank you so much.

I picked up my second half yesterday, and just hearing about Richard’s generosity from others doesn’t prepare you for what he does. It was like Christmas all over again hunting through all the wonderful surprises.

The rock was even better than the first half, with corals and clams and what not attached. See this post on Reef Central for details and pictures!


I picked up the package at the terminal this morning. I was a little apprehensive considering it sat there all night.

I opened it up as soon as I arrived home with it, 28 hours after you shipped it. I am completely amazed at how well everything made it! Right off the bat, when I opened up the live sand, there was a brittle star staring at me! Not to mention all of the little “critters” scurrying about on the surface of the live sand! I have found four crabs; one was a gorilla crab, and TONS of little critters in the live rock bag! I am letting the bag sit and settle down a little before I go digging through it looking for more critters! The quality of your live rock is SECOND TO NONE! I have counted over five major types of plants that are literally THRIVING on the live rock! You will NEVER see that on store-bought live rock! Pet store live rock resembles DEAD ROCK to me now. About the only it has going for it is coralline algae. The 2 hour round trip to the airport was well worth the trip!

I started this tank as a means to teach my 7 year old daughter about the living oceans and the life that comes from them. This, by far, will be the most wonderful learning experience she has ever had. Plus we will now share a hobby that has been my passion for nearly 20 years. This will be the best start I have ever had in the hobby!

I will be sure to contact you when the tank has cycled. I cannot wait to see what the “critter” portion of “The Package” contains!

Thank you SO much for all that you have supplied so far! I am sure I will be just as amazed by the rest of the shipment!

Your newly loyal customer,

Lou Patterson


Hi Richard,

I received my shipment at 12:30pm today.When I opened the boxes I couldn`t believe everything you sent me.I am still in shock.I don`t know how to thank you.Everything is doing great.You have earned a customer for life.i have dealt with good dealers before,but none of them even come close to the customer service you have given me.You can count on me to pass the word. I have never seen such beautiful rock.Thanks again for everything.I will keep you updated on my tanks progress.

Charlie


Richard,

I just received my second shipment of rock. I opened the box of critters first so I could start acclimating them while I placed the rock in my tank and I was blown away by what I saw. WOW!! What beautiful creatures and plant life. I could not believe all the colors and movement. The creatures were moving all around and they were ready to begin their transfer period. I am absolutely amazed by your product. After reading all the horror stories from other reefers and their experiences I knew I did not want rock from some foreign ocean. It has been the best decision of my tank experience. The fish are busy exploring, the “cukes” and anemones ( which are the most beautiful I have seen) are finding their places and the brittle stars are already in hiding. I love your product and my tank looks like I have spent years caring for it. I can’t imagine what it will look like when it is years older. I am another completely satisfied customer and I will be purchasing from you again.

Connie


Richard,

I picked up the shipment last night at the airport. All I can say is…. Thank you VERY much.

You really went above and beyond what you had promised. My wife and daughters were AMAZED at all of the extras you threw in. I must say I was not surprised as I have come to learn that you are just one hell of a guy. The wife was also tickled with the “smiley face” on the inside flap of the box. Little things like that make it all worthwhile to do business with a guy like you.

The sponges are AWESOME! I had to con my wife out of the red sponge to put in my tank.

The two gorgonians that you sent are the coolest! The gorgonians have become my favorite now because of how well the one that you sent in my first order is doing. It is ABSOLUTELY thriving!

The extra fish you threw in, is that a goby? He sure looks like a goby!

The crab that you threw in, what type of crab is he? He looks like an arrow crab but he has little “balls” of algae where his claws would be. My 7 year old thinks he is the GREATEST thing!

I am going on Michigan Reefers website now to plug you again! I had one guy on there say that your stuff was OK if you can handle the die-off on the rock at first. Well, I have had ZERO and I mean absolutely ZERO die-off in both tanks! All people have to do is follow what you tell them to do and the rock will do what it is supposed to do. As a matter of fact, I have had to prune my macros and plants that came with your rock; they are growing by leaps and bounds daily.

I do dose the tank with Tech CB Part A and Part B daily but I do this mainly for my SPS corals. I also use a couple of other additives mainly because I just feel it is needed. I have also taken your advice and use DT’s Phytoplankton as well. The local pet store has been trying to sway me to try Phyto-Plex but I tell them that if Richard Londeree says to use it then I will! I know you do not have all of the answers but your advice, either directly from you or from your site, has worked 100% of the time for me! That is one hell of a track record for anyone that I have taken advice from.

