215g Caribbean Inspired Reef -new vid p58

[BSJF]

Glad it was a success!

Plumbing always takes me forever.

I usually find I need a part, then can't find the part I need.

[Scream311]

wow looks like a Scuba Divers Pic of a Reef. Great work Karin

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I found a source for true Caribbean (legal) hardcorals after all... We'll see ;)

[Europhyllia]

After a moment of hesitation I am going forward with my next project: automatic feeding setup for refrigerated liquids.

I just got back from the local Dittmar Lumber store -such great service and had everything I needed!

My husband asked if anybody had done this before and luckily I can say YES! So there will be less do-overs on this project and more clarity on what supplies will be needed. Should be pretty painless ;)

[ramsey]

After a moment of hesitation I am going forward with my next project: automatic feeding setup for refrigerated liquids.

I just got back from the local Dittmar Lumber store -such great service and had everything I needed!

My husband asked if anybody had done this before and luckily I can say YES! So there will be less do-overs on this project and more clarity on what supplies will be needed. Should be pretty painless ;)

I'm curious to see how this goes. txg8xp told me he was thinking of doing this and have phyto, reef fuel and some other stuff in "fridge". That's a great idea.

[Europhyllia]

Yes the original THOTM on this subect is of course in the NPS section of RC:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1760416

I already have the dry food dispenser filled with my Fauna Marin foods and cyclop-eeze and the anthias seem to think it's a fabulous idea.
Hopefully drilling the fridge will go over without a problem... wish me luck and no hitting any refrigerant lines (or whatever those are called...)

[Europhyllia]

I should update this one too.

The jawfish have started spawning!
http://www.dominopads.com/jawfishbrooding.jpg

No fry was saved. I guess they all got eaten after hatching.

My little reef is still going well though.
I love the little critters that aren't always visible like the beautiful porcelain crabs:
http://www.dominopads.com/bluecrab2.jpg

It's going so well it's almost scary...

[ErikH]

Looks sooo good!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks! :)

Prorcelain Crabs can swim! Or leap?

I was making a video last night when I saw a big critter climb up on a gorgonian really fast. I stopped filming because I wanted to get closer to see what it was and a porcelain crab swam straight across the tank to the big corky finger gorgo and clung to it.
I figured they'd just crawl everywhere!

Then it went back to it's original spot. I like them a lot. They're definitely worth all my filter feeding. :)
http://www.dominopads.com/porcelain2.jpghttp://www.dominopads.com/porcelaincrab2.jpghttp://www.dominopads.com/porcelainandjaw.jpg

[alton]

Love the pictures Karin, thanks for posting

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Alton. I am so happy to be finally able to take good pics again!

After a year of using the pellets I did the unthinkable and hooked up a UV sterilizer last week. Because I feed seafan and filter feeder foods throughout the day and night I've been dealing with a permanent light bacteria bloom in the display.

Since so much talk was about how the bacteria might be beneficial for sponges and corals as food source I've put up with it. Now of course I feel dumb not recognizing earlier that that was a mistake.

Things have perked up so much after emerging from the cloud. In fact I can't believe things have hung in long enough to now be able to enjoy the cloud free water!

[fjr_wertheimber]

Hey Karin,
Knowing that you're running a Caribbean reef, thought you'd like this:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?c=720&pCatId=1414
Caribbean barnacle blenny :-)

[Europhyllia]

I've seen those! Cute. But I need a bigger tank. This one is full... ;)

[Europhyllia]

I got algae!

The pellets are offline. In fact the reactor is sold and gone. And now for the first time tufts of hair algae are appearing. It's a little scary.
lol

But then I look at the happy gorgos growing, the zoas opening again and the rics splitting and I think it's worth a little algae... ;)

[Europhyllia]

With push from shagman and blessings from hubby an AI SOL Super Blue is on order. :o

[ShAgMaN]

With push from shagman and blessings from hubby an AI SOL Super Blue is on order. :o

Bout time! JK!!! I've been quiet the whole time - which is worse right.:wink_smile:

So how many modules and what size are you getting? 3 mods/72"???

[Europhyllia]

You said you needed the ATI fixture end of February! It's January. The 9th! lol

I will be getting a 4 module Sol Super Blue (can always tweak the blue back a little), hanging kit of course.

[txg8gxp]

Awesome, You will love them. Nice to have another member on the AI team hahahaha

[ShAgMaN]

Thats cool, I was thinking 3 modules might be a little on the low side, and you can always move up to 5 later if ya need to. It doesn't appear your tank requires super high intensity light anyway. I think your going to love the LED's.

Sending you a PM on the ATI fixture - have a couple more questions and don't wanna get off subject here.

[Europhyllia]

I think 4 will be perfect.
Especially since I have the open sand area in the middle for the jawfish. I doubt I need to light the sand much ;)

[Jarob]

Oh man those LEDs are going to be sweeeet. My gorgos have been looking WAY happier lately and I havent done a water change in a month, the longest ive ever gone without one. They love that dirty water

[cbianco]

With push from shagman and blessings from hubby an AI SOL Super Blue is on order. :o

Did you order the controller too? Or are you going "full blast" on everything?

Christopher :)

[Europhyllia]

Controller of course.

I managed to bleach my corals with the ATI Sunpower! I am definitely not going full blast on the LEDs.
Plus I like to wake them up gently. The sunset and sunrise feature with the controller will be very nice for that and it will also allow me to keep the blues on at night at 1% for a moonlight effect.

If I remember right it's recommended to start out at around 30% or so and then slowly work your way up because it takes so long for corals to regain coloration once they've bleached.

[txg8gxp]

Just don't let the lunar clock freak you out...One night you will wonder why the moonlights are not on. I've been there done that.

[Europhyllia]

that 29 day moon cycle thing I assume?

Here's a good reference post. I am just going to stick it here so I know where to find it when I want it:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18129806&postcount=1282

[Europhyllia]

One of the jawfish likes to build her den right next to the glass. Looks sort of like a jawfish ant farm since you get to see below the ground. lol

I measured it just to see what an average jawfish den would be like.

It's between 6 and 7 INCHES from the top and goes straight down. Sometimes she includes a little turnaround chamber on one side and then the den is kind of J shaped but a lot of times it's straight down and around 6 inches.

So I think the article was correct. In the wild they would have dens of that length or longer and while they can make due in the aquarium with less it really seems the way they would build their dens if given a choice.

[alton]

Karin are you having a problem with your jawfish thinking they are gobies and covering your corals up? Mine have buried several candy canes and two ricordia. There homes are awesome though, I just wish they would not mess up my corals.

[Europhyllia]

It's rare for that to happen but I have dug a lobo out of one den.
I knew they would be building massive structures so the rock formations are fairly steep in my set-up and corals are mounted a couple of inches from the ground.

Luckily for the most part the yellowheads seem to prefer the open sand area in the center anyway and only the ones lower on the hierarchy build close to the rock (no other choice. sorry little dudes :( ) so that helps

[Jarob]

Karin is there any way you could take a picture of the jawfish den that sounds amazing!!

[Europhyllia]

I would but I have cyano under the sand right now so I was too embarrassed. lol
I think I took one earlier of a shallower den. Let me find it

[BSJF]

One of the jawfish likes to build her den right next to the glass. Looks sort of like a jawfish ant farm since you get to see below the ground. lol


My bluespots had their dens against the glass when they were spawning, which was really neat, I miss him!

http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/?action=view&current=P1110722_Misses_Den.mp4

http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/?action=view&current=P1110704-BJ-Misses_Breeding_Behavio.mp4

http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z113/bluespotjawfish/?action=view&current=P1110739-BJ-Missing_BreedingBehavio.mp4

[Europhyllia]

Beautiful. I am surprised you can resist the urge to add another

[BSJF]

The female in the video is the one I still have. Having a male creates a lot of stress on the female. This gal has been through a lot, and deserves the peace and quiet she now has. I miss my male terribly though. He flashed all day long! Truly amazing creature!

