well I could have stuck my finger in there and let him latch on, but I don't like to disturb stuff while snorkeling. That and I was scared to death of getting too close lol. It was about 2 inches across so it wasnt too small. Same with the octopus, it was rather large and I wanted to see it swim away but it wasnt going anywhere so I let it alone.

I think Maria needs one in her caribbean contest tank

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=270496070995

i was just in the carabean and this looks like the stuff that was growing all over. it looked brown with a transperent blue tone when looked at from certain angles. i brought a couple diferent algeas home but none seem to want to grow in my tank.

tank looks great btw.

I've never been to the Carribean... but it sounds like you're doing an excellent job in making the tank authentic. In any event, I love the natural but still clean look. This is tank has really made me re-think macros. Keep the FTSs coming... I'm away from my tank for the holidays and I need to view vicariously (not that mine's anywhere near as beautiful as yours!!!)!

Got2Envy,

Did you ever get the gorgonia?

Ha! they are cool! but I likes my grammas I was actually thinking dwarf sea horses but I sea that I have hydroids



Thanks! wow...they want you to buy $49.99 before it's free shipping in FL.
It's about 40 minutes from where I live lol very cool looking fishy!




I dunno where the rock that organism picked this off of was from but I had to have me some! haha
I feed the tank pellets even tho I have no fish to keep the nitrates up, I also dose live phyto every other day along with dosing 2 part every other day. I do 10% water changes every week with NSW ... HTH



Thanks! sux being away from your tank...all I do is worry and call the hubby like 30 times


yes I got a gorgonia and a sea whip (dark purple w/ white polys) i dunno if the whip is photosyntehtic or not...maybe someone can help, my friend from my club gave it to me as his Tomini tang was making a snack out of it....I cut some of the dead ares off




more pix





Thanks for looking!!

Hey Maria just wanted to wish ya a merry Xmas!
Your tank's looking really sweet!!!!

Thanks jimbo!
have a Merry Christmas!!

Simply beautiful Maria!

A very Merry Christmas to you!

Thanks buddeh! Hope you and the family have a Merry Christmas too!

Merry Christmas Maria!
That first pic, of skinny stalked gorgonian, let it polyp out. If white, it's non-photo and likely difficult to raise. Others are looking great. not sure if you want any gorgs I want except rusty. That might be a good addition.
I see you have a good crop of Asternia. I have a few very dark ones in my contest tank. I've never had problems that I've heard others have.

wow this tank is beautiful...
i is kinda really jealous..

Let me know when you prune some of those macro's and need to get rid of it! I can come pick it up
Especially some of that C. prolifera!

yep it is white polyped



Thank You!



Will do! It won't be long lol




Maria

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Wow, Maria!

I haven't checked this thread in a while, and the tank looks amazing! No surprise, all of your tanks are beautiful, but this is just wow!

Merry Christmas,

~Anne

Thanks Kim!!! Hope Santa brought ya some nice goodies




Thanks Anne! Wow! what a great compliment Hope your Christmas was a merry one!
I am seriously running outta room! It will be no time before I trim...especially the prolifera and green grape

Update?!?

Very natural looking tank Maria. I hope it can take hold well and establish nicley, it would mature into a very beautiful display!
Oh, and I bought the same tank as you, sorry!

No worries How do u like the tank? I think it's very well put together.

I will update this weekend. The racemosa is growing the fastest along with the prolifera.

Maria,

Liveaquaria has some information on the purple Sea Whip. "This gorgonian is photosynthetic and requires a moderate amount of light, but also should be offered zooplankton and other foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates. It also requires a stronger water flow and the addition of iodine, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water."

Hope that helps.

I have yet to find this tank anywhere near me or online :[

Hey Maria!! Happy New Year girl! I just checked out your thread since I haven't seen it since my last post on the other forum and I was just cruising around here and came across the 10g contest and saw you!! Your tank is looking sweet as usual and is definitely a beauty!! I love everything about it!! Hope all is well with u out in your neck of the woods! ttyl.....

Very Nice Maria
Sal

What is that white square thing on the right side of tank glass?

Very nice tank!

I was reading a few pages back and do not put a emerald crab in there. They will go right after the red grape algae you have, I put some of it in a tank with an emerald and within 30 seconds of putting it in the tank the emerald was climbing out of the rocks, crawling across the sand, and trying to eat it all.

Wow! thanks zemuss I feed live phyto that I get from a friend that knows a guy that makes it lol



Well that just blows I wonder when these will become more readily available...did you ask you LFS to if they will carry them?



Hey! Happy New Year Kat!!!!
I am so glad you found my thread!! now you need to pos dat AP24 that is the shiz!!
everything is great here, hope all is well with u too.





Hey Sal! thanks for stopping by!
Thanks!