Please try to enjoy yourself on your vacation. You do so much for your business that I am sure you have deserved the time off.

Your friends and loyal saltwater followers,

Lou, Candie, Alexandra and Grace Patterson


Hi Richard,

I really want to thank you for the amazing stuff you send to us! After putting everything in my fish tank, my wife and I spent hours in front of the fish tank... Just looking for this incredible show!

You really are the best business man I met in my all life! Your deal is at the same time a business and a passion... A perfect mix... I spent a non negligible amount of money but there is no doubt that it was worth it! I appreciate the quality of the rocks and the live stuff... And I really appreciate the extras you add to the order... Everything seems to be alive... Thank you for the two fish, the sponges, the anemones, the serpent stars, the arrow crab, the shrimps...

Miguel Dias


Richard -

I just wanted to let you know that I got my order on Sunday night and it is PHENOMENAL!!! It made the "live" rock that I already had in there look pitiful. There was plant life, a Pistol Shrimp, a few baby stars, a nudibranch, coral polyps, snails galore, a few gorilla crabs (which I chose to leave out of the tank!!) and something that I think is a sea cuke (just to name a few!). I attached a picture of that to see if you can verify that's what it is...it's the red thing leaning to the right. Whatever it is, it is definitely a filter feeder and is ALIVE!!!

I wish I would have gotten all of the rock currently in my tank from TBS. I found the website while I was researching, but wondered if it was too good to be true. I can most assuredly tell anyone who is "sitting on the fence" about ordering from you that they need to just do it!! No one could possibly be disappointed with such service and product!! I am so impressed with the rock that I received that I cannot say enough about it!! I am sharing with everyone I know who has a salt tank and will order more when we get our next setup (possibly even before that!!) Thank you, thank you, thank you for turning my "ok" tank into a "WOW" tank :)

Celeste O'Reilly
Phoenix, AZ


Richard,

I picked up the second part last night. As expected, packing job was superb and all seemed in order. It did get bumped to a later flight, but that was a good thing since I didn’t have my three helpers who usually get in the way instead of helping.

I was totally surprised. You threw in some extras that really made the package. Shaving Brush algae, anemones, whip coral feather dusters oh my! All I can say is thanks for them. It really matured the tank beyond what time could do.

This morning was really funny when all the kids went downstairs to see what happened. My son calls the sponge a carrot thingy. LOL

Anyway, here are some pictures to see how it looks.

Thanks, you’ll have a return customer when the AF moves us again.

Jon


Richard,

Rock looks fantastic,I have ordered live rock from other online companies before and also purchased from LFS over the years and never seen rock like it.Lots of sponges,macro algaes and all kinds of creatures.I bet I pulled at least a dozen small brittle starfish, several snails and crabs from the bottom of the bag,also rinsed off the sand in bottom of bag to seed my fuge.Easy pick up from airport,I will definatly be ordering again.

Thanks,
Michael


Richard, The FSU reef tank is in business. We thank you for the rocks and critters, and especially the anemone. It is all beautiful. No where could we have found anything comparable locally. There is just so much to look at. We are trying to identify the strange shrimp you included also. I thought it was some sort of plant until I took a closer look and he moved. And the little goby has already found his home in one of the rocks from the first shipment that is riddled with holes and caves. Thanks a million.

Mindy and Miles


Richard,

I received my boxes last evening and all I can say is that I am in a state of SHOCK at how amazing everything looks!! I have never seen such beautiful sea creatures and I am so proud to be able to have such treasures in my home! :) The LFS’s have never had anything that has looked like any of this and they have always had “dead” rock. Now I know what a salt water reef tank and quality sea life is supposed to look like! Thank you for all of the extra critters as well!

TBS is my ONLY sea life source from now on!! (Including for my upcoming 200 gallon tank)

Thanks again,
~Jonathon Siebenaler


Hi Richard,

WOW! Thanks for the fast response to my order...My head is still spinning!!! I am pleased with the rock...it was teaming with life!!!

I will post a thread at www.uberfrags.net with pics and comments that will be very positive about this experience!!!!