[Europhyllia]

Yes, plus your tank is so full! You'd have to getter a bigger tank with more jawfish space to add anything. lol

[alton]

I had sent a pm to a fish collector Maine Cortez on getting bsjf pairs, and the fact that here recently Blue Spots seemed to be healthier and he sent the following back to me
"Hi Alton,
We are wholesale only and sell fish to shops yes.
Like Philippine fish, not all species are handled the same.
Holding jawfish day after day was normal for many years with suppliers for LA wholesalers.....

I have my own supply line and just returned with fish Friday.
Marinating fish in ammonias and handling en masse kept the doa and daa rates high and I know they are mimicking us now more and more.
Also, from my observations and from the breeding colony in La Pazs CICIMAR institution, which we supply....they breed in trios.
Steve

I hope I didn't hijack your thread too much Karin

[BSJF]

Alton, that makes sense that they would breed in trios. The only place who has even offered to sex them for me was Bluezoo, but they never did. I wouldn't worry too much about getting another, since I know I have a female. When I was sexing them before I had 3 tanks I could put them in if it didn't work out.

Hijacked thread aimed back to Karins tank. Karin, seems that your female jawfish are trying to wear out your male. I couldn't ever talk my male into working that hard. He ate the babies within minutes of the transfer.

[Europhyllia]

Mine has been eating the last batches as well. Guess he got tired of constant brooding.

I just got the shipping notice on the AI fixture. Should be arriving Tuesday or Wednesday. :o

[BSJF]

It will be interesting to see if the lights have any affect on their spawning behavior.

[Europhyllia]

I guess maybe it could slow it down a bit if they really go by moon phase?

When I got the UPS tracking notice I was so excited I actually felt faint for a moment. lol

Hopefully it will live up to expectations.

[alton]

Karin we expect pictures by 9am Tuesday morning of the AI fixtures installed and burning?

[Europhyllia]

Ugh. Got up to track my package and it's on the wrong truck. Curse you UPS. You better treat my stuff well!

[BSJF]

I guess it's a good thing the package isn't horsies.

[Europhyllia]

I guess.

The good news is: it's out for delivery a day early!

The bad news is: it's out for delivery in a city I don't live in :(

[ShAgMaN]

I guess.

The good news is: it's out for delivery a day early!

The bad news is: it's out for delivery in a city I don't live in :(

???? Like in S.A., or somewhere far, far away?

[Europhyllia]

San Antonio.
I am sure it will come tomorrow. It just seems the more on and off loading the stuff goes through the more risk there is of it getting banged up...

[ShAgMaN]

Ya, I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully no probs and they packed them good. I know my smoker I got a few weeks ago would have been damaged if they hadn't packed it so well - box looked like it went through a war.

[alton]

Karin do we (MAAST Members) need to start running down UPS trucks to find your lights?

[txg8gxp]

I wouldn't be worried about them getting banged up. Each module is in its own box, then boxed in larger boxes. Just letting you know so you don't stress.

[Europhyllia]

They are here. I just finished hanging everything up and plugging it in. Will have to figure out controller later.

On first glance I would have to say here are a few minor negatives:

what's up with the rat's nest of wires?!?!
Maybe Stephen had me spoiled with combining all of the wires on the seahorse tank into one but sheesh people. For this much cash I would expect a slightly more elegant solution. Like perhaps they could wire the railings and then just have shorter wires plug into the railing?

Also a manual for the controller would be nice. But I haven't had time to even mess with it yet so maybe it's so simple that reading would be more complicated. ;)

[ShAgMaN]

Alright! Good for you, and me.:wink_smile:

Hope the small negatives are outweighed by some sweet lights.

[Europhyllia]

Okay I did figure out the controller I believe.

I also found some good things:

I am glad I went with the SOL blue even though I am planning to keep it pretty white. The 3 colors are adjusted separately so it's nice to choose from 3 rather than 2.
The Royal Blue always seems to have a little bit of a purple hue for me (not quite a Fiji purple T5 but you get the idea) and the Cool Blue have sort of a cyan tone so they differ enough to where different levels of them give a different appearance.

Being indecisive about 3 things is always better than not being being sure about 2

[ShAgMaN]

So are you really happy with them or just content?

[Europhyllia]

I really haven't had a chance to see them in full action yet.
I read how a lot of people bleached their corals with LEDs so I am following instructions and have everything set to only 30% :)

Can't wait to see sunset tonight!!! :D

I love the glimmer and I think it will be nice to have more top down than all over light. Like right now it looks like sunny spots are really sunny and my caves are really shaded so I think that part will definitely add a little more interest.

So I like them. I think I will love them. I am sure I will love not having to keep track of when I need to replace bulbs. And I love to be able to tweak things so to find the perfect ratio will be fun.

[txg8gxp]

I'm a led fan for sure, but even for me it took awhile to adjust to them after getting rid of my t5's. It's just so different. You will love the sunset, if your not watching the tank you wont even notice the lights go out. It's just that smooth. I have mine set for 30 minute sunrise/sunsets.

[Europhyllia]

Alright. Was unable to open the controller manual download at AI's site so I posted it on RC and a nice guy from Costa Rica emailed me the manual. :)

Got some reading to do now :D

[Europhyllia]

sunrise just complete. And yes I do love it. :)

[justahobby]

So every morning it simulates a sunrise? Any pics or video????

[Europhyllia]

What it does is gradually ramps up the LEDs from night power (only 3%) to the chosen day power (currently for me only 30-35% on all three colors since they are still acclimating to LED).
So you don't have blues come on and the whites come on like you do with T5s. Everything comes on gradually over whatever time period you choose (30 minutes for me)

It's so gradual it's actually hard to notice and would make for a super boring 30 minute video. lol

It also can do Thunderstorms and I have the nighttime lighting set to follow the 29 day lunar cycle to enhance spawning. :)

[Europhyllia]

Here's a good video though that shows the different color tones that you can achieve with the SOL Blue. Initially I was leaning towards getting the SOL White and that video convinced me that I could adjust it even with the SOL blue to a 'warmer' tone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbjwFUyNyyI

[justahobby]

Noice!!!

[alton]

Pictures? We are waiting? Yep it is pick on Karin day

[Europhyllia]

I had to go see Mr Jack at the airport to pick up the sump. :)

It's still so dark. I'll take a pic after the light intensity is up.

The main difference really is the beautiful shimmer anyway and that's part of the water movement so not easy to capture in pictures.

Just get yourself the one you talked about. You already talked yourself into it already with your cost amortization analysis anyway lol

[Europhyllia]

It's been up for nearly a week and right now I can't imagine anybody not loving LEDs
If it wasn't for price I think LEDs would quickly send every other lighting technology packing.

The shimmer lines are beautiful. The color is so very adjustable.
Since the light is more directional than tubes I get beautiful light and shadow effects. The directional light also impacts the shadowbox less so my 'rocks in the distance' are visible all the time. :)
http://www.dominopads.com/215tank012411.jpg

I had a terrible cyano bloom after taking the pellets off line and within the last week it diminished by 80%.
I hope to be back to sparkling white sand next week. :)

The controller option is awesome. I actually could have 14 different light intensities in a 24 hour period! I will probably stick with 3:
normal in the mornings and afternoons, high intensity during the noon hours and of course moonlight at night. :)

That doesn't even take into consideration the gentle transition periods where it gradually ramps up (or down) intensity to the next desired setting.

My heater has to kick in a little more frequently since even the T5s heated the tank a tiny bit apparantly.

The fish have adjusted fine to the new light. The mandarins are spawning all the time, dancing in the beautiful LED sunset :)

The picture doesn't do it justice of course since much of the allure over T5s are the beautiful glitter lines made by the water movement.
Hopefully you can see some of the sun and shade areas though.

