Klarion's Tongan Scape

[klarion]

Coral Babies Update

 

Along with most regretable losses also come successes. Namely, these new babies are doing great and growing.

 

Baby Xenia

 

Baby Zoa

Edited January 14, 2008 by klarion

[klarion]

Photo update on the corals.

 

Xenia Crown

 

Xenia Feeding

 

Zoa Polyp

[c est ma]

Wow, WHAT gorgeous pics!!

 

It's a pleasure to come to this thread and be treated to such mastery.

 

Your Xenia & zoas must be very happy to be multiplying like that, and those are awfully tiny things to get such good pics of.

 

I've had the exact same thing happen with an Astraea...I kept putting it back in until it finally flunked the smell test...I do believe it was still alive until then...That was before I had the Nassarius. Yours are so new, it could very well have been responding to stress it underwent before it ever reached your tank...

 

 

Poor bristle worms...they are so maligned. Just tonight I spent several minutes hunting through detritus for those that got sucked out during maintenance so I could add them back to my tank...far as I'm concerned, they're just another wonderful member of the CUC.

 

 

Hey, glad you got the emerald! They always seem to go right to work...very gratifying!

 

--Diane

[dshnarw]

Nice tank! Usually I'm not a fan of taller tanks, but that tonga branch really looks nice in it. Looks like you picked out some really nice pieces.

 

And a beautiful clown - I have a pair of clarkiis in one of my tanks. Tons of personality, albeit somewhat agressive (my 2.5" female is starting to bite and chase things away from her anemone...cute now, maybe not when she's 5").

[AdriftQuasar]

Thanks for taking so many pictures. It's been fun to read through the thread and watch things progress. Loosing a coral is never fun, so I'm sorry to hear that the leather didn't make it. The tank looks fantastic though.

[H20]

Tank is looking good Klarion. I haven't been on the boards much lately, but wanted to look in and see how things were going for you. Looks good so far, great pics, and can't wait to see more!

[klarion]

Wow, WHAT gorgeous pics!!

 

It's a pleasure to come to this thread and be treated to such mastery.

 

Your Xenia & zoas must be very happy to be multiplying like that, and those are awfully tiny things to get such good pics of.

 

I've had the exact same thing happen with an Astraea...I kept putting it back in until it finally flunked the smell test...I do believe it was still alive until then...That was before I had the Nassarius. Yours are so new, it could very well have been responding to stress it underwent before it ever reached your tank...

 

Poor bristle worms...they are so maligned. Just tonight I spent several minutes hunting through detritus for those that got sucked out during maintenance so I could add them back to my tank...far as I'm concerned, they're just another wonderful member of the CUC.

 

Hey, glad you got the emerald! They always seem to go right to work...very gratifying!

 

--Diane

 

Diane,

Thank you for your high praise. It always means a lot coming from you and I respect your input. The feedback I get (or look forward to) from like-minded enthusiasts keeps me posting.

 

What's the 02 on bristle worms? I understand that you like them, but a lot of other people despise them. Is it because they've had bad experiences? I don't know, but I'd like to err on the side of caution. I'm not against them developing in my tanks, but I also want to control their population as much as I can.

 

I also assume that since my corals are opening and multipying, it means they're liking the water and lighting. I just noticed that several other Zoa polyps are likely to spring new buds and they are definitely regaining some color lost at the LFS.

 

The emerald crab is using the sanctuary of the many tunnels and caves in my scape. So much so, that I only get a glimpse of him now and then in the crevices. I hope one day he'll relize that all the tasty stuff (in terms of algae) is in the front of the tank.

[klarion]

Nice tank! Usually I'm not a fan of taller tanks, but that tonga branch really looks nice in it. Looks like you picked out some really nice pieces.

 

And a beautiful clown - I have a pair of clarkiis in one of my tanks. Tons of personality, albeit somewhat agressive (my 2.5" female is starting to bite and chase things away from her anemone...cute now, maybe not when she's 5").

 

Thanks and welcome,

 

I've noticed that it's not a very popular tank design (rightly so) from the stand point of gas exchange and heat loss. It was, however, what I inherited from my FW setup and I thought it would be a nice challenge. I am also using an over-sized filtration system for this size tank, so it probably offsets the water volume/gas exchange/surface area problems of the 15H.

 

The Clarkii has been nice so far, but there is no other fish to interact with at this point. I did see him make a run at the Hermit Crab once. He kind of bumped hermit's shell from the top.