My Fiji live rock order was 3 boxes from another vendor. It was their premium "BEST" rock from "ALOR". Give me a break!!! It was allowed to dry on the beach and be shipped dry packed. Everything was dead except corallines and 5 manjanoe anemones! I used to buy rock from Florida Keys back in Late 80's until the ban. Live rock has never been the same since. If I could of got an overnight box from Fiji packed in water like yours I might of had some amazing live rock with stony corals. However that is not going to happen unless you go to Fiji.

Thanks again, Top notch stuff!

Rich Dietz


Richard,

Thank you very, very much for your excellent service and generosity. Everyone, including all of the surprise critters, arrived safely, and after acclimating for several hours they are now all in their new home, a 180g acrylic RR.

We love all of the critters (my fiancé, Julie, doesn't really care for the cucumbers, of course - "they're nasty"), and they'll give us years of enjoyment. We're completely mesmerized by all of the activity in the tank. I think the tiger gobies are Julie's favorites, and they've found a few holes in the rocks that they consider theirs now. Hopefully they won't get curious and venture too close to the overflow slots - I've used plastic gutter guard on the back sides of the slots for slightly larger fish, but I'm sure they could get through. The micron bag in the sump will provide further protection for them should they venture too far from home. I'll have to check it carefully before rinsing it.

Thanks again! I think you and TBS are doing great things for the hobby, and I'm sure all of your customers are as satisfied as we are! We'll definitely buy from TBS again.

Have a great day,
Kevin


Richard:

WOWEE WOW WOW WOW! I picked up my rock at IAD and it was effortless. Thanks for working with me on the timing (no traffic!) I got my package home and immediately put it the aquarium, following the instructions that came with the shipment. After a few hours when the dust settled I couldn't believe my eyes! The rock is spectacular. Nothing like what I see in the local aquarium shops-brown, dead looking rock. Your rock is true to your claims-beautiful. Pink, purple, black and orange sponges, live corals that I can see little fingers darting in and out. Many macro algae, green and feathery and short and bulbous. Magenta algae. There was even a donkey dung cuke! Many crabs, (I have not been able to ID) and there were a couple of blue legged hermit crabs. It reminds me of my childhood, snorkeling and scuba diving the coasts of Florida. Thanks for sending me a little piece of Florida!

Scott M.


Richard,

We received Part II Saturday afternoon and everything is in the tank. I want to thank you for being so generous with the extras you included, besides the promised hermits, cukes and snails. The shaving brush plants and the two little guys that look like evergreen bushes were on my to-buy list. The purple branching coral and the other (digita?) coral are beautiful. And what the heck is that bright orange, 9" long, spongey branching stick you included?? It's very cool looking, but I can't even tell which end is up!

Now on to the challenge of aquascaping. Thank you for doing an excellent job in helping us make our first saltwater reef tank a success. I will most certainly spread the good word about TBS.

Kind regards,
Stephen


I've just got into this hobby and took a lot of time conducting research and purchasing all the equipment.

And I spent an inordinate amount of time looking into live rock - from the LFS to a myriad of on-line vendors. (my wife didn't believe I would ever get it all set up...)

The bottom line is that the live rock I purchased from TBS has exceeded my expectations and I have been very happy.

I was a bit daunted by the shipping process, but it was all very smooth and I would highly recommend receiving live rock shipment packaged in water vs. damp newspaper. Richard has been very efficient and he definitely delivered the goods.


Hey Richard,

Your rocks were great. They have a very nice unique look compared to the fiji rock. I had a lot of nice coarls on there and many hitchhikers. I had some shrmp come in, two beautiful porcelian crabs and a bunc of gorilla crabs i'm trying to get rid of. One shrimp I found after a month of recieveing the rock I dont know where it was hiding and found a real large brittle star today also a month later. The cycle time was almost non existant and there was very little die off. It was well packaged and easy to receive at the airport. I will be sure to order all my future live rock from you and cant wait to let others know about this great product.

Thanks Richard!


Spent a few hours on the road, for the life of me i do not understand why traffic sometimes goes from 70 mph down to 15 mph and stays that way for an hour or two. I was really getting fruistrated think that my rock and critters were going to be cooked by the time i got home. As soon as i got home i took the 7 boxes down stairs to help cool them down, open them up, get the critters floating and started the acclimitaion drips and 1/4 cup evert 15 minutes. Man o man what can we say, the most beautiful rock we have ever seen, life on every square inch, what to do, what to do, what a great delimia. Got all the rock spaced and then started with the critters, snals, crabs, stars, ccucumbers and best of all anenomeos, corals, shaving brush plants and on and on and on. I really am overwhelmed. thank you , thank you, thank you.