Yes I love it. I am glad I went with the AI. :)

[StevenSeas]

Dang Karin that tank is looking sweet. And now that you have it outfitted with LEDs I cant imagine what it looks like in person. You are right about the price though... wish I could get me an AI for both my tanks, they are sweet fixtures. I am glad you like the LEDs after all the debating and back and for you went on it, woulda been just too sad to see them not work out for you.
Thats odd but good about your cyano too, strange how much a simple lighting change can affect things

[Europhyllia]

It's the red spectrum aggie. I posted some spectrum charts of the AIs here:
http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?64168-Let-s-talk-about-PAR-and-PUR!&p=806098#post806098 (http://www.maast.showthread.php?64168-Let-s-talk-about-PAR-and-PUR%21&p=806098#post806098)

I know I kept talking about full spectrum but I just hate cyano and cyano loves red.
So I went with the SOL blue.

Here's something interesting I read:
Lifespan of LEDs is based on usable light at or above 70% from original so after 5 years usable light will be down to 70%. Which is fine with me. I am only running it now at 60% and 37%, 39%.
I was still worried about spectrum shift and apparently white LEDs diminishing in intensity shift the opposite direction as T5s and MH. T5s of course shift towards red, favoring cyano. White LED is made up of some kind of blueish phosphorus and with age shift towards blue (not favoring cyano).

Anyway that's how I understood it. Feel free to correct me.

And thanks for the comments on the tank. :)

[StevenSeas]

wow even more reason to go with LEDs as they age and eventually wear out the spectrum shifts so that you DONT get cyano. I even dont like cyano and its maroon and I apparently am supposed to love all things maroon lol. so I cant imagine how everyone else deals with it.

[ShAgMaN]

Nice tank Karin. I miss my LED's but the change was necessary and the ATI is awesome.

Question for you - though you've probably posted on this before. What is the tall gorg looking creature on the middle left? Looks kinda like a corky...

[Europhyllia]

yes, it's a rapidly growing Corky Finger. Got it from Gabe's and it's doing so well. One of my favorites. It's not even fully open in that pic. one of the anemone shrimps likes to live in it :)

[hobogato]

yes, it's a rapidly growing Corky Finger...

no kidding about that, the piece you gave me has really grown fast! that tank really is stunning, would love to see it in person some day.

[txg8gxp]

It's been up for nearly a week and right now I can't imagine anybody not loving LEDs
If it wasn't for price I think LEDs would quickly send every other lighting technology packing.
:thumbs_up: I agree 100% In my eyes there is only two good lighting systems, LED and LEP.

[txg8gxp]

I'm glad to see they have the "high noon" firmware now. Looks like I need to update my controller, now only if they would add thunderstorms

[txg8gxp]

Sweet......firmware beta 3.0 has cloud simulation, thunderstorms :) have you tried this yet? This is awesome, no longer do you need to spend the money on a GHL contoller.

[Europhyllia]

Yes I figured it always comes with it? No?
As the storm approaches the lights dim (cloud cover) then Thunderstorm begins.
It's impressive!
The kids love it.
The Anthias went into hiding at first. Now they're okay with it.

Of course it has no purpose for fish or coral but it is pretty cool. ;)

I took a video but the camera overexposes the image. It looks much brighter than it really is so the lightning doesn't look as dramatic since the tank doesn't look as dimmed as it really is...

[txg8gxp]

awesome, I have one of the first release SOL units so I have the old firmware. I will update tonight and try to get a awesome storm video. I'm super excited.

[Europhyllia]

Now aren't you glad I got the new one?! lol
Or else you would have continued to miss out... ;)

[txg8gxp]

No joke....I need to learn to check the AI site for updates for now on.

[alton]

Look neat Karin, thanks for posting.

[txg8gxp]

:thumbs_up: Five gold stars for AI's new firmware. All I can say is it's awesome.

[Europhyllia]

Yay. I am glad I bought it at just the right time then.
I was wondering why anybody would bother with another controller -can't imagine what else it could be doing. lol

[txg8gxp]

Yeah, you used to need a profulix controller to do what the new AI firmware does. It's still not as capable as GHL stuff, but pretty close and you don't have to spend another $300+

[Europhyllia]

I got more anthias (see here (http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?62637-Bartlett-s-Imposter)). A step away from Caribbean...

But to make up for it I got several really nice Caribbean zoa frags. They can be iffy - more so than the Indo-Pacific kinds so I am hoping at least half of them make it. :)

http://www.dominopads.com/anthiasreef.jpg

[alton]

Your tank is too peaceful Karin? You need to add a 4" Queen Trigger to shake things up and make it a real Caribbean tank. Looks really nice Karin, don't change a thing.

[Europhyllia]

Henry the Jawfish is building another mega den. Looks like he is getting ready for another batch of babies.
In the video you can also see the LED glimmer. Pretty, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXUHpYFPJ7o

[txg8gxp]

looks like henry is pretty busy. I think he need a nice mysis snack...

[RayAllen]

Karin what do you do to keep the back glass so clean?

[Europhyllia]

I use these tools on a stick:
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/glass-cleaners/jbj-aquascraper-4-in-1-cleaning-kit.html
It has a very sturdy stick/handle and the blade attachment is perfect for scraping stuff off the back glass.
In fact I made a little microterry (got the cloth from the Walmart car section) mitten to slip on it in case I ever get a spill between the back glass and the shadowbox so I can also clean from behind.
Doesn't need to be cleaned all that often though

[Europhyllia]

Good News/ Bad News

good news:
Cyano hates LEDs. I am feeding like never before and the cyano just disappeared anyway :)

I love the LEDs. Couldn't be more satisfied. Looks so pretty :)

Got some really neat macros for the seahorse tank and decided to add them to the reef display as well: halimeda type macro with fuzzy flowers on the tips and sargassum.
Adding that really filled out the tank nicely

All of the 9! anthias are doing great and getting along

bad news:
I lost one of the jawfish. :( I've been waiting for a week for it to reappear but I am giving up hope at this time. It was the one that jumped into the overflow in the very beginning and got a late start with the group. I believe I now have a trio (1 male with 2 females) and a pair (male female) left.

[alton]

Great to hear about the good news, sorry about the bad news. Tank looks great

[alton]

Oh I forgot to ask if you are feeding the shrimp from Pollys to your jawfish? I bought a few and added them to my jawfish tank, but I just can not see them anywhere?

[Europhyllia]

I dropped a few in the tank but haven't seen them either. I don't think the jawfish would eat them though. Maybe. They have left both of the little anemone shrimp alone and those aren't much bigger than the grass shrimp.
Of course now that I type that I can locate only one anemone shrimp!!! You're jinxing me. lol

[Europhyllia]

Since the LEDs helped with the cyano so much I can now take pics of the sandbed again. lol

http://www.dominopads.com/020811_1.jpg

got some pretty new algae:
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_2.jpg

sargassum:
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_3.jpg
I wonder why we don't see sargassum more often in display tanks. I find it to be quite attractive...

plain old halimeda ;):
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_4.jpg

I am still doing the Fauna Marin foods round the clock 8 hours a day so the gorgos are nice and open all the time :)
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_5.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/020811_6.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/020811_7.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/020811_8.jpg

beautiful ginormous Cinnamon Palys I got from Justahobby (see all the little babies -comes from feeding them frequently :) )
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_9.jpg

totally not Caribbean. I got this beautiful thing from John though and couldn't part with it. Nice, eh?
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_10.jpg

Anemone shrimp on his rics:
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_11.jpg

just the usual jawfish:
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_12.jpg

[Europhyllia]

My anemone finally moved out enough to be more visible. Kind of nice for a rock flower anemone to have all these stripes I think:
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_13.jpg

one of my favorite things: spiny oysters with all kind of stuff growing on them:
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_14.jpg

and of course my totally un-Caribbean Anthias!
http://www.dominopads.com/020811_15.jpg

[hobogato]

wow! great pics, everything looks so happy

[tonyydeee]

OMG THAT OYSTER.
I want it. lol
great pictures! and I love your tank [:

[Europhyllia]

Thanks guys!
The oysters ARE awesome. I have 3 and each has something different growing on them.
One has pretty orange rics growing on it, the other has that pink fuzzy algae on it (both of those are in the pic above with the Mandarin) and the third one has tiny bright orange feather dusters on it.
The diver usually don't has these on his website but he got them especially for me and they have been doing really well. I also like that they are still relatively small. They were perfect. :)

[ShAgMaN]

Hey, I know that cactus gorg! Looks great. btw, checking interest on pic 7 and 12...sorry I had to make a plug. I want a frag of that Macro (pic 2)!