 

Here's a pic of the Blue Leg Hermit's new home (switched last week).

Edited January 15, 2008 by klarion

[SPS20]

Ok, it took me awhile to catch up, but I have gotten up to date on this thread, and I must say I REALLY enjoy your picture-heavy aproach. Your photography is excellent. (I'm jealous) The Xenia in particular is a very odd variety, and very pretty. I've never seen a pom-pom that looked quite like that.

 

I like your choice of Tonga rock. Generally, Tonga rock isn't very porous and doesn't come with as much "stuff" on it, but it allows you to make shapes which you just can't with any other kind of rock. Plus, it has alot of surface area, which means more places to put corals. All those branchy tips sticking up into the water are prime real estate for corals.

 

A word of caution: this here...

 

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/kla...nghairalgae.jpg

 

... is some pretty nasty and invasive stuff. Kill it as soon as you can. It looks pretty now, but in a few months you will resent its existence. My suggestion would be to remove the rock with it growing on it from the tank and scrub it off. Then, rinse the rock (very briefly) in freshwater, and return it to the tank. Perhaps dab the site with some calcium hydroxide (Kalkwasser) paste. Any tiny little piece of this algae can grow into a new tuft, so don't try to remove it in the tank itself, unless you have a siphon right there to suck out the bits that break off.

 

As for snails that just stop moving, that happens. Keep an eye on them and sniff them periodically. Stinky = chuck it. Gastropods are very sensitive to water chemistry changes, and can sometimes die just as the result of being moved from one tank to another. It happens to the best of us, not your doing.

 

Regarding bristleworms: They are much maligned, but totally harmless, IMO. They can eat enormous amounts of detritus and waste and really never hurt healthy corals. The reason they have a bad rap is because there is a similar family of worms known as Eunicids (did I spell that right?). They look similar, but will eat corals, and get HUGE. (think 10 feet or more. I mean really really enormous) The little guys you have in your tank won't hurt anything, I promise. If you see one getting REALLY big, then keep an eye on it, but even then, they won't usually hurt anything. I have seen regular bristle worms over a foot long, and they still just hang out, eating detritus inches from healthy corals that they ignore.

 

Anyway, i'll be tagging along now. Now that I am caught up on this thread, i'll add it to the growing list of threads I follow.

 

Excellent work! Keep up the slow and steady. Thats how great things happen in this hobby.

 

- Josh

Edited January 15, 2008 by SPS20

[spanko]

Is the color on the xenia true? If so that is the most beautiful colored xenia I have ever seen.On my monitor it looks orange and pink.

[klarion]

Is the color on the xenia true? If so that is the most beautiful colored xenia I have ever seen.On my monitor it looks orange and pink.

 

The last couple of pics are a little over-saturated. I was experimenting in color.

This picture is a truer version of it:

 

On my screen neither appear with an organge tint. That's probably because my monitors are adjusted differently.

Thanks,

b

[klarion]

Ok, it took me awhile to catch up, but I have gotten up to date on this thread, and I must say I REALLY enjoy your picture-heavy aproach. The Xenia in particular is a very odd variety, and very pretty. I've never seen a pom-pom that looked quite like that.

 

I like your choice of Tonga rock. Generally, Tonga rock isn't very porous and doesn't come with as much "stuff" on it, but it allows you to make shapes which you just can't with any other kind of rock. Plus, it has alot of surface area, which means more places to put corals. All those branchy tips sticking up into the water are prime real estate for corals.

 

A word of caution: this here...

 

... is some pretty nasty and invasive stuff. Kill it as soon as you can. It looks pretty now, but in a few months you will resent its existence.

 

Excellent work! Keep up the slow and steady. Thats how great things happen in this hobby.

 

- Josh

 

Wow, thanks for the post and very good advice. I've noticed that this algae is one of the fastest growers in the tank. I've already removed some of it and it just regrows back in a couple of days. I can probably completely scrape it off 2 of the rocks, but there are 2 more spots where I can not remove the rocks because they're all cemented together. I will have to deal with it by constantly removing the growth and natural control: less nutrients, more algae hunters and lighting that's good for coralline.

 

It remains to be seen if the Emerald Crab will go after it. So far him and I have been playing hide and seek. When I come over to the tank, he scoots over to the opposite side of some branch and the moment I come around to look at him on the other side, he just side-steps back.