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!!!! THANKS AGAIN AND AGAIN...

Mark and Peggy


I just read on reefcentral.com (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=873625), a handle by the name of slimreb had sustained damage during hurricane Katrina and you helped him out with more goodies, as he lost his tank.

That is one of the coolest things I have read on reefcentral.com ever. I applaud you!

I was trying to decide where to get more reef rock as I just moved my 220 gallon tank during a relocation. Based on your ethics on saving the reefs and helping a person who lost everything due to a devastating hurricane, you are an owner who understands how to take care of his customer!! You are the epitome of the successful 21st century business owner!

I intend to give you some business very soon and I will be a loud positive proponent for TB Saltwater.

Sincerely,

Rededteck


Richard - I ordered live rock from you Monday late morning. I picked it up from BWI around 5:30 pm the same day, rushed it home and put in my new tank. I can't begin to tell you how amazed I am with your rock. After my bad experience buying fiji rock on the internet, I was very hesitant to order more. The LFS sells aquacultured rock that looks like dead rock. When I saw the pics of your rock on the internet, I was again hesitant because the pictures looked too good to be true. Well....it's true! The rocks are teeming with life and covered in coral. It looks like I may lose some, as some has lost its color, but other areas still look good. I guess that is to be expected. Anyway, I tried to take some pictures the night I put it in my tank, but it may be a bit blurry due to the tank being cloudy from all the activity. I will take some additional pics and send it to you in a few days. Your unbelievably fast delivery of "too good to be true rock", has me very happy. Thank you very much. I will refer you to others and definitely buy again from you should I need some in the future. For now my tank is quite full of rock.

Thanks again,

Dan M.


Dear Richard

I wanted to let you know that my wife and I are totally satisfied with the Deco Rock that we received for our fish tank. My wife and I sit and watch the kids in amazement as they sit in front of there 120gallon salt water tank staring in amazement at all the new life that came with the live rock. My kids name every fish in the tank (Tangs (Aquilles because he fights all the time), Angel fish (flame because he is a flaming angel), Scooter blennies (storm and flash), Nemo Fish (george because he is very curious)...exc...but now they discover all the new life on the Deco Rock and they immediately go online and find out what the species of life is and the correct diet. So we have been quite a few trips lately to Petco to get different things to keep the new life alive. So, hats off to Tampabay Saltwater. You are truly the best in your business.

Sincerely,
My entire family :-D


Richard,

You are without comparison. The stuff you sent today is beautiful. Thank you so much for the extra stuff you included. Do you know what the green plant like item is? How should I deal with it? Should I place it in the sand or on the rock? The white Anemone is so cool. It has already locked on to a rock and made a home. The Cucumbers and the Star are also fantastic. I will take some pics in the near future and post them. The tank looks very nice. The water is in good shape. Am crossing my fingers that every ting hangs on.

Thanks again for a very professional transaction that was a super value.

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to my next purchase.

Bruce


What a pleasure it has been to work with someone who truly seems to enjoy what they do and take pride in their product. The instructions you gave me and information on what to expect from the airlines was right on the money, I breezed in and breezed out. Not a single box was damaged, not a single drop of water was leaking, it wasn't until I opened the first box that I realized just how hard the airlines would have to handle the box to cause it to leak or break. I don't really have any prior LR or live anything being shipped but for the life of me cannot think of how anyone could do better, short of hand delivering. I know I'm rambling, so I'll stop on the shipping comments...suffice it to say I was very impressed.

Now for the really good part...I had read in RC and your web site all the comments about your products so I was looking for something out of the ordinary and sure enough you did not let me down...Mark me up as yet another very, very satisfied customer! The whole family and I had a great time, the rock is just great, one huge 63 pounder just about took me out but what a great specimen. The tank clouded up very nicely when I put the sand in so our thoughts were to just kinda blindly place the rock and wait for the tank to clear before making "final" placement. Tons of fun checking out all the little guys (crabs, shrimp, worms, snails, serpent stars, etc, etc. on and in the rock, sand and bags they came in, I sure hope everything survives the cycle I don't want to lose anything. I'm not smart enough yet to identify all the sponges, corals, dusters, etc but they are there too.

