mFrame Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 sweet deal! I'm so jealous!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 updates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Yes, yes, updates! Life has been keeping me away from my laptop where all the pictures live. The biggest news I have is the addition of a spiral wire coral I scored from Aqua Dome. In my research before buying I learned that it isn't a gorgonian at all like most people seem to refer to it as. It is a black coral, which isn't even an octocoral, it's a hexacoral. So not even that close to a gorg. Also it's skeleton is made out of chiton which I though was interesting. From what I could gather they seem pretty easy to keep, even eating mysis. Oh, and another thing I found interesting is some species have zooxanthellae but are NOT photosynthetic. Weird. I guess they haven't evolved to take advantage of the goodies produced by the zooxanthellae yet. Anyway, I am very much enjoying it. It still only has the tips of it's polyps out, but I noticed some mysis particles sticking to it, so I think we're in business. I was going through some older photos and realized one of my maze brains has grown like crazy! Must be all the reading material I give it Or more likely the mysis it catches. I'm still noticing sun polyps popping up all over. I'm fine with it because they are pretty and I can definitely use the color in all the dark parts of my rock tower. There are a lot on the sides. Just hope they find enough food. My MIA basket star showed back up, only to have the other one wonder off yesterday. I hope it returns soon. I need to put a leash on these guys, or maybe a tracking device. I like to see that they eat at least every other day or so for sure. I added 3 berghia nudibranches a couple weeks ago. I've only notice 2 small aiptasia gone, and my 2 biggies are still there, but it's a little soon I guess. Oh, I also finally got rid of the peppermint shrimp. Those guys drove me nuts having nps to feed. The mp10 I got didn't work out at all. Almost right away here came a seahorse. She got sucked to the side of the pump and I pulled the power just as she was slipping her tail around to inside the fan for grip. Whew! They are totally not seahorse proof. The side bars are spaced too far apart and the blades are literally right under the frame. Also the front is wide open. I'm bummed but will have to figure out something else. Any idea I have for a cover will probably impede the flow too much to be worth it. At least with the koralias the blades are teeny and way way inside a large frame with bars much closer together. As you will see in the pictures I have pretty much all the corals in their final places except for a new sun coral colony that I will eventually secure to the ledge/overhang on the left. Right now I need to remove it every other day to a feeding bowl until it starts to look better. This fts is with only the whites on because I was trying to get a good pic of the spiral coral with my cell phone. Please comment if you have any ideas for better flow, or coral placement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Oh cool! I didn't know the sea rod gorgonian branched also. I hope mine does too Your tank is looking great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 Oh cool! I didn't know the sea rod gorgonian branched also. I hope mine does too Your tank is looking great! It should branch quickly. They grow very fast! My husband calls it the saguaro cactus And thank you, I am really enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 Had a chance to get pics of 2 of the many baby sun polyps popping up in my tank. Has anyone else had this happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I have read on other boards about sun corals spawning and throwing off babies to elsewhere in the tank. Things must be going goo in the tank for that to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 I just read up on sun corals spawning. Sounds fairly common but maybe the babies are hard to raise? Mine will have to fend for themselves. I can't even reach them to target feed, much less pull them out to a special tank. Pretty cool though. I wonder if having my lights on a moon cycle is what triggered it. I added some great goodies from the dome today. I'll get pictures posted soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 Alright after getting some time to work on the tank, I finally got some fts with clean glass, all other lights off, all pumps off, and all corals pretty much in place. The only thing was I woke up the tank to work on it tonight, and I stirred up the sand for the filter feeders, so things are closed and the water's a bit cloudy. Can't have it all I guess Added some incredible blastos from the dome today, another spiral - couldn't resist, a clown goby and neon blue goby, another gorgonian I think this one's a purple plume gorg, and finally a fox coral. I've been on the waiting list for a fox/jasmine coral since January and just started to give up hope. All in all I'd say this was a great tank day!! The new spiral wire coral is light blue base with yellow and orange polyps. It's a great compliment to the dark blue/purple base with red polyped one. It already has it's polyps out about twice as far as the other. Oh, and the first spiral I had fragged a few days ago, well it has already healed plus a mm or two of growth! Here's some pictures! Can't wait to see the fox coral open in the morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Wow. You have some great luck getting those spiral corals. My little frag has been full of polyps the past few days. When I fed today (oyster eggs, mysis, and cyclopeez) a lot stuck to it. I am hoping my little frag grows just as fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 wow - that is intense! Great job!!! It looks awesome - and soooo different from when I saw it in person months ago . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thank you, I'm very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+C Lo Slice Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Has your Fox opened yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Has your Fox opened yet? Oh yeah, it sure has. It opens more everyday. It's gorgeous. I was reading up about it in my Aquarium Corals book and it says they do best in dim to moderate indirect lighting and in low currents. That's what I really love about this coral is that it's so pretty and doesn't need much light at all There are no feeding tentacles, and the book suggests it absorbs nutrition from the water, so it should do great in a tank with low skimming (or high nutrient like my tank). Anyway, I'm so happy to have one. I love that it's a green one too. I guess usually they are white or very light tan. How's yours? How are you liking it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+C Lo Slice Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 It's doing well so far. Still hasn't opened completely, but its getting there. I hear ya about the color. I thought mine was brown at first, but under actinics, he is nearly entirely green. Very pretty. I was definitely excited to read they are photosynthetic... less work! I also had a perfect spot in my sandbed for low indirect lighting, so I had no trouble deciding on where to put him. Good luck with yours. I'm sure you're excited after that wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cob Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 great looking tank Kim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+C Lo Slice Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Any updates or new stuff, Kim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 how are you liking your light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 Well my biggest news is that I still have a living tank I've been out of town for over a week with my knows-nothing-about-fishtanks husband caring for the tank. Yikes! But I had Oceans of Austin stop by this morning for a water change and to test the water, check on things, etc, and it sounds like everything is great! It'll be another week before I return. I LOVE the light! Will, is your light still in the box? You are very patient if so! Things are growing and looking well so far. It's been only a month and a half, but nothing has lost any color yet. That's one thing I worried about. I haven't ramped up the intensity like I had planned because things look well where it's at. It's sitting at 44% right now. The lunar cycle is really cool. I think it has something to do with my sun corals spawning soon after setting the light up. Thanks for asking! I'll update with the new additions and the status of things when I return. If I still have a tank.....keeping my finger's crossed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 james there is still a spiral wire coral at the dome, Kim i love going by to check on the tank, it is always improving by leaps and bounds. hope your arrival is greeted by a happy tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Every time I look at your tank photos I feel like a kid. It's the "I want, I want, I want" syndrome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 Well I finally got home late Sunday night. A few days before my return my husband called to say he found a seahorse dead It was my oldest one, so I don't know if she was just more sensitive to problems in the tank, or if something else got her. Since I couldn't look at her I don't know if it was an injury, infection, or what. The others are all fine. I had him take a water sample to the dome the next morning and all parameters were great except the salinity was up. I'm not sure about that either! I left a jug of rodi water for the top off, and he topped it off every evening Inland reef came to the rescue and helped my husband set up a drip system to slowly bring the salinity down. Thank you!! So when I got home that night, the tank really looked bad. I was so bummed I lost 3 really nice monti frags, a birdsnest frag, a bunch of sun polyps on the one I've been trying to nurse back to health, a duncan, and unfortunately most of one of my spiral wire corals. The other one looks good though. Weird. I had a bunch of slimy, goopy, bubbly, dinoflagellates, or something brown like that and a few areas with cyano. I've been siphoning all that crap out, along with pulling random spots of gha out. Oh, and the worst thing is after 3 years of absolutely no new aiptasia, I now have at least 6 small aiptasia that have popped up I hope my nudis are still alive and hungry! I have some awesome new stuff coming from Aqua SD tomorrow, so I'm trying to think at least I have more room available now, I guess! All of my water parameters are right where I like them and considering what I came home to, everything is looking great. The one thing I was worried about, my basket star, is alive and well, thank goodness! I'll post new pictures once I get everything in and settled. Moral of the story is, even when you have someone feeding your tank as usual and doing the usual water changes, when you have nps stuff and pay a lot of attention to your tank, it's the little things you do everyday that matter too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 Oh, one key thing I wanted to mention is, I got the PE mysis that comes in cubes for my husband to use to prevent over-feeding. I usually use the flat packs. I noticed the day before I left, when I was showing him how to feed, that the cubes have a ridiculous amount of junk that comes out besides the mysis. Holy cow! I know you're supposed to rinse but I use the little bit of juice that comes off the flat pack piece as something to lure the nps stuff out. That and my nitrate and phos is always very close to 0 so I don't worry about it. But I have a sneaking suspicion that all of that extra junk is what threw my system off enough to get cyano and other slime algae, or whatever that stuff is. Anyway, I'm no longer going to use the cubes, only the flat packs. It's much cleaner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+C Lo Slice Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Man, sorry to hear that Kim. How long were you gone for? I went to Disney World for a week in July; our neighbors (who have NO experience with saltwater tanks) took care of my 60 gallon. I was SO paranoid. I called and texted them twice a day to check on things. With the exception of some algae on the glass, I came home to a healthier-looking tank than when I left! Just the luck of the draw, I guess. At least you have some stuff coming from AquaSD... their things are always gorgeous. I always use the frozen cubes of Mysis and the variety pack. I've never tried the flat pack, but I'm considering switching over now after reading your comparison. Be sure to post some pics of the new stuff once it all gets settled in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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