As Cheap as I can get it - Ghetto Beauty?

[strangelove]

Sweet, with all the tiny frags the scale makes the tank look bigger than 10 gallons, very cool. How warm is the tank getting? How do you mount your frags, very clean look.

[yardboy]

Thanks. Crap, I forgot to add something about the mangroves. I placed two in the refugium. After a couple of weeks I was curious about progress (One had a green tip the other was brown, leaf end) and I pulled one out of the sand. Wow! You were right about the succesion of the growth. The roots were quite long and healthy looking!

The overflow box is made of acrylic, so frags can be glued to it with cyanoacrylate (superglue gel) Frags stuck to rock need epoxy (at least that's my experience)

Trouble with tiny frags is that they start off real slow and only pick up speed as they get a bit bigger.

The temps have been getting in the mid 80's and above. The Turb I'm assuming is more sensitive but I'm sure the tank probably got in the high 80's the day it bleached. That same day I had my larger display have a bleaching event on the same species. Interestingly, it only bleached on the part exposed to the MH light. In an area shaded it was still fine. And it recovered faster as a result.

[BJK2]

Yardboy this thing is looking amazing! I need pics of the mangroves, gotta love your fuge dude. also, I started a 2.5 gallon pod farm w/ macros and other algaes due to this inspirational planted sump. I know it isn't directly beneficial to my tank besides the pods, but it looks cool haha. reef on!

[yardboy]

BJK2, looking cool is real important! Thanks for the kind words.

I'll lay on the floor to get the angle for a shot of the refugium. It is looking good, those mangroves are really going to add a nice element when they start to leaf out!

Here they are:

 

[BJK2]

gotta love that fuge! in my night of staying up the whole time due to reefs and the internet, I decided I am going to turn my 20L under my 90 into a fuge too hahahah, crazyness I hope it looks like yours someday.

[strangelove]

Thanks. Crap, I forgot to add something about the mangroves. I placed two in the refugium. After a couple of weeks I was curious about progress (One had a green tip the other was brown, leaf end) and I pulled one out of the sand. Wow! You were right about the succesion of the growth. The roots were quite long and healthy looking!

The overflow box is made of acrylic, so frags can be glued to it with cyanoacrylate (superglue gel) Frags stuck to rock need epoxy (at least that's my experience)

Trouble with tiny frags is that they start off real slow and only pick up speed as they get a bit bigger.

The temps have been getting in the mid 80's and above. The Turb I'm assuming is more sensitive but I'm sure the tank probably got in the high 80's the day it bleached. That same day I had my larger display have a bleaching event on the same species. Interestingly, it only bleached on the part exposed to the MH light. In an area shaded it was still fine. And it recovered faster as a result.

 

Yep that about sounds right, since your system is 10 + 10 gallons the roots will definitely be the first to start growing, this is good since mangroves will grow at the rate of nitrate and phosphate available to them, so your tank is running very clean. Since you have macros too I would expect the mangroves to grow slowly. Keep the tips away from the light and make sure they don't dry out. So far they look good, nice and green.

 

In contrast I gave a friend some mangroves who has a big Maroon and a huge anemone, his mangroves have grown an extensive root system and started sprouting leaves within a month. His tank is notoriously dirty though, the maroon is so aggressive it kills anything that he puts in with it.

[ReadyReefer]

hows the blueberry gorgonian doing

[yardboy]

readyreefer, you embarass me. That gorgonian is still alive but it is not looking well. The branches are no longer a nice red color, but it still has most of its polyps out at night. I've tried feeding it but the heat the tank recently experienced may cause it to expire. I feel really bad about it, and it was so pretty. You seem very interested, do you know of anyone else who has had any luck with them, and if so, how?

Marc, notice the mangroves are on either side of the 65W PC. Think they'll be okay there? The one on the left seems quite shaded, but when the leaves come out, they'll be above the overflow baffle, so should get plenty of light, hopefully not too much.

[diggman08]

yardboy.. Your setup ROCKS!!

[yardboy]

Thanks Mike. Considering how good yours looks I really appreciate it. I'm still trying to get some pics you might be interested in but it's one thing after another. Until this morning when I had to buy and run "Registry Mechanic" on my machine it was running so slow I went nuts.

Did I show you this? I could share it it you want

[ReadyReefer]

nah, i was interested in them because it was so pretty. from what i've seen they are kind of like dendronepthya, most people fail but those that do have great growth, etc. your's seemed to do better than most i've seen

[yardboy]

It's frustrating when a coral encrusts heavily as if it's going to grow well for you and then starts declining. I like to think it was maybe the excess heat (I've lost photosynthetic corals in the past when I had a frag setup in the garage that got too hot, so I assume they are more sensitive than some to heat) but I don't think I'll try it again anytime soon. I really need something in that corner though, it's shaded by the cls outlet so I'm thinking something that doesn't demand a lot of light will have to do. I might try a Tubastrea (I've had good luck with them in the past, just sold one I grew out from two polyps) but not too crazy about getting another animal I've got to feed so much!

[Reefer82]

Yardboy - Do you think a setup like this would be useful on a Red Sea Max (34 gallon)? I've been looking for something simple...like yours...very nice setup BTW. I basically want it to grow macro and pods and add a little volume to the tank.

[coppycatt]

The first time I seen your tank was back in Dec. I've gotta say this is one of my fav's!!!

[diggman08]

i will second that!!.

[yardboy]

Thanks for the positive words guys!

G. Beauty is doing well, with her first birthday coming up soon.

I think a refugium like this would be useful on any size tank. When I first built the fuge and it worked so well, I began to wonder why sumps sometimes become so complicated, as it seems like simpler is better, and obviously cheaper!

