Sk8n Reefer Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 That top down shot of the Bonsai is great - coral looks very happy- good PE 2 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 W'oh! Nice. Thanks for the scoop Ben! A relevant video from MACNA The potassium stuff starts around 19:30 but the whole talk is awesome 2 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 +1 Mari's aren't bad at all. They acclimate to tank life pretty good IMO/IME. The new milli has some real nice potential.... but again I would suggest removing it from the base before putting it in your tank. Thanks Chris! I really wanted to remove it, but it's really encrusted on there. It's already in my tank, but perhaps I can chip away the base from the coral with my bone cutter.That top down shot of the Bonsai is great - coral looks very happy- good PEThanks Sk8n! Yes, for some reason the polyp density is also really tight. I think that may be because I'm trying to force it to branch by not giving it anywhere else to encrust. A relevant video from MACNA The potassium stuff starts around 19:30 but the whole talk is awesome Thanks Ben! Yeah, I saw that video. What a kookie brilliant guy. That was one of my favorite MACNA speeches. It was also one of the things that got me interested in K dosing in addition to a few threads I've read about the subject and some blog posts by Scott Fellman. 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Thanks Chris! I really wanted to remove it, but it's really encrusted on there. It's already in my tank, but perhaps I can chip away the base from the coral with my bone cutter. I would do that as much as possible. Even if you clip the coral completely from the base would be preferable. You never know what is inside that piece of rock, as veng found out. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/314780-vengs-20l-hangover-recovery-party/?p=4456528 Mariculture facilities use all kinds of things to suspend corals, metal wire is just one thing. Corals will do well in the wild on it, but for some reason not so much in our tanks. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/the-electrified-artificial-reef-at-pemuteran-bali-indonesia 3 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 I would do that as much as possible. Even if you clip the coral completely from the base would be preferable. You never know what is inside that piece of rock, as veng found out. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/314780-vengs-20l-hangover-recovery-party/?p=4456528 Mariculture facilities use all kinds of things to suspend corals, metal wire is just one thing. Corals will do well in the wild on it, but for some reason not so much in our tanks. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/the-electrified-artificial-reef-at-pemuteran-bali-indonesia FFS!!!!!! Holy crap! I had no idea. That Veng thing has me freaked out. Thank you thank you Ben. I wonder if my boss will let me take the rest of the day off to go mess with my tank. lol. But, seriously. I'm definitely gonna take care of that tonight. Yikes! Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 FFS!!!!!! Holy crap! I had no idea. That Veng thing has me freaked out. Thank you thank you Ben. I wonder if my boss will let me take the rest of the day off to go mess with my tank. lol. But, seriously. I'm definitely gonna take care of that tonight. Yikes! You wouldn't get negative effects immediately, so I wouldn't stress out about it. Veng had that coral for many months, i believe. 2 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Also, I'll be picking up a compound microscope from one of the schools I work at to take a look at some things in my tank (most notably the dinos), the teacher said that due to budget constraints they have not been properly cleaned in some time. Do you have any tips on basic maintenance? 1 Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I would do that as much as possible. Even if you clip the coral completely from the base would be preferable. You never know what is inside that piece of rock, as veng found out. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/314780-vengs-20l-hangover-recovery-party/?p=4456528 Mariculture facilities use all kinds of things to suspend corals, metal wire is just one thing. Corals will do well in the wild on it, but for some reason not so much in our tanks. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/the-electrified-artificial-reef-at-pemuteran-bali-indonesia Ugh, I wish I could see the pics! BF actually got a coral at the same place that Mr. Microscope got his (but months ago), and we noticed over the weekend that it's starting to lose color like it's bleaching from the bottom up... I wonder if it's a similar situation? 2 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Ugh, I wish I could see the pics! BF actually got a coral at the same place that Mr. Microscope got his (but months ago), and we noticed over the weekend that it's starting to lose color like it's bleaching from the bottom up... I wonder if it's a similar situation? Wholly possible if it was a maricultured piece. