My humble 5.5g

[c est ma]

Cannot help with the nem ID but it is cool looking just sitting atop the Chaeto. Keep up the info on the plates, it is so interesting to see that coral develop and what it can go through and still keep ticking.

 

Thanks Henry...if I can only pull one of these plates through its infancy, I'll be so happy! They are tough but so tiny...

 

It looks alot like a mini carpet anemone. S. Tapetum

 

Thanks, that's what I was thinking...

 

You find such amazing critters Diane! I have no idea what species it is, but when you get it figured out and see if it likes regular lighting, let me know please. I'd love to have a little nem with an anemone shrimp one day.

 

Stay tuned! BTW, see the threads here about mini carpets, & dshnarw's biotope thread-- http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=142920 --to see some really cool nems of this kind!

 

Nice find! I think I'll have to take a closer look at my LFS tanks next time...

 

That's one of my fav things to do!

 

I am positive it is a mini-mini carpet. And as for the pics of the plates I would say through them up in the plate thread as well. Why not show people that they aren't as fragile as people keep saying they are?

 

Thanks, I was hoping you or Daniel would chime in. Nice to get a consensus.

 

Thanks for the advice, too. I would like that thread to be as complete as possible. I agree that they're tough little critters, but I still need to grow one all the way up!

 

 

PICS

 

Well, while I was kind of discouraged about everything, I sort of let things go...oh, I topped off and scraped the front glass now and then...and did some mini water changes, but w/o siphoning, scraping, basting, etc....so everything got pretty dirty & messy looking. And so of course, the softies looked great! Sigh. What you could see of them through the murky glass, anyway. Here are some shots in that state:

 

An fts w/ a white balance set for the fuge light. Oh, yeah, the Xenia's going great guns, as well! Have to get some cleared out of the fuge so I can prune out the main tank again!:

 

 

And with a better white balance for the tank, which makes the fuge look awful! In real life, of course, our eyes see the tank about like this and the fuge about as it is in the last pic...I wasn't going to take any closer pics at this time 'cause of the unscraped diatoms around all the edges...This was right after I'd found the baby plate, tho, so I had cleaned out the right corner a bit for it...

 

 

And just a little area that was looking lush, I thought. WHY is there always snail poop right in the center?!:

 

 

A top down I got when I went in after the baby plate. I'd really like to set up my next tank so that it's easier to get top down shots!

 

 

 

Well, I got re-energized after the plate reappeared, and actually cleaned the rest of the tank a bit, day before yesterday. (Couldn't do it all at once, though--there's more to be done.) Yesterday I got these shots:

 

This is the "Mexican red-legged" that's been in there all 4 years. He came right up to the glass for his close-ups, then refused to hold still for any of them...some appendages or the others were always in motion. Also, he'd been in a nice clean shell till just recently, when he dug this one up. Wanted that punk look, I guess.

 

 

And then just the same old, same old:

 

 

 

 

 

More to come...

 

--Diane

[c est ma]

POM POM

 

Then Ms. Pom Pom emerged and posed nicely. Boris has decided to go with "boxing crab" as the common name, and I know very well why--they're really quite pugnacious!--but I've always called them pom poms, so I guess I'll stick with that. I really can see a little cheerleader when she's waving her nems back and forth...

 

ATM she has one large, good-looking nem, and one that is much smaller. The last time she did this, she eventually showed up with only the big nem, and I despaired that one was gone for good. At that time, I'd read plenty of posts that stated unequivocably that pom poms eventually lose their nems in captivity, so I thought it was the beginning of the end. Till she showed up with 2 good-looking nems again! I no longer believe that losing nems is inevitable. I suspect maybe it happens in tanks that are never fed!

 

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what happens next.

 

At first she was w/in loupe range, though she's really too "deep" to get a good loupe shot of (depth of field & all!):

 

 

Then she moved up onto the rock for her glamor shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just about the only things that haven't been cooperative with photo ops of late are the gobies--no doubt they're well aware of the current Pic-of-the-month theme.

 

-- Diane

[el fabuloso]

What amazing pics, Diane! Your rics looks amazing as always hopefully I'll have a lush pile of my own someday. The baby plate is adorable! I had no idea plates started life that way, very fascinating stuff.

[Monkfish]

Outstanding!!

[c est ma]

Thanks, Aaron.

 

Plates are incredibly cool!

 

Thanks, Monk!