Didn't get home from Charlotte until around 1830, played in the water until my hands looked like raisins and finally went to bed around 0100 just in time to get up around 0530 to go to work but I'm not complaining, I'm still juiced up and can't wait to get home. Checked the ammonia this A.M, it's testing below .025 using a Salifert test kit, PH dropped a bit, will bring it up when I get home, salinity is running right at 1.025.

This will be one of the longest 2 - 3 weeks I've had in a long time.

Talk to you soon and thanks again... mark


We got everything in the tank this weekend. The rock is WONDERFUL!! We have a few critters who came along for the ride as well. A crab with very hairy legs, a very small black crab and a Mantis Shrimp.

I built the trap like you showed and hopefully he will decide to go for it. What works good for bait?

I have been sending pictures of our rock to family. My brother in law who had problems with a saltwater tank and told me not to do it was in awe. He said he paid twice what we have for rock that wasn't 1/10th this good.

Thank you SO much, we look forward to the next batch.

Dan


Dear Richard,

It's been about 3 weeks since we received your 30 gallon package and we just wanted to let you know that our tank looks great! The amount and diversity of life on the rocks is simply incredible and we keep discovering new species. What was most surprising to us was the short time it took for the tank to cycle. In just one week the ammonia levels were down to zero. There was very little die off. Thank you so much for selecting these beautiful rocks and for taking so much care with the packaging for shipping!

The anemones you included are doing just fine. They're very pretty additions to our tank. We were wondering about the identity of one of them. We'll attach a picture in case you know what kind it is.

Best regards,
Reto&Ana


Yikes Richard!!!!

What a phenomenal shipment!!!!! The rock is spectacular; so many sponges, tube worms, barnacles, hard coral and so many more that I am working on to ID. The branching and the dome star coral is superb!!!! The tube corals are so abundant, I had a difficult time placing all the rock so none of it was covered.

The critters all arrived in great shape as well. After acclimating, the hermits started work right away on the hair algae that had started growing!!!! Sea cukes are moving all over trying to settle in and the serpent stars have each found a nook to hide in. Many, many thanks for the additional livestock - the anemone with the orange pedicle is incredible and has found a good place to set up shop. What is the other anemone you sent me? Also the green macroalgae was quite a treat. I think is might be Penicillium???? My son's tank looks great as well. He'll be home from college this weekend and I can't wait to see his face. His anemone and algae are also doing well and the extra touches are much appreciated.

I can't thank you enough for the splendid product and exceptional customer service. You can be well assured that if anyone wants to know where to buy quality liverock, I know just the place to send them!!!

Sincerely,
Jane B.


Richard:

Thank you for your amazingly quick response today to my second part one shipment. Everyone arrived just fine and I just finished the acclimation process: at the end of it, in they went! The only problem I had was getting the box away from the cargo people at the airport (who have been vicariously following this tank...), because, naturally, they had to have a peek at what I was so excited about. I didn't think I was going to make it out of there... <grin>

THANK YOU for the anemone! Frankly, I have always, for some reason, been scared out of my mind about anemones... it is probably irrational, I know, but for some reason... however, you provided incentive for me to get over that fear, and QUICK! It is now the centerpiece of my small tank, and I think it will be really awesome. THANK YOU so much for that!

Thank you again for your prompt service, great packaging, excellent selection, and overall coolness! I can't say how much I appreciate you taking the time to make everything perfect, and I mean PERFECT for me, Richard.

OK. Back to looking the tank under the moonlights. I can't wait for the lights to kick on tomorrow!

david


I am extremely happy with the 15 lbs of coral encrusted rock I purchased. Every square inch had life on it. I had difficulty decided which side was to face the front of the tank! And the hitchhikers were awesome. I got a serpent star, an orange star, two small crabs, numerous feather dusters, three clams, an anemone, barnacles, a mantis shrimp, and things I am still trying to identify. I will be making another order soon. Thanks,

Wes Carter
Morrison, TN


Richard,

THANK YOU so much. These rocks... ROCK!!

Also, the extras are above and beyond. The anemones, the extra shrimp and the plant (looks like a Q-tip with sand on one end, I hope its a plant, I buried the sandy end in the sand). What can I say, my wife and I are so pleased with everything. Thank you!

It took us a while to decide to start a reef aquarium. I'm so glad we did and that we ordered your package. By the way, I am sitting next to the tank and hearing a "click" every 5-10 minutes. Mantis hunting may be the next adventure.