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Also, I'll be picking up a compound microscope from one of the schools I work at to take a look at some things in my tank (most notably the dinos), the teacher said that due to budget constraints they have not been properly cleaned in some time. Do you have any tips on basic maintenance?For starters, the oculars can be tricky since everyone's eyes are different (and sometimes your left and right eye are different like mine.) First, get your sample as focused as possible (focus knob), then close one eye and turn the ocular with the open eye until it comes into focus. Repeat with the opposite eye. You'll be amazed how much better it looks. Second, check out "Kohler Alignment." Since it's a school microscope it's likely way out of alignment. In all likelihood, the condenser aperture needs to be centered. This will dramatically improve illumination and stigmation. Also, check to make sure the objective lenses are properly screwed down in place. That's another one that people sometimes fiddle with which will mysteriously make that magnification unusable. Some canned air helps with dust. I recommend that before taking paper to lens. Lens paper is a must for cleaning lenses. Ethanol is good to use on glass. I often find many microscopes are oily from years of exposure to people's hands and faces. This is especially true on the oculars. Some dilute soapy water (the blue Dawn specifically works well) does the trick on that. Be careful if you remove the objective lenses. I don't recommend opening them up, and again make sure they are set in place properly when you put them back. Let me know how it goes! Ugh, I wish I could see the pics! BF actually got a coral at the same place that Mr. Microscope got his (but months ago), and we noticed over the weekend that it's starting to lose color like it's bleaching from the bottom up... I wonder if it's a similar situation? Eep! Was it bleaching from the bottom up or was it STN'ing? Different things. Was the bone getting exposed at the base and tissue dying off? That is Slow Tissue Necrosis or STN. It is typically caused by fluctuating water parameters and low Alk. Sometimes, the coral will stabilize and the STN will stop. Other times you need to frag well above the affected area to save the coral. 2 Quote Link to comment
Chris! Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Thanks Chris! I really wanted to remove it, but it's really encrusted on there. It's already in my tank, but perhaps I can chip away the base from the coral with my bone cutter. Remove it fully from the base. Yes, you will lose some encrusted/ the bottom of the piece but besides what Ben mentioned and that there could be pretty much anything in there from the mari process there could extremely easily be AEFW eggs in hiding as well. I seriously don't care if your dipping bayer at some of the highest doses I do not trust anything to 100% eradicate AEFW eggs enough to put it into a display or main tank without a series of dips and removing the base. I am saying all this because I know you just got done doing a redo for algae and I don't want to see you go through another one because I didn't say something and give you some advice on how to help prevent it. Most stores don't have QT tanks and are a crap shoot of sorts, so losing a little of the base is well worth it to me. I would do that as much as possible. Even if you clip the coral completely from the base would be preferable. You never know what is inside that piece of rock, as veng found out. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/314780-vengs-20l-hangover-recovery-party/?p=4456528 Mariculture facilities use all kinds of things to suspend corals, metal wire is just one thing. Corals will do well in the wild on it, but for some reason not so much in our tanks. I've long thought it was a dilution type thing but then I got thinking about all the rusty shipwrcks that have become nice little reefs basically with coral growing on the rusty metal even.... Eep! Was it bleaching from the bottom up or was it STN'ing? Different things. Was the bone getting exposed at the base and tissue dying off? That is Slow Tissue Necrosis or STN. It is typically caused by fluctuating water parameters and low Alk. Sometimes, the coral will stabilize and the STN will stop. Other times you need to frag well above the affected area to save the coral. Could also be pests, they love to start at the base and typically lay their eggs low on the exposed flesh, rock or plug (which is why I always suggest removing these items). 1 Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Eep! Was it bleaching from the bottom up or was it STN'ing? Different things. Was the bone getting exposed at the base and tissue dying off? That is Slow Tissue Necrosis or STN. It is typically caused by fluctuating water parameters and low Alk. Sometimes, the coral will stabilize and the STN will stop. Other times you need to frag well above the affected area to save the coral. We literally just noticed the past few days. It doesn't look like any "skin" or tissue is sloughing off. It's just fading. It was a very light blue color to begin with, and for a while was coloring up. But now at the base it's just getting whiter and whiter fading upwards. I suppose it could be that it's not getting the right amount of light... but everything else in his mixed tank is doing relatively well... he is having issues with warfare between pieces that don't like each other though. If you get your coral off the base and find anything crazy inside, I'll recommend for him to do the same! 