[ShAgMaN]

Hey, I know that cactus gorg! Looks great. btw, checking interest on pic 7 and 12...sorry I had to make plug. I want a frag of that Macro (pic 2)!

[Mr Cob]

Karin, this tank is sweet! Looks so natural. Great job.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I wanted a little piece of the ocean and I think it's on its way to be just that. :)
(notice the Wet Acrylic rubble box for my wayward rics and shrooms? works great!)

[txg8gxp]

Awesome! Your tank looks great

[StevenSeas]

Dang thats a nice looking tank. Glad your cyano finally left you. Do you think your addition of new macro could have helped or was it retreating before that? would be awesome if the cure for cyano was LEDs. An expensive cure for sure but for some might be enough to push them to try LEDs. OOO and I love your rics and how your cinnamon paly "babies" look like normal size palies lol.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks :)
I added the new macro only a day ago or so. :)
I believe the LEDs we typically use for aquarium use are less inclined to shift to the red spectrum that cyano prefers than say MH or T5.
Spectrum graphs of AI Sol fixtures:
http://www.maast.org/showthread.php?64168-Let-s-talk-about-PAR-and-PUR!&p=806098#post806098

I read that as LEDs age they actually shift more towards blue (AWAY from red) so even aging LEDs should not be contributing to cyano like aging MH or T5s would (which shift towards red). They diminish in intensity over the years of course but that's part of the 50000-10000 hours use.

[StevenSeas]

k thanks thats what i figured

[BSJF]

All your hard work has paid off! Everything looks extremely happy.

[ErikH]

WOW it gets better everytime

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. :)
I am anxiously waiting for Summer so Richard can get me hard corals. By the 1 year anniversary it should be pretty much fully stocked and just more growing in then :)

[FireWater]

As the others have already said - Looks amazing Karin. I really like how the red blastos are healthy and vibrant in your tank. Glad they went to a good home.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks John. :)
That's really the main thing: everything seems to be doing really well - fish and coral. So that makes me happy too.

I was just looking up oysters and there might be a chance that mine are not Atlantic Spiny oysters but rather Leafy Jewel Box oysters. Might explain why they have such a perfect small size! lol

[Bill S]

Karin, your tank is spectacular. I absolutely LOVE it - it really does look like a "piece of the ocean".

[Europhyllia]

Thanks a lot Bill. Means a lot coming from you. I am glad I was able to throw out ideas in the early stages and get so much input from you all to end up with exactly what I wanted. :)

[alton]

Karin you know how rumors get started here on MAAST? I heard you maybe selling your lights to me and joining Erik with plasma? Just joking tank looks great don't change it.

[Europhyllia]

LOL
You know me. I already looked into plasma!
BEFORE I decided on LED.
I couldn't be happier with LED, my final choice.
The plasma folks need to hire somebody to take better pictures for them for their website and online.
I was ready to go either way: plasma or LED and I just couldn't find any pics of a plasma lit tank that struck me as pretty in regards to coloration.
And now of course I am just totally hooked on the AI controller. It's fantastic.

[Regric25]

Karin your photos are amazing! So is your tank!!!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Rick. was actually just thinking I will need to hire you or Cory to come out and take some good pics when the tank is more filled out.

These turned out a little less horrid because I took them shortly after reading your advice with the 'P' setting and AutoWhiteBalance in the nano forum! lol

[Europhyllia]

UNBELIEVABLE:
after over 2 weeks of only feeding 5 jawfish I suddenly have 6 again!
No idea where he's been.
Now they are all wrangling about status again. Ugh.

[BSJF]

It was probably injured or under the weather and stayed out of sight to heal. I've had BSJF do that.

[Europhyllia]

All is well with the jawfish. Everybody seems to have found their spot.

I picked up a little brown acro from AD's bargain bin to try it one more time. The previous ones had fallen victim to the biopellet induced perma-bloom of bacteria.
This one is just a tester.
I don't even know if this one is a staghorn. Would be great if it was though! And even better if it survived. lol

http://www.dominopads.com/cheapacro.jpg

[justahobby]

That is a nice little frag. Not really that brown at all and has lots of branches to be so small. But I just don't know what to think of you having sticks in your tank : P

[Europhyllia]

Ugh. It looked kind of purpely to me too but maybe I can turn it browner with lots more nutrients over time. I really need it to be brown-brown.

[Kristy]

Karin, you are cracking me up. First reefer EVER to complain about the SPS being too purple and trying to figure out how to brown it out!!! :D

[Europhyllia]

it's still alive! It does have some movement I guess... you jsut have to look really, really close... ;)

[Europhyllia]

Not only is the little Formosa still alive the tips are actually getting a tiny bit longer already!

[alton]

Just asking but do you think you could of made with 3 versus the 4 modules? And so I don't have to re-read the post what height are you running your lights from the water?

[Europhyllia]

I have the AI modules around 6 inches from the water. I think most people with 6 foot tanks actually have 5 or even 6 modules over it. For me the 4 modules are perfect. I am not sure that 3 would cut it unless you want to light specific islands and have open sand area or NPS areas you don't want very bright.

Something weird has happened with my anthias and I'm not sure why. It looks like they are spawning. Male and one female Bartlett seem to be dancing around a lot before rejoining the group. I noticed one of the Bartlett females had gone missing and later realized she was changing into a male.
During that transformation the existing male seemed to be chasing her into the rocks and I just kept feeding her there.
When she emerged a week or so later completely male the older male didn't seem that aggressive anymore. Weird, huh?

The female anthias with the special interest in the old male also visits the new male quite frequently so not sure why this happened but they seem to have worked it out.

Now 3 males in my tank -not something I would have chosen for sure!

The Dispar group is doing marvelous. In fact I am really enjoying the small size and bright orange color. If I could do it over I might have just went with Dispars from the start (I didn't because the seller told me Bartletts were easier). Now I have to say though all of the Anthias seem to be doing really well for me.

I am happy with that.

The jawfish are still spawning and producing eggs. But halfway through the male has been either dumping or eating them so I haven't had a chance to try out Ace's larvae trap.

I am so encouraged by the little Acro's growth I am actually considering more SPS!

[excal]

okay im loving the tank loving the backround

[Europhyllia]

Thanks!

I am a little worried about Bruce. He's been acting fine and still courting the female Mandarin but he's been loosing quite a bit of weight.
I've gone to target feeding them twice a day but I'll have to go to 3 or 4 times to get him to regain what he's lost.
Really shows how unrealistic it is when somebody thinks they can really sustain them in smallish tanks without additional feeding. The mandarins are in a 215g heavily fed tank and still manage to lose weight!

CC the female is always full of eggs so it's hard to tell if she's losing weight or not. I am mainly worried about Bruce right now. He's looking sunken in. :(

[justahobby]

Maybe your pod population has declined...?

[Gseclipse02]

Thanks!

