etannert

Thanks Grim, but I'm pretty stuck on gold! I know they tend to be pricey but I'm determined to get one eventually!

Thanks, victoly! I'm sure I can get one retail eventually, but it's always good to find a tank-raised specimen when possible.

If anyone is keeping one and wants to frag me a head, let me know! Thanks!

Yeah, I'm in the midst of a diatom bloom par excellence...

All the leathers can put off chemicals (I'm sure someone knows the more specific term) that have negative effects on other corals; it's one of the reasons we run carbon on a regular basis. In fact I believe any coral can do this - leathers just do it in higher quantities and more frequently. If leathers are too close or start a chemical warfare battle you can see the effects in your tank.

I can't remember where I read all this but I swear I'm not making it up...

I'm in.

I'm so excited - an ARC event that's late enough that I can actually attend!!

Thanks Gary! I think I'm going to get the Seachem test... looks like it'll get almost the same range as the Hanna but without expense (probably also not the accuracy either, but better than API).

Texted, awaiting a response.

I'd be in for a couple small things if y'all make it happen.

That's easy to do. But just set up group buy and don't buy anything yourself. Just get the freebies. Of course, as busy as you are that may be tricky.

HA!!!! I love it!!

Too bad I blew my coral budget for this month at the Dome yesterday...

Sorry to hear that Jeremy. You've always had such great advice and passion to help others in this hobby, hopefully for our sakes this is just temporary!

I love the clown goby in the birds nest. :-)

Oh - I checked levels yesterday:

Alk - 11 (a little high)

Calc - 380 (a touch low)

Mag - 1200 (a little low)

I don't have a phosphate test. Need to get one so I don't strip the water too fast when I add GFO. I've never worried about it much since I keep LPS and prefer a "dirtier" tank.

Time for an update:

I re-scaled one more time - I realized one of the zoa-covered rocks was upside down and some of the zoas were not getting any light. I'm actually way happier with the results - the big open arch is way more pleasant than the spiky M from before. And, some of those zoas are starting to open! There's a nice colony of Kedd reds, mean greens, what I think are going to be Sunny D's, and a few small half-open ones that look very colorful but I can't identify yet. All the other corals have settled in very nicely. I'm even starting to see a few worms come out from time to time on the Christmas Tree worm rock!! I haven't gotten a pic of them yet but I saw them today for the first time - so exciting - I really hope that one fully recovers.

I have the stock diatom outbreak going so I'm going to get the carbon/GFO reactor going tomorrow. I ordered a clean-up crew from Reefs2Go - I think most of them made it but I completely forgot they'd been delivered Thursday (I have to have things shipped to me at work since I'm never home when the apartment office is open) and didn't get them till today. In fact, I made a special trip to school in Georgetown just to get them! The emerald crab died, which I feel pretty bad about, but most of the snails and hermit crabs seem okay. Hopefully they'll help out a bit.

Yesterday I got water in the new pico - Capt. Obvious gave me this Fluval Edge last spring. It was originally one of his kids' tanks and was plumbed into the bigger system, so it had been drilled. I originally intended it to be an office tank - the coworkers have heard so much about my "hobby" they were curious to see it in action - but I quickly realized that I can barely take care of two tanks at home, let another one at work. So it got designated to be the new tank for my previous pico's inhabitants. During the winter break I scraped out the old silicone from the drilled hole, applied new silicon, and inserted a bulkhead and cap. The tank passed the water test and everything got moved over today. The little yellow watchman goby and his pistol shrimp buddy have already found a new spot to hang out and the corals are open so it appears to have been a successful move. The new pico holds a little more water - 5g vs 3g - and is aesthetically a lot more pleasing. It's also nice to have both tanks in one place - the pico used to be on a kitchen countertop, and I'm really glad to have that piece of counter back! The kitchen is small enough as it is. (If anyone wants a pico with all the fixins, let me know - it'll be for sale soon!)

Twins!

Front view - sorry for all the blue, I tried to balance it out as best I could

Top view (ditto on the color balance)

Ty, those look like African steel blue zoas to me.

Thanks for the support! Great prices - I see a group buy forthcoming...

I like the elos kit but I don't think it's sold locally.

Bump! Still left!

I think I'm going to hold off, thanks!

RCA will as well. It's always better to call in advance to make sure the store has room and desire to take them.

Looks like it may have been rubbed against by a snail or might have gotten knocked against some rocks. It just looks scraped, rather than as if the flesh is receding or tearing away from the skeleton. The fact that the heads are fully inflated and putting out tentacles is a good sign. You could dip it, but if it were me, I'd just leave it be. It will most likely recover on its on.

Timfish, I swear you have that post pre-typed in a Word document and you just paste in whenever the occasion arises...

I might be in depending on where pick-up is. I live north and work in Gtown.

Yeah I've heard of black bugs. Interceptor/Bayer. I'd keep an eye on your acans, there have been some reports of black bugs destroying LPS-dominant tanks. Might be a different black bug.

It's a couple pieces of Marco rock I ended up not needing for the big tank. I think it would work well for yours.