TJ_Burton Returns - last pics...

[c est ma]

It can be easy to sex Bangaii Cardinals, once you know what to look for. Some people get caught up on the fins, thinking the more pronounced dorsal fins are a key indicator, which they are not with these fish. I have seen females that put males to shame and vice-versa. The best way to tell a male from a female is from the shape of the head/jawline. Males have a more pug, or 'squared' head, with deeper set jowls that can protrude past the body (underbelly). The males are the brooders, so they need a big mouth! It is much easier to see this on mature males, or fish that are close to maturity. Young Cardinals can look very similar without much in the way of defining features. I can not comfortably sex a Cardinal that is less then 2.5" in length.

I will attach some pics to try and emphasize my point.

 

 

 

Your montipora, by your description is probably Montipora Verrucosa. Equally as attractive as M. Palawensis but generally yellow/beige/brown in color, sometimes with red/pink/orange polyps. They look very similar and I believe Verrucosa is an encrusting type more then a plating type. I would need to double check on that last characteristic.

 

 

Yeah, M. verrucosa was my first ID for it. However...ahem...at the lfs it was showing patches of bright green on the tips of the "bumps." Those have disappeared, now. But I do love this sort of morphology, color or no...I'm going to keep both names in mind when I look into it further.

 

 

Now, the two pictures I attached of the hitchhiker (I attached two more with red circles) are two different hitchers. The first pic is the one I suspected of being a fungid. The second one reminds me of a single polyp of galaxia (or crystal coral). They all have a skeletal base, and could not be anemones. I do know which anemones you are referring to, and these are certainly not them, but I can definitely see where you got the idea from. Maybe you could help me solve the mystery!!! lol... I can't seem to find anything on them.

 

I thought the 2nd looked different! The first still could be a fungiid. Or a cup coral--I thought mine was a cup coral at first, until it detached! One of the Cup Coral genera is Phyllangia (I think I spelled that right). I'll look up more and get back to you...Another Carib hitcher with similar looks is Madracis...

 

OK, now that you mention that the second looks like Galaxea...Bill (varanus37) & I both had Galaxea-like hitchers at about the same time. Here's a thread with some pics:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=126058&hl=

 

Bill still has his and has more recent pics on his 55g thread. (I lost mine. ) Unfortunately, we're still not sure of the name!

 

 

Ok, to try and explain how to sex Cardinals better, I have incorporated some pics.

 

Now, I have attached a pic of what I believe is a female, and outlined her head and jowls in yellow. Then over top of the same picture, I have drawn the males typical jowls in green (a little over emphasized but it should get the point across better). If you take a look at the pics of my male and female again, you may be able to see the difference after consulting this diagram.

 

I also attached a pic of a brooding male, and a female together. You can see in this pic how the dorsal fins on the female are longer then that on the male. This is just to show how this is no real indication of sex. The following pic is a male (centered) with two females and another males around him. I marked males with red, and females with green. Again, this is from what I can tell. I am not saying I am 100% correct.

 

Now, This is all from experience and my own observations, as well as from my friend who is currently breeding these fish. I may or may not have a good grasp on how to sex these fish, and any input from someone more experienced would be appreciated.

 

TJ, all that info and the pics were just super! Thanks so much! I really love your tutorials! (Unfortunately, I'm thinkin' my next tank will be too small for Bangaiis. )

 

Are you going to try to raise the babies when your male releases them?!

 

* * *

 

Nice job on catching that eunice face! I'm sure you've seen what Chuck Raabe has to say about this family here:

 

http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchworms.html

 

Apparently, they're not all bad. I can appreciate not wanting to take a chance, though.

 

--Diane

[SeeDemTails]

Nice montis, I dont have scientific name for it, but we see them all the time on our FL rock.

 

nice pic of the orchid too!

[SPS20]

Do you have a refugium? Put the Eunice worm in there, IMO. I wouldn't be able to kill it, they are just too neat. I had one in my 120 years ago, and he only ever caused problems for corals placed right near the mouth of his little cave. They don't seem to like to roam far for food. So, I would just plop a food pellet in the mouth of his little cave every few days, and that kept him well fed enough that he never felt the need to roam too far and discover all the other tasty corals in the tank.