I am a little worried about Bruce. He's been acting fine and still courting the female Mandarin but he's been loosing quite a bit of weight.
I've gone to target feeding them twice a day but I'll have to go to 3 or 4 times to get him to regain what he's lost.
Really shows how unrealistic it is when somebody thinks they can really sustain them in smallish tanks without additional feeding. The mandarins are in a 215g heavily fed tank and still manage to lose weight!

CC the female is always full of eggs so it's hard to tell if she's losing weight or not. I am mainly worried about Bruce right now. He's looking sunken in. :(

parasite ?

[justahobby]

parasite ?

I wondered that too. I noticed yesterday that BRS carries a new spectrum pellet that is anti-parasite.

[Europhyllia]

Yes very possible. I have some anti-parasite pellets for my shore shrimp but I don't expect Bruce to eat pellets. He likes blood worms and mysis.
I have some PraziPro in my first aid kit though! Gotta check if I can use it in the reef or if I need to remove Bruce first...

[Kristy]

Oh Karin, I hope you are able to fatten up Bruce again. I know how he was your first love! Time to break out the mandarin diner again? Keep us updated.

I tell you, this silly hobby is all about the journey and not about the destination. And there is no such thing as perfection. Seems like there is always something to worry about and be fussing over.

[Gseclipse02]

have you tried seachems products for this type of issue ?? im curious to see if any one else has used the focus and Metronidazole or any of there other products....


I may not be referring to the right product either .... lack of sleep owns me right now

[Europhyllia]

I have Seachem Paraguard -but I would have to take him out for that for sure

[SoLiD]

I'd say parasite more than likely. When fish are put through the stress of shipping their immune system are almost always negatively affected. I'd try a 45 minute fresh water dip to clear out his gut though osmotic shock, if you think your guy can bare it. It could also be something else like the tank may not have enough seeded bio-diversity micro marine fauna. We all have a preference when it comes to the food we eat, why should it be any different for our fish. I know my Bangaii Cardinal pair take in the Formula One flake food in their mouths only to spit it out 1 second later. Too little biodiversity can happen when we start with such a sterile tank. I know you seeded it with tigger pods, but have you tried a scoop or two of very established live sand? Are you running a fuge? I have a Male Female pair of Mandarin Dragonettes that are fat, happy, and spawning in my little 34 gallon Red Sea Max. I know it defies everything we are taught, but I took it really slow and added A TON... I mean A TON for all types of local copepods, isopods, and amphipods, at least 2 months before I added my Little Sweethearts. Even then I only added them one at a time. The micro marine fauna were well established before they were added.

I guess the proofs in the pudding.... Here are some pictures. Look at those fatties :bigsmile:. Sorry for the horrible pictures but the lights were about to go out.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd285/SoLiDST33L/2011-04-18010819.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd285/SoLiDST33L/2011-04-18010834.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd285/SoLiDST33L/2011-04-18010718.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd285/SoLiDST33L/2011-04-18010729.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd285/SoLiDST33L/2011-04-18010759.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd285/SoLiDST33L/2011-04-18010654.jpg

[BSJF]

Karin, where have I been. Sorry to hear about Bruce! Hope you find a cure.

[Europhyllia]

David. I've had Bruce for almost two years. My female CC looks like yours in the first picture - gravid with eggs. And they're still spawning, etc.
Bruce hasn't been moved or shipped in a long time.
I have never seeded anything with Tigger pods since they are usually more short term. I did seed with Tisbe (a more sustainable long-term culture).
According to my filter sock my tank is full with all kinds of pods although the mandarins really don't seem to care much for amphipods.

Before any of my mandarins go into the big tank they are trained onto frozen in a small tank. They know to come to their feeding station and they know all about my Kent Sea Squirt target feeding tool. They like Mysis but really love frozen bloodworms.

He's always been chunky. I haven't seen him this sunken in since he arrived here two years ago :(

Here they are in a tiny souffle bowl learning to eat frozen from a feeding station:
http://dominopads.com/feedingstation.jpg

And here he was a year later in my old 125 gallon tank (you can see the seasquirt tool in the pic too. They'll flutter up to the stick to get their food even):
http://dominopads.com/brucebobfeb10.jpg

[Europhyllia]

Current pics

CC (the female. can't really get any rounder than this without bursting lol):
http://www.dominopads.com/CC0411.jpg

Bruce in his feeding cave
http://www.dominopads.com/Bruce0411.jpg

CC comes to eat there with him but a lot of times he just shares a meal with the Harlequin Brittlestar (upper left in the pic) which isn't really interfering with him eating.

[Big_Pun]

Yes very possible. I have some anti-parasite pellets for my shore shrimp but I don't expect Bruce to eat pellets. He likes blood worms and mysis.
I have some PraziPro in my first aid kit though! Gotta check if I can use it in the reef or if I need to remove Bruce first...

you should try the new life spectrum pellets the tiny ones, maybe in a jar mixed with their regular food, my huge fat mandarin loves those pellets and also dianichi pellets. if i dont add the pellets fast enough after i add frozen food Rossi(mandarin) will peck at the front glass.

[Europhyllia]

Are they medicated? I thought they were just regular food?

[SoLiD]

David. I've had Bruce for almost two years. My female CC looks like yours in the first picture - gravid with eggs. And they're still spawning, etc.
Bruce hasn't been moved or shipped in a long time.
I have never seeded anything with Tigger pods since they are usually more short term. I did seed with Tisbe (a more sustainable long-term culture).
According to my filter sock my tank is full with all kinds of pods although the mandarins really don't seem to care much for amphipods.

Before any of my mandarins go into the big tank they are trained onto frozen in a small tank. They know to come to their feeding station and they know all about my Kent Sea Squirt target feeding tool. They like Mysis but really love frozen bloodworms.

He's always been chunky. I haven't seen him this sunken in since he arrived here two years ago :(

.........

Oh.... sorry for the wrong assumptions.... So just to be clear, he is getting thinner, though he eats frozen mysids and blood worms??? Parasite???

I saw a video on the Monterey Bay Aquarium where they would use a hose to put fresh water in to their newly acquired Sun Fish's mouth to rid their gut of parasites. Not suggesting you rig a small hose, but rather a fresh water dip to accomplish the same thing. I don't know what else to say other than not to give up.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?enc=C53nR+hhcrXgfKW+bt/MWA==

[FireWater]

Are they medicated? I thought they were just regular food?

If they're not medicated can you soak the medication with what you are currently feeding Karin.

[Europhyllia]

Yes absolutely John. The only reason I mentioned my pellets was that the ones i had were medicated. But I also got liquid PraziPro that I can add to the frozen food.
With my wide variety of live and frozen foods I would normally consider flakes and pellets a step down nutrionally.

Bruce is enjoying the 4 times a day feeding schedule. The female has always been a more active hunter. Bruce just sits and waits for me to drop the food in front of him. Then he's happy to eat it. The female will swim right up to the feeding tube. Maybe that difference in behavior also accounts for the difference in weight?

Bruce is higher maintenance. :)

On a positive note my second pair of jawfish is now brooding too. He's got a fresh batch of eggs. Hatch date should therefore be Thursday next week.

Interesting how those 4 times a day feeding schedules get everybody in spawning mood... :)

[SoLiD]

How's Brucey doing?

[Europhyllia]

Haven't gotten him out yet. :(
It's tough to do in a 215 tank. But I am hoping he will just gain weight by doubling the feedings.
He's been bothering CC a little bit. Usually they are super sweet with each other.
He's still eating fine so he's not acting sick - just hungry and grumpy...

[Europhyllia]

I've been chasing after a Swiftia gorgonian for months now and I finally got one -two actually.
The polyps are fairly large so I am hoping it will do well with daily additions of live baby brine.
Here's a pic:
http://www.dominopads.com/swiftia.jpg

One of the Swiftia gorgos came with a nice bonus:
http://www.dominopads.com/scarystars.jpg

Sea Rod Basket Stars. I initially took them off the gorgo to verify they were harmless filter feeders and they are now back on their host gorgonian.
I have even been target feeding them already.
They are small and don't get nearly as big as regular basket stars but what a wonderful hitchhiker!