 

Monti

 

OK, I'm really going out on a limb here. I'm going to post pics of something I've had for 5 months, now, and never posted about. Primarily because of its color, I guess...rather than "coloring up" for me, it's, uh, colored down. Which was not entirely unexpected...I knew my light was not exactly sps-friendly (except for my hitcher Porites, anyway), and, in addition, I dumped the poor thing in one of the darkest corners of the top of the tank. I got it mostly for its shape...I liked the way its topology echoed that of the rics.

 

But the place it sits is dark even for my tank--I keep the light fixture sitting over the front third of the tank; since the tank's on the kitchen counter, one has to stoop to even see where the poor monti sits...

 

But--it's been growing like a weed! And oddly enough, growing the most toward the back side of the tank--i.e., the darkest corner. Go figure.

 

It has the capacity to be neon green, as a larger colony at the lfs showed, and as the very tips of this frag hinted at when I got it. It quickly became and has stayed, however, sort of a rose-beige, with polyps that actually look like they have navy-blue tips, tho neither color ever shows up in my pics, which make it just look--tan.

 

Nevertheless, I love this guy so I was never going to post about it and subject it to the criticisms of the color crowd!

 

But I got some shots of it right after the last tank cleaning that intrigued me, so I decided to bite the bullet, throw caution to the wind, and post some pics. PLEASE--don't diss my coral!...Pretty please?

 

Anyway, shortly after refilling the tank, replacing the lid, repositioning the light, etc., I looked in the back only to find my monti enveloped in some kind of cloud. At first I thought--is it spawning?! It does get exposed to air during a water change, and sometimes stresses like that do set off spawning...

 

I looked closer and it looked like it might instead be shedding, a la leathers & Porites and gorgs...but, I thought to myself, montis don't do that, do they?

 

Closer still and there seemed to be strings of mucus, trapping tiny bubbles...Now I'm wondering if it doesn't exude some slime when exposed to air, which was then sloughing off when resubmerged? That would make sense, tho I haven't noticed such a phenomenon before...

 

At any rate, I just liked the pics, colors be dammed. Remember, please be kind. This is my baby.

 

This first pic's really poor quality, but it shows a bit more of the coral than the others do, so you can see where it sits and how it's growing. It's the only thing I've ever gotten to take hold back there. You can see it flowing onto the LR to the left though, as mentioned, its greatest growth has been toward the rear. It just sits there, sheltering brittle stars and smothering nuisance algae as it grows.

 

In this pic, I can almost see an indistinct lightish "aura" over the coral and about half way up the bubble threads--this is the sort of phenomenon that made me wonder at first if it were spawning. It's very hard to see in the resized version--just a slightly lighter color than the rest of the background:

 

 

From there on, I just kept zooming in and enjoying the results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it. Hope I don't regret this in the morning.

 

--Diane

[Duncan]

I swear, your pictures are getting better and better! And each of them has such an endearing narrative.

 

That's something new for me! I always thought that the monti grow and break off the branched ends. And I think you breed a new species of monti, the moon worshipping kind!

 

This picture is incredible! This is the kind of picture that makes people sit back and think, "This is what reefing is all about."

 

Keep posting, Diane!

[Lalani]

All I can say is "Wow!" Outstanding photography again.

And I love my Mexican red-leg hermits, too. Thats the only kind I have in my tank. Always busy and never bother anyone!

[arwndsh]

Diane, I love the pics of the pom pom crab. She is so cute. I found my plate by the way. The pistol shrimp had moved it clear across to the other side of the tank. All is good now though. And as far as getting the fish any time soon Daniel has convienced me that it would be better to wait until I got up there so I wouldn't kill them off in all of the moving I have to do. sigh Why are men so logical?

[Weetabix7]

I don't think I could possibly overstate what a joy it always is to read your posts.

Your wit and intelligence and the way that you approach this hobby are an inspiration and encouragement to me, and probably to many others here as well.

You are an amazing resource for the N-R community and I hope that you remain a part of it for a long time to come.

[dshnarw]

YAY FOR MINI CARPET!!! *hands Diane the official owner's lapel pin*

 

Beautiful pics, especially of the pom pom. Hard to pick a favorite out of those shots!!

 

My montis tend to "mucous up" when they get ticked off like that. You're definitely right about it happening when it contacts air, and it explains why Montipora are some of the most common corals found exposed during low tides

[varanus37]

+1 to the mucous covered monti. Mine do the same thing. Regardless of color that piece is alive and well. That's a start for anything, color can come later. Great shots as usual. Glad to see everything is doing so well.

