215g Caribbean Inspired Reef -new vid p58

[Europhyllia]

it seems odd they are all hiding at the same time. I am pretty depressed about it. I am afraid they are gone for good. :(
It changes the whole appearance of the tank.
Blue spots tend to stay in their burrows but the yellowheads are so social -always out and about and interacting.

Now it's way too quiet with only two of them swimming about in this great big tank (1 always like to stay in his hole so nothing unusual about that)

I noticed one of them missing at feeding time a few days ago but was busy because my oldest cat wasn't feeling well (he passed away last night) so I just did general maintenance and feeding and not doing head counts for the last week. But now they've been definitely missing for at least a couple of days

[Europhyllia]

You dont hear a popping from your tank do you? Or I wonder if a crab made it in with the coral somehow?
unlikely. I didn't introduce any rock. I snipped all off the branched coral into 1" or less pieces to tweezer out any crabs (and the ones I found were TINY - impossible to take down a 4" jawfish IMO)

I have tiny gobies and the mandarins as well as the anemone shrimp. If I was a predator it seems like those would make easier prey than big jawfish. :(

[FireWater]

That sucks. I don't even know what else to say. I know how much time and pride you put into the tanks.

[hobogato]

havent some of them gone missing before? maybe they are just trying to make you fret?

[Europhyllia]

You were right!
Big Boy's wife Spiney is back. And to celebrate he's making his big den over (he does that usually before he gets eggs).
Mr and Mrs Small never left (those are my favorites anyway) but the troubled couple is missing -still

So I am up to 4 out of 6.

[FireWater]

A little good news at least.

[Europhyllia]

I think Ace was right. They are just trying to freak me out. I've been able to ID 5 different ones now. For some reason they are duking it out with each other so they appear, threaten each other and disappear again.
Hopefully things settle down again soon. But at least it no longer looks like some sudden death thing...

I really, really wish I would have just gotten 4 jawfish for the 215 gallon tank. Even with all of the open sand areas I designed for them, I think 2 pairs would have been more harmonious than 3 pairs

[Kristy]

So glad they reappeared! Sounds like they're just trying to get your attention. :D

[FireWater]

So glad they reappeared! Sounds like they're just trying to get your attention. :D

Right?! Maybe Karin ought to try to feed them or something.:bigsmile:

[Europhyllia]

little jerks. not sure what's going on. everybody should have just stuck with their hole. Now everybody has to scramble to find new territory.

New pics:
(bad pics and dirty glass...)
http://www.dominopads.com/072811.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/reeftank072811.jpg

[Texreefer]

Beautiful as always... even with the flying snails in the background,, hehe:bigsmile:

[FireWater]

Beautiful as always... even with the flying snails in the background,, hehe:bigsmile:

It took me a second to figure that one out Mike. That is funny.

Looks great Karin. I am guessing all the JF's are accounted for then?

[Europhyllia]

sort of. they never show up all at the same time. But they all differ a bit from each other (like Spiney has a crooked tail, etc.) so that when I see 5 with a straight tail I can assume they're all there because I just saw Spiney earlier, etc.
And yes I usually clean the glass and bump off the snails before picture taking but didn't feel like it this time lol

[signal_4]

Hi I love the new pictures...is that gorg from Port A still kicking ?

[Bill S]

Karin, your tank is insane! Love it.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks!

Signal the part of the gorg that I put on the left side is still up! I am having trouble stopping that tissue loss though. It had started to lose tissue on the way back and even so I clipped it back it still seems to be losing more. The polyps are coming out but the smallest livefood I feed is baby brine. I am not sure if that's too big for it?

Speaking of brine: apparently I am incapable of culturing phyto without having seamonkeys crop up in it!
http://www.dominopads.com/monkeyphyto.jpg

They are HUGE (see upper left in cone) and already carry egg sacks. Apparently living in isochrysis phyto is good for seamonkeys. I am just stunned the eggs survived all of my cleaning before I used the cone for phyto culturing...

[FireWater]

The LPS death? Did you ever figure anything out?

