Josh's 20L mostly SPS mixed reef

[SPS20]

I got a good shot of the new fish on the first try! That never happens for me; I usually have to take a bunch before one turns out.

 

He is a gorgeous little fish. Here's hoping he behaves himself. Notice the very full belly.

 

Edited December 31, 2007 by SPS20

[PurpleUP]

I got a good shot of the new fish on the first try! That never happens for me; I usually have to take a bunch before one turns out.

 

He is a gorgeous little fish. Here's hoping he behaves himself. Notice the very full belly.

 

 

Not a bad looking fish. I can see that he's quite content too! Just a thought, but since you're already doing 50% water changes, FWE shouldn't be so much of a risk if you dose it a few hours before your regular water change. 50% will remove most if not all of the threatening toxins left from the FWs. FWIW, since I dosed mine ONCE, I've been seeing fewer and fewer flatworms daily. Today I haven't found any! Perhaps you dose it once WITH EXTREME CARE and let your 6-line handle the rest?

[klarion]

Update: I sat down in front of the tank to see how the new 6-line wrasse is doing. He is absolutely gorging himself. I have never seen a fish go so crazy. Its like a shark in a feeding frenzy. I haven't seen him eat a flatworm yet, but I watched him eat several large amphipods and a mysid. He had to choke one of them down by mushing his face against a rock. He is an amazing hunter!

 

So, he is either just really hungry atm, or he's going to eat himself to death, lol. The pods are so numerous and easy to catch (they hang out in plain sight during the day, the population is enormous) that I think his life will be super easy for at least a week, by then the population will probably have been significantly depleted.

 

I imagine he won't really turn on the flatworms until the really tasty stuff is harder to find.

 

- Josh

 

Very interesting experiment and brave of you. I would like to know as much as possible about your Six Line so keep the updates coming on him. It's my favorite little fish and I would like to get one for my tank as well after I'm done modding my sump.

 

thanks,

b

[c est ma]

Josh, what a super pic of your six-line!!! So beautiful!!

 

I really enjoyed all the info in post # 174, esp. the report on the results of your heavy feeding regimen. Ever since I read that Borneman article about the subject I have been looking for corroborating experiences. Very interesting update!

 

Good luck with the flatworms. I had them for a long time as well, and my tank was too small for a piscine predator. I agree with you about watching the pod life and hate to think your six-line will cut such a swath through them!

 

That last series of tank shots was mind-blowing! Fabulous job!

 

--Diane

[SPS20]

So, last night, I came back from a new year's party at some ridiculously late hour, about 5 in the morning. It is still dark outside, in my house, and in my tank. I came in the living room where the tank is, flicked on the overhead light, and plopped down in front of my tank. I immediately noticed that all 5 of my hermit crabs were crammed in a little cluster onto one branch-tip of my pink montipora. They appeared to be sleeping. I did not know hermits did this, or were even all that social, apart from the inevitable squabbling over shells. It kind of endears them to me a little bit.

 

I have always thought of hermit crabs as part of the CUC, there to do a job and make a better home for the corals. I have always thought of corals as the entire point of a reef tank, and everything else as ancillary, necessary only insofar as it makes the environment better for coral growth. Furthermore, I generally have preferred in the past to avoid hermits entirely and use tangs for algae control instead, due to the fact thant tangs just eat more, and pester the corals less.

 

But, in my 20 gallon tank, that isn't really a possibility. I needed to bolster the amount of herbivory one way or another in this tank. Since I have begun feeding so heavily, algae growth has predictably increased. Even though I have managed to keep my nitrates and phosphates at undetectable levels through phosban, a heavily planted refugium, and large frequent water changes, the algae is still getting more nutrients and growing much faster. So, this being a nano, I added the hermits instead of a tang, and they have been doing an excellent job of cleaning up.

 

However, they are constantly irritating one coral or another. The corals don't seem harmed much by them, just occasionally pestered, so I suppose its ok. They have also predictably slaughtered a few Astrea snails, but that was expected. Hermits are little bulls in my china shop, but useful bulls at that. Now I find out that they are more social than I had realized.

 

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this quirk of hermit behavior. Apparently, when the lights go out, they huddle together for safety. During the day, they spread out and forage, bickering among themselves whenever they cross paths. What strange little critters.

