Diver's Paradise - The Original

[Felicia]

I successfully made my first ever frag! I decided to trim one edge of the purple zoas last night because they were starting to choke out my expensive VDM palys. The purple zoas aren't anything special, so I wasn't too stressed out about messing up. I got them all glued onto the plug and they're already opened up today, so I guess I did a good job. Here's my first ever frag!

 

I'll have to try to frag a few of the more expensive palys and zoas when I have some time. Then I can get to selling frags!

 

Oh, and just a few updates for fun. First off, I figured the nice summer weather merited a pretty new hanging plant for the walkway to my apartment. Its a fushia

 

And now for some more cute Lily photos. She was napping in her crinkle bag and I just couldn't resist taking photos.

 

And this is what I wake up to in the morning

 

Oh, and just for you Gena, here's a cute video of Lily getting spoiled.

[Paigee]

Nice pics! Congrats on your first frag, thats an accomplishment! How did you cut the zoas off?

 

Also, Lily looks very spoiled in that video. Cute!

[chrssprngs]

Thanks for the photo advice.

 

One of my favorite plants. Don't see them too often at the nursery.

[Felicia]

Nice pics! Congrats on your first frag, thats an accomplishment! How did you cut the zoas off?

 

Also, Lily looks very spoiled in that video. Cute!

Thanks! I just used a scalpel to cut the mat around the zoas I wanted to frag. I then kind of scraped up under the mat to pull them off. Its best to get a thin layer of the underlying rock so that they're easier to glue.

 

Thanks for the photo advice.

 

One of my favorite plants. Don't see them too often at the nursery.

No problem! And yeah, I love fushias as well, but I had never even heard of them until I moved to northern CA. They seem to grow really well out here, but I can still only find them at small local nurseries, and not at like Home Depot or Lowes. There's one nursery near where I live that sells like 6 different varieties. I have the one in the hanging basket and then another one that has pastel pink flowers.

[Spirofucci]

Congrats of the fragging! Not much of anything makes me nervous anymore. But when I'm fragging or worse, placing corals on the scapce.....man do I get sweaty palms. Far worse than when I was a teenager and asking a girl to dance.

[gena]

That video put a big smile on my face, thanks Loved the music with it too! Feel free to do more Lily videos anytime

 

Nice job on the fragging. Looks professional!!!!!

[Felicia]

Congrats of the fragging! Not much of anything makes me nervous anymore. But when I'm fragging or worse, placing corals on the scapce.....man do I get sweaty palms. Far worse than when I was a teenager and asking a girl to dance.

I like the comparison. Oh, high school dances...

 

And yeah, fragging made me crazy nervous. Luckily it went better than I thought it would, but I definitely think its one of those things you have to do a bunch before you're comfortable with it.

 

That video put a big smile on my face, thanks Loved the music with it too! Feel free to do more Lily videos anytime

 

Nice job on the fragging. Looks professional!!!!!

You're very welcome. I had fun editing the video afterwards I'll try to get more videos of Lily's antic instead of her just laying around getting spoiled.

 

And thank you! My fragging attempt definitely wasn't perfect, but it went better than expected. Now I just need to wait on my frag rack because I don't have enough sandbed space for more frags. Of course the best price for the rack was on Foster and Smith, so the shipping is slow. Once that gets here, I'm going to try to frag my magicians and my Devil's Armor palys.

 

 

Oh, and in other news, my little starfish from SeaLife Inc. shipped today, so it should be here on Wedneday

[ScubaEthan]

I had a couple things listed in my head to say in my reply then LILLLLLY!!!!!!!

 

ummmm damn that's a lot of fragging supplies. I just round up random stuff lol. Cool shot of the underside of the star and sweet tunicates!

[Felicia]

I had a couple things listed in my head to say in my reply then LILLLLLY!!!!!!!

This happens to me all the time. Her cuteness is distracting.

 

ummmm damn that's a lot of fragging supplies. I just round up random stuff lol. Cool shot of the underside of the star and sweet tunicates!

It really isn't too much stuff. I just didn't have a frag rack yet, so I needed to get one of those too. And the actual fragging supplies were cheaper to just buy as the kit and now they're organized in a nice little case. I just can't wait to get the frag rack so I can make a few more frags.

[Joe Dirt]

I'm glad things went ok. The first time fragging is kind of scary. SPS is much less stressful IMO. Just snip, dry and glue. Booyah!

[Euphyllia]

And this is what I wake up to in the morning

 

AWH MAI GAWSH IS THT A KAHT?!

 

Luckkyyyyy!!!

[Felicia]

I'm glad things went ok. The first time fragging is kind of scary. SPS is much less stressful IMO. Just snip, dry and glue. Booyah!

Yeah at least I didn't royally screw up or I would have been terrified to try again. I definitely think the SPS's will me easier but they've got a long time before they'll be big enough, so for now its my zoas and palys that are taking over.

 

AWH MAI GAWSH IS THT A KAHT?!

 

Luckkyyyyy!!!

Yep, that would be a cat! Her name is Lily and I post lots of adorable photos of her because she likes to be the center of attention. Its actually her birthday today! She's 2!

 

In other news, my frag rack came! I'll post photos later and my try my hand at a few more frags!

[gena]

Dr. Fosters and Smith is the slowest For us in California anyways

 

Happy Birthday to Lily!!!!!!!! Did you get her something special?

