I'm really happy with this digi. It was a fantastic score! To think, just $10....




Nah man, it was last DECADE that you posted in here!

So let me get this straight, I havent posted since last decade and you only got a couple of more pages in this thread? Dissapointing to say the least.

Well, let's just say I've been rather busy in other respects.

ok, you're excused lol. The tank looks nice btw.

Phew!



Thanks!

LOL check my last post date on this thread! but

I'm Back!

So MJ I am so not gonna read the last elevenitybillion pages to get back up to speed, do you have the clif notes on this thread yet?

Well tck, when I went on vacation and got back this is what I got from skimming through 12 days of posts from these guys.



I dont recomend catching up if I were you. Just chime in anywhere and pretend you were never gone. I also got a kick out of one of your posts so I HAD to put it in my sig lol.

Glad to have you back! I mentioned aliens several pages back, attempting to get you in here, but it didn't work.






I really should do a cliff notes version like StevieT's index post. Short version for you is that I've added a 4" green slimer, a 4 or 5" green digi colony, a 7 headed frogspawn, an encrusting monti, and a starry blenny. The skimmer body broke, but I might have a fix solution for it by the end of the month.

Ok, and if you were around for my vet vs. bakery manager debate, the decision went decisively toward the vet.



Oh yeah, and what Opy said.



The online equivalent of smile and nod.

TCK-

Cool new frags, Sump added to AIO tank, Bakery girl out, Vet in.

That is all.

Carry on.

Yea Um Okay so were was I.

Oh I was stuck at the ninja monkeys. Well they are all dead. So 4 all ya being a ninja monkey is so last year

Opy I'm glad someone took something positive from my bad tang advice. Friggin otto still wont come out of the tequila bottle in the closet. I found the worm ketchup just yesterday. Hopefully the alienz will get here soon.

Good looking frags MJ "Or so I'm told" lol Congrats on the case.



Now where is my dang shot glass?

Looks great

I think 2010 will be the year of the office monkey.



Sounds like you've been having fun! Oh, and I heard that a scouting party for the 2012 alienz should be arriving in the next week or so. Although the guy who ducked TSA and vanished last night might have been with that scouting party, so maybe we missed it.



Thanks! Can't wait to start seeing some growth on the colony.



Shot glasses are weak. I use 3oz Dixie cups.



Thanks! There's a bit more to come today or tomorrow I think. I've got a few corals coming down from the 20L, where I'm running out of room.

Hopefully the temperatures in my two tanks will start to climb again. They'd both dropped to 72-74F, from the 78 I used to keep it. I picked up a 200w heater for the 20L and moved the two 100w heaters I had to the 29g. Hopefully that will start making a difference soon!

Oh, and I'll take a photo of the start of the ric garden once they start to open up a bit. I moved the green one down from the 20L this morning.

Here's a few photos for today.

The angry rics:


The bigger view of the ric garden, overlooking the acan garden:


Happy digi frags:


FTS:

It's starting to fill in, looks nice.

Thanks Weetie!

I've been very fortunate to have access to inexpensive large frags and colonies to help the tank get over the "new" look. I've also started to notice a lot of color on the dry rock.

its looking good i cant wait to see it once it grows out some more

Thanks! Me too! I've been able to cheat lately by getting colonies, but after the WL frag swap, I'll probably be on a coral purchasing hiatus. Other than maybe a ricordia.

very nice!

Hey, didja have any luck getting the chalice to eat?

I can't remember, where did you get your dry rock from?
Did you do anything to it before putting it in the tank?
Like curing it in water for a month or anything?

Nope. But I've got the temperature up back up in the normal range, so hopefully that helps. I've also moved it into much lower flow to give it a shot at healing. Still got the fingers crossed. It's made the rebound before, but it takes time.



I got the rock from Phishy Business. Their storefront is very close to me, and so I can just pick things up from them. The downside with their dry rock is that it's very dense. However, if you are looking for pieces the size I've got in the 29, they are a good source. They don't often have much in the way of small dry rock, so I'm going to have to make a trip to another LFS to get the rock I want for the tidepool sump.