[SPS20]

Not a bad looking fish. I can see that he's quite content too! Just a thought, but since you're already doing 50% water changes, FWE shouldn't be so much of a risk if you dose it a few hours before your regular water change. 50% will remove most if not all of the threatening toxins left from the FWs. FWIW, since I dosed mine ONCE, I've been seeing fewer and fewer flatworms daily. Today I haven't found any! Perhaps you dose it once WITH EXTREME CARE and let your 6-line handle the rest?

 

You are probably right, but I am still reticent about FWE. The diversity of microfauna in this tank is one of my favorite things about it. I don't see how I could use a product like FWE and not impact it in unforseen ways. For instance, there are these white copepod-hunting flatworms in my refugium that are absolutely fascinating to watch. (I still have plenty of copepods) I tend to think little critters like that are what keep pod populations stable, instead of rising to plagues and crashing over and over, as I have seen happen before. Sure, the corals will likely be fine either way, but I am kind of sentimental about the closed ecosystem concept, and prefer to mess with it as little as possible.

 

So, i'm going to watch my 6-line, see if he has any impact on the flatworm population. I'll give him a week or so. If the FW population continues to increase, then I will probably take more agressive measures. I think you are right though, if I dose FWE 15 min before a 50% WC, change my carbon, etc, I could probably use FWE with little risk to my corals. I may end up doing so if this really becomes a problem. So far, the flatworm population is a potential problem, not a real risk to the corals. The issue, in my mind, is preventing them from getting out of control. They have been there since I set up the tank, and were never a problem before, they just need something to keep them in check, IMO.

 

Very interesting experiment and brave of you. I would like to know as much as possible about your Six Line so keep the updates coming on him. It's my favorite little fish and I would like to get one for my tank as well after I'm done modding my sump.

 

thanks,

b

 

Well, so far at least, the 6-line seems comfortable, he is eating both frozen food and pods from the rock. I haven't seen him eat a FW yet, but I haven't really sat down and watched him for long yet. He is being very peaceful with my other fish, as well, so I am grateful for that. It is definitely a fascinating fish, and adds movement to he tank, so all in all, i'm glad I got him.

 

Josh, what a super pic of your six-line!!! So beautiful!!

 

I really enjoyed all the info in post # 174, esp. the report on the results of your heavy feeding regimen. Ever since I read that Borneman article about the subject I have been looking for corroborating experiences. Very interesting update!

 

Good luck with the flatworms. I had them for a long time as well, and my tank was too small for a piscine predator. I agree with you about watching the pod life and hate to think your six-line will cut such a swath through them!

 

That last series of tank shots was mind-blowing! Fabulous job!

 

--Diane

 

Thanks!

 

Well, the increased feeding/WC experiment seems to be mostly a good thing, with some side effects, namely the flatworms. The dissolved nutrient levels are still quite low, but you can't escape the fact that every day when I feed, lots and lots of little particles of food are finding their way to the nooks and crannies of the tank, where critters like these flatworms live.

 

The way I look at it, I am attempting to increase the "productivity" of this tiny ecosystem by making sure every little critter in the tank is well fed. This has inevitable side-effects which I have to deal with, namely lots of flatworms. I have also never had so many mysiids and other cool little bugs as I do now. Maybe if I keep usp the feeding regimen, the critters may be able to proliferate fast enough to avoid being wiped out by the 6-line in the main tank. They certainly are living at populations well exceeding the carrying capacity of this tank if it were fed much less. Time will tell. The 6-line is no longer eating like its his last meal, he picks a bug here, a bug there, and just hangs out most of the time. I think there will still be some pods in there even after he has been in the tank awhile.

 

I love ecology. I set up my first saltwater aquarium at the age of 16 because of an ecology course I took in high school. It has fascinated me ever since. A reef tank is an ecosystem, in a very real sense. Of course, it isn't truly a closed system, nor is it truly self-sustaining, but it is a sort of ecosystem nonetheless.

Edited January 2, 2008 by SPS20

[c est ma]

Great hermit observations. I love my hermits, and they clean up things that snails and fish don't touch.

 

+1 on the ecology angle. I can concentrate on any little thing in my tank for the longest time. Your reasons for not using FWE echo mine.

 

--Diane

[PurpleUP]

+1 on the ecology angle. I can concentrate on any little thing in my tank for the longest time. Your reasons for not using FWE echo mine.

 

--Diane

 

I agree with you both in that sense. It's definitely a tough call to make, risky in terms of FWE's potential damage to the overall ecosystem. Ever since an infestation of zoanthid eating nudibranchs in my BC14, I committed to eradicating any and all BAD beings at first sight. I'm sure your 6-line will keep those FWs under control.