The mag-float algae cleaner for the glass ?



Thanks will do! my astrea snails are already putting a dent in some of the red algae and the racemosa is out competing some of the others and I thing my red tree sponge is a gonner as well

Here is my updated FTS and pix for 1-15-09...I will be working all week and will not have time to update on the15th so here it is




and organism's macro is doing great!!

I even have some growing on my Koralia lol

The Racemosa (green grape algae) is def dominating


FTS


still no fish till February. I actually like the low maintenance with no fish

Thanks for looking!

Nice tank, who needs fish, lol.

I like the grape algae! I'll definitely contact you for some for my school.

This is the most natural looking tank I've seen. Most of them get you with lots of bright colors but they just look fake or staged. This one is like you are actually there. Great job!

Troof! I want to def go to a bigger tank with the macros when the contest is over and do seahorses, so I may just leave it fallow or get just one fishy.



Let me know when you are ready! I will hook you up



Thanks opy! it looks a lil' cloudy cause I just did a WC and blew the rocks off, I added a small minijet 50 to help keep the detrius suspended more. The natural look is my goal!

Hey Maria want a Kenya Frag? It fell off the Kenya I have and i just put it up on a plug.

Where did you get all the macros? And does your "friend" sell the phyto? I am tired of paying 15 dollars for it.

"Z"

just spent the last 30 min going from post #1 to here.
your tank is B-E-A-U-T-Yful!!!
and i love the rimless Hagen tank. it's sweet!
glad it made it's way into the hands of such a talented reefer.
i have been anxiously awaiting their appearance on US soils. Hagen has a full line of rimless, black silicone tanks available to our cousins to the north (Canada). but sadly not for us

anybody has had any luck finding these locally???
hopin' i can get lucky here in Houston.

again... very nice.
all the best!
cheers...

tank is really looking great. your organism macro is started to look pretty blue.

I get it from a lady that gets it from a guy...$10 for a small bottle and $20 for the larger. I am not sure how big his buisness is but I can find out.
as for the Kenya thanks but I have plenty haha



Thanks!!
I wish I knew when these tanks would be more readily available best bet would be to ask your LFS if they can carry them. Hagen is pretty picky about their vendors I heard.



Woo! it def seems to be getting a nicer blue...especially the one growing on the Koralia, maybe cause it is closer to the light...hmmmm

Thanks for looking guys and gals!!!

Maria

PM me the information for the Phyto if you can

I contacted her...I will see what she says

Wow Wee your tank is looking prettier and prettier as the days go by.

Thanks wimby!

zemuss your in box is full...I got the info

So I gotz hooked up by yardboy! He so kindly sent me 4 beautiful corals for...FREE
talk about pay it forward I am a happy reefer chick.
So any hoo he sent me for the contest tank ~

Lesser star coral
Porites porites
Rusty gorgonian
Maroon anemone

I will post pix tomorrow

Thanks again Roger!!!

~ Maria

You are so welcome Maria. Heck, us "Caribbean biotope" people got to help each other!
I can't wait to see them in your tank.
Update on the corals:
Starlet coral - Siderastrea radians - fragged off a colony I got when I spotted it on an Astrea snail at the lfs!
Porites porites - common in seagrass beds, usually unattached. I bought it off Ebay from aquacultured rock
Rusty gorgonian - Muricea sp. - I've had the mother colony for 6 years. Have to keep it pruned.
Maroon anemone - Actinia bermudensis - collect these at the jetties. They can move, but I've never seen them sting. They like krill

All I know is that everything is awesome!!
It is always great to have a lil' background info on what ya get very cool

I guess you can tell I really have a feeling of affection for them!

Very cool - good karma!

Well woke up this mornin' to look at the ol' contest tank and my new little nem from Roger was in the middle of my ricordias...I guess he decided to move this morning so I pulled his little slimed balled up self and helped him attach to a small piece of rubble...he is still sticky which is a good sign he was so beautifully extended last night too before I went to bed.
I shall call him Squishy

Okie doke here are some quick pix...who am I kidding all of my pix are quick pix




and squishy I will give it lots of TLC


I really appreciate Rogers gifts from his famous jetties nano

I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy. Come here,
Squishy. Come here, little Squishy.

I LOVE that movie!

haha me too! and no that movie is not why I started reefing...maybe

I think Squishy will pull through

Well that movie IS one of the reasons I did .

Oh yea, I read over in WL you are going to the Orlando Star Wars thing. I was in Disney World during one of the Star Tours events when they had Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch) and Warwick Davis. It was cool seeing all kinds of Star Wars character walking around lol. Although the Han Solo and Luke were not very convincing, Princess Leia was hot .

here's me being attacked


and here's my wife finding a new guy after the attack. (personaly I think she set the hole attack up for the insurnce money) She's holding my autographed Boba Fett