Thanks for everything.
Brent and Marcia Rupnow


Hi Richard,

I wanted to add to my husband's e-mail and personally thank you for the outstanding customer service. The rocks, critters, extras (thanks so much for the anemones, they are unbelievable!), everything exceeded my expectations by a mile. Two weeks into the process, our tank is looking absolutely amazing. Your rocks have taught me so much about the beauty and complexities of marine life, and I am sure I will continue to discover, learn and appreciate the life in the ocean.

I cannot thank you enough.

Marcia


We see to it that we have 100% customer satisfaction! We have been collecting and wholesaling saltwater animals since the seventies, have thousands of satisfied customers world wide. Below is a very small sampling of our customer testimonials -- just about every online customer sends us a nice email; we just don't have space to display them all!


Richard,

Package arrived right on time in great shape at PHL on Saturday. I'm new to this so imagine my surprise once the water cleared and we turned on the lights. Theres so much life on every inch of these rocks. Spent the whole weekend staring into the tank finding new critters, crabs, worms, clams, starfish and other stuff I can't ID. Got one gorilla crab out and my wife got the left claw from another. Ammonia finally bumped up to 0.25 this morning. I expected it faster but then the rock looks perfectly alive. We'll let you know next week if/when were ready for part 2.

Thanks. I'm so glad we found your website. Now that I have the TBS rocks I cant imagine using that dead brown stuff from the pet store.

Brent


Hi Richard,

I just wanted to let you know I received my shipment of live rock and sand yesterday. It's fantastic, everytime I look at my tank I see something new. I have received live rock from several mail order companies before, but none compares to this. Shipping in water makes a phenomenal difference in the amount of life left on the rock.

What impresses me more is your attention to detail. It is obvious that you take a great deal of pride in your product. The rock is amazing, the sand is full of life and you out did yourself with care in packaging. From the first phone call you have gone out of your way in providing excellent customer service and have far surpassed my expectations. You DID provide a bright spot in this crummy post Katrina rebuilding/ cleanup effot and I am more than grateful. I will purchase from you again, again and again. Thank You so much for all the extra effort!

Sincerely,
Melinda Deakle


Hi Richard,

Just wanted to let you know that the rock we got last Saturday is doing great! Abby (my grand-daughter) is thrilled. Tank is cycling good, we are starting to drop today, almost back to .25, never went above .50 We will probably wait another two weeks before getting the second part. Abby will be hospitalized again on the 26th, so we will wait until she gets home and probably be calling you around October 1st.

I truly have to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Abby has not been able to perk up for a few months, but she has done nothing but grin for the past week. The topping on the cake, was all the life included in the rock. We have a few snails, a brittle star, and Abby’s favorite, a black urchin. We also had a gorilla crab which we removed and we are trying to trap a mantis.

I just can’t thank you enough. I know you guys are having a hard time with the red tide and all, but you have made my entire family so happy, it is hard to explain. This little girl means the world to us, and to see her so happy is truly amazing. We have set the tank up where she can watch from the sofa, and that is where she has been since last Saturday. We have gotten her various books, and she keeps trying to identify everything on the rock. Again, thank you for all your hard work in supplying this rock to us. It is really appreciated.

Sincerely,
Deb Brown

Deb wrote again after receiving her second half of "The Package" as well!

Hi Richard,

Wow!!! Received the second part of our rock on Tuesday and it is fantastic! The entire family was like a bunch of kids on Christmas morning as we opened the boxes. I know you had told me it was really nice rock on the phone the other morning, but this is beyond our wildest dreams! Corals, clams, feather dusters, barnacles, plants, and sponge. There is so much on these rocks it is unbelievable. Our biggest problem was deciding how to set it up in the tank. Our first shipment also had a lot of plants and some corals that have all survived, so we had to be very careful where placing things. After some careful planning, the tank looks awesome! Thank you so very, very much!!

I had actually held off purchasing for awhile hoping to get the Gulf rock. But now we are so happy we took the Keys rock. I can’t picture anything being any better than this. In the past 2 days all of us are constantly looking at the tank, and constantly finding something new.

The bonus anemones are also doing great! They are all so pretty. All we have to do now is add Nemo in a few weeks! By the way, we also found another hitchhiker black urchin, so Abby is in seventh heaven! Needless to say she has not moved in the past 2 days. Everything from clams opening, to worms moving, to feather dusters opening, or barnacles pulsing brings the call to everyone to come and see what she has found.