 

Bill

[yardboy]

Beautiful pics Diane, and yes, I'll second or third or so, the fact that montiporas do form a heavy mucous coat when exposed to air. Keeps them from drying out.

What surprises me is further evidence that many commonly considered "Hi-light" corals can do better than expected under lower PAR lights. The montipora (I'm more convinced that it is a monti daily) has grown better than anything else in my jetties tank and it's under 2-36W PC's.

[Cubby23]

This entire thread is so inspirational!!! I can only hope my 5.5 will ever turn out this productive and aesthetically pleasing. The Pom Pom Crab is gorgeous I'm really interested in one for my tank. Diane and everyone feel free to have some input on my 5.5. I think this is such a great size.

[el fabuloso]

Is that all you've been hiding from us or is there more we should know about?

 

Your tank is so full of surprises. Just when I think I've got it figured out, there's more! That monti really looks awesome though and I'm glad it's doing well in your tank! My LFS recently had a bunch of monti cap frags and I was thinking about experimenting with it but I'm cautious about the possible admonitions I might get. Thanks for the confession!

[Weetabix7]

If it helps any, the first sps I had was an Orange Monti Cap and I had it in a 5.5g with a 40w PC light over it, just like yours.

I kept it at the top of the tank and it kept it's color just fine and had good polyp extension, although it didn't grow.

[SeeDemTails]

Awesome pics!

[Needreefunds]

Sometimes it's great falling a bit behind on this thread.

 

Wow Diane, what a ride these last few pages have provided!

 

I can relate to becoming discouraged with the tanks following the loss of one of our critters. Then, somehow, with just top offs and minimal TLC the tank starts to bloom, or a lost critter is found and relights our fire.

 

Sounds to me like since you found your baby, your, um, "plate" is full again. ( ba dum bum bum )

 

Also playing catch up here, I too would keep that planted tank going as long as it will, it is beautiful as is.

 

The vivs are interesting as well ( howdareyoukeepamontiinthattank ) and I wouldn't mind seeing the occasional pic thrown in here now and then.

 

I know I have said it before, but you are such a fantastic addition to this forum Diane. Not only with this most wonderful of tank threads but for all you bring to every thread lucky enough to have you visit. At times your warm and encouraging words and in depth descriptive observations seem to be all over this site. When they are not, something seems terribly wrong. We miss our mother duck. Hey, you started it And you DO know I was kidding about the monti, right? Its beautiful!

 

--Richie

[c est ma]

Thanks very much, Duncan, Lalani, Bill, Cubby23, & SeeDemTails!

 

Diane, I love the pics of the pom pom crab. She is so cute. I found my plate by the way. The pistol shrimp had moved it clear across to the other side of the tank. All is good now though. And as far as getting the fish any time soon Daniel has convienced me that it would be better to wait until I got up there so I wouldn't kill them off in all of the moving I have to do. sigh Why are men so logical?

 

So glad you found it! I still haven't gotten around to updating my plate thread...sigh...

 

Don't fall for that men/logic shibboleth. They talk a good game but can be just as impulsive.

 

 

I don't think I could possibly overstate what a joy it always is to read your posts.

Your wit and intelligence and the way that you approach this hobby are an inspiration and encouragement to me, and probably to many others here as well.

You are an amazing resource for the N-R community and I hope that you remain a part of it for a long time to come.

 

Lisa, you're embarrassing me! But--thanks much, pal.

 

 

YAY FOR MINI CARPET!!! *hands Diane the official owner's lapel pin*

 

I was hoping you'd notice!

 

Beautiful pics, especially of the pom pom. Hard to pick a favorite out of those shots!!

 

My montis tend to "mucous up" when they get ticked off like that. You're definitely right about it happening when it contacts air, and it explains why Montipora are some of the most common corals found exposed during low tides

 

Thanks to you and everyone else who confirmed my speculation. Makes sense. I love learning how tough these creatures are.

 

 

Beautiful pics Diane, and yes, I'll second or third or so, the fact that montiporas do form a heavy mucous coat when exposed to air. Keeps them from drying out.

What surprises me is further evidence that many commonly considered "Hi-light" corals can do better than expected under lower PAR lights. The montipora (I'm more convinced that it is a monti daily) has grown better than anything else in my jetties tank and it's under 2-36W PC's.

 

Yours is such a wonderful find!

