a critter a day....

[hobogato]

thought this could be an interesting thread, so here goes....

every day i will try to snap some pics of one particular coral or fish (inverts welcome as well) and show its growth since adding to my tank (if i can find old pics) and just give some background info.

i invite anyone else to add to the thread in this manner as much as you would like :)

[RayAllen]

LOL, I can tell you are out for summer break and bored. This should be a cool thread.

[hobogato]

i chose this coral to start with, not because it is the rarest or the most colorful in my tank, but because it seems to be one of the first ones everyone notices in the tank.

it is an Acropora valida that i bought as a frag at Tropical Fish Haven in Corpus Christi for $20. it is by far the most prolific coral in my tank - i have given away, traded and sold at least 100 frags of this coral - all at least 1" (some 3" + ).

here it is in march of 2006 about 4 months after i got it. when i first got it, it had two tips - one on each end of the main branch that was glued on its side.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/corpusvalida2006_03_05.jpg
here it is in august of the same year
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/corpusvalida2006_08_03.jpg
here it is today. the bottom part of the coral browned severely when i treated for AEFW about a year and a half ago, and never colored back up.

front
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02178.jpg
back
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02181.jpg
couple of top down
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3586.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/PDRM3588.jpg

[Texreefer]

ok, I will play. Same type of coral over a 2 year period
bought in Sept 06 as a 1" frag
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/growthpics-1.jpg

In Dec 06
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/growthpics-2.jpg

TOTM pic in Jan 07
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/valida-2.jpg

Sept 07
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/DSC01016.jpg

and finally in April 08
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/DSC01782-1.jpg

[clone]

man super sweet groth

[lt1z28]

Here is an Acropora Plana I bought from Ace in November 2006.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o270/bernardo210/IMG_0536.jpg

Here it is today.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o270/bernardo210/IMG_2723.jpg

[ACE]

Those are some great pictures!!!

[hobogato]

well, i didnt get around to posting yesterday, so ill do two today.

first, our beloved hog. we got this vlamingi tang from mikeyboy way back in 2005 i think.... dont have any early pics tho. he was about 5" long when we got him. he is now about a foot long.

here he is back in february of 2007 (with a flash)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/hog2-10-07.jpg
here is his territorial display i caught a few months ago - very rarely does it.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/hogdisplay.jpg
here he is today
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02197.jpg
he is the most personable fish in the tank. never fails, when i am trying to take coral pics, about a third of them turn out as a huge blurry eye becaues hog just knows i am trying to take pictures of him and he rushes in front of the camera.

[hobogato]

picked up this ultra bright pink chalice as a tiny frag (about the size of my thumbnail with one mouth) from felipe back in early 2006. dont have any "just brought this home" pics, but it started growing pretty fast.

here it is in august of 2006
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/fapinkchalice2006_08_04.jpg
here it is today
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02199.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/DSC02201.jpg
i have never fragged this coral. i was lucky enough to rescue another piece of it from someone else's tank and grew that one out as my propagation piece.

[Bill S]

I think I have at least 100 frags of your valida...

[lt1z28]

Maricultured Acro from B&B
10-20-07
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o270/bernardo210/IMG_1159.jpg

3-21-08
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o270/bernardo210/IMG_1961.jpg

[hobogato]

wow, fell behind on this thread! took a bunch of pics today, so i should be able to keep up for a while - others please add as well :) - thanks to those who already have...

the infamous big bird toxic acro.....
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbsolitop2006_10_06.jpg
today thru the glass
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbtoxic2008_07.jpg
top down
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/bbtxictop2008_07.jpg

[clone]

OMG ace SWEET

[hobogato]

today's installment is the tulip mille. i got it as a small frag from brian and it has been a slow grower, but interesting in growth patern. it is the only mille i have ever seen grow as a solid table (not like most that grow branches first that later grow together).

July, 2006 - a couple of months after i got it
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille2006_07_11.jpg
August, 2006
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille2006_08_04.jpg
February, 2007
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille2007_02top.jpg
November, 2007
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille2007_11.jpg
April, 2008
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille.jpg
July, 2008
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/tulipmille2008_07.jpg

[marshall.read]

thats some impressive growth there ace

[hobogato]

this is a yellow with pink tip acro i got from aaron matlock. at first, i thought it was a stag of some kind, but in the last couple of months it has started to grow into a bit of a table, so i am not sure what to think now. it is probably the fastest growing coral in my tank atm.

i dont have any pics of when i got it, but it was a small single branch frag about 2" long. i think i have had it about 2 years.

here it is in april of this year
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/amyelstag2008_04.jpg
here it is now
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyellow2008_07top.jpghttp://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/akmyellow2008_07.jpg

[hobogato]

i got this red chalice from the now closed saltwater paradise in dallas. when i brought it home, it was almost entirely red with small sky blue blotches. although it has barely grown, it has become more colorful with bright green rings around the mouths, more blue, and an orange sheen in blotches. it does not frag well, all three frags i have tried have died and the coral itself receded for a while after fragging. we think it is an oxypora.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/redchalice2008_07.jpg

[hobogato]

felipe gave me this ora yellow poccilopora back in 2006. it has grown slowly over the years, but it has also turned very green (probably bc of all of the actinic lights i have on my tank)

here it is in November of 2006
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orayellowpocci2006_11.jpg
here it is in April of this year
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orayellowpocci2008_04.jpg
and here it is now
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/orayellowpocci2008_07.jpg

[clone]

man i saw that last night when i stoped by to pick up frags and the colors on that piece are SO VIVID

[hobogato]

clint gave me this tyree true undata at least a year ago. i couldnt find any old pics of it, but it was about the size of a nickel when i got it. it is now about 2" across.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/undata2008_7.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/hobogato/240/undata2008_7t.jpg