PS:The Berghia nudis managed to eliminate one little patch of aiptasia -another 30 patches or so to go...

[Mr Cob]

great updates Karin. Beautiful gorg

[FireWater]

Awesome update Karin.

[FireWater]

How is Bruce by the way?

[Europhyllia]

Thanks for asking. Bruce is still on the skinny side and I've been unable to remove him for treatment/meds but he is definitely enjoying the numerous meals each day. :)

[hobogato]

wow, that is really nice!

[BSJF]

Wow Karin, that is amazing! Are you ever going to let me see your tanks? I can't believe you have kept me away this long. Soon, real soon, I hope.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I have been pretty good about food supply so everybody is happy but totally been slacking off cleaning tanks so the tanks are filthy and not in any condition to be shown.
With the weather warmer I've also kept the windows closed which means lower pH for me and the kalkwasser drips more rapidly to keep the pH up.
With all that extra kalk the coralline is growing rapidly. I really need to get a blade and get ahead of it again...

But the two new Orange Tree gorgonians add a nice splash of color and Ace's Golden sea spray seems to enjoy the company of more NPS gorgonians (means even more baby brine feedings so the golden is pretty thrilled about that)
http://www.dominopads.com/dirtytank.jpg

There are some hydroids on the corky finger and it hasn't had it's polyps out for a couple of days. I really expected it to shed the skin (and the hydroids with it) but it hasn't yet.

Any ideas if I should do anything about that and if so what?

[Mr Cob]

one of the best tanks I've seen Karin! It's beautiful. I have no input on the hydroids. Perhaps a quick dip to knock them off?

How's the back glass? Cleaning I mean...?

[Europhyllia]

How's the back glass? Cleaning I mean...?

Not happening - the cleaning I mean. lol That's the problem. Stupid coraline.

I'll scrape some next weekend...

(and Thanks!)

[Mr Cob]

was just curious if that was a big pain or not.

[justahobby]

There are some hydroids on the corky finger and it hasn't had it's polyps out for a couple of days. I really expected it to shed the skin (and the hydroids with it) but it hasn't yet.

Any ideas if I should do anything about that and if so what?

Manual removal

[Europhyllia]

Manual removal Okay I figured I'll try that first. I just tried to rub them off and the hydroids were attached better than I thought they would be. That gorgonian has such a weird fleshy texture I am hoping I didn't hurt it. I am sure it will take a few days to get over this. If it's not looking better by next week I'll dip it to see if that makes it better. Thanks!

[justahobby]

If you find a dip that works, make sure you post it. I haven't found any successful attempts that have been reproduced. There is supposed to be a flatworm or something that feeds on them. Maybe your seahorse forum will have better info.

[Europhyllia]

On the seahorse board they don't mess with the hydroids unless it's in a dwarf seahorse tank since the recommended treatment (panacur) renders the tank useless for lots of inverts including snails, etc. and the medication absorbs into the rock, etc. and continues to kill inverts for as long as a year, etc. even carbon or water changes does not remove it according to the seahorse board resources.

Good news though: the gorgo's polyps are already coming out!!! So maybe just rubbing the critters off whenever they accumulate will really be the answer :applause:

[BSJF]

rubbing the critters off


That is what I think I would do (especially since it seems to be working). I think dips and stuff like that are very harsh on gorgs.

[BSJF]

And I love how your jawfish didn't want to be left out of the picture! Priceless!

[Europhyllia]

Stupid clowns. One of the new gorgos was too close to their sacred rock they lay their eggs on and they've been attacking it so much I had to move it to a less perfect spot.
I am definitely not getting clowns again. What kind of stupid fish would attack coral?

[CoryDude]

Wow, Karin! I love the new fts.

My clown leaves the corals alone, but it hates me for some reason. I hate, hate, hate, cleaning her tank. Inevitably, it will bit me at some point, usually when I'm not looking. Talk about a literal sense of biting the hand that feeds you.

[alton]

Stupid clowns. One of the new gorgos was too close to their sacred rock they lay their eggs on and they've been attacking it so much I had to move it to a less perfect spot.
I am definitely not getting clowns again. What kind of stupid fish would attack coral?


Karin you should of got the carribean clowns

[ramsey]

one of the best tanks I've seen Karin! It's beautiful.

I agree, I love keeping an eye on updates. I think it should be MAAST tank of the year for 2011!

[Europhyllia]

http://www.dominopads.com/zoasponge511.jpg

With the addition of the live baby brine the zoa sponge has really perked up. When I got this one the zoas seemed so flat I thought for sure they were going to die off. So I am thrilled with how fuzzy this thing is getting now!

[hobogato]

nothing better than live food for some of those nps corals!

[Europhyllia]

and so easy. Okay to be honest I did get tired of the maintenance required for rotifers. But hatching brine eggs and feeding them out 24 hours later... how much easier could it get?

[Europhyllia]

Just got an email telling me the water is warm in the Keys. That makes me very happy. Completion is imminent...

[SoLiD]

Completion??? How much better can it get? It already looks awesome! What are your plans for future additions or improvements?

[Europhyllia]

I will tell next week when I know for sure ;)

(and Thank You :) )

[Kristy]

Hey Karin, any updates on your awesome basket star hitchhikers? Have you seen them again or did they quickly disappear into the vastness that is your little Caribbean?

I don't think they are the same type of basket star as the one we have, but it is such an amazing, striking creature and is very precious to me.

[Europhyllia]

Yes! They stay with their gorgonian host. So they are still on the gorgo and I target feed them when I feed the tank :)
Hopefully it will provide them with sufficient nutrition

[Kristy]

Love it! I went back to look at the photos of them, by the way, and your gorgeous swiftia gorgonian has got me drooling!

So do they fan out their arms to catch food in the evenings like tiny little netlike baskets?

[Europhyllia]

No not like big basket stars. They hold on with a few arms and just reach with the other arms. Very similar to a brittle star really.:)

I just got word from my liverock farmer/diver that the area that holds the rock that has Caribbean hardcorals growing on it is now accessible and he brought back some corals (on rock) for me!
You can only get the hard corals legally if they grow on aquacultured liverock and I've been waiting since November for things to warm up enough to where he can make it to that area.

So... the next update for the Caribbean Reef will be the final step: Caribbean stony corals.

Since there's not many people keeping them I am nervous they will end up a total loss but I'll consult my dive guide to get the best possible input on what environment they might like. Hopefully I won't kill them all!

[hobogato]

very exciting!

[tebstan]

I just got word from my liverock farmer/diver that the area that holds the rock that has Caribbean hardcorals growing on it is now accessible and he brought back some corals (on rock) for me!
You can only get the hard corals legally if they grow on aquacultured liverock and I've been waiting since November for things to warm up enough to where he can make it to that area.



That is really neat! I remember you mentioning a bit about the lack of stony corals in the trade. The divers put out this aqua cultured rock in an area for this purpose, and just check back once in a while? How long ago did they start this kind of project? You mention November... did it grow that fast?

[Europhyllia]

No, no. I've been bugging him since November but the conditions weren't suitable to dive and collect in that area. He's had that lease for over a decade or so. The larvae settles and stuff grows. More as a by product than on purpose. :)

[BSJF]

Karin make sure you check carefully for bad hitchhikers! I spent 2 years getting rid of mine when I got my stoney corals on a rock like this...from this place. Those rock WILL look perfect in your tank BTW, just check and double checked them first. Otherwise your pearly's might become dinner like my jawfish did. Diet coke (or maybe even carbonated soda water) will get HH out of a hole if you can't get them to come out on their own. Even moving to Texas I still had one join me!

