Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef

[RollaJase]

Tank is looking great. I'm definitely adding a valve to my gravel vac.

[ninjamyst]

question for the ricordea expert here =)....

 

What does it mean when ricordea cups? These are puerto rico ricordeas. I have read both "too much light" and "not enough light".

[Sk8n Reefer]

How's that little stony hitchhiker doing- what a bonus!

[Nano sapiens]

question for the ricordea expert here =)....

 

What does it mean when ricordea cups? These are puerto rico ricordeas. I have read both "too much light" and "not enough light".

 

In my limited experience, if the cupping is chronic then the Ric is likely looking for more light. I see this all the time when the Rics get so dense that those on the bottom have to stretch way up to get some decent light. If it just cups briefly once in a while or at night, then very likely not related to light.

 

If I blast them with too much light, they will first hug the rock. If inteensity is sustained, they'll try to reduce their surface area ('shrink') to limit excess zooxanthellae photosynthesis and often will also eject the excess zooxanthellae.

 

How's that little stony hitchhiker doing- what a bonus!

 

Thanks for asking. It's not doing quite as well and isn't expanding. I noticed that the Hermit Crab is paying it's rock a lot of attention on the sand bed, so I'm going to mount it up in my rockwork this weekend.

[Sk8n Reefer]

 

Thanks for asking. It's not doing quite as well and isn't expanding. I noticed that the Hermit Crab is paying it's rock a lot of attention on the sand bed, so I'm going to mount it up in my rockwork this weekend.

 

 

Looking to give em a little more light? Damn Hermits- gotta luv them though - it seems they know every frag I haven't glued down yet. Think I might do a little rearranging myself. Take some more pics when you get him into place

[Nano sapiens]

 

Take some more pics when you get him into place

 

I am always amazed at what Hermit can turn over. If I have the same strength, just scaled up, I'd be overturning my car no problem

 

Assuming the wee-little coral survived the move to the rock work in the middle of the tank, maybe in a few months it'll be large enough to take a pic without the magnifier.

[Nano sapiens]

The answer to the question that (almost) no one is asking: "Can you mix LEDGroupBuy and Rapid solderless LEDs together?"

 

Well, the short answer is "Yes you can!":

 

 

 

The long answer is that unless you like tinkering, best to order all from one company or the other. But it is nice to know that you can mix a solderless 'Lime' from Rapid (which isn't sold by LGB) with your LGB solderless string and use nothing more than the wiring harness provided by Rapid that comes with each LED (with some modifications). Looks a bit awkward, but it's something that's hidden anyway...

 

In this case I ordered some Limes and, while I was at it, some WW Cree XM-L2 from Rapid (to replace some NW Cree XT-E)...which is what is seen in the pic. I'll be mess'in with the Limes later...

[Nano sapiens]

Lighting: After switching out all the Neutral Whites (4 total) for Warm Whites in my array, the lighting has lost that last bit of 'coldness'. I guess I'm a bit old school, but I'm used to seeing all the true colors in a tank...not just the fluorescent ones

 

Of note was a marked rise in alkalinity from a previously very stable 9.0 to 9.6 dKh within a 24hr. period. I was expecting this, but not quite such a rise with only the two NW LEDs changed out yesterday. Since WW output a lot less blue, it makes sense that photosynthesis has been curtailed a bit and growth has slowed. Undoubtedly, the corals will need time to adjust pigment a bit to maximize usage of the changed spectrum. This suits me just fine since I was nearing the limit for Kalkwasser only dosing, anyway.

 

 

This one I should have done a long time ago:

 

Anyone else fed-up with Clownfish going Kamakzi on your cleaning hand? Well, now they can go bonkers attacking this thing

 

It's simply a plastic rod with a band-saw slice down the middle for the card. Two holes are drilled/tapped all the way through the rod and card and a pair of plastic screws attached. Solid as a rock and the card edges bend enough to easily clean the tank's bowed front. Also helps to keep hand contact with the tank water to a minimum.

 

Next step is to make something similar to get into the tank's rounded front corners...

[Nano sapiens]

Oct FTS:

 

 

Wild Yuma Update:

 

One week after acquisition I saw this 'fuzziness' on the right side 'foot' of the wild Yuma I had purchased:

 

 

 

...and a bit closer up:

 

 

The good thing was that no brown coloration was evident, but having part of the Yuma start to disintegrate was definitely disconcerting! At this point I decided to try a mild 10 min. dip consisting of a half dozen drops of Kent concentrated Iodine and a half dozen drops of off-the-shelf Tea Tree oil in a half quart of tank water. This was followed up by a rinse in a container of fresh ASW to remove the Tea Tree oil terpenes and any dead tissue/fungus.

 

The good news is that within a week or so the disintegrating tissue had disappeared and so had most of the 'foot'. It is possible that some of it may have been aborbed back into the polyp. A couple weeks later, the Yuma looks fine with a full 4" diameter extension during the day and a hearty appetite for meaty foods (I feed it sparingly twice a week). It receives about 150 PAR on the lit edge and maybe 80 par on the opposite shaded edge. I have it positioned to receive just enough flow to gently lift the 'skirt' every so often, which is all that is needed by Ricordia:

 

 

I have noticed that all my horizontally placed Ricordia tend to 'cup' when the lights are off, but flatten out within a few short minutes once the lights come on. Those on an incline don't show this behavior nearly as much. This behavior is also found in anemone species and I believe that it is a response to lowered oxygen levels that are encountered both in our tanks and on the natural reef when photosynthesis ceases. By raising their column, they are maximizing the surface area exposed to the current to otain as much oxygen as possible. A side benefit is the removal of fouling sediments around the coral base made possible by this cupping behavior.