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 For starters, the oculars can be tricky since everyone's eyes are different (and sometimes your left and right eye are different like mine.) First, get your sample as focused as possible (focus knob), then close one eye and turn the ocular with the open eye until it comes into focus. Repeat with the opposite eye. You'll be amazed how much better it looks. Second, check out "Kohler Alignment." Since it's a school microscope it's likely way out of alignment. In all likelihood, the condenser aperture needs to be centered. This will dramatically improve illumination and stigmation. Also, check to make sure the objective lenses are properly screwed down in place. That's another one that people sometimes fiddle with which will mysteriously make that magnification unusable. Some canned air helps with dust. I recommend that before taking paper to lens. Lens paper is a must for cleaning lenses. Ethanol is good to use on glass. I often find many microscopes are oily from years of exposure to people's hands and faces. This is especially true on the oculars. Some dilute soapy water (the blue Dawn specifically works well) does the trick on that. Be careful if you remove the objective lenses. I don't recommend opening them up, and again make sure they are set in place properly when you put them back. Let me know how it goes! I was actually planning on using my DSLR as my 'eye' so that I could get pictures and video of what I see Thanks very much for the tips, I wasn't planning on opening any of them up, just giving it an 'outer' cleaning. I've got plenty of good ol blue Dawn and plenty of 90% alcohol, and I've got some new microfiber cloths I can use for the wiping (is that ok?). I've long thought it was a dilution type thing but then I got thinking about all the rusty shipwrcks that have become nice little reefs basically with coral growing on the rusty metal even.... Corals are like Bugs Bunny - gots ta have yer i-ron! 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Just picked up the microscope. It looks like it is a Parco Scientific scope, but in just looking at it I only found the serial number, no model number. Only thing that will make it difficult is that the eyepiece is vertical and not angled, so it'll be difficult for me to use my camera with it. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 You might have luck utilizing a zoom lens on your DSLR. I need to use the zoom feature on my P&S when I put my camera up to an ocular. Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 You might have luck utilizing a zoom lens on your DSLR. I need to use the zoom feature on my P&S when I put my camera up to an ocular. Ok, I will keep that in mind. I only have the stock lens, though, so not a lot of zoom to be had lol. I've still gotta figure out a way to get the camera suspended above the scope. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Ok, I will keep that in mind. I only have the stock lens, though, so not a lot of zoom to be had lol. I've still gotta figure out a way to get the camera suspended above the scope. I've seen this done before with good results. There are some adapters out there depending on your camera. https://www.google.com/search?q=mount+DSLR+to+microscope&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#q=mount+DSLR+to+microscope&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=shop Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I've seen this done before with good results. There are some adapters out there depending on your camera. https://www.google.com/search?q=mount+DSLR+to+microscope&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#q=mount+DSLR+to+microscope&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=shop A little spendy for a microscope I'm not keeping lol. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 A little spendy for a microscope I'm not keeping lol.Ah, didn't realize you it wasn't for keeps. How about a toilet paper tube and some tape? lol Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Ah, didn't realize you it wasn't for keeps. How about a toilet paper tube and some tape? lol LOL Got home and had some dinner a couple minutes ago, about to sit down with some alcohol and see if I can't spruce this thing up a little bit. 2 Quote Link to comment
Arkayology Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 LOL Got home and had some dinner a couple minutes ago, about to sit down with some alcohol and see if I can't spruce this thing up a little bit. Alcohol will help.... the uh... genius process. Yes, that sounds right. 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Alcohol will help.... the uh... genius process. Yes, that sounds right. I've made it 25 years without even a sip of that, so why should I start now? Got some great pics and vids, I think! Confirmed Ostreopsis sp. 2 Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Got some great pics and vids, I think! Confirmed Ostreopsis sp. Yup..you've got ostreopsis. yeesh.. Quote Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Took a new FTS last night.FTS 2014.10.20My rock has gotten green. I know it's a harmless microalgae or maybe some sort of green coralline (it doesn't scrub off), but I think it's ugly. I'm looking forward to purple coralline taking over.Afterwards, I removed the maricultured milli and took off the base. It was a pain and took a long time. Luckily, unlike Veng I found no copper wire or anything questionable in there. I remounted it to some new rock that near the same position on top. It's actually positioned a little higher and I think it looks ever better despite having lost a bit of encrustation. I'll be able to better track growth now too as I witness it re-encrust. Polyp extension still looks fine after the major surgery.The lights were out by the time I got it back in the tank last night. I'll post pics of the remount later. 15 Quote Link to comment
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