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The 40B Caribbean gorgonian forest!


zooman72

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I've had my chalk bass for a week. It still mostly hides during the day too. I hope yours come out soon.

 

I have kept them a couple of times before, but always larger ones I picked up locally, and with them being bigger they tended to be much less shy. I ordered a trio from KP Aquatics with the last order of gorgs just a few days ago, and they were the smallest I had ever seen - to be fair though, KP Aquatics does note that they are small on their website.

 

I should have taken a pic before I placed them in the tank that morning, and I have only seen the two larger ones after the lights go out at night, and they are only about 1.25" in length, with the smallest one no more than an inch. I am a bit worried that they might be intimidated by the other fish which are quite bold, and I want them out simply to see them eat and eat well - I believe they tend to have a bit of a higher metabolism than the grammas, and lose weight quickly if not fed regularly... :(

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I like ricordeas, but I remember when they were not as expensive as they are today, and I have trouble spending $100+ for a small colony, but might break down and do it anyway... :bling:

 

As for learning (or remembering) something new - I always tell my students (college freshmen and sophomores) to try and learn something new everyday, as it is good for the brain and makes life more interesting! :)

I haven't really priced them recently. I always bought the premium colors from reef gardener so I'm used to the higher prices on them. I know KPA sells them too, you probably saw theirs.
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I haven't really priced them recently. I always bought the premium colors from reef gardener so I'm used to the higher prices on them. I know KPA sells them too, you probably saw theirs.

 

Yeah, locally the ricordeas are ridiculous cost-wise, and I already have a small blue colony in this tank, so I would probably try to go with oranges and greens, but I do worry that they never seem to have taken off in the previous tank - not dying, but not growing and splitting either. Maybe I just do not have enough of what they need to grow well.

 

Maybe some flower anemones would be better, although I think I need to start feeding the ones I have, as they have receded over the last few years - I think treating them like bubble-tips is a mistake (i.e. not needing to be fed)... :wacko:

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I love seeing them in groups my favorite fish. Do they get along with any wrasse?

 

Yes, I feel they look better in groups as well. They have not really paid much attention to anything else, and I have not seen them go after any of the chalk bass (even as small as they are), so I would bet they would be fine in a large-enough tank. It appears that those that have had aggression problems with them seem to keep them in smaller tanks, probably crowding them.

 

This tank is for Caribbean organisms only, and there are only a few species from that area I would be able to consider - just make sure whatever you mix them with is not too aggressive itself...

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/TOTM

 

:lol:

 

Thanks, but I doubt I would qualify!

 

 

 

grammas are definitely beautiful fish. good choice!

 

Thanks, and I agree - still one of the best looking out there, even if they have become commonplace in the hobby...

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Yeah, locally the ricordeas are ridiculous cost-wise, and I already have a small blue colony in this tank, so I would probably try to go with oranges and greens, but I do worry that they never seem to have taken off in the previous tank - not dying, but not growing and splitting either. Maybe I just do not have enough of what they need to grow well.

 

Maybe some flower anemones would be better, although I think I need to start feeding the ones I have, as they have receded over the last few years - I think treating them like bubble-tips is a mistake (i.e. not needing to be fed)... :wacko:

I didn't see those ricordeas in there till I looked closely. Mine don't go crazy with growth either, for whatever reason. I'm hoping that changes for me in my 8g tank. I've always loved the looks of a huge ricordea garden and I'm determined to get one in that tank and not by buying a bunch of rics, but by growing the 3 that I already have :lol:.

 

Go for the rock nems!!!!! KPA sells some nice ones too. They have a WYSIWYG section but it was empty last time I looked.

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Lilies & Lace

Your tank is absolutely lovely and so very peaceful! It makes me want to create my own little Caribbean biotope! I was wondering what species the two front Gorgonians on your right island are? The purple and orange ones?

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I didn't see those ricordeas in there till I looked closely. Mine don't go crazy with growth either, for whatever reason. I'm hoping that changes for me in my 8g tank. I've always loved the looks of a huge ricordea garden and I'm determined to get one in that tank and not by buying a bunch of rics, but by growing the 3 that I already have :lol:.

 

Go for the rock nems!!!!! KPA sells some nice ones too. They have a WYSIWYG section but it was empty last time I looked.

 

Well, good luck with the ricordea (I still might try some orange ones maybe), and I will see what feeding does for the 4 nems I already have in there - if they perk up and grow some I will probably try one of the gorgeous red/ orange ones...

 

 

 

Your tank is absolutely lovely and so very peaceful! It makes me want to create my own little Caribbean biotope! I was wondering what species the two front Gorgonians on your right island are? The purple and orange ones?

 

The purple one in front on the right side is a "purple sea rod" (Plexaura flexuosa) and the orange one is a "spiny orange sea rod" (Muricea elongate) - those two came from KP Aquatics recently. The other orange sea rod on the left side came from a LFS a couple of years ago and is the same species.

 

Thanks for the complements, and a little biotope such as this one is quite easy to do - I say go for it! :)

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Lilies & Lace

The purple one in front on the right side is a "purple sea rod" (Plexaura flexuosa) and the orange one is a "spiny orange sea rod" (Muricea elongate) - those two came from KP Aquatics recently. The other orange sea rod on the left side came from a LFS a couple of years ago and is the same species.

 

Thanks for the complements, and a little biotope such as this one is quite easy to do - I say go for it! :)

 

 

Thank you for identifying them for me! Do you think they would be easy enough for a beginner, such as myself to care for?

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It's GORGeous! Yeah, 1 ft above the tank looks good on the Razor. I like your forest. What are the really frilly gorgs/the fat ones? And yeah, I can see I will not have any issue at all with lighting the tank for the rock flowers.

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Thank you for identifying them for me! Do you think they would be easy enough for a beginner, such as myself to care for?

 

You are welcome, and yes, I think those are among the easier to care for photosynthetic gorgs - they like flow and light, and the occasional zooplankton feeding. Check out KP Aquatics for additional easy-to-care-for photosynthetic species... B)

 

Holy royal grammas batman. I like it a lot!

 

:ninja:

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

It's GORGeous! Yeah, 1 ft above the tank looks good on the Razor. I like your forest. What are the really frilly gorgs/the fat ones? And yeah, I can see I will not have any issue at all with lighting the tank for the rock flowers.

 

:lol:

 

;)

 

Thanks, and hanging the Razor at that height allows for really good coverage over a 40B.

 

The "frilly"/ "fat" gorgs (on the right side) are Plexaurella sp. - aka "split-pore sea rods" - very easy to take care of and fast growers, but not too easy to find. Both of those came from a LFS owner who knows to keep an eye out for rarities like those... ;) They have actually grown so much they are becoming "top-heavy" - probably because I do not have an undulating current, so they have leaned quite a bit from the directional flow... :(

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Are all those photosynthetic? Beautiful tank!

 

 

 

Yes, they are all photosynthetic, and thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

Any chance to create a Youtube video for us? Love the biotope!

 

How has your experience been ordering from KP Aquatics?

 

Little chance of a video unless my oldest son does one, sorry, but thanks for the nice comment.

 

KP Aquatics was easy to order from, and stuff arrived in great condition - I highly recommend them.

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One of the little chalk basses out during the daylight hours - it took a little bit of Mysis, but won't stay out in the open very long, and I have not seen either of the other two for the last couple of days... :(

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