The inverts all seem to be doing well, and our ammonia level has not risen at all yet, so we are hoping we will have an easy cycle. Words cannot express the appreciation we have to both you and Mark. We were hoping to make this tank really special but it has went way beyond that. It is truly amazing!

In the future we will recommend you guys to anyone we know looking for live rock. The customer service, packaging of the rocks and inverts, and definitely the looks of the rock, all speak of the care and time you put into this. We wish you the best.

Again, thank you so very much, for making this a wonderful experience, and a fantastic tank!

Sincerely,
Deb Brown


Richard...thanks for the second shipment. It's awesome! Also, thank you for the extra shrimp and the anemones. I think one of the anemones is a pink tipped anemone, but I don't know what the other one is...is it a bubble anemone? Anyway, the rocks are amazing and I'm telling everyone about it...even people who don't want to know. I'm going to take some photos because I have some things I can't recognize. Last night, some long orange tentacle looking thing come out of a hole in a large rock to grab some plant life. I don't know if it was a worm or part of a star, but I'd never seen a photo of anything like it. It didn't seem to crawl, so perhaps it's a star of some sort. I think I'm going to have to trap the mantis shrimp...he's escavating my rock and leaving a trail of fine sand everywhere. Thanks again!

-Chris


Hi Richard,

I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for your superior product. I ordered 'the package' 5 weeks ago and I must say that I am SO impressed at the quality of the live rock and your service... and at the TONS of amazing sea creatures that keep coming out of the rock.

I had read on forums that your Tampa rock is even nicer but I could not wait and got the Keys rock - I've got to tell you.. I cannot understand how your Tampa rock (or ANY rock) is better than this. The coralline algae just keeps growing and I have 10-15 corals growing from the rock you sent - I have planted nothing - it is all natural. The macro algae is gorgeous and all my water parameters have been easy to keep.

Besides the cleanup crew and the anemone you sent separately, I have tons of feather dusters, good crabs, brittle stars, etc... the snails are already multiplying. The extra beatiful anemone you sent is doing wonderful. I keep discovering multiple new creatures / growth / life every day.

I should also say that I am a tough customer and I never write letters like this, but with all the pleasure I've gotten from what you guys have sent me, I'd feel GUILTY if I didn't! You definitely have a repeat customer here, with referrals to any other reefers out there.

Thanks so much,

JB Snyder


Richard and TBS,

I just wanted to write to you and thank you for the amazing live rock I got from you this summer. Due to weather conditions it took almost 120 days to get the rock, but upon arrival it was worth every single day of waiting. The rock shapes are fabulous with many tunnels and the rock is very light compared to some "other" aquacultured LR I purchased previously. Several pretty sponges died off, but many more remain and add a lot of different colors to my tank.

The amount of hitchhikers on the rocks has been great. I've seen 3 baby urchins crawling around and several porcelain crabs and you were great in giving me 3 of the Manicina species of brain corals that I really wanted.

Thanks again!

Brian


Richard,

Thanks so much for getting me the order with such little notice and under inclement weather conditions. I don't have the words to describe your rock other than AMAZING! If I had known what kind of quality and service I was to receive from your company I would have started 100% with your product. The pieces you chose were perfect, teaming with life! Simply wonderful. In short, thank you. I'm speechless.

Best,

-B


INCREDIBLE!

I can't get over how stunning and beautiful the rock is. It's better than the best christmas present in the world. Only it keeps getting better. As the day progresses more little things emerge and I can't take my eyes off the tank long enough to write you an email and tell you how pleased, amazed, astonished and happy I am with the rock. Thank you so much for selecting such great pieces.

There are zillions of my favorite cup corals. =) I love them. So far I've been able to identify a few leathers, a brain coral (I think), and many cool sponges.

That big cool rock you spoke of *is* incredible. It has so many beautiful things on it I wanted to suspend it in air rather then lay in on the ground. As I was staring at it a small reddish brown brittle star emerged from the bottom. Itty bitty thing and all legs perfectly attached. Then as I was watching him a small brown star fish walked up on the glass in front of me. So cool to watch. Who needs TV?

Words cannot express how great this rock is.

Thank you so much!!