I lost 2 acan colonies and 1 complete chalice in the exact same manner as yours - flesh fell off rapidly - with 3 other chalices showing recession. I still can't figure it out fully amd I know the water quality slipped a little in the Finnex. Last night I went up to work to do some needed cleaning on the tank and catch up on paperwork. So, while I am sitting there I noticed some movement by my prized hybrid watermelon chalice and take a closer look. I notice that my long lost emerald crab is hanging out under the chalice and the peppermint shrimp is right on top of it. Upon looking at it I notice there is a shiny white piece of chalice skeleton is now showing. I am very close to thinking that one of them are snacking on my LPS.

I honestly cannot remember what inverts you have and got tired of reading about 15 pages in to your thread. Do you think your loss could be attributed to shrimp or crabs?

[Europhyllia]

I thought that the first time around (I had peps in the 125g tank) but I don't have any shrimp other than the tiny anemone shrimp in the new tank. The only crabs I have are filter feeders: porcelain crabs.
I think the everything honkey dorey and then rapid death points more towards some kind of fungal infection in my case. Just a guess though. I just don't have anything else to contribute it too.

[FireWater]

Very frustrating isn't it? There also isn't too much info on lps fungus or bacterial infections that I have found yet.

[Europhyllia]

I've searched too and posted on RC but nothing really spot on has popped up. It seems to affect only similar LPS though: the large ones like brains, blastos, acans - not the littler ones like occulina

[FireWater]

I have used Furan2 with good results for infections on zoas. I wonder if something similar would work for the LPS?

[Europhyllia]

I don't know... no big LPS left at this point. :(

Since the outbreak coincided with water quality declining due to the frozen algae paste I've been bugging CoryDude about his sulfur reactor.
And I've decided to give it a whirl.
It's expensive but the media is supposed to be good for 2 or 3 years so not too bad in the long run.
I think with BioPellets I was able to burn through $200 worth of pellets in just a year. Got to think long term cost... ;)

[CoryDude]

They say the media gets a pitted look when it's used up. I got my 1302 model in 2008 and the media looks the same as when it was new in the bag. I bet I've got several more years left in them. Glad you took the plunge. I think you'll be happy with the results. Plus the directions are in german, so you'll know which hose is the einlauf and which is the ausgang.

[Europhyllia]

yeah I'm excited. As long as I can contain the bacteria to the anaerobic area in the reactor, not have anything in the water column AND be able to keep Nitrate above 5ppm I'll be happy. :)
It will be a tough 4-6 weeks waiting for it to kick in. I'm so impatient...

[Europhyllia]

Okay I am about to throw a major fit. I got the denitrator. Not a cheap piece of equipment at close to $500 I think. All I get is a letter. No picture instruction.
I have no idea what goes where and I am ****ed.
Even the packaging was terrible. And it came with a nut missing. Okay I can get a nut at Home depot but for that much money I expect all parts and adequate instructions.
Now I am going to have to search the internet to find pictures of the thing so I can figure out what to do with it.
Grrr!!!!

[Triggerman]

Just saw your shadow box thread on RC is still alive....very good read and inspiration to others!!!

[Europhyllia]

Yeah funny! I still have strangers from all over the world emailing me wanting input on projects ... as if I had a clue! lol

[Europhyllia]

Finally the water exciting the reactor measure 0 nitratees. No changes in the big tank. At a rate of 1 drop per second I am guessing it will only take 6 months or so until anything noticeable happens with the big tank... ;)

[FireWater]

6 months is a drop in the bucket. It will go by in a hurry in my world.

[Europhyllia]

LOL True :D

[Bill S]

1 drop per second is 3 ml per minute. You have 813,775 ml in your tank. That's 13,563 minutes, or 565 hours, which is 24 days. For it to cycle through ONCE.

Carp, my math is wrong. Fixed.