As far as cleaning the rock, I usually give it a 24hr RO bath, and then I hit it with a turkey baster. After that, it gets a good and thorough shaking in the RO water, before going into the tank. If I'm setting up a new tank (like I did with the 29g), I try to put what I can in my 20L, to help establish a bit of bacteria. With an existing tank, I just plop the pieces in after the 24 hour bath and cleaning.

Hope that helps!

Well, the good news is that the chalice parent is starting to puff up a little bit. It's in a bit lower light and lower flow, giving it a chance to recover. The cyano outbreak has taken a toll on everything in the 20L. Even the slimer looks a bit PO'd. However, the new RO/DI is on the way, so I'm planning on a large WC once it arrives. Hopefully that should prevent a cyano recurrence, now that I've got it on the run!

On the 29g front, it seems like my starry blenny has no interest in the red and green algae I've got around the house. He was previously fed nori (hand-fed even!), so I put that in my order from John. The blenny is still a bit skiddish around the tank, but hopefully the nori will chill him out!

Dern that spoiled Blenny!!!

Excellent news on the Chalice though.

Inorite? He must be starting to get hungry though, because I've seen him biting at the glass, apparently eating the algae on the back wall. Weird little critter. He still freaks when I walk up to the glass, but it's getting better.





The frag has continued to look good, so hopefully it will do well in its new home too.

If it helps, I had a ciano outbreak in the summer and everything closed up for about a week and I thought I lost everything but 90% of my stuff came back. Although I only had zoas, shrooms and GSP lol.

Unfortunately, this isn't my first battle with cyano. The first time was due to overfeeding (noob mistake), so I don't feel as bad now, given that this is likely an equipment issue (since I don't feed!). I know my LPS will bounce back, and some already are. I'm just worried about my SPS, although they are all still extending polyps. The slimer just has an odd tint to its base color from normal, but now that I think about it, none of my slimers actually look the same anyways. Anyways, I'm just hoping the new unit gets here soon!

Now that you mention it my slimers base is green most of the time but every now and then it turns an orangish brown color. Then a couple of day later it turns back. I am sending over my happy thoughts to your SPS. Hope they help.

Hey Militant one, happy new year. Are you trying to feed algae sheets that are from the fish store? Have you tried the "lees expensive get more for the dollar" nori sheets from the grocery store?
Also have you tried any of the algae disks?

Thanks Opy! That's exactly what mine looks like. Do you do anything in particular to help them, or is it just a mood swing?



I had the sheets for feeding my freshwater cherry shrimp, and decided to give it a go with the blenny. I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow, so I'll see if they have nori there! I'm guessing it will be in the "foreign foods" section of the store? Or is it part of the organic fad?

Oh, and the grocery store trip was on the agenda for today, up until the sky started falling. Our roads around here a SLIPPERY, even the main roads!

Just starting to snow here, supposed to get 3-6 inches by 7:00 am tomorrow.

Sounds fun! The weather man is forecasting 2 to 4 inches for us today. Of course, it's Ohio, so that could change in 5 minutes.


In other news..... I found out that I lost my first trial. I kind of figured that would happen, because it was an administrative hearing conducted by a hearing officer paid by the administrative agency bringing the charge. It looks like I'll be handling the appeal with my intern's/limited license, so I can work to correct things at the court of common pleas.

Future prediction:

Me Ohio Department of Health

I think they are females and I blame it on mood swings. I havent really noticed anything in particular when it happens. All the other coral are fine. I did notice my rainbow monti wasnt fully opening for a bit but I thought that was from those stupid tube worm things that have the long feeler come out and grab stuff (the ones that the base of the tube looks like a turd). I moved the frag that had the worm and the monti is fine now so I am not sure. I know my Mg was low for a while but other than that all my params are perfect. I will keep a close eye on it and write down when it does it now.


they just predict cold here... no snow .

Thanks Opy!


For those who have been following the cryptic line of this thread: I'm starting to have my doubts. A lack of availability on behalf of the vet is starting to remind me of a road I've been down and to which I have little to no interest in returning. Or, maybe it's just me being neurotic, given that I knew at the start that availability would be difficult (although not this damn near impossible).