 

On the subject of the Pom-Pom Xenia, it's not clear what kind of Xenia sp. this really is because it's starting to grow polyps out of it's sides...... I've come to the conclusion that the sign at LFS might have been wrong.

[FishNemo1]

nice!

[c est ma]

Josh, I'm amused to learn I'm not the only one using the "smell-test" on inert snails!

 

Also, thanks for answering the bristle worm question. Exactly my sentiments.

 

Boris, this sort of question comes up so often I've saved a file of some links and excerpts. Hope you don't mind if I post it here:

 

********************************************************

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.php

 

Excerpt: "The fireworms [aka bristle worms] that are most frequently found in aquaria may be very abundant. Even a small aquarium may have thousands of them, and they are beneficial scavengers.

 

Some fireworms often reach quite substantial sizes and aquarists are sometimes astonished to find that their tanks may contain worms over 18 inches (60 cm) in length, and with the diameter of a pencil. Most of these giants are probably individuals of the common Caribbean species, Eurythoe complanata, and are exceptionally diligent and beneficial members of the guild of scavenging animals found in our aquaria. Large Eurythoe individuals are adept at remaining out of sight in the interstices and internal cavities of reef aquarium rock work; it is often only when the tank is being remodeled or broken down that the big worms are found. These worms reproduce well in our systems and they are occasionally seen spawning copious amounts of pink sperm and eggs into the tank waters in a veritable vermous orgy. These spawning events produce a lot of gametes which are consumed by corals, soft corals and other filter feeding animals. Nonetheless, the odds of some reproductive success appear to be quite good, and Eurythoe seems to be able to maintain stable populations in aquaria indefinitely.

 

Almost all of them are either beneficial or, at least, harmless, and should not be looked upon with dread and foreboding by any aquarist. They are supremely well-adapted for their way of life; that is as a crawling animal able to exploit small spaces between and among rocks."

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-05/rs/index.php

 

Excerpt: "There are many other types of bristle worms found in marine aquaria, and I am sure the number of reported types will increase in the future as people start to use less toxic water mixes, and as shipping of live rock and live sand gets less traumatic for the animals in them. In this series of columns, I have given both the characteristics for identification, and some descriptions of the common polychaetes found in reef aquaria. Almost all of them are either beneficial or, at least, harmless, and should not be looked upon with dread and foreboding by any aquarist. They are supremely well-adapted for their way of life; that is as a crawling animal able to exploit small spaces between and among rocks."

 

http://home2.pacific.net.ph/%7Esweetyummy42/hitchworms.html

 

Excerpt: "The Amphinomidae - Amphinoids are also known as "fireworms" and have calcareous setae filled with poisonous secretions. When irritated, they erect their sharp setae which break off at a touch releasing their poisonous contents into the wound. Most species are found on corals, rocks and other hard substrata covered with attached organisms. They swim well and can be brilliantly colored. All but one species can be considered harmless and are great scavengers."

 

********************************************************

 

Not so much for you, but for anyone else following your thread who has the same question...If it's too much of a hijack, just delete it.

 

Here's the classic link for eradicating a Eunicid!:

 

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm

 

BTW, here's an ancient pic of a couple of my bristle worms, one of the longer ones (for my tank--maybe 6" or so) and a smaller one to the right of the hitcher duster:

 

 

As to regulating their numbers, I'm not sure you have a choice. If you have any in your tank they will reproduce to the level the environment will bear!

 

Emeralds do start out a bit shy, just like many other inverts we add. You will probably find the shyness dissipates over time, esp. once you get more "cover" in there (corals, macros, whatever), and ESP. if you start feeding your tank! They love food! (But of course, you want it to eat your nuisance algae. A bit of warning, though--if you do get some sessile inverts you want to feed, you will probably be better off feeding your emerald--and probably your hermits, too--first, so they won't be tempted to rob your star lps or whatever...)

 

BTW, Borneman used to have a coral forum over on Marine Depot. If it's still running you could post your "Xenia" over there and see if you get any help with the ID. It sure is gorgeous.

 

--Diane

[Hinecken]

Took me a while, but I finally got through every post in here. I must say, your photography skills are excellent, and your reef is coming along nicely.

 

As I had said in my tank thread in reply to your comment, I used to have the exact same aquarium, only in white. It worked great for me and I had less than half the filtration you are using. Your skimmer will take care of the necessary gas exchange, so don't worry too much about the depth. The only thing I would recommend is eventually upgrading to a stronger lighting set-up. Due to the depth of the tank, I feel a stronger lamp is necessary for the light to punch through to the bottom. I understand you got a great deal on the lighting and that is why you are using that particular fixture, hence me saying eventually upgrade.