[Europhyllia]

Well thank you. :)
I have a lot of sand to take up space so I will anxiously look forward to 3 weeks from now and see what the test kit says :)

[CoryDude]

Karin leave the drip rate at that rate for 2 weeks then bump it up to 2-3 drips per second.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks Cory! I didn't wait 2 weeks because whenever I tried to leave it on the 1 drip per second routine it ended up going slower and eventually zero drip per second over time.
So it's on fast drip right now. Water exiting the reactor is really zero nitrates and - I am probably just imagining this- the test for the whole tank seems to be lightening a tad.

Everything else is still the same.
Mama clown is grumpily defending her eggs:
http://www.dominopads.com/mamanadeggs.jpg

and I noticed I have a thousand freaky worms working the sandbed:
http://www.dominopads.com/freakyworms.jpg

[CoryDude]

It's not your imagination Karin. My nitrate tests did the same thing. Weekly tests looked slightly lighter but not much. I waited two weeks between tests and saw a 10ppm difference each time.

Ewww! Those worms would freak me out. Yuck!

[Europhyllia]

Luckily they can't go anywhere! They live in tubes and they are in the sand and those white feelers come out. So they are somewhat sessile and small - nothing to wrap itself around your fingers while you are searching for missing frags or anything ;)

[Europhyllia]

I am so glad I can misuse CoryDude for tech support on the Sulfur reactor. He's got all the answers! I called Premium Aquatics because my pump was so noisy and they were clueless.

Well here's my sad confession: The beautiful tank bred Mandarin I got didn't make it.
He never started eating. I even contacted ORA to get advice. I had all of the special foods that they recommended overnighted to me and got a little feeding station and everything. Nothing :( He perished within 5 days of getting here.

I stopped at Texas Tropical (because they sell cyclop-eeze freezer bars) and they had just gotten wild caught mandarins in. And I know it's BAD and IMPULSIVE and I should NOT support the wild caught business if I can get tank bred. But there was a fat little mandarin tempting me and I bought him.
And guess what. That wild caught mandarin started eating frozen within just a couple of days of arriving!
How ironic, right?

[alton]

Congrats on the Mandarin eating frozen. I guess I have been lucky with mine eating frozen. Where you able to get a female?

[Europhyllia]

No I already have a female. I wanted a boy. I love this one :)

[alton]

Wow all I can ever find is males

[Europhyllia]

I got a female from GC reef a year or two ago

[Europhyllia]

a few pics of what it looks like now. The hydroids were tough on some of the gorgonians but everything seems to be doing better now. I am doing less powdered automated foods and more frozen cyclop-eeze. All the gorgos love it.
So here we go:
http://www.dominopads.com/1123%20_1.jpg

bad pics of my flower anemones:
green
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_2.jpg

red/white
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_22.jpg

One of my Swiftias got killed by the hyrdoids but the other one is doing great! LOVING the frozen cyclopeeze. YOu can see a tiny searod basket star folded up around one of its branches
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_3.jpg
a christmas tree worm with a masked goby beside it (really enjoy the little swarm of tiny gobies!)
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_4.jpg

This yellow finger is just so full of polyps and really active at feeding times. I like this one a lot
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_5.jpg

just some Caribbean zoas
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_6.jpg

some kind of really dense macro. I call it red cabbage because it forms such a tight little red ball
http://www.dominopads.com/1123_7.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/1123_8.jpg
golden seaspray -another one that got hit hard by the hydroids but doing much better now

http://www.dominopads.com/1123_9.jpg
My scallop. I've had this one for a long time and it seems to be doing really well :)

I like it when stuff does well. It seems the worst is over now. I got a nitrate reactor and it's sort of a double egdes sword. The gorgonians are doing better and I have to worry less about cyano. But the ricordeas are missing the extra nitrates it seems.

[hobogato]

glad you were able to get rid of the hydroids. tank looks great as always

[Third Coast Tropical]

I have that same red algae in my reef. It has been more of a problem for me. It gets in my zoas and overgrows them. I am constantly removing it. It is very resilient. Lately, it has been less of a problem, but overall I hate it. I am not sure where I picked it up, but I wish I never had it. I have tried to identify it before, but its been awhile. I don't remember the outcome.