Tell me about it. Such great potential, but now I don't know. Last message between us put the ball in her court, because I was giving up after a week of trying.

Well, I've got some Nori from John for the blenny! He hasn't touched it yet though, unlike the original owner, who said it would eat it from his hand. I think the starry is still a bit nervous in his new home.

Nori!


The algae on the glass was intentionally left, so that the blenny would have some natural food to eat until he was on the Nori. Sheeeeeesh, lay off!


If I stare at it hard enough...




Look Ma', I change colors!

Sheesh, clean yur glass will ya?


Hopefully Starry settles in and eats soon.

also

If it's meant to be, the "ball" will be returned- and with purpose.
Should it be merely lobbed back, well, it may be time to look for a new game.

The strange thing is that I see him biting at the glass and rock quite frequently, so he must be finding something. I wonder if the magfloat holding the nori is somehow bothering him. He was previously either fed by hand or from a clip before. I can't imagine that would make any difference. I'll just keep trying to gently put food in front of him. I think he's not used to my hand in the tank.





I hope so. I actually got a phone call thursday night, but my blackberry decided that that was the perfect time to glitch, and disconnect the speaker. So, I didn't hear it ring. >_> I'm debating between calling back today or tomorrow. I completely agree though. If things are wishy washy, I'll put it on the back burner. It's just unfortunate, because the personal interactions were great, but scheduling of this style is a bit of a deal breaker. I'm much more of a quality over quantity person in that category, but at a certain point, it gets ridiculous.

Have you tried putting the nori in the rock? Maybe that will make him investigate it. My tailspot blenny bites all ove the OF, glass and rocks but when it feeding time for the clowns the blenny gets his stomoach full of mysis. Odd since he was supposed to be a plant eater.

Good luck with the "other" thing. I havent had to deal with "that" in over 14 years so I have no input there. Personally I never want to again either lol.

+1 on pretty much all counts

'cept its more like 22 plus years

My tailspot gobbled anything I offered it. Miss that little guy.

I'll give that a shot today! Something has to work eventually. Maybe I'll give the mysis a try too!



Thanks opy! I'm looking forward to the day I don't have to deal with it. Although, I did talk to the vet, and at least know have a bit of insight into the whole deal. Still no appointment booked, but we chatted as if nothing was wrong. It's all was somewhat of what I thought it might be, but at this stage, I'm in no position to complain I suppose. The ball is still in her court, and at least that much is confirmed. So, I suppose we shall see.











Kinda like my green chomis. He'd try SO hard to get the mysis to fit into his tiny mouth. RIP.

I wish my photography skills (and camera) were better, but here's a then and now photo of the encrusting monti I'm attempting to rescue. Looks like there's been a bit of improvement already!

Then:


Now:


Looks to me as if more polyps are regaining their green!

Then:


Now (with a friend!):

Sa-weet buddeh!

Thanks! It will be great if/when this freebie colors up and gets to growin!

Well, as most of you know, I've been battling cyano in my 20L. Since I have no fish in that tank and rarely feed the coral, I think that it's a phosphate problem from a dirty RO. So, I purchased a new RO/DI a week ago. However, the new unit still has no shipped.

Then, today, I get an email from Phishy Business, stating that they are now carrying Microbacter7 in their storefront, the same product Weetie suggested to combat cyano. Since the cyano is slowly starting to make a come back, and I have no idea when I'll actually get the new RO/DI >_> I think I'll go pick some up. Talk about timing! I think it was meant to be.

I'm also contemplating picking up a new ric. They've got a bright green/yellow florida ric, but it's $20 for one polyp, which seems a bit pricey. They've also got a St. Thomas mushie for about $25 or so I think.

Thoughts?

I just realized that in about a week from now, I'll have been keeping reef tanks for 2 years.

RSR seems to have worked for me. Kristen certainly feels the M7 worked for her. Maria used something else ( name escapes me at the moment ) that worked well for her.
Whatever you do choose, keep us informed.

As for the Ric, $20 for a nice one is about average around here I'd say.





Hey, Happy Breefday!