 

Watch your eyes when fragging those zoas/palys. They like to squirt.

[Joe Dirt]

BRS is pretty darned fast here in CA. Marinedepot is super duper mega ultra lightning blindingly fast though.

[Felicia]

Dr. Fosters and Smith is the slowest For us in California anyways

 

Happy Birthday to Lily!!!!!!!! Did you get her something special?

 

Watch your eyes when fragging those zoas/palys. They like to squirt.

They were actually surprisingly fast this time. The frag rack wasn't scheduled to show up until Thursday.

 

I actually just bought Lily a TON of new toys a while back because our Petsmart went out of business and had everything 75% off. She already has a massive pile of toys that she loves spreading around my apartment, so I'm not sure she really need any more. I did tell her Happy Birthday and give her extra cuddles today.

 

Oh, and yeah, I'm going to probably frag them in the tank since they've grown down onto the rocks, but if I pull any out to frag I'll wear my lab seafety glasses. I already "borrowed" a bunch of gloves from lab

 

BRS is pretty darned fast here in CA. Marinedepot is super duper mega ultra lightning blindingly fast though.

BRS lets you pick USPS priority which is usually 2 days, so I like ordering from them. I've never actually ordered from Marinedepot. I was so startled when I ordered from Aquatraders because I had selected their free shipping option of 7-10 business days and my package showed up the next morning. Turns out they're located in San Bruno (on the peninsula south of San Fran) and I just hadn't realized how close they were.

[Joe Dirt]

How awesome is that. That's about the same with me and MD since they're in the OC and I'm in LA.

[Felicia]

How awesome is that. That's about the same with me and MD since they're in the OC and I'm in LA.

I know! I'm always so impatient when I've ordered something I'm excited about. Its nice to have it show up so fast.

[Spirofucci]

HBD Lily! The last time I remounted a bunch of palys from the plug to little rocks I totally forgot to wear gloves or goggles, lol. I have about 10 different types of palys, and I'm still here.

[ScubaEthan]

In honor of Lilly's birthday.

[surgicalsense]

Love the livingroom and Lily set up. So Lily and Ella are born in May a year and a couple days apart.

 

Congrates on the frag ... looks good and stable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...... shark!

[Felicia]

HBD Lily! The last time I remounted a bunch of palys from the plug to little rocks I totally forgot to wear gloves or goggles, lol. I have about 10 different types of palys, and I'm still here.

Based on what I've read, paly toxin isn't in most of the zoas and palys kept in the aquarium hobby, so the odds are you won't run into it. Its probably best to be safe just in case though.

 

In honor of Lilly's birthday.

I love cute cat gifs! Thanks, Etan

 

Love the livingroom and Lily set up. So Lily and Ella are born in May a year and a couple days apart.

Thanks, Danielle! I didn't realize Ella was so young. Happy Birthday to Ella, too!

 

Photo Update Time!

First, the new frag rack. (I had kicked up a bit of sand right before these photos, so ignore the stuff floating in the water.)

 

Next, the new "common" starfish! He's so awesome and orangish-brown. He's definitely very alive and has been crawling around in the bag while I'm acclimating him. I'm already fascinated by watching the little tubes on the underside of his legs grip the side of the bag.

 

And my freebie from Sealife Inc. was a second "common" starfish that is adorably tiny

 

They've both been acclimating for an hour and a half now and are about to go into the tank. So far, this seems like another very successful order from SeaLife Inc. I HIGHLY recommend them, especially starfish since the shipping is only $14.

 

And just some other photos I snapped while I had the camera out.

One of the blue porcelain crabs!

 

I love the markings on this serpent star.

 

The YWG in his new burrow with the pistol shrimp in the back left corner of the tank.

[surgicalsense]

.... looking good. Love the new starfish. I want one.

 

... I used to have a porcelain crab just like yours also

[Felicia]

.... looking good. Love the new starfish. I want one.

 

... I used to have a porcelain crab just like yours also

I LOVE the new starfish. They are honestly one of my favorite animals, and I'm surprised I managed to wait as long as I did before I started buying them for the tank. I now have 7 starfish If you make another Sealife order, you should definitely consider one. They seem to be totally fine with the 2 day shipping that's only $14, even all the way from Florida to California.

 

He still hasn't made an appearance? I somehow have 3 of them and I didn't purchase any of them. I guess they hitchhiked in at different times.

[Spirofucci]

Digg'n that starfish! I've never seen a blue crab like that before, cool!

 

Do you do your fragging with your white lab coat on? I just have this vision of you as the mad scientist with gloves, goggles, a white coat, and a crazed look in your eyes, LOL.

[Felicia]

Digg'n that starfish! I've never seen a blue crab like that before, cool!

So he looks even cooler from the top because he's kind of a grey-blue color with orange spikes. I got some nice photos of him once I added him to the tank that I'll post later. I had to go back to lab after acclimating the starfish. I've seen a few tanks on here that have the blue porcelain crabs and I believe the one Danielle bought recently was blue. They really are a very bright blue color. I can't believe I managed to acquire 3 of them overtime as hitchhikers.

 

Do you do your fragging with your white lab coat on? I just have this vision of you as the mad scientist with gloves, goggles, a white coat, and a crazed look in your eyes, LOL.

I don't wear a lab coat while fragging, but your vision is basically what I look like after a long day in the lab...including the crazed look