Pam Russell

Richard and Mary,

I must write you back and let you know how I feel about my order. First let me start by saying I have been into saltwater for 7 years but have never had any live rock or reef type aquariums. I have always enjoyed the fantastic colors in marine fish and never felt any need to spend more money on live rock. Recently I had an extra 20-gallon tank. I decided to try my hand with corals and began learning. I was very turned off to what I saw at my local stores selling live rock. After several visits to local suppliers and coming home disappointed I did a little research on the web and discovered Tampa Bay Saltwater. The pictures and descriptions do not serve your product justice. I was amazed with my order and can hardly pull myself away from the tank. Spectacular is one word that fits when describing my tank. Great job guys and thank you for my window into the sea. All the critters and add constant movement making the entire tank truly look like a biotope. The live rock at the local stores hardly looks very much alive. When you see my live rock it is overflowing with life. Thanks for

Jarod Rosenthal


Hi Richard and Mary,

It has been almost 3 years since I first put my TBS rock into my 200 gallon reef. I am as happy with the rock now as I was when I first received it. When the rock came in, it was teeming with life. Opening the boxes and exploring the rock is an experience my kids and I won't forget. All the sponges, bivalves, coral polyps, corals, and critters were so exciting to see. Now after all this time, many of the creatures are still thriving and much new life has appeared. The sponges have served as cement and have bonded my rocks together. There are beautiful blue species on the underside of several rocks and lots of orange and yellow species which serve to provide a variety of color. Most of the bivlaves are still going strong as are those wonderful coral polyps that feed with their long clear tentacles especialy at night. In addition to all of the red and pink bushlike growths, there are many other kinds of growth on the rocks that I have never identified. Many serpent stars, brittle stars, worms, feather dusters, crabs, shrimp, and many, many others I only see occasionally, are thriving.

The sand has really come alive and I am absolutely convinced that this plays a giant role in the life of my tank. We are able to watch some of these from the underside of the tank and that is an entertaining sight. There is an entire network of tunnels and "houses" in the sand bed.

I debated over whether or not to order more "dry" rock to fill my tank prior to ordering from TBS. You know, the rock that comes in covered with wet newspaper with most creatures DOA. Although there are pros and cons both ways, I decided to go with TBS because of the life on the rocks and because it is shipped in water. I am glad that I did. The diversity and wierd creatures we have seen have made our tank all that much more fun for us. Other than a very entertaining decorator crab who took a liking to a cup coral, nothing has harmed any of my corals that I can see. I am convinced that the diversity on the rock somehow makes for a beneficial mix that helps my tank thrive.

Thank you TBS. I can't wait to order my package for the 2 new 600 gallon tanks on the way.

Lori Hall
Huntsville, AL


Just a quick note to say thanks ! The service was great and the rock is unbelievable! I used to own a small reef store, "back in the day", and imported rock from Tonga, Fiji, Marshall Islands, etc. and it was just "dead" rock, opposed to your "live" rock! No question that you have to put in the effort with constant water changes to keep it alive during the cycle, but it's well worth it! There's so many living things on the rock... I may not even have to buy corals!! Anyway...thanks again!

Steve Librett
Scarsdale, NY


If you're getting this message, then you've helped me build and/or stock a beautiful 225 gallon reef tank. Here are the latest pictures of my system, from a grateful fellow aquarist:

http://www.gloryhill.com/aquaria.htm

Those of you on this list who are vendors are listed because you've delivered fantastic customer service, an increasingly rare phenomenon. Thanks to all of you, particularly to Dan at Salty Critter (for patiently educating me for HOURS on the phone), to Mary at Tampa Bay Saltwater (for walking me, a nervous wreck, through my first major live rock curing cycle) and to Adrienne at Marine Depot Live (for getting me that perfect purple tang, no matter HOW hard it was to find). You're on my HIGHLY recommended vendor list!! (and linked from my website, for that matter -- hope it helps your business!)

Kind regards,

Hal Stanley
Smithfield, VA


Once again we shopped in you store and found incredible selection of live rock to chose from! Thanks to your store we are currently working on a 29 gallon and another 55 gallon salt setup. In the future possibly a 180 or bigger. If it wasn't for your store with the selection you have, none of our tanks would look as great as they do. I make it a point to tell all my customers (I work for Bighthouse) that has salt tanks about you store and web site. Thank you once again for the enjoyable time we have going to your store.

With Regards,