 

 

Oxide Zoanthids and Sponge (possible symbiosis):

 

Over the last 2 years I have noticed that my 'Oxide' Zoanthids spread far faster than any of my other half dozen zoanthid types. I also noticed that the Oxides were nearly always growing on a twiggy white sponge latice:

 

 

In this pic the bottom Oxide polyps are postioned out at the end of the white sponge (looks like a white nodule). As the sponge grows (which is quite rapidly) the polyps are 'taken for a ride' so to speak where they can root and grow a new mini-colony if the sponge reaches substrate. As the mini-colony develps in it's new location, polyps are separated from the main body again by the sponge's growth to new areas. In this way, the Oxides have a huge advantage over other Zoanthids that must rely on slowly spreading via stolons over the substrate. The question is, is this a true 'symbiotic' realtionship where each benefits the other (zonathid can spread more quickly, sponge derives localized nutrition from the Zoanthid) or is the Zooanthid just taking advantage of an excellent opportunity ('commensalism').

[TigerLily]

Lovely as always! I truly enjoy your posts and observations. Very cool observation about the oxide zoa and white sponge.

[Nano sapiens]

Thank you, Tigerlily

 

Sometimes simply asking the question "Why", even when applied to seemingly mundane behavior, can lead off in very interesting directions

[RollaJase]

That is a pretty epic looking light,

[Nano sapiens]

That is a pretty epic looking light,

 

Thanks. I guess it does look a bit different compared to the current trend of deep blue lighting commonly used today. 20 years ago this tank would have been considered 'on the blue side'

 

Personal preference, but I prefer to have a tank where I can see all the colors in a balanced way, both fluorescent and non-fluorescent. I also like the light to be spread evenly across the tank and I think this array comes close while still maintaining just enough shimmer so that it isn't distracting.

[RollaJase]

Thanks. I guess it does look a bit different compared to the current trend of deep blue lighting commonly used today. 20 years ago this tank would have been considered 'on the blue side'

 

Personal preference, but I prefer to have a tank where I can see all the colors in a balanced way, both fluorescent and non-fluorescent. I also like the light to be spread evenly across the tank and I think this array comes close while still maintaining just enough shimmer so that it isn't distracting.

I'm the same way, I like my tank a little on the whiter side of things. I like to see the fluorescence for the colour pop but I prefer the overall balance to display the natural colours. I haven't been so lucky to experiment with different lighting types but I would definitely like to run a hybrid setup next time around. Thinking a LED/T5 hybrid or something along those lines.

[Nano sapiens]

Thinking a LED/T5 hybrid or something along those lines.

 

The LED/T5 combo seems to be very well received. The LED DIY route is fun in that one can mix-and-match easily to try and reach a desired look and result. With correct placement and type, it's now possible to get closer than ever to a T5 look with LEDs with the added bonus of shimmer.

[cindyp]

the colors are stunning! i only have one ricordea

and i like him, but haven't gotten any others. you're

making me think twice!

[jedimasterben]

Have you added the limes yet?

[Nano sapiens]

the colors are stunning! i only have one ricordea

and i like him, but haven't gotten any others. you're

making me think twice!

 

Can't go wrong with a collection of Ricordia

 

Have you added the limes yet?

 

Hmmm, no. The WW have 'hit the spot' perfectly, so don't really need to add more green to the mix at this point.

[jedimasterben]

Hmmm, no. The WW have 'hit the spot' perfectly, so don't really need to add more green to the mix at this point.

I think you should give them a shot. They're nothing like what you've had before.

[cindyp]

Can't go wrong with a collection of Ricordia

 

i do love mushrooms a lot. but i opted for the

flower nems, which i also love a lot. and honestly,

i'm running out of space. ha!

 

either way, it looks fabulous! great job, you!

[Nano sapiens]

I think you should give them a shot. They're nothing like what you've had before.

 

I still might

[Nano sapiens]

i do love mushrooms a lot. but i opted for the

flower nems, which i also love a lot. and honestly,

i'm running out of space. ha!

 

either way, it looks fabulous! great job, you!

 

I like all the large squishy polyp corals and anemones

 

Yeah, running out of room is just the way it is. The trick to a long term tank is to slowly get it all 'just right' and then watch as the drama unfolds...albeit rather slowly with corals

[Nano sapiens]

iPhone vid of a Yuma. Still working on making it visible without having to click on the link, but may not be possible with Photobucket...

 

http://vid230.photobucket.com/albums/ee141/Back2dubs/Wild%20Yuma%20110314_zps90lszxg4.mp4

[xiaoxiy]

I think you should give them a shot. They're nothing like what you've had before.

I'm going to have to go with ben on this one. The limes are pretty magical.

[jedimasterben]

I'm going to have to go with ben on this one. The limes are pretty magical.

And not in the way that most 'products' in the hobby are magical