Edited January 2, 2008 by PurpleUP

[SPS20]

Well, if these were something like the monti-eating nudibranchs or other obligate parasite, I would be dosing FWE post-haste. Those things are absolutely nasty, and WILL kill all your SPS, given enough time.

 

But, my little rusty flatworms are more in the category of "will become a real problem if you get too many of them" as opposed to the "having even one is a ticking time bomb of total destruction" category.

 

I'll keep a close eye on things. If I ever get obligate parasites like the nudis that eat acros, montis, or zoos, I will be dumping every weird chemical I can get my hands on in there immediately. Until then, here's hoping my 6-line finds them tasty. I don't think he has touched them yet, but I can hardly blame him. He has been living on giant amphipods he can barely swallow whole, and live mysiids, which are pretty much the perfect food for him. Those populations will dwindle, and his tastes will get a tad more eclectic in time, I suspect. It might take a couple of weeks for things to get to that point though. I will keep a watchful eye on things. I already found a LFS that carries FWE and asked them to hold a box behind the counter for a couple of weeks for me, which they are doing. That way, if things slip or get out of hand, I can go and grab it the same day.

Edited January 2, 2008 by SPS20

[c est ma]

As someone else has mentioned in another thread, brown FWs are more of an eyesore than a problem. Unless, of course, you nuke them and aren't able to get all the toxin out of the tank. I've seen them prey on tiny pods on the glass, but for the most part they seem happy to sit around and photosynthesize.

 

--Diane

[klarion]

Fascinating topic! I wonder how long it might take my newly established system to grow these fine creatures if at all. Any ideas?

[PurpleUP]

If I ever get obligate parasites like the nudis that eat acros, montis, or zoos, I will be dumping every weird chemical I can get my hands on in there immediately. Until then, here's hoping my 6-line finds them tasty.

 

LOL, I'm with ya. It was actually b/c of your post regarding FWs, I decided NOT to dose my tank a 2nd time. Could have been OVERKILL, especially since I haven't seen any over the past several days...

[SPS20]

So, a few more pics, taken today:

 

Some interesting macroalgae growth

 

My blue acro is a slow grower, as acros go.

 

The green slimer, however, grows very fast. Look at the new branches budding off. This coral has shifted a bit in color recently toward a more "neon" color on the top halves of the branches. The undersides still have a more dusky green color, much less neon. I imagine this coral would look really cool under actinic light. Sadly, I have no actinics. The corals get more than enough light; actinics would just be an aesthetic thing, and I really don't know where I would put more lights as it is. I like the uncluttered open top with pendants hanging over it, and I am afraid flourescents would just make the setup look less like a display tank and more like a mad scientist's creation. Regardless, I love the fluffy texture of this coral (looks tasty NOM NOM NOM) and the interesting shapes it grows into.

 

My "superman" monti is getting some red flecks around the base of the polyps, but the polyps themselves are still mostly brown. You can see the red flecks I mentioned in the last photo in the series to follow. I hope the polyps themselves turn that color too. Here is a direct link to the final picture below in higher resolution. You can see the red better then. Its faint, but its definitely there.

 

Here is a series of shots showing changes in coloration with this coral over time:

 

Dec 11, the day the allegedly browned-out"superman" monti enetered my tank. I was somewhat suspicious that this coral was just a regular unremarkable brown monti, but it was free, so who am I to turn down an ugly but free coral?

 

Dec 17, the slightest hints of blue begin to emerge

 

Dec 27, now clearly with blue highlights. I was starting to believe this may well be the real deal.

 

Jan 2 (today), the red flecks have begun to appear, but are still very faint. I am hopeful that the ultimate result will be the polyps themselves turning red, but I am not yet certain that is what is happening. The color shift could stop today, for all I know.

 

- Josh

Edited January 3, 2008 by SPS20

[PurpleUP]

Dec 27, now clearly with blue highlights. I was starting to believe this may well be the real deal.

 

Jan 2 (today), the red flecks have begun to appear, but are still very faint. I am hopeful that the ultimate result will be the polyps themselves turning red, but I am not yet certain that is what is happening. The color shift could stop today, for all I know.

 

- Josh

 

Superman appears bluer than he did just a few days ago. Was Jan 2 taken under a different exposure? Unreal.

[SPS20]

Superman appears bluer than he did just a few days ago. Was Jan 2 taken under a different exposure? Unreal.

