Keydiver's Psychedelic Pico 2s

[gena]

I figured it was pricey! I like it better than the bounce mushrooms I've seen .

[keydiver]

I figured it was pricey! I like it better than the bounce mushrooms I've seen .

I honestly do as well. I do wish it had the green bubbles mixed in though

[gabe3eb]

Key, can't believe I missed this tank. It looks stunning and it's very close to the idea I have been scheming/planning up for my next build (down the tank ). What are your expectations for growth of the various shrooms? It seems like with coralimorphs that their growth/reproduction rate goes up proportionately to their price tag, lol.

 

I'm following along!

[keydiver]

Key, can't believe I missed this tank. It looks stunning and it's very close to the idea I have been scheming/planning up for my next build (down the tank ). What are your expectations for growth of the various shrooms? It seems like with coralimorphs that their growth/reproduction rate goes up proportionately to their price tag, lol.

 

I'm following along!

Hey man, thanks for stopping in! As far as shroom growth, a lot of these are expected to grow pretty slowly, like the bounce, jawbreaker, deep waters, things of that sort. What does end up splitting I'll likely sell or just move to a different spot in the tank to fill it in. Hopefully things start to grow pretty quickly! I'm doing everything I can to make all these mushies happy but a lot of them have different lighting needs which are hard to meet in such a small tank.

[keydiver]

I'm considering a couple new ideas for this tank in the near future, please give me some input, feedback, constructive criticism, whatever!

 

1. Taking out all the sand and covering the entire bottom of the tank in ricordea florida, leaving room for my existing livestock to attach on rocks or directly to the bottom. I think an explosion of ricordea color would be awesome in such a small area.

 

2. Taking out my swalesi basslet once the big tank is setup in the next couple weeks and focusing more on something else. I'm considering two options

 

2a. A pair of pipefish or another pair of ruby red dragonets. Now that I have a perpetual supply of pods it won't be too hard to feed them.

 

2b. Adding roughly 15 sexy anemone shrimp or pedersons cleaner shrimp. They would be awesome if I ended up doing the ricordea bottom as they would be in heaven hosting all the mushies.

 

Let me know what ya think! Just looking for an extra something for this tank. I love my swalesi, but he hides all day and only shows himself when I feed. I think he'd be happier in a larger tank anyways

[FlowerMama]

Wow, your mushroom/rock flower tank looks incredible with the varieties you have in there.

 

Thanks for sharing the pic of the male- I didn't know what they looked like when they spawned- every 2 wk spawning? That's freakintacular! Yes, just made up the word.

 

I just got my lights up today on my rock flower tank!! I also look to have it completely going in the next 2-3 couple weeks!!!

[Mirya]

2b. Adding roughly 15 sexy anemone shrimp or pedersons cleaner shrimp. They would be awesome if I ended up doing the ricordea bottom as they would be in heaven hosting all the mushies.

 

Sexy shrimp can be assholes. I mean, I love them, but... yeah. I had a total of 4 in my Nuvo8. I only have 1 fish in there so I don't feed the tank heavily. Even with target feeding the shrimp pellets, they still harass my anemones and nibble on corals (Zoa skirts, Gorgonian polyps). I'm in the process of thinning my sexy herd down to 1 or 2. I figure that number might be sustainable with how I feed. Now, if you do get something like pipefish or dragonets that you will be feeding heavily, the Sexies may be quiet content in there.

[keydiver]

Wow, your mushroom/rock flower tank looks incredible with the varieties you have in there.

 

Thanks for sharing the pic of the male- I didn't know what they looked like when they spawned- every 2 wk spawning? That's freakintacular! Yes, just made up the word.

 

I just got my lights up today on my rock flower tank!! I also look to have it completely going in the next 2-3 couple weeks!!!

Thank you very much! I'm keeping updated with your RFA tank, it's coming along very nicely! The DBP 60 gallons are a great dimension to be working with.

 

And as far as the males, I find that the heavier their diet is in HUFA's and proteins, the more they spawn. I feed mine a slush of oysters, PE mysis, silversides, etc

 

Sexy shrimp can be assholes. I mean, I love them, but... yeah. I had a total of 4 in my Nuvo8. I only have 1 fish in there so I don't feed the tank heavily. Even with target feeding the shrimp pellets, they still harass my anemones and nibble on corals (Zoa skirts, Gorgonian polyps). I'm in the process of thinning my sexy herd down to 1 or 2. I figure that number might be sustainable with how I feed. Now, if you do get something like pipefish or dragonets that you will be feeding heavily, the Sexies may be quiet content in there.

Very true, what do you think about the pedersons? I think they're a bit less aggressive when it comes to zoa munching and the like. Plus they're very uncommon, and not to mention I can dive for them myself. I'm thinking a pair of blue stripe pipefish would look really great with a herd of 10 pedersons cruising around on the bottom

[FlowerMama]

Thank you very much! I'm keeping updated with your RFA tank, it's coming along very nicely! The DBP 60 gallons are a great dimension to be working with.

