Florida ocean farming

Sustainable Live Rock

Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock farming was founded 40 years ago to save
native Florida rock from being removed from the Gulf. We plant both quarried and sustainably manmade rock. Both forms of live rock provide beneficial microorganisms for marine aquariums.

  • QUARRIED ROCK: In 1991, TBS deposited over 4 million pounds of Florida and Bahamian quarried rock on site.  Natural rock from the Philippians, Fiji and Trinidad were added over the years. And Florida quarried limestone continues to be planted.
  • WALT SMITH REEF ROCK:  In 2015, TBS began planting sustainably made rock from Fiji.  This rock contains a proprietary blend of natural Fijian ingredients like sand and coral skeletons shaped into shelves, arches, honeycomb, caves and branch. 75,000lbs was planted in 2022 and 20,000lbs more will be planted in 2025.

"The Sea is everything!" - captain nemo

We Give to the Ocean and the Ocean Gives Back

Temporary Habitat: Placing thousands of pounds of rock on the farm creates shelter and provides nourishment for fish and invertebrates. As rock transitions from dead to "living," marine life sizes the opportunity to thrive! Mature rock is removed from the ocean bottom by hand for the sole purpose of providing beneficial microorganisms for your aquarium. 

Removing Waste:  We remove plastic bottles, abandoned crab traps, knotted fishing line, discarded ropes…if we see trash, it is removed from the Gulf.

Conservation: TBS relies on the ocean to survive; taking care of the sea takes care of us.  Conservation is a priority for us and evident in how we harvest rock, by hand.  Little by little, mature rock is removed and replaced with new rock in a sustainable cycle.  In the heart of the site lives beautiful corals, gorgonians, sponges and inverts; this is our no harvest zone as this island seeds our live rock farm.  

preservation

Teaching the Next Generation

Educating the next generation on the importance of protecting and
preserving the ocean benefits everyone. 

A starting point is an aquarium located inside a school.  Aquariums
draw all ages of people in; to reflect, to imagine, to escape, to create. 
An aquarium is a place for applying math, science and art.  A school reef
tank opens the door to a whole new world of learning.

Richard Londeree knew this and began gifting live rock to schools long ago. Tampa Bay Saltwater has donated thousands of pounds of sand and live rock to educational institutes across the county.   This is a tradition that continues to this today. 

The Business of Sustainable Aquaculture

Now that’s Cool! Part of the TBS warehouse is dedicated to maintaining cool temps for the live rock holding system. It is called the Icehouse. The Icehouse provides life support for the living rock until it is shipped. This chilly room is lit with energy saving LEDs, cooled with energy saving AC units, topped off with water saving RODI and filled with natural seawater.


Sustainably Rock'n. We plant reef saving Walt Smith rock made by hand with natural island ingredients like Fiji sand and coral skeletons.


Battery Power. Yep, we use a cutting-edge battery powered hooka style dive system when tending the farm.


Looking ahead. We don’t like shipping in Styrofoam and are searching for an environmentally friendly alternative. Most air cargo orders are now shipped in reusable buckets and no Styrofoam, WooHOO!