Oceanic Angles

[Weetabix7]

Doesn't look like a mantis to me, but I'm not sure what it is.

Cool looking bugger.

[varanus37]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

Bill

[c est ma]

Way cool shrimp, Teresa & Bill!

 

--Diane

[dshnarw]

WHOA!!! NICE SHRIMP!!

 

It's a commensal species with the clam: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tridacnidfaq3.htm

 

edit: nm...just saw the ID thread

[Greenstar]

It looks a lot more like a Saron Sps than a Lysmata sps definitely not a mantis

[varanus37]

Someone posted a good pic in my ID theard of the mystery shrimp, if you want to check it out. Thanks for the help and info. We'll get more pics if we can.

 

Bill and Teresa

[varanus37]

So the clam looked to have a bit of a pinched mantle. Dipped it and now it looks great. I cut an arm off my colt but lost it for some reason, so that sucked. The colt fits much better though where it is now that it's been trimmed. No new frag out of the deal though. Because of that loss ( I think), my testing today showed a bit of nitrate and phosphate. Nothing major but still enough to detect. I'm running purigen in a HOB filter and some SeaChem phosphate sponge as well. The sponge will come out tomorrow and the Purigen changed when it turns color and shows to be bad. My calcium was a bit low and my dKH was way down so used some buffers to counter that situation. pH is fine and 'trites aren't detectable. Neither is ammonia.

 

I think these levels being off explains some situations in my tank that have occurred recently. All of my SPS look great despite these readings so I'm not overly worried about them now that I've used some additives and gotten better filtratoin going. Tomorrow I'll measure again and probably do a water change.

 

My real concern has been my LPS...really just my micros. It's hard to explain what I think is wrong with them. They're not really receded in any way. They're just there. Not crazy puffed out and trying to feed but not looking bad either. Just sitting there. They still look nice but they're not actively trying to get me to put a piece of silverside in them. I don't know. It's just a change from how they normally act I guess. I have been varying the food quite a bit recently and am including cyclops and some other food that is rather small and can be readily absorbed/caught by filter feeding means. I'm wondering if they're not just full and happy right now. Like I said, not receded or bad as you'd think in a problematic situation but not puffed out and aggressively feeding like they were previously. Think the readings from the water are to blame or they're just sated for the time being? I figured if the water params were off then my SPS would be pissed more than anyone. They all look great and haven't shown a single sign of problems (knock on wood). Maybe the SPS are sucking up all the cal and alk and the LPS are lacking now? Not sure. We'll see what the halides bring tomorrow with the additives and filtratoin going. I'll measure tomorrow night and know better what's going on. Should be able to get some pics up of the new stuff also.

 

Oh, and there's a frag of NG palys and 2 frags of Sun Coral on the way! I think one frag of SC is going in the 1/2 10 though. Not totally sure yet. But for sure the NG's and 1 frag of SC are going in here. May put them in the 1/2 10 until I make sure things are set in here.

 

Thanks for checking in.

 

Bill

[varanus37]

So after dosing the way I did and running that filtration things looked much better today. The NG frag and the 2 sun coral frags are in this tank now. I got a new type of GSP so that went in the 1/2 10.

 

I moved all of my zoas/palys around or near that central feather duster. That freed up some space on the sand where a few random frag plugs were sitting. And I think it looks way better this way. All of the frags are as full as they can be with polyps so any new growth will have to be off the plug onto the surrounding LR. The main zoa frags that have been there the longest have quite a few polyps on the rock with some extending pretty far up it. That section is filling in nicely.

 

I put the NG frag over by the meat coral. It's next to the Cherry Double Edges I got from mvite. I wanted to keep the zoa/paly concentration between those 2 caps but I can't move the Dble Edges so they're off on their own. The rock they're on has quite a few holes that fit frag plugs nicely. Should look nice with that bright green lower in the tank. There are several different types of SPS above that area so there will be color top to bottom there.

 

The Sun Coral frags are split across the tank. One is in the front corner next to the Colt so that it can be seen easily but is shaded a bit in the daytime and quite dark even with the LEDs at night. The other frag is right near the far right panel of the tank. It's actually at the base of the Y-shaped rock holding my pink echino. I think it looks really nice. Hot pink echino about 5" off the sand on a nice rock and right there on the sand is a bundle of bright yellow/orange/pinkish mouths. The Grandis palys and the Duncans are then above the echino. It's nice to have the height when you get good shelving rock pieces.

 

So that's the update for now. I really need to post a bunch of pics to catch up with the new additions and to show the new growth I've been having. Should be able to do that tomorrow afternoon I think.

 

Thanks for lookin'.

 

Bill

[Weetabix7]

I think you'll really enjoy all of your new additions Bill.

I'm really looking forward to seeing lots of pics of the new stuff and new aquascape, bring 'em on!!!

[varanus37]

Yeah, the pics are going to get crazy again for a bit. I really should space things out instead of smashing half of my photobucket account on here each time I post pics. Oh well, at least this way there's some time in between shots of the older stuff so you can tell where the growth is occurring. As I get new things and slowly check off pieces and types of coral that I want, I'm organizing the tank better. It's coming together the way I thought it would now. I think having to organize and plan in the smaller tank is helping me to do so in this tank to achieve the look and the environment I want to create. I'm really happy with it. Another year of growth with the placement of the corals now and it will be a completely different vibe. I'm excited for it.