[Europhyllia]

what kind of hitchhikers did you get?
I was thinking of dipping it and chopping the corals off the rock because I really don't need the rock (In fact I hope he didn't send very much rock. It's kind of like when you used to only be able to buy used software with a piece of hardware for legal purposes ;) )
I am heading up there now!!!

[BSJF]

The typical florida beasts - several gorilla crabs and pop, pop, pop critters!

You might kill the coral if you mess with it too much. It should really be a wonderful addition for you. I've been thinking about my rock like that since you started your tank.

[Europhyllia]

http://www.dominopads.com/ccoral1.jpg
out of the box

http://www.dominopads.com/ccoral2.jpg
opening up bright green centers (after chipping it off the rock and dipping it)

[FireWater]

Cool. Looks different and should fit in well with your tank. Good luck and hope it goes well.

[Kristy]

SWEET! Wow, Karin, you have really managed to accumulate some very special and unique pieces!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I just hope I didn't kill them with all my dipping and rinsing :o

[alton]

That is really neat Karin, way to go.
And great advice Lorraine, I had a rock crab for a couple of years that killed and ate 3 fish when he got larger. The amazing thing in those years I only saw him once when he was little.

[Europhyllia]

stuff is perking up a bit for feeding time:
http://www.dominopads.com/ccoral3.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/ccoral4.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/ccoral5.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/ccoral6.jpg
http://www.dominopads.com/cccoral7.jpg

little red porcelain crab
http://www.dominopads.com/redporcelain.jpg

[Europhyllia]

I still have tons of tube corals in the quarantine tank for further observation.

I ordered way too many corals/rocks! But they are small and with my double dipping some may not make it... Overall a good experience..

[Mr Cob]

way cool! ID anything yet?

[Europhyllia]

Richard (the diver) calls that first one that looks like a tree oculina.
Most of them are tube corals.
I'll have to see what those encrusting things are.

[Europhyllia]

I think the encrusting thing is some kind of star coral.

The oculina loves to eat and can munch whole mysis.

Now the only thing missing is Manicina :)

[Europhyllia]

OMG about to pee in my pants! I found Manicina!!

Caribbean Rose :)

finished :)

[Europhyllia]

hey what's up with me bolding everything nowadays... ?

[signal_4]

AHHH you just got to love Richard at TBS... I ordered the package for my first saltwater tank.... Best live rock Ive ever seen and loved most the critters and extras that he throws in... Every time I hear about someone wanting to set up a new tank I always mention Richard to them !!!!

[Europhyllia]

It was fascinating! Not sure I'd be brave enough to put it in the display now but even just chipping off the corals I found so much stuff: brittle stars, crabs, squirty things, things never see or heard of before, etc. and macro algae.
I could totally see myself ordering a box of his rock, setting up a nano with it and just keeping it filled with the critters that came with the rock. A true biotope and so low cost. Plus all of the surprises! How fun would that be?!

[Texreefer]

OMG about to pee in my pants! I found Manicina!!

Caribbean Rose :)

finished :)
doesnt' count without pics.. we saw many of those snorkling in the Caymans,, how big?

[BSJF]

You are going to find much more on the rock still. Stuff will grow on it from nothing, so don't toss it.

[Europhyllia]

I didn't toss the rock. It's in Bryan's refugium.

I went nuts on the tube corals in the quarantine tank. So far I did not find any gorilla crabs. Only porcelain and un-ID-ables. The un-ID-ables were tiny grey crabs hiding in the tube corals (the other corals didn't have that tightly branched appearance and were easier to check for critters.

So last night I spent a couple of hours fragging out the tube corals and eliminating critters. My plan is to reglue the smaller pieces onto dry rock. Hopefully they will appear like colonies again after that -without the little grey crabs in them (in case the grey crabs grow into monster fish eating crabs).

Of course if I find out later that the grey crabs were some cute symbiotic relationship crab with tube corals I'll feel terrible. But unable to ID them I jsut can't take the risk.

We'll see if the corals even survived all of this abuse. The ones that made it to the display seem to be doing well so far.

Mike, I've been monitoring an LFS in Arizona (I've become somewhat of a coral stalker for the Caribbean tank lol). They are the only place that I found that sells aquacultured rose corals. I inquired with them yesterday and they will ship me two (one brown, one green) today for arrival tomorrow ;)

[Europhyllia]

the tube corals amazingly survived my extreme qt and frag procedure to remove all little crabs!
Here's how I did it:
http://www.dominopads.com/tubefrags.jpg
snip all the colonies into little pieces for easy crab inspection and removal

http://www.dominopads.com/tubeglued.jpg
and then glue the pieces onto dry rock to recreate colonies...

My Caribbean Rose corals arrived and within 30 minutes of being in the tank the little feeding tentacles are out and ready to eat. :)
http://www.dominopads.com/rosebrown.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/rosegreen.jpg

and that's really the last of my 'wants' for this tank!
http://www.dominopads.com/tank061011.jpg

[Texreefer]

Amazing!

[hobogato]

what an incredible job you have done! you really should be proud, that is one of the coolest tanks i have ever seen.

[jrsatx20]

Karin its still missing something but can't put my finger on it.....
oh ya a tang...

[Europhyllia]

haha. I'll beat you the next time I see you!

[Europhyllia]

I just love to see them eat:
http://www.dominopads.com/oculinaeating.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/roseeating.jpg

The rose coral envelops the food so fast I can't really get a good eating picture. Definitely NOT going to put a rose in the corner the masked gobies live...you never know

[Europhyllia]

what an incredible job you have done! you really should be proud, that is one of the coolest tanks i have ever seen.
I would be lying if I didn't admit I was greatly inspired by your cuttlefish lagoon and the pretty gorgos :) Thank You!

[signal_4]

I love the brain corals on Richards rock ! Im gonna have to email him and ask if hes got some more of those. What you need are some of the yellow Gorg Corals that you can find off the Port A jetties !!!

[Europhyllia]

I actually did not see any brain/rose corals on any of the rock I got from Richard. Maybe they grow in different areas?
Lukcily I've been stalking AquaTouch since last year and just ordered the rose corals straight (as corals rather than stuff attached to rock). AquaTouch is a regular LFS in Airzona and I was able to request the size and colors of the ones I got. I'm very pleased with how that transaction went :)

[signal_4]

oh ok ...I see... Ill have to look at thier site. Oh ....hope you dont mind but I hijacked your TBS post in RC asking Richard if he had any...lol

[Europhyllia]

no prob at all. He's been great and very patient with me. I know he has some on his site/ID so he must come across them sometimes.
My favorites from Richard are the Oculina -shaped like an SPS with that little branching tree form but hungry like an LPS -love it!
Lots of plainer looking tube corals. I would say 60% of the corals I harvested were tube corals. Still nice and fuzzy.
And then some encrusting star corals. Those will be more impressive as they cover more area I'm sure. :)
But yeah I have been lusting after the rose corals for almost a year now so when AquaTouch had them in stock again I jut had to go for it. :)

[signal_4]

The Oculina is growing all over the Port A jetties mostly in ball clusters and are either brown in color like you have or white.... I have seen massive colonys on the rigs 25 miles off shore before.... and small colonies are starting op at packary jetties now... I like them as well.

[Europhyllia]

really? these came mostly in that little branching form with bright green centers (and the brown skirt things)

[Europhyllia]

I am guessing they're illegal to collect (the gulf is considered part of the atlantic) at the jetties?

[signal_4]

Im gonna say that there is no regulation on them... I have asked several game wardens and they really have no idea about coral...Plus being on the jetties there is no law except to have a fishing license which is the answer that the Game wWardens gave me..