 

Sort of makes sense to adapt to relatively wide light ranges of light intensities--gives you more areas of the reef to inhabit--niches, crevices...Then you can vary your relative light tolerance through pigments, as necessary...

 

 

Is that all you've been hiding from us or is there more we should know about?

 

Your tank is so full of surprises. Just when I think I've got it figured out, there's more! That monti really looks awesome though and I'm glad it's doing well in your tank! My LFS recently had a bunch of monti cap frags and I was thinking about experimenting with it but I'm cautious about the possible admonitions I might get. Thanks for the confession!

 

Don't be cowed! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. (Ha! Easy for me to say.) Note that Lisa says the orange cap even keeps its color!:

 

 

If it helps any, the first sps I had was an Orange Monti Cap and I had it in a 5.5g with a 40w PC light over it, just like yours.

I kept it at the top of the tank and it kept it's color just fine and had good polyp extension, although it didn't grow.

 

 

Sometimes it's great falling a bit behind on this thread.

 

Wow Diane, what a ride these last few pages have provided!

 

I can relate to becoming discouraged with the tanks following the loss of one of our critters. Then, somehow, with just top offs and minimal TLC the tank starts to bloom, or a lost critter is found and relights our fire.

 

Sounds to me like since you found your baby, your, um, "plate" is full again. ( ba dum bum bum )

 

Also playing catch up here, I too would keep that planted tank going as long as it will, it is beautiful as is.

 

The vivs are interesting as well ( howdareyoukeepamontiinthattank ) and I wouldn't mind seeing the occasional pic thrown in here now and then.

 

Wow, you were behind. I feel for you, having to wade through all that!

 

Great pun...groan! And glad you like "the jungle" and the vivs.

 

 

I know I have said it before, but you are such a fantastic addition to this forum Diane. Not only with this most wonderful of tank threads but for all you bring to every thread lucky enough to have you visit. At times your warm and encouraging words and in depth descriptive observations seem to be all over this site. When they are not, something seems terribly wrong. We miss our mother duck. Hey, you started it And you DO know I was kidding about the monti, right? Its beautiful!

 

--Richie

 

Quack!

 

(Thanks so much, but you & Weets have to stop making me so self-conscious--I'm not good at knowing what to say... )

 

Well, speaking of the monti...might as well throw up some more pics while "we're on the subject."

 

I tried to get some top-down shots to show how it's growing, but this is tough to do. My tank being under the kitchen cabinets, I have to just hold the cam out over the tank, try to line it up, and hope for the best. Of course I couldn't see the reflections, etc., at the time...(and I didn't even remember to turn off the pumps):

 

 

 

^^^In those shots, the bottom of the pics is towards the back of the tank, the very lowest lit area of the tank top...and where the monti is happily expanding...fool thing.

 

Here's a shot of it in November, when I first got it, for comparison. At this time it actually had a bit of green on it, but that doesn't show under the chintzy light over the quarantine container. I'd say it was maybe 1/2 the diameter it is now:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's essentially out of macro range, but, as it turns out, it's one of the few things for which I like the results I get with digital zoom. (I realize I may be alone in that opinion. But to me they look "ahrty."):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, they're more effective looking full screen...There's just something about its morphology & topology that mesmerizes me...

 

--Diane

 

PS: OK, anyone know just how many &%$#*(&^^%$#!! emoticons are allowed?

 

PPS: Looks like the answer is 10. OK, anyone know why they're limited at all?! Mutter, grumble...

[debbeach13]

As always great photo's. It is always a pleasure to read your posts so discriptive and informative. Thanks for being you.

[klarion]

Hello Diane,

 

Very nice updates. About the montipora: wanting of color is a human aesthetic that disregards the true purpose of it in the natural world, which is to protect the coral from dangerous solar radiation. IMO, since the coral is healthy and growing it's ok that it is not shockingly colored. In fact, it's probably relieved not to be exposed to such violent radiation .

 

Also, I'm not fully ready to switch from calling my pom-poms pom-poms (try saying that fast). I think it just depends on the occasion. In the case of your "modeling" pom-poms, that name is perfectly suited.

 

ciao,

b

[Rehype]

Beautiful Shots Diane!!!Your pictures never cease to amaze me.....

[dshnarw]

And you were worried about tellin people about that monti

 

The growth is interesting - I wouldn't have expected it to go towards the darker portion of the tank.

 

As for the color, I kinda like it better now

 

And your shots with the digital zoom are great! Can still see all sorts of detail in the polyps and in the skeleton.