[Europhyllia]

sorry it's giving you trouble. I think it looks really cool. :)

[justahobby]

the yellow finger is incredible!

[alton]

Tank looks great Karin

[CoryDude]

Love the swiftias and basket star. Who am I kidding, I like the whole darn tank. Looks great Karin!

[justahobby]

Are you broadcast and target feeding the gorgs? Is that the same LP gorg that I have (in same pic as the yellow finger)? What type of denitrifier are you running?

[Europhyllia]

broadcast because my tank is just full of critters that want to eat the fine stuff.
I buy the frozen stuff in blocks and sheets and then (the Bill Streep Method) thaw it all just enough to mix it and rebag it in thin layers in quart bags.
I have three different mixes:
1) PE Mysis and Hikari Mysis -for seahorses
2) PE Mysis, Hikari Mysis, Hikari Bloodworms, Cyclopeeze, Frozen Prawn Eggs - for dayfood for the reef tank
3) Cyclopeeze with a little bit of Frozen Prawn Eggs - for night food for the reef tank (mostly for corals, basket stars and other nocturnals)

Since I feed so frequently and sometimes on the way to the bathroom at 3 pm, having it all perfectly premixed makes it easier and more likely for me to stop by the tank and drop in a little of the right stuff. ;)

The large polyp gorgo in the pic is not the same as the one you have. Yours is a Corky Finger and has more 'flowing' polyps. The polyps on this large polyp gorgo are more rigid (you can see another one in the full tank shot center right). I think Kristy might have the same one. We got it from the South Carolina Gorgonian Farm Group by we did last year. :)

I am using a Sulphur Denitrator - Korallin brand- Cory talked me into it. ;)

Actually no I started getting interested in it myself when the BioPellets didn't work with my powdered foods. Cory has an interesting theory on denitrators that remove the end product versus participate in the middle of the nutrient cycling. Maybe he can elaborate on it a bit. :)

[justahobby]

I could definitely tell a difference in polyps. I wanted to make sure mine hadn't changed due to lighting or something.

How are you counteracting the acidity of the sulphur?

[Europhyllia]

I am not doing anything I didn't do before -or for that matter do with the seahorse tank that doesn't have a denitrifier. If anything the seahorse tanks with the huge fatty food input drops alkalinity faster than the reef.

I am controlling pH with my kalkwasser on the RKL and check alkalinity and supplement that with Bulkreef supplements when needed.

[Europhyllia]

I decided to skip the seastar and splurge on a few chalk basslets and saddled blenny instead. Can't wait to get the new additions :)

[CoryDude]

How are you counteracting the acidity of the sulphur?

You know Justin, I was worried about the same thing when I bought my first no3 reactor a few years back. But, low alk and ph have never been a problem. No more than you'd experience with a calcium reactor. Right now I'm using a converted next reef xl reactor that is full of sulphur media and no aragonite what so ever, and the effluent has the same ph/alk as the tank water.

[CoryDude]

Actually no I started getting interested in it myself when the BioPellets didn't work with my powdered foods. Cory has an interesting theory on denitrators that remove the end product versus participate in the middle of the nutrient cycling. Maybe he can elaborate on it a bit. :)

Nothing ground breaking, just something Troy and I have been tossing around for a while. I had major problems when I used the Hiatt bacteria system, and the problems seem to be the same with other bacteria driven systems. The fish do great, and the tanks look spotless, but the corals and other inverts seem to be starved.

From what I've read and in dealing with the founder of the hiatt system, the aerobic bacteria themelves consume the organics before they ever reach the final stage of NO3. The nitrogen cycle is broken. So it would seem plausible that the bacteria and other sessile organisms are competing for the same food source. With their exponentially faster metabolisms, the bacteria win everytime.

Nitrate reactors reverse the nitrogen cycle (except for the ammonia stage), so this allows the corals/inverts to feed on the available nutrients, and then the remaining organics are converted into nitrates. So instead of the corals lining up at the dinner table with the much hungrier organic consuming aerobic bacteria, they (corals/inverts) get first dips on what's coming out of the kitchen, and the anaerobic bacteria get the left-overs.

