Sustainably Farmed 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 have planted both quarried rock and sustainably made Walt Smith Reef Rock on the farm site.
QUARRIED ROCK: In 1984, TBS deposited over 4 million pounds of Florida and Bahamian quarried rock on the lease site. Thousands of pounds of natural rock from the Philippians and Trinidad were also added over the years.
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.
Sustainable ocean farming is vital endeavor for protecting native reefs and providing beneficial microorganisms to the bacteria deprived aquariums today.
We Give to the Ocean and the Ocean Gives Back
“The Sea is Everything!” – Captain Nemo, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Temporary Habitat: Depositing thousands of pounds of quarried rock and sustainable Walt Smith on the farm provides shelter and food for fish and inverts, while the product is being transformed from dead to a “living” rock. Once the rock is a living, it is removed from the ocean bottom by hand for the sole purpose of providing life for your aquarium.
Removing Waste: We remove plastic bottles, abandoned crab traps, knotted fishing line, discarded ropes…if we see trash, we remove it from the Gulf.
Conservation: TBS relies on the ocean to survive, taking care of the ocean takes care of us, and we in turn want to give back. One way we do this is 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.
We give to the Gulf and the Gulf gives back.
We are a Shark friendly Rock Farm
A healthy shark population means healthy oceans, so shark sightings bring a smile! Seeing a hammer head en route means it is going to be a good day harvesting.
In honor of this magnificent predator and a nod to the vintage Tampa Bay Saltwater shark logo; we will randomly have a Shark Sighting Sale. Often visibility is less than 2 feet, which means the only thing we see is rock and sand. When we do spy a shark, get ready for a sale! 10% of profit will go to Florida Shark Conservation organizations.
Sharks for a healthy ocean and Tampa Bay Saltwater Live Rock for a healthy tank!
The Business of Sustainable Aquaculture
Now that’s Cool! Within the warehouse resides a room 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 to you. This chilly room is lit with energy saving LEDs, cooled with an energy saving AC unit, topped off with a water saver RODI and filled with natural seawater.
Sustainably Rockin. 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!
Sum it up: WE Care
All live rock grows in Florida waters where it absorbs and hosts life forms important for marine aquariums. Our goal is to maintain life from the ocean all the way to your aquarium.
The 2,500 sq ft holding facility is conveniently located between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa International Airport. Twenty minutes from boat ramp to warehouse and twenty minutes from warehouse to airport. This strategic location reduces the time our living rock travels from the ocean to the Icehouse, and on to a plane ride across the states.
The 4,000 gallon + holding system runs on natural sea water collected at the same location the aquacutlured rock is harvested. It is topped off with RODI. Every harvest, we deliver fresh sea water to the system.
We closely monitor Florida Fish and Wildlife’s Red Tide Updates and only harvest when red tide is not present.
The few fish in our system are live rock hitchhiking fish like tiny gobies. We do not buy or sell fish. Most of our critters come in as live rock hitchhikers, the remainder are purchased solely from local Florida divers collected in Florida waters.
We do not use any chemicals or products to treat the holding system. No dosing. No skimming. Au Natural.
Teaching Sustainable Aquaculture To 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.
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.