 

Of course, I may have just been lucky, and flirting with disaster, I don't know. However, I do think Eunice worms are reputed to be worse than they really are. They will eat corals, but IME they don't generally decimate entire tanks unless they are starving.

[TJ_Burton]

TJ, all that info and the pics were just super! Thanks so much! I really love your tutorials! (Unfortunately, I'm thinkin' my next tank will be too small for Bangaiis. )

 

Are you going to try to raise the babies when your male releases them?!

 

* * *

 

Nice job on catching that eunice face! I'm sure you've seen what Chuck Raabe has to say about this family here:

 

http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchworms.html

 

Apparently, they're not all bad. I can appreciate not wanting to take a chance, though.

 

--Diane

 

I appreciate the link, I was actually trying to find that web page earlier!

 

 

Nice montis, I dont have scientific name for it, but we see them all the time on our FL rock.

 

nice pic of the orchid too!

 

Thanks! I have noticed a lot more (upwards of 50) in my tank so far. Hopefully they are not aggressive corals.

 

Do you have a refugium? Put the Eunice worm in there, IMO. I wouldn't be able to kill it, they are just too neat. I had one in my 120 years ago, and he only ever caused problems for corals placed right near the mouth of his little cave. They don't seem to like to roam far for food. So, I would just plop a food pellet in the mouth of his little cave every few days, and that kept him well fed enough that he never felt the need to roam too far and discover all the other tasty corals in the tank.

 

Of course, I may have just been lucky, and flirting with disaster, I don't know. However, I do think Eunice worms are reputed to be worse than they really are. They will eat corals, but IME they don't generally decimate entire tanks unless they are starving.

 

Josh, I do have a fuge, and I do not plan on killing the Eunice worm. He isn't large enough to take out any fish, and I currently do not have any shrimp, and my snails have moved right passed his home while he was working away on it without any confrontation. I highly doubt he is causing any trouble at this point.

 

I have not seen him expose more then <1" if his body, so A: I don't know how long he is, and B: I don't think I can remove him without killing him. I am by no means a fan of unknowns in my tank, and I would love to throw him in my fuge (I only tend to ''discard'' unwanted predatory crabs, and fireworms).

 

I will play with him a bit tonight, see if I can't get him to come out a little further. I will give him a shrimp pellet and leave it 5" away from his chamber. He is a rock burrower, and has made a tube out of mucus and rock rubble. I am not sure which type he is at all, but I am hoping for the best. The second I see him hurt a coral, he is coming out; I don't care if it is in one piece or twenty.

 

If I do manage to remove him, I will take some good quality macro photos and see if I can't ID him with the guide found on the website Diane linked for me.

[brshriver]

If you do manage to raise some bangais, please post your results here! I have a breeding pair but the young never survive in the community tank. I am setting up a 60 gallon fuge for them and have two urchins for it already. I'll move the bangai pair in right after a hatch out. They spawn every month. I hope to be able to raise some in the fuge. The LFS has had some success with their breeding pair feeding the young cyclopeze from the word go.

[GrandeGixxer]

Looking good TJ! Looking forward to seeing the Montis color up. I would get the eunice out ASAP. I know a few people in my area that have had them take out zoa colonies, fish, and all sorts of other things. They are not worth having around for sure.

[TJ_Burton]

If you do manage to raise some bangais, please post your results here! I have a breeding pair but the young never survive in the community tank. I am setting up a 60 gallon fuge for them and have two urchins for it already. I'll move the bangai pair in right after a hatch out. They spawn every month. I hope to be able to raise some in the fuge. The LFS has had some success with their breeding pair feeding the young cyclopeze from the word go.

 

Not a problem. I am not going to get any young any time soon. My pair is not officially a "pair" yet and I am sure they are still too young to produce viable eggs. However, when I do get a batch going, I promise to post every step of the way!

 

Looking good TJ! Looking forward to seeing the Montis color up. I would get the eunice out ASAP. I know a few people in my area that have had them take out zoa colonies, fish, and all sorts of other things. They are not worth having around for sure.

 

Believe me, I want it out. It is just in a very unaccessible area. I don't want to take rocks out (the bottom rock no less) to remove him in tact. If I can't coax him out far enough then I suppose I will just have to dismantle him to get him out. If I remove the head I am assuming it will die.