[RayAllen]

Stunning as usual Karin. Great job.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. My chalk basslets came today. :) I wanted 3 and ordered 4 just in case and one really arrived half dead. The other 3 are out and eating though and fit in really well.
I also got a little saddled blenny which reminds me of a mini hawfish the way it swims and perches. Unfortunately the clowns are giving him trouble right now. Poor little guy. After these clown (or if they ever they seem to be immortal) pass away there will be no more clowns for me.
http://www.dominopads.com/chalkbasslet.jpg

[Europhyllia]

got a pic of the cute little saddled blenny
12797

[Europhyllia]

Newest addition:
Thorny Oyster :)
http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12813&d=1320243897

I had one before but sold it when the 125 burst for fear of not being able to keep it well in the temp tank. One of those critters I've really been missing so I found another.
It's not opening up as wide as the previous one did but definitely responding to live phyto in the water so I hope she'll come around soon :)

[LuckySingh]

nice

[Europhyllia]

http://www.dominopads.com/aiptasia.jpg
really lush aiptasia...

http://www.dominopads.com/redrocknem.jpg
Red Rock Flower Anemone

http://www.dominopads.com/redduster.jpg
red feather dusters

[CoryDude]

That flower nem looks beautiful. You even managed to make the glass nem look appealing.

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I am trying to absorb all the photo stuff you guys are sharing ;)

[FireWater]

Great pics. Cory is right, the aptasia is amazing. Almost makes me want to get you to frag me one. LOL

[Europhyllia]

It's a rare all white colormorph. I tell you what: you can have the whole aiptasia rock! ;)

[FireWater]

Just tag a LE name to them and they will sell like mad.

Seriously though, great pics.

[Kristy]

Whoa! Love the red feather dusters! Were they a bonus that showed up or something that you ordered?

[justahobby]

Where did you get your rock anemone???

I thought the aiptasia was a rhizo coral until I read the description.

[Europhyllia]

You can get the red feather dusters either from Dana at Cramer's Critters or Kara at SealifeInc. Just a warning they are tiny though! It's the number of them that make them pop. I had one crop up here and there on stuff but you barely notice it if it's just a onesie.

I feel somewhat conflicted about the source of the red rock anemone. I love it and it sort of completes my set (I have 3: 1 bright green, 1 black/white striped, 1 red) but I had a problem with this order and emailed them twice and never got a response. My problem was that they sent only 1 instead of 2 gorgonians. It was only $15 and shipping was free so financially it wasn't a big loss but it ticked me off that they didn't bother writing back. Anyway: red flower anemone is from reeftopia

[Europhyllia]

Not the best shots but someone on RC asked about a larger FTS and I just can't get a decent one. Most of my stuff is just small scattered things and a FTS doesn't show any of them.
So I did a left and right shot and here they are:
http://www.dominopads.com/tank112011left.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/tank112011right.jpg

[Europhyllia]

Oh yes I am giving sticks one last go. I read a lot recently about how macro puts out toxins especially harmful to acros so this may not work out either way.
Plus I don't think I got staghorns. Can't be choosy when shopping for grab bag brown acros I guess...

[Mr Cob]

awesome tank Karin, I love the FTS half shots.

[alton]

Tank looks great

[Europhyllia]

Thanks :) Here's the two sides together but hardly any detail:
http://www.dominopads.com/tank112011whole.jpg

[Europhyllia]

some close ups, because the Harley isn't out in full view often...

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

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

[Kristy]

Whoa!! Is that what those mongo "mini" brittles from Alton grow up to be? :)

Karin, some day I would love to see your tank in person. I bet the sway of all those gorgonians is spectacular.

[Europhyllia]

lol no Alton's are kind of furry. This one is a Harlequin Brittle Star and only grew a little since I got him :)

[Europhyllia]

and the sway of the grogos is only rivaled by the sway or my aiptasia...

[Europhyllia]

I still love this tank and everything in it. I think this has been the most enduring excitement for one of my fish tanks yet.