 

Keep up the good work and remember to take it slow. Nothing good happens fast in an aquarium.

[dshnarw]

Wow, thanks for the post and very good advice. I've noticed that this algae is one of the fastest growers in the tank. I've already removed some of it and it just regrows back in a couple of days. I can probably completely scrape it off 2 of the rocks, but there are 2 more spots where I can not remove the rocks because they're all cemented together. I will have to deal with it by constantly removing the growth and natural control: less nutrients, more algae hunters and lighting that's good for coralline.

 

It remains to be seen if the Emerald Crab will go after it. So far him and I have been playing hide and seek. When I come over to the tank, he scoots over to the opposite side of some branch and the moment I come around to look at him on the other side, he just side-steps back.

 

On the subject of the Pom-Pom Xenia, it's not clear what kind of Xenia sp. this really is because it's starting to grow polyps out of it's sides...... I've come to the conclusion that the sign at LFS might have been wrong.

 

Just wanted to say "ditto" to all the compliments you've received thus far, and to add that I appreciate your use of pedagogy in referring to things in your tank (my mineralogy professor would put mineral names in colors, quite helpful).

[klarion]

Just wanted to say "ditto" to all the compliments you've received thus far, and to add that I appreciate your use of pedagogy in referring to things in your tank (my mineralogy professor would put mineral names in colors, quite helpful).

 

Thank you,

I started doing it because I realized that not every user will be interested in everything mentioned in any particular post, so I decided to bring out words that indicate what the paragraph is about. I'm glad you noticed. Also, I am a part-time teacher in addition to what I usually do.

[klarion]

Some Water Tests made today:

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 5ppm

Ph 8.3

CA 300ppm and that's with almost daily dosing of PurpleUp. Hmm... I'm beginning to suspect that the test isn't very accurate and I'm planning on getting a better test. Any suggestions?

[Hinecken]

Test your Alk and Mg levels. They are all closely related and must be in proportion, but definitely get a new test kit.

[dshnarw]

Test your Alk and Mg levels. They are all closely related and must be in proportion, but definitely get a new test kit.

 

+1

 

If it turns out your Ca is still low (especially in relation to alk), you might consider using some two-part Ca/alk supplements instead of Purple Up to give you better control over how much of each you add and some way of balancing them.

[klarion]

My Alk. levels have stayed fairly high between 10-12mg/L. Perhaps that's causing CA to precipitate out of solution? I will have to run more tests when I get the appropriate test kits.

 

Thanks for the input.

[klarion]

Emerald

 

Finally, I spotted this guy out in the open. He apparently realized that the most tasty morsels are in the front of the tank. Also, I noticed that some bubble algae disappeared over night. I wonder if he did that.....

[Hinecken]

CA 300ppm and that's with almost daily dosing of PurpleUp

 

My Alk. levels have stayed fairly high between 10-12mg/L. Perhaps that's causing CA to precipitate out of solution?

 

I'd put money on your Mg levels being out of sync. Dosing PurpleUp alone is going to cause you more headache than anything else. Your aquarium needs balance grasshopper. Get a good two-part solution like B-Ionic and use half the recommended dosage.

[oh my fraggin gosh!]

I'd put money on your Mg levels being out of sync. Dosing PurpleUp alone is going to cause you more headache than anything else. Your aquarium needs balance grasshopper. Get a good two-part solution like B-Ionic and use half the recommended dosage.

 

+1 on that. I read that purple up goes up in sync with the other components it supplies. There's no balancing in terms of things that are out of sync v.s. stuff like B-Ionic where you can regulate how much you put in per component.

 

I have to tell ya it's an awesome win over the algae. You're stronger than I am in terms of patience. I'd just tear my tank down and rip it apart and ruin it therefore spreading the algae problem further

[Ben314z]

Yay! Your babies are looking good! If it's babies you like, maybe you should start a frag tank full of cool stuff... heh oh the things I would do if I had more moneys and time lol. Just keep an eye on that Emerald. Some people keep them for years without any "nippage" and some people have problems with them right away. Wouldn't want to see your babies disappear along with the bubble algae. >.<

 

How are your levels doing? B-ionic is definitely a great way to maintain your levels. Have you been able to get things tested again with a different kit?