[TJ_Burton]

Well, tonight was an interesting night. I decided to see what the ol'Eunice was up to, and waited until 2am to do so. I caught him in several random acts of mischief that have led to my deciding on his immediate removal by whatever means necessary. For example, he attacked: starfish, nassurias & turbo snails, as well as my hemostats. I took some pics and will post them with titles to explain the situation.

 

In this photo, you can see the tunnel he has created (you can make out his body between rubble) between the rock and the Milli Frag base.

 

I decided to move the base to get better access to him.

 

Here is a photo of him right before he bites the brittle star

 

This photo is to show how far he is willing to come out. However he was out almost 6" and seemed to have no end.

 

The setup

 

His curiosity

 

He bites the hemostats

 

He moves into perfect position!

 

Annnnnnd! I missed him DAMMIT!!! I caught a small buried piece of coral rubble that I couldn't see under the sand as I closed the hemostats... He literally got stuck for only a second and then moved up to free himself. I am very frustrated as it was at least a 15min wait for him to come out that far.

 

I may attempt a bottle type trap with food of some sort, however I don't know how I could get him far enough in it that I could remove him in tact. I would like to keep him in the fuge, but he has to come out one way or another, and FAST!

[c est ma]

Well, great story & pics, anyway! Were you holding the hemostat in one hand and the cam in the other?! Nice job!

 

Changing the subject, I guess we thought you were going to have cardinal babies since you referred to your "brooding male" in one pic. Do you think he would brood infertile eggs?

 

--Diane

[TJ_Burton]

Well, great story & pics, anyway! Were you holding the hemostat in one hand and the cam in the other?! Nice job!

 

Changing the subject, I guess we thought you were going to have cardinal babies since you referred to your "brooding male" in one pic. Do you think he would brood infertile eggs?

 

--Diane

 

For your first question, Yes I was double fisting! I took pictures with my left hand, and had the hemostats in the right hand.

 

Secondly, the pictures of the brooding cardinals were posted by brshriver!!! I think you were a little confused since he made it sound like a continuation of my first post.

[reefone]

good luck with the worm i had one and it would eat zoos and crabs. the thing would never leave it rock fully. i tried everything to get it out but ended up having to take the rock out and crack it open to get him. i could swear i read if u cut it in half it will make 2 worms. so u might want to check on that.

[TJ_Burton]

good luck with the worm i had one and it would eat zoos and crabs. the thing would never leave it rock fully. i tried everything to get it out but ended up having to take the rock out and crack it open to get him. i could swear i read if u cut it in half it will make 2 worms. so u might want to check on that.

 

well my plan was to pinch him in the hemostats and just hold him there till he fatigued and crawled out of the rock to try and escape the hemostats. I was literally just going to leave him pinched in there all night if I had to.

 

I was thinking I might be able to set up a small container (with a lid, like a peanut butter jar or something) fill of sand and LR rubble, and hide food at the back of it. I would drill a small hole (just large enough for him to get into) in the lid and place it in front of his cave and wait till I saw him get into it. The hope is he would crawl all the way into it, and feel that it is safe like his cave. Either that, or it would give me enough time (without him seeing) to pinch his butt in the hemostats.

 

I will keep you updated as to what happens!

[c est ma]

For your first question, Yes I was double fisting! I took pictures with my left hand, and had the hemostats in the right hand.

 

Secondly, the pictures of the brooding cardinals were posted by brshriver!!! I think you were a little confused since he made it sound like a continuation of my first post.

 

<slaps forehead> Jeez, I didn't notice that even tho I reread that post several times!

 

(Hey, brshriver, thanks for the pics! )

 

--Diane

[TJ_Burton]

<slaps forehead> Jeez, I didn't notice that even tho I reread that post several times!

 

(Hey, brshriver, thanks for the pics! )

 

--Diane

 

lol, no worries Diane.

[Greenstar]

well my plan was to pinch him in the hemostats and just hold him there till he fatigued and crawled out of the rock to try and escape the hemostats. I was literally just going to leave him pinched in there all night if I had to.