I've been so busy this summer that I haven't updated like I should, but this Labor Day weekend I will be laboring in the reef lab, cleaning up and doing some rearranging, so I will definitely give some updates on what's been happening.

Thanks again!

[yardboy]

This has been a hot summer here in Florida. I had earlier posted that my Turbinaria had bleached, but it has recovered nicely. Now my Green Bali Slimer and a millepora have both bleached, but seem to be coming back slowly.

In keeping with my Ghetto setup, I went to the flea market and got a muffin fan from an old computer server for $2.00 and a 12V 500mA power supply for $1.00. I rigged up a topoff using a guest fitting bulkhead, elbow, and valve. Yes, that is a calcium reacotr meadia container. Didn't take but a couple of tries to get a drip that matches the evaporation from the fan. The fan is set up real fancy too, just connected to the light timer so they come on together.

 

[yardboy]

It's been awhile since I updated, the Ghetto Beauty is doing just fine. From the beginning of this project, I've strived for a good solid, diverse refugium to help feed the corals in the display. This morning I got up to a scene that reinforced my feeling that I've been pretty successful with it. My green Caulestrea, a small frag I rescued with only 3 polyps when I first got it, but that has split recently, got him some fresh meat.

Stomatella's, which I'd introduced and who are roaming at night all over the display and refugium, slid into the wrong spot last night, and a polyp of the candy cane "chomped down on it"!

 

I first noticed it because of the mucus the snail throws out as a flag of surrender. It wan't too long before the coral was tossing the shell aside, like me slurping down a good oyster with hot sauce!

 

[yardboy]

I'm thinking those stomatella are the best thing for lps. Here's another one biting the dust.

My Acan had already "shucked and sucked" by the time I got the camera.

 

[c est ma]

Wow, interesting story! Do you think a B. merleti could do that, too? I used to have a nice Stomatella population but some time ago it completely disappeared. I didn't know what to blame...I do have a merleti colony that has grown quite a bit, though.

 

--Diane

[yardboy]

Thanks Diane.

I don't know much about Blasto's, I've tended to favor sps which have much higher light needs than Blasto's, but from the looks of them, I'd think they are capable of eating stoma's.

Isn't it interesting how populations rise and fall in our closed systems. Not much different than what I see at the seashore. I regularly go to the St. Andrew's jetties in Panama City Beach, FL, and I never know what I'll see there, or what won't be there! Constant influx and exits of different species.

Those type observations have led others to hypothesize the reasons for the high diversity of species on a reef. It's called "intermittent disturbance" where frequent small changes in the environment of the reef opens up new niches to be filled, often by new species. It kind of flys in the face of the popular idea that reefs are super stable places that we have to maintain to get survival.

Sorry to hear about your stomatella's though. They are very cool critters, whom I attribute my relatively microalgae-free glass to. Too cool how they convert nuisance algae into Acan flesh! Ahh, the circle of life! Similar to a chicken, who'll recycle table scraps into my scrambled egg breakfast!

If you'd like to reintroduce the stoma's into your system give me a yell, I'd be glad to send you some.

[travisurfer]

lol, nice i've never had any stomatellas though...

[c est ma]

Thanks Diane.

I don't know much about Blasto's, I've tended to favor sps which have much higher light needs than Blasto's, but from the looks of them, I'd think they are capable of eating stoma's.

Isn't it interesting how populations rise and fall in our closed systems. Not much different than what I see at the seashore. I regularly go to the St. Andrew's jetties in Panama City Beach, FL, and I never know what I'll see there, or what won't be there! Constant influx and exits of different species.

Those type observations have led others to hypothesize the reasons for the high diversity of species on a reef. It's called "intermittent disturbance" where frequent small changes in the environment of the reef opens up new niches to be filled, often by new species. It kind of flys in the face of the popular idea that reefs are super stable places that we have to maintain to get survival.

Sorry to hear about your stomatella's though. They are very cool critters, whom I attribute my relatively microalgae-free glass to. Too cool how they convert nuisance algae into Acan flesh! Ahh, the circle of life! Similar to a chicken, who'll recycle table scraps into my scrambled egg breakfast!

If you'd like to reintroduce the stoma's into your system give me a yell, I'd be glad to send you some.

 

Thanks for the offer! I keep intending to try to find more, but never remember when I'm at an lfs...But before you go to the trouble of shipping, I'll renew my efforts to find some locally...I really do miss them--fascinating creatures!

 

Yes, the little population surges one notes are indeed intriguing, and the Intermittent Disturbance proposal would seem to fit very well. I'd say our little tanks probably result in one I.D. after another! I've seen not only the rise & fall of Stomatella but also Collonista, hitchhiker chitons, various plankters, etc. (So far the only once-populous species that seems to have disappeared completely is the Stomatella...) It seems to me my hitcher brittle stars must be reaching a critical mass, and I have a theory that that might be why they spawned recently--possibly it was an effort to disperse...

 

The Stomatella disappearance continues to mystify me, though, as I had developed a substantial population, and I watch the tank pretty closely. I'd have thought I'd have observed some clue as to why they vanished!

 

Sorry for the mini hijack! Speaking of Caulastrea (and you were, back a bit) --I've had a polyp (yep, just one!) that I twice observed consuming brittle star legs. These lps are quite the sneaky predators! (But I got the candy cane long after the demise of the Stomatella.)

 

--Diane

[yardboy]

lol, nice i've never had any stomatellas though...

 

Never too late. Are you interested in some? I just had a bag with some stoma's, chaeto, brittlestar and ceriths laying on the floor of my tank room for 4 days and they all survived, so priority mail should be no problem. I've been thinking of circulating a thermos.

[monkeytrumpets]

I happened to stumble across this thread randomly, and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about your progress. You've created a great setup, and I look forward to tagging along for updates. Speaking of which...