[c est ma]

As always great photo's. It is always a pleasure to read your posts so discriptive and informative. Thanks for being you.

 

Thank you! And also thanks for reading along and chiming in.

 

 

Hello Diane,

 

Very nice updates. About the montipora: wanting of color is a human aesthetic that disregards the true purpose of it in the natural world, which is to protect the coral from dangerous solar radiation. IMO, since the coral is healthy and growing it's ok that it is not shockingly colored. In fact, it's probably relieved not to be exposed to such violent radiation .

 

Thanks, Boris. We are on the same wavelength--so to speak! That doesn't mean I'm not blown away by the technicolor show reefs some have...But in my little tank I like to just take a chance, and then go with and appreciate what I have, as long as it interests and pleases me...(That said, I'd've been mad if my softies lost their color!)

 

Also, I'm not fully ready to switch from calling my pom-poms pom-poms (try saying that fast). I think it just depends on the occasion. In the case of your "modeling" pom-poms, that name is perfectly suited.

 

ciao,

b

 

 

LOL! Both names have their suitability. I somehow don't think "pom pom" would be their first choice, given their "personalities."

 

 

Beautiful Shots Diane!!!Your pictures never cease to amaze me.....

 

Thank you!

 

And you were worried about tellin people about that monti

 

The growth is interesting - I wouldn't have expected it to go towards the darker portion of the tank.

 

As for the color, I kinda like it better now

 

And your shots with the digital zoom are great! Can still see all sorts of detail in the polyps and in the skeleton.

 

I'm glad you see them that way, too. Not exactly like a natural macro, but intriguing nonetheless. (It's one of the few things I have that is crisp with digi zoom...)

 

 

 

Xenia

 

 

Well, wouldn't you know it, last night the pom pom came out again and posed endlessly--I have a ton of clear shots, but since I just posted a bunch of her I think I'll wait a while to post the new ones, and instead post up some pics of my burgeoning Xenia. I'm living with it better now that the bulk's confined to the tank wall, but I still need to thin it pratically every other week. Still, tho, I never tire of the motion, and I love the lacy touch it adds to any photo it shows up in.

 

Macro (duh):

 

 

The Xenia first attached to the wall when it grew into contact with it from the rock it was on. This was maybe 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the tank. It then proceeded to climb up the tank side till it was lined up in a horizontal row just below the water line. Since then (and because I unceremoniously scrape it off the front wall and the wall, filter intake, and U-tube in the back), in order to proliferate it has had to grow back down again. New stalks form below the upper ones and get a bit etiolated in an effort to stick out beyond the topmost guys. It's quite adept at shading itself and whatever else lies beneath.

 

 

These next two show how it forms sort of "L-shaped" branches to extend beyond itself:

 

 

At the base of one of these L's a little bud is forming:

 

 

More macro snowflakes :

 

 

This little clump will need to be removed soon. I'll scrape off as much residue as I can, but sooner or later a new clump will appear in its place.

 

 

More L's. I took this when the front most stalks had closed up (see ball-like thing in upper right), and you can see how much shade there is back there (and how far back down the wall it's colonized!):

 

 

Just playing around with white balance, trying to see if I could get anymore detail...it doesn't help that they're constantly opening and closing while the cam is doing it's digital pause-to-focus thing!:

 

 

So--it's a bit of a bother, but on the whole I'm glad I have it (and have it somewhat under control) and I like the way it looks on the side glass. (BTW, when the elongated stalks are removed and put in higher light, they get all compact and chubby again.)

 

--Diane

[Hinecken]

Gorgeous photos Diane!

[c est ma]

Thank you, Hinecken!

 

 

Well, in an effort to keep up with the Joneses, here (you know who you are!) and all their lovely nature pictures, I thought I'd throw some up from my neck of the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tornado Watch

 

 

 

 

Yes, our snow is gone (altho more's predicted for the week-end); so today we spent 6 or 7 hours under a tornado watch.

 

These were hurriedly snapped out the front window sometime around 4pm. The blur in mid-left bottom that looks like a little dust storm is actually just some spot on the window...

 

 

 

(Looking on the bright side--those are actually buds up in those walnut trees!!)

 

 

Driveway:

 

 

 

 

That was just before it got darker and started to hail...No tornado, not even any power loss--knock on wood. The weather's been violently stormy for several days. Boy do the birds show up at the feeder between sieges, tho!

 

(There actually was a tornado around 20 miles from here Tuesday night...)

 

--Diane