 

And as far as the males, I find that the heavier their diet is in HUFA's and proteins, the more they spawn. I feed mine a slush of oysters, PE mysis, silversides, etc

 

Very true, what do you think about the pedersons? I think they're a bit less aggressive when it comes to zoa munching and the like. Plus they're very uncommon, and not to mention I can dive for them myself. I'm thinking a pair of blue stripe pipefish would look really great with a herd of 10 pedersons cruising around on the bottom

 

 

Of course none of mine except the white one I keep in my 34are large enough so I don't know who is a male or female yet so that's exciting in and of itself for me.

.

All the nems I've bought, with the exception of a 3" inch yellow from KPAqautics, came from Frank and they're smaller. One is now 2.75", two at 2.5, a couple at 2" and all else is smaller. Don't the females and males have to be like 3 and up for spawning/fertilizing activity if I read that right from that place in Michigan?

[Mirya]

Very true, what do you think about the pedersons? I think they're a bit less aggressive when it comes to zoa munching and the like. Plus they're very uncommon, and not to mention I can dive for them myself. I'm thinking a pair of blue stripe pipefish would look really great with a herd of 10 pedersons cruising around on the bottom

 

I don't have any personal experience with the Pederson's, but they seem more sedate from what I've heard. I think Gena has one, we should go ask her since I'm thinking about getting a Pederson's or a Spotted Cleaner (Periclimenes yucatanicus) for the Florida biotope tank I'm going to set up. KP Aquatics carries both, which is how a landlocked Midwesterner is planning on getting her hands on one since I no longer live in Florida! (I lived for a few years in Davie and Weston.)

[keydiver]

Of course none of mine except the white one I keep in my 34are large enough so I don't know who is a male or female yet so that's exciting in and of itself for me.

.

All the nems I've bought, with the exception of a 3" inch yellow from KPAqautics, came from Frank and they're smaller. One is now 2.75", two at 2.5, a couple at 2" and all else is smaller. Don't the females and males have to be like 3 and up for spawning/fertilizing activity if I read that right from that place in Michigan?

It's definitely exciting to watch them grow! You'd be surprised how quickly you can get them to breeding size (3" or more) just by feeding them every day or every other day. My main male grew from about 2.5-3" to 5" in about 3-4 months with bidaily feedings of PE mysis

 

I don't have any personal experience with the Pederson's, but they seem more sedate from what I've heard. I think Gena has one, we should go ask her since I'm thinking about getting a Pederson's or a Spotted Cleaner (Periclimenes yucatanicus) for the Florida biotope tank I'm going to set up. KP Aquatics carries both, which is how a landlocked Midwesterner is planning on getting her hands on one since I no longer live in Florida! (I lived for a few years in Davie and Weston.)

I'm sure gena will chime in here at some point. In my experience with them, they are very docile and tend not to bother anything. I used to have some in my old biocube that would host ricordea and RFA's. The only problem I had was a larger RFA that actually closed up and ate one of mine some time back, which is rather shocking since they inhabit the same biotope and generally shouldn't do that in the wild.

[Red_Blenny]

Any updates? I'd like to see some hot shroom pix

[benjho]

Shoot. How much did you get that bounce mushie if you don't mind me asking? How big is it? Usually mama sizes should have big bubbles but yours doesn't and looks like a mama.

[keydiver]

Shoot. How much did you get that bounce mushie if you don't mind me asking? How big is it? Usually mama sizes should have big bubbles but yours doesn't and looks like a mama.

It was $325 if I recall. It was actually sold to me as a real lineaged bounce, but it has not developed the bubbles like a real bounce. It is a wild morph and I don't expect the bubbles to get much bigger in all honesty as I've had it almost a year now. I'd say it's about 3.5-4" across.

[benjho]

It's all good. At least the bubbles are orange and not green alone. Pretty fast grower eh?

Well, you can always get a real lineaged bounce at any time hehe. I plan to score 1 soon. Somehow.

[keydiver]

Wow I have not been keeping up with this thread. Here's a quick update:

 

So over winter break last year I left for vacation, had an ATO fail on me and lost most of the livestock in this tank. Since then, I have been slowly rebuilding with what time I have between finishing up my degree in marine science and running a dart frog brothel out of my closet. I switched over to a more zoa/paly dominated tank with a focus on high end mushrooms as well.

 

I just got back from Tampa working for the University of Florida, the Florida Aquarium, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for the first half of the summer doing an Acropora cervicornis flow study for conservation aquaculture. I learned a lot, it was a blast, and by this time next year I should be a marine biologist at the FL Aquarium. Here are some pics from my time there. Lights are oof on the tank but I will update shortly (The young guy with the aviators is myself)

 

[markalot]

Looks like great fun, good luck with the degree!