 

Bill

[c est ma]

Nice progression of thinking & MO. I'm looking forward both to shots of the new stuff and to watching your tank develop over time.

 

--Diane

[varanus37]

Thank you. No new shots of the 55 but I do have news. The vine snake from Caesar777 got here today and his new home is set up! I posted a thread in the feedback forum if anyone wants to check it out. They're beautiful creatures.

 

Oh, and 6500 views!

 

Bill

[dshnarw]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hmmmm.....

[varanus37]

Not a problem.

 

Bill

[Weetabix7]

Sheesh, you guys.

Sigh, someday I'll be able to join in again.

[varanus37]

And I can't wait for it. How are things by the way? I've been following on the threads as usual. Really sucks how things went. That little quarantine tank looks neat though from the pics you've posted. Thanks for the nice comments in the snake thread. Hoping work slows down some so I can get home at a decent hour and get pics up of the tanks. Some changes and a decent amount of growth recently.

 

Bill

[dshnarw]

Not a problem.

 

Bill

 

 

Sheesh, you guys.

Sigh, someday I'll be able to join in again.

 

hehe

 

I hope that day is soon. Send your bad juju to someone who deserves it (I have a few in mind...)

[Weetabix7]

It's pretty much as posted on the threads.

Prop tank is too depressing to talk about.

16g is looking a little better and seems to be rounding the bend. I expected it to look better today than yesterday, but still looks about the same. Might do a smallish WC on it tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

hehe

 

I hope that day is soon. Send your bad juju to someone who deserves it (I have a few in mind...)

 

O rilly?

PM me the list!!

[varanus37]

Sorry to hear that. I remember reading that you were going to possibly ship SPS back to nano-paul. Maybe that will work out in your favor. They can heal up with him and you can get your side squared away. Ship them back and try again. Nothing wrong with waiting for things to develop or improve. I've got a big 'ol bucket of Reef Crystals that I'd let ya try. Problem is, I think the USPS would flip shiat if I mailed you a bag of white powder.

 

Bill

[BibleSue]

Sorry to hear that. I remember reading that you were going to possibly ship SPS back to nano-paul. Maybe that will work out in your favor. They can heal up with him and you can get your side squared away. Ship them back and try again. Nothing wrong with waiting for things to develop or improve. I've got a big 'ol bucket of Reef Crystals that I'd let ya try. Problem is, I think the USPS would flip shiat if I mailed you a bag of white powder.

 

Bill

 

Just don't tell them what's in the box! I didn't!

[varanus37]

This is true.

 

Bill

[Smurf]

Goodluck with your mandarin goby.

[varanus37]

Thanks, he/she is doing really well actually. Very active picker as most are. Constantly moving and grazing. He/she does eat cyclops and other small bits as they bob in the slower moving areas of the tank. I was very happy to see that last week. Just kinda noticed a piece of thawed cube and pecked at it. Then basically slurped it up.

 

Bill

[varanus37]

So another pic heavy update. Some shots to show growth and some shots to show new stuff. Hope ya like 'em.

 

Pattern of growth on the green cap.

 

 

 

2 tiny tips from my birds nest that broke off in placing the frag but have survived nicely. I've got a better pic that's up close that I'll put up a bit later. Cam isn't plugged in right now, just goin off photobucket.

 

The birds nest the pieces broke off of.

 

Nice growth on the kiwi confusa

 

Some more growth shots but of the red cap this time.

 

 

Nice polyp coverage on the growing edges of the strawberry patch.

 

One of my sun coral frags.

 

Side shot focusing on the sative micros.

 

More of a general side shot.

 

Lots of growth on these guys.

 

Several nice, distinct heads now.

 

The saddleback, lovin' life.

 

YWG guarding his cave.

 

Nice CBB shot.

 

And another.

 

Galaxea cluster expanding in its new spot.

 

Good close-up of the colt coral.

 

So that's the first part. Says I have too many pics so another part will be up shortly.

 

Bill

[varanus37]

And the second part.

 

The pink echino chillin' in the corner.

 

Just a cluster of duncan heads.

 

Cabbage coral next to the Cherry Dble Edge zoas. And the nukes in the background.

 

Our huge green mushroom. I'd say this is the 1/4 visible from the front of the tank. The rest is sloping down the backside of that rock. It's a monster but only has 2 mouths visible.

 

One of the zoa rocks toward the back of the "polyp row" I made.

 

Hammer, still growing strong even after the fragging. Almost covers the same area it once did.

 

The other sun frag. It's in the corner so it looks trippy.

 

Red&white micros just hangin' out.

 

Orange Crush acan from mvite. Not rapid growth but spreading a bit at a time. Also, the "Red Sea" type xenia I got in the frag swap. Good looking and doing well.

 

You can see where the purple cap has grown onto the LR and also down the plug. That's mvites elkhorn digi in there as well.

 

Kewl brown mushrooms with green highlights. Xenia clump hangin' out with them.

 

Better shot of the first sun frag. A bit hungrier now.

 

Candy cane. Heads and mouths everywhere on this branching piece of rock.

 

"Polyp Row"

 

Unknown but very kewl coral.

 

Closer shot.

 

There are more close-up shots still on the camera, including shots of the other mystery coral in the tank. The green funk palys from mvite got flipped over onto those and some of the polyps on the top died back. It was like bleach white which sucked. Since then it has grown back and is filling in just as it was before.

 

So that's the update for now. I've got some more pics to get off the camera later.

 

Bill