Here's a short video of the basket star getting dinner:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0nyOr7Wiwk

[betiuminside]

Very Cool! Congrats!

[Europhyllia]

Thanks.
Care to guess what's for breakfast?
http://www.dominopads.com/cycloshrimp.jpg

that's right... cyclopeeze!

[hobogato]

great pic, i was gonna guess newly hatched brine tho.

[alton]

Whoa I missed by a long shot, I was thinking french fried star fish?

[Europhyllia]

you are such a goober Alton! lol

[alton]

Thanks Karin, think about it a little flour, milk, and egg. Peanut oil at 400 degrees taste like Calamari or Octopus? Okay I bet I never get invited over to Karins for supper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid_(food)

http://www.starvinmarvinsseafoods.com/seafood-recipes/fried-octopus.htm

[Mr Cob]

Karin! Great video of the basket star!

[Europhyllia]

Oh alton. I love Calamari! Just not sure about fried seastars. maybe a plate of astria?

[Europhyllia]

Inventory of my photosynthetic gorgonians:

meaty ones first...

corky finger (frag)
http://www.dominopads.com/corkyfrag.jpg

aquacultured large polyp
http://www.dominopads.com/SCLargePolyp.jpg

knobby sea rod (got this one as one straight stick and it's getting these branches now)
http://www.dominopads.com/KnobbyRod.jpg

Purples

Purple Rod
http://www.dominopads.com/purplerod.jpg

Purple Feather
http://www.dominopads.com/purplefeather.jpg

Purple Plume
http://www.dominopads.com/purpleplume.jpg

Purple Brush
http://www.dominopads.com/purplebrush.jpg

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

Purple Ribbon
http://www.dominopads.com/purpleribbon.jpg

[Europhyllia]

and tan/yellow/orange ones

Spiny Orange Sea Rod
http://www.dominopads.com/orangespiny.jpg

Yellow Feather (frag)
http://www.dominopads.com/yellowfeather.jpg
Yellow Whip(s)
http://www.dominopads.com/yellowwhip1.jpg

http://www.dominopads.com/yellowwhip2.jpg

[CoryDude]

Wow, very impressed Karin. That basket star video was perfect. The exposure was perfect and the movements of the particles were hypnotizing. Love the pics of the gorgonians.

[Europhyllia]

remind me to send you the video bits for cheryl's video! I do have a few -it's just that seahorses don't move much...

[Europhyllia]

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

Atlantic Jewel Box Clam covered in blue (and some green) zoas

[hobogato]

that is really cool! - great pic too

[alton]

Awesome where do you find this stuff?

[Europhyllia]

Thanks. I like this one too. I should haev waited for the clam to open -it's even cooler when you can see the 'teeth' ;)

On a less cheery note:
apparently my hydroid eating keyhole limpets that have done a great job eliminating hydroids have now moved over to gorgonians. Yes, the same gorgonians they were supposed to protect from the hydroids. Just can't get ahead here...
See (photo taken after I peeled off the limpet):
http://www.dominopads.com/limpetdamage.jpg

[rrasco]

Awww...I was just reading your RC blog thread on this tank. I was like, 'Hey, I know that tank'. Then I realized you were tearing it down. :/

[Europhyllia]

Thanks for remembering/recognizing it though! It's been a fun couple of years.
I love being back in the saddle though. :)

[rrasco]

Did you know your blog is one of the Christmas blog finalists? Hence why I saw it. Never read a blog there before.

[Europhyllia]

Is it? That's cool! If there is any voting on it, vote for me please! lol

[rrasco]

Indeed. Well, technically I think it's your horsey tank, but that's still cool!

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2123886

[Europhyllia]

I have entries for all of my tanks all on the same blog. So since it's a blog contest I think it goes by blog rather than tank.
Thanks so much for letting me know! That's very cool. Must have been only 5 blogs total... lol

[Europhyllia]

The trouble with the nylon rod structures is that when you disassemble it you have to find all the nuts under crusts of coralline and unscrew the things.... :o