 

Both were taken in point-and-shoot mode, so the camera may well have picked slightly different exposure setting. However, I can vouch that it seems to my eye to have gotten brighter in color, so I think the pics are about right. Also, the coral had been moved about an inch to the left between the last two pictures, maybe its getting different light there, but I doubt it.

 

Any day now he is going to stop changing, I just hope it happens after the polyps turn bright red lol.

Edited January 3, 2008 by SPS20

[TJ_Burton]

Man, I want some of that Slimer so bad >_<

[c est ma]

Great new pics, Josh! I love the beautiful colors you have.

 

Ever get an ID on that lovely alga? If not, it's "Mermaid's cup," an Acetabularia species. Highly desirable!:

 

http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquai...rinetank50.html

 

http://www.surialink.com/HANDBOOK/Genera/g...cetabularia.htm

 

 

 

Klarion,

 

My FW's seemed to have hitched in on a frag. Even though I inspect every new item carefully in a separate tank for a day or two, I missed them. They can shrink up to just a brown dot...When I first noticed mine, I thought they were some kind of brown macro--they just sat on the LR looking algal...

 

--Diane

[SPS20]

Man, I want some of that Slimer so bad >_<

 

I have a large frag of it (more like a whole branch) that snapped off when I was removing it from the coral from the base it was attached to when I bought it. Its not all neat like a frag plug would be, but its growing onto its base now. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow and set it aside for you. Consider it yours, we'll talk about shipping and whatnot later. Its brutally cold here, atm, not ideal weather to try shipping coral for the first time.

 

Great new pics, Josh! I love the beautiful colors you have.Ever get an ID on that lovely alga? If not, it's "Mermaid's cup," an Acetabularia species. Highly desirable

 

Thanks for the ID! I knew it was called somethingorother's cup, never bothered to look it up. It just kind of came out of nowhere a month or two ago. I think it looks nice. I have never had this stuff in any of my past tanks, so I think its kind of neat to have it pop out of nowhere. It looks like little alien vessels hovering over the rock.

 

- Josh

Edited January 3, 2008 by SPS20

[TJ_Burton]

I have a large frag of it (more like a whole branch) that snapped off when I was removing it from the coral from the base it was attached to when I bought it. Its not all neat like a frag plug would be, but its growing onto its base now. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow and set it aside for you. Consider it yours, we'll talk about shipping and whatnot later. Its brutally cold here, atm, not ideal weather to try shipping coral for the first time.

 

- Josh

 

Really!? For me???

 

Well no worries, I don't mind waiting until the coldest part of the season is behind us. Gives me time to grow some zoa/paly frags out for you! Also whatever sps I have ready by that time.

 

You're a good man!

[PurpleUP]

Any day now he is going to stop changing, I just hope it happens after the polyps turn bright red lol.

 

Question about that. What would make it stop changing so suddenly? I would think that corals would continue to acclimate until they are back to their true colors, so to speak.

[SPS20]

Question about that. What would make it stop changing so suddenly? I would think that corals would continue to acclimate until they are back to their true colors, so to speak.

 

Well, I haven't ever seen this coral in its full glory, so to speak, so I don't know what "fully colored up" is for this coral. At some point it will be as colorful as it is going to get. That's what I meant there.

 

- Josh

[crrichey]

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

[SPS20]

Really!? For me??? Well no worries, I don't mind waiting until the coldest part of the season is behind us. Gives me time to grow some zoa/paly frags out for you! Also whatever sps I have ready by that time.You're a good man!

There is one possible issue, though... Can you ship corals through customs? Are there any Canadian or American laws against this? And if it is legal, can it be done quickly? (i.e., the coral doesn't end up waiting at some inspection center for days, dying) We'd have to sort these issues out first, obviously.Regardless, I'm sure people do this, I just don't know how to do it in such a way that the corals arrive at the other end intact and in a reasonable timeframe. How long can SPS live in a bag before they start to die anyway, assuming the temperature is ok?

 

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for looking! I'm glad you like it!

 

- Josh

Edited January 3, 2008 by SPS20

[spanko]

Here is a picture of my superman Josh. Bought it this color months ago and it has stayed this color.

 

[SPS20]

Here is a picture of my superman Josh. Bought it this color months ago and it has stayed this color.

 

 

That's what I am shooting for, ultimately. So far, mine definitely looks like a superman in every sense except the polyps are just the wrong color. It was very browned out when it was given to me (but very healthy despite its coloration) so I guess it just takes the polyps longer to color up than the rest of the coral. Thanks for that, Spanko!

 

- Josh