 

I was thinking I might be able to set up a small container (with a lid, like a peanut butter jar or something) fill of sand and LR rubble, and hide food at the back of it. I would drill a small hole (just large enough for him to get into) in the lid and place it in front of his cave and wait till I saw him get into it. The hope is he would crawl all the way into it, and feel that it is safe like his cave. Either that, or it would give me enough time (without him seeing) to pinch his butt in the hemostats.

 

I will keep you updated as to what happens!

 

 

kinda a crazy idea, but if he could eat a mysid shrimp whole you might try place a small size 20 hook on some 1 pound test. When he eats the mysis just hook him and keep the line tight, you can probably pull him out of his home as long as the line stayed taunt for a while. I know probably not the greatest idea, but worth a shot if the hemostats fail again.

 

 

 

Edit: After looking at the size of the worm in the pics, theres no way that would work. Good luck getting him out

[TJ_Burton]

kinda a crazy idea, but if he could eat a mysid shrimp whole you might try place a small size 20 hook on some 1 pound test. When he eats the mysis just hook him and keep the line tight, you can probably pull him out of his home as long as the line stayed taunt for a while. I know probably not the greatest idea, but worth a shot if the hemostats fail again.

 

 

 

Edit: After looking at the size of the worm in the pics, theres no way that would work. Good luck getting him out

 

Interesting idea, however, even if he was larger I doubt it would work. I would most likely just end up tearing his face in half.

 

Update:

Got new zoa colony (pink with tan/white skirts) and two teardrop maximas. Both are gold, one is more yellow with a bright yellow rim, and the other is darker with a very thin bright green rim (almost like my blue tiger).

 

Pics coming soon.

 

I am going to try and get my prop tank up and running ASAP so I can finally aquascape my tank to my satisfaction. I have an ongoing inner battle because of my two passions. 1.Aquascaping realistic, dynamic and pleasing reef aquariums. 2.Collecting various coral morphs. Sooo you can see how these two loves can clash in a tank of limited size. I plan to keep a lot of the zoas and my acans in the prop tank, while my main tank is going to house a colorful but limited amount of corals.

 

Step one is to reseal the 20L with black silicon (this is mostly just because I like black better).

Step two plumb the damn thing.

 

It's a pretty straight forward project but I know it wont get done for like, 3 weeks or something ridiculous because I am usually tied up with something or other.

[TJ_Burton]

Here are the clams.

 

Didn't bother turning the pumps off. I will take a 'nice' pic of them at a later time.

 

[TJ_Burton]

Ok, photo crazy again. Practice makes perfect! Please let me know if I am getting any better/worse with my photography

 

NEW STUFF

 

Pink/Tan Zoa Colony

 

 

Blue Protopalys (I think)

 

Green Center Paly (this one is pretty large)

 

 

AND PRACTICE MACROS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[c est ma]

Ooooh, mucho eye candy!! Very, very nice. I esp. like the zoas macros! That red-orange, and the green that follows it, are just stunning.

 

You sure have a wonderful collection to photograph!

 

--Diane

[Nellis]

7th to last photo... are those pink zippers?

[TJ_Burton]

7th to last photo... are those pink zippers?

 

I don't follow the names of zoas, since they are somewhat ridiculous. They were good looking, so I bought them! lol... You tell me if they are pink zippers

[SeeDemTails]

Good luck on the worm!...Nice clams!

[TJ_Burton]

Good luck on the worm!...Nice clams!

 

Thanks for the encouragement, and the kind words

 

Guess what? I got my hands on a Solana!!! It is the one with the polished aluminum 150w dome thing... I don't care much for that light, but hey, it is what it is. I am going to set it up for softies!!! Possibly some clam action as well. I will post some pics of the empty tank in it's place when I get home. Probably in a new thread.

[TJ_Burton]

Did some tests today.

 

PH - 8.2

Nitrate - <10

Calcium - 400ppm

Alkalinity - 100ppm

 

Think Alk needs to come up a bit, however my calcium has gotten much better (from 325).

[c est ma]

Thanks for the encouragement, and the kind words

 

Guess what? I got my hands on a Solana!!! It is the one with the polished aluminum 150w dome thing... I don't care much for that light, but hey, it is what it is. I am going to set it up for softies!!! Possibly some clam action as well. I will post some pics of the empty tank in it's place when I get home. Probably in a new thread.

 

 

That's pretty exciting! Put a link here if you start a new thread...

 

--Diane