[Texreefer]

Karin, hope you don't mind if i Post this here.. seeing your reef reminds me of my old reef,,, I really miss it.. just couldn't afford the time and money to maintain it
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/DSC03300.jpg

[Europhyllia]

any reef with gorgos is a good reef ;)

[Europhyllia]

What you need are some of the yellow Gorg Corals that you can find off the Port A jetties !!!
I actually have a yellow (Golden SeaSpray Randy shared with me after getting it from Ace)
dawn picture from this morning:
http://www.dominopads.com/tank061211.jpg
Polyps on all of the NPS are out. They're having breakfast. A lots of the PS Gorgos are still closed in this picture

[Europhyllia]

Here's a few more close ups:
This is my favorite pair of jawfish. They are always getting along (some of the others tend to squabble) and even share the same hole for the most part. She looks pretty round here. Maybe we'll have eggs again soon
http://www.dominopads.com/favoritejawfish.jpg

close up of the golden NPS gorgo from Randy/Ace
http://www.dominopads.com/goldenace.jpg

One of the new Swiftias adjusted to the brighter light by turning bright orange as far as the polyps go
http://www.dominopads.com/swiftiaorange.jpg

The other one kept the burgundy polyps on orange stalks
http://www.dominopads.com/swiftiapurple.jpg

[Europhyllia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sWeSTmR2Pg
Totally unCaribbean: Mandarins doing their evening dance (nothing spectacular happens so if you see the first minute of it you've pretty much seen it all. lol . I have no idea how to cut it short)

[alton]

Karin I am always amazed with your tank. And think about it with everything that has been let loose in the Carribean there probably is mandarins in the carribean?

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Alton. How are your jawfish doing?

[alton]

Doing great, still sharing the same hole and both eating very well. The biggest amazement is the one Yellow Head's is king of the tank even over the purple tang.

[Europhyllia]

That's wonderful. A happy ending. :) I really love how bold the yellowheads are. The blue spots might be 'prettier' but compared to the outgoing fun yellowheads the blue spots seem so reclusive.

[FireWater]

And Karin, amazing stuff in the tank by the way. I always read this thread with anticipation on what's new.

[Europhyllia]

sea rod basket stars fishing for food:
http://www.dominopads.com/searodstars.jpg

[Europhyllia]

new batch of eggs for my polygamist jawfish

[Europhyllia]

My LPS are dying. :(
I am not even going to put it in the Emergency Forum since it's the quick peel off kind of death so I doubt anything would stop it at this point. I am doing a water change and letting it take it's course.
Sadly it looks like the reef tank will soon be LPS-free. One of the Rose corals is already done, the other is starting to peel on one end and still eating on the other end.

I am just going to do the maintenance and then step away from it as to not drive myself crazy with this.

[kkiel02]

Is it just the corals that you recently got?

[Europhyllia]

nope a red blasto that I got when Firewater tore down his tank (however long ago that was) and the two new rose corals

[Texreefer]

Oh this is not good news. Im sorry.. do you think it has anything to do with the new wild caught additions?

[BSJF]

That would be my guess Mike, they brought in something icky. I'm sorry to hear this though. That's one thing I hate about LPS, when it goes, it goes fast and not a lot you can do about usually.

[Europhyllia]

I don't think so. They looked really good when they got here.

The Blasto has survived this sort of thing twice already. When I got it it has some heads missing but recovered. Then I had this LPS death thing happen in my old 125 gallon tank and the blasto struggled but bounced back beautifully. So for me this is the second time to have this LPS peeling happening.

Lately I've been a little heavy handed on the frozen algae paste and water quality has dropped. I am wondering if I have some kind of fungus in my system that flares up when water quality drops and makes conditions favorable for this?

Anyway. Like you say there's not much I can do now...

[signal_4]

Hey I got you a Poat A gorg for your tank...

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee466/signal_4/IMG_4167.jpg

[Europhyllia]

oh wow that's beautiful!

[FireWater]

Sorry to hear that Karin. I had the same issues with LPS before - all looked great and then BAM! they peeled. It happened in the old tank and has happened in the Finnex at work recently. I just lost my bubble gum chalice and 2 acans. No explanation or reason that I can find.

[Europhyllia]

Boo :( I guess I'll just have to give up on the Atlantic Rose corals.
Luckily the other stony corals I recently got with smaller polyps seem to be unaffected by it and thriving so I still have some kind of LPS left. Like a SmallLarge Poly Stony. lol SLPS ;)

[Europhyllia]

got another batch of jawfish eggs. At least the fish have been doing well in my tank consistently

[BSJF]

Happy fish = happy tank. Glad someone is happy!

[signal_4]

Are you coming to the Poart A thing this weekend ?

[Europhyllia]

No I probably won't be back to the coast for awhile. :(

[signal_4]

Oh ok... is there anyone that will be here that can pick up this gorg for you.... I have it in the canal right now so its still happy

[Europhyllia]

wow that's amazingly kind of you!
I'll have to see who I know is going ( as in know well enough to hit them up to bring something back for me ;) )

[signal_4]

LOL...Ace said hes gonna do it

[Europhyllia]

Thanks! :)
It had lost some tissue during transit and after consulting with Ace we decided the safest thing might be to cut off the healthy parts and see if it can bounce back that way. With this approach we were also able to try those two branches in different areas of the tank (seems to like super high flow best)

What else is going on?
The debacle with my overdosing of frozen algae paste led me to go back to culturing live phyto. This time I am going with isochrysis since it appears to be more useful for clams and oysters than nannochloropsis (apologizing for all my misspelling here).
It's growing well. I am keeping a back up culture in the fridge just in case.

My big PJ Cardinal Male is holding eggs right now. Poor Cardinals have it so much harder than the Jawfish with no den to put the eggs in while they have a snack. Anybody know how long it takes for PJs to hatch?

My Swiftias appear to be easily attacked by those stupid hydroids. So sad since otherwise they seem to be eating really well.
The sea rod basket stars are still there and doing okay.

The golden searod I got from randy after he got it from Ace is doing just magnificent. Loves to eat, apparently even shows some new growth and is not affected by hydroids at all.

I am trying to buy frozen food now in bulk rather than cubes and make my own mix in an attempt to get my $100 a month food bill lower... looks promising so far!

[kkiel02]

Well it sounds like everything is going pretty good again minus the hydroids. I wish they had a predator that would eat them.

[Europhyllia]

actually I did get the hydroid eating nudis!
Only worry now is 'does anybody know if hydroid eating nudis eat anything else?'
of course that question is too late to ask now. They seem to be doing really well. Hopefully hydroid eating nudis don't eat aiptasia eating nudis! lol

[CoryDude]

Karin, I had hydroids for a while also. I bet they'll be gone within a few months. I read somewhere that using a filter sock and cleaning it every day or two will help rid the tank of them also. I just let them play out and haven't seen in at least 3-4 weeks. Overall they were in my tank for about two months.

[Europhyllia]

Karin, I had hydroids for a while also. I bet they'll be gone within a few months. I read somewhere that using a filter sock and cleaning it every day or two will help rid the tank of them also. I just let them play out and haven't seen in at least 3-4 weeks. Overall they were in my tank for about two months.

The way I understand it is the reason they usually die off after that time frame is that they just starve themselves out.

In my tank with my round the clock gorgonian feeding the food source is always there. Hence I have a bumper crop of hydroids that's been staying around for months now. :/ lol

So right now my hope is on the predators since I can't cut off the food supply (without losing all the critters that are near and dear to me: filter feeders, NPS gorgonians, etc.)

I hope I'm right ...

[Europhyllia]

BAD news: within the course of just one week 3 out of my 6 jawfish went missing. No idea what happened!

[FireWater]

Missing or hiding Karin? I hope they are just finding new accommodations with in the tank.

[kkiel02]

Sorry to hear that. You dont hear a popping from your tank do you? Or I wonder if a crab made it in with the coral somehow?