[keydiver]

Looks like great fun, good luck with the degree!

 

Thank you!

[Mirya]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

Also, this line has made me laugh way more than it should:

running a dart frog brothel out of my closet.

[HarryPotter]

Wow I have not been keeping up with this thread. Here's a quick update:

 

So over winter break last year I left for vacation, had an ATO fail on me and lost most of the livestock in this tank. Since then, I have been slowly rebuilding with what time I have between finishing up my degree in marine science and running a dart frog brothel out of my closet. I switched over to a more zoa/paly dominated tank with a focus on high end mushrooms as well.

 

I just got back from Tampa working for the University of Florida, the Florida Aquarium, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for the first half of the summer doing an Acropora cervicornis flow study for conservation aquaculture. I learned a lot, it was a blast, and by this time next year I should be a marine biologist at the FL Aquarium. Here are some pics from my time there. Lights are oof on the tank but I will update shortly (The young guy with the aviators is myself)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man I've been DYINGGGGG to do something like that! Hook up a local with an internship?

[keydiver]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

Also, this line has made me laugh way more than it should:

No problem, thanks for taking an interest!

 

Man I've been DYINGGGGG to do something like that! Hook up a local with an internship?

Harry did Chris Langdon ever get back to you? I have a peer working at RSMAS right now.

[FlowerMama]

Wow, I was wondering what you were up to. You've missed 2 cyano battles in my 60g rock flower tank and then a final dual battle of cyadinodamnitall and dino won. I took all the flowers and moved them last month temporarily into my 20g tank w/ my mantis Gertie (and she beat one up the other day- trying to recover) and then most in my 34g mixed reef tank.

 

Looks like you've certainly been busy.

[keydiver]

Wow, I was wondering what you were up to. You've missed 2 cyano battles in my 60g rock flower tank and then a final dual battle of cyadinodamnitall and dino won. I took all the flowers and moved them last month temporarily into my 20g tank w/ my mantis Gertie (and she beat one up the other day- trying to recover) and then most in my 34g mixed reef tank.

 

Looks like you've certainly been busy.

 

Man I Missed a lot! Looked through your build and I'm glad you took a trip down to Miami. Had I been down there, I would've been more than happy to take you out to some of my secret spots in Key Largo! Unfortunately, school comes first. It's been a crazy couple of months but I'm getting settled back into Gainesville after the full time job offer for the Florida Aquarium and I have t say it's nice to have some time to focus on my own projects

 

Quick picture of my new and improved mushroom garden, in order:

 

Flamethrower mushroom

Unknown rainbow discosoma (Scored at RAP in Orlando 2014)

Gumdrop Rhodactis

adult Jawbreaker

baby jawbreaker

WWC Bounce

[keydiver]

Ok, I moved a lot of stuff around today and free'd up some floor space/organized things.

 

Here's an updated livestock list that has been accumulating over the last 8 months (Starting from my previous tank crash).

 

Mushrooms:

Gumdrop Rhodactis

Mama Jawbreaker

Baby Tye-Dye Jawbreaker

Flamethrower mushroom

Neon Green ST. Thomas

assorted Ricordea florida

WWC Bounce

Unknown Bounce-like

a couple other unknown discosomas

 

Zoanthids:

Mandarin Oranges

Rastas

Tyree Space Monsters

WWC Pink Krakatoa

Tyree Orange Rainbows

King Midas

Fruit Loops

God of War

Sunny D

Red Hornets

Blue Hornets

Blondie Blue Eyed ####

CC Pacmans (aka Buttmunchers)

Utter Chaos

Super Saiyans

Pink Hippos

Goblins on Fire

Yodas

 

Other Coral:

Bicolor Frogspawn

Green Star Polyp

 

Other Inverts:

Soon to be Tridacna Crocea (Courtesy of HarryJSinger)

2x Ultra Rock Flower Anemones

 

Fish

Female Ruby Red Scooter Dragonet

(Planning 3 Threadfin Cardinals soon)

 

 

 

And on to the Pictures:

FTS 7/2/15

 

Overhead

 

Right Side

 

Left Side

 

Ricordea Island

 

Mushroom Garden (My crown jewel)

 

King Midas

 

Space Monsters

 

Mandarin Oranges and Goblins on Fire

 

Super Saiyans and Pink Hippos

 

Rastas

 

Utter Chaos, Tyree Orange Rainbow, Blue Hornets, Super Saiyans

 

Pink Krak, Fruit Loops, Blondies

 

Pacmans and a No ID

 

Lots O Zoas

 

Gumdrop shroom

 

Flamethrower

 

Mama JB, baby JB, and Bounce

 

Reef next to Jungle

[FlowerMama]

Love your zoa collection! Now you can let it all grow out!!!