Custom ZeroEdge Coldwater Tank

[Jamie]

I cut another nem today, this time I left it attached to the rock, and it seems to be going better. It's the pink and white one in the center of the tank. If it works out, I may go on an anemone fragging frenzy.

 

-Jamie

[dshnarw]

I cut another nem today, this time I left it attached to the rock, and it seems to be going better. It's the pink and white one in the center of the tank. If it works out, I may go on an anemone fragging frenzy.

 

-Jamie

 

How are the anemones healing?

 

You're gonna have to take some pics and post them in the nem propagation thread. We need some new entertainment.

 

 

I may have just found a used chiller!!! Local club member is selling a 1/5 hp Custom Sea Life CHEAP.

[Jamie]

The anemones are not doing well at all. Of the original one I split, one has already melted, the other looks bad. The pink anemones look okay, but don't seem to be healing. They're not photosynthetic, and I can't feed them since they don't have mouths yet. I think that's the main problem.

 

Unfortunately, the tides that are during the day only happen in the spring/summer, so I won't be able to replenish my stock anytime soon. I'm just going to have to wait for mine to split naturally (which has only happened once for me). Good news is that my mini hemprich's anemones (tropical) are starting to split again.

 

-Jamie

[musicalmike]

Jamie....Those are some sweet looking nems!!!!! I need to get one of those for my tank. I see you've upgraded your tank, it looks real nice. What temp is your tank running at right now? Mine runs between 59 and 61. If your close, I'll see if I can frag you a few strawberries and send'em up.

 

Dshnarw...I have a JBJ Nano Arctica Titanium 1/10hp chiller and I love it. I live in So. Cal. so the temps are up in the 80-90's in the summer. I have pulled down the temp of my 30gal bio to 55 degrees with it.

It is a very efficient unit and worth the investment. In fact I am considering purchasing a second unit for back-up. Not that I am concerned with the quality of the unit, but just the possibility that my 15 yr old son sends a snowboard into the side of it while playing around in the house.

[dshnarw]

The anemones are not doing well at all. Of the original one I split, one has already melted, the other looks bad. The pink anemones look okay, but don't seem to be healing. They're not photosynthetic, and I can't feed them since they don't have mouths yet. I think that's the main problem.

 

Unfortunately, the tides that are during the day only happen in the spring/summer, so I won't be able to replenish my stock anytime soon. I'm just going to have to wait for mine to split naturally (which has only happened once for me). Good news is that my mini hemprich's anemones (tropical) are starting to split again.

 

-Jamie

 

Thats sad. How do they split naturally - fission, pedal laceration? I'm sure it's much more energy intensive for them without being able to feed. The one good thing about the mini carpets is that they can use the energy from photosynthesis to sustain themselves until the mouth heals, although they still lose some size until a mouth reforms.

 

Dshnarw...I have a JBJ Nano Arctica Titanium 1/10hp chiller and I love it. I live in So. Cal. so the temps are up in the 80-90's in the summer. I have pulled down the temp of my 30gal bio to 55 degrees with it.

It is a very efficient unit and worth the investment. In fact I am considering purchasing a second unit for back-up. Not that I am concerned with the quality of the unit, but just the possibility that my 15 yr old son sends a snowboard into the side of it while playing around in the house.

 

I once resembled that 15 yr old!!

 

Thanks for that bit of confidence. I'm picking up the used chiller tomorrow night, I figure with such a small tank it should be extreme overkill even if it isn't running quite at full steam anymore.

 

Well, I don't want to hijack Jamie's thread too much, so I'll post a couple questions I have over in the advanced forum topic.

[kingwintergreen]

Jamie....Those are some sweet looking nems!!!!! I need to get one of those for my tank. I see you've upgraded your tank, it looks real nice. What temp is your tank running at right now? Mine runs between 59 and 61. If your close, I'll see if I can frag you a few strawberries and send'em up.

 

I don't mean to push my way into Jamie's turf, as I know how much he has also been attempting to locate some strawberries... but I have some Aggregating nems just like the ones you speak of (I think those were the ones you wanted). I can photos if you need 'em... I'll send 6 of these guys out to you ASAP, if you send me 6 strawberries..? I'd be willing to send more, if you have more for trade. They are tank-raised and doing quite fine at 58-59F (though they have shrugged off higher temps for short periods of time with no apparent ill effect). I could do one stubby rose anemone for, say, 3 strawberries as well. Whad'ya say?

( Don't worry, Jamie, I think we can all share!)

[Jamie]

Jamie....Those are some sweet looking nems!!!!! I need to get one of those for my tank. I see you've upgraded your tank, it looks real nice. What temp is your tank running at right now? Mine runs between 59 and 61. If your close, I'll see if I can frag you a few strawberries and send'em up.

 

I don't mean to push my way into Jamie's turf, as I know how much he has also been attempting to locate some strawberries... but I have some Aggregating nems just like the ones you speak of (I think those were the ones you wanted). I can photos if you need 'em... I'll send 6 of these guys out to you ASAP, if you send me 6 strawberries..? I'd be willing to send more, if you have more for trade. They are tank-raised and doing quite fine at 58-59F (though they have shrugged off higher temps for short periods of time with no apparent ill effect). I could do one stubby rose anemone for, say, 3 strawberries as well. Whad'ya say?

( Don't worry, Jamie, I think we can all share!)

 

 

You have stubby rose?! I want stubby rose!!

 

Hehe, I think we could work out a three-way trade. Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of coldwater stuff to offer. I'd be happy to trade with tropical stuff though. Or just use good old-fashioned money.

 

Mike- Now that I've insulated my piping, the tank never gets above 61. Since I will need this chiller for my tropical tank come summer, I may buy a higher power one for my CW tank, which would keep it even colder. I'll have to look into that JBJ chiller you have, too. If it can get a 30 gallon down to 55, it would probably work for my 5.5 gal. I'm currently running a Pacific Coast Imports 1/10 hp.

 

Also, which nems are you asking about, the white and pink or green/brown and pink? I don't have a suplus of either, but the white an pink are much more common. I got the darker ones on a trip south to the newport area. I believe they are photosynthetic, along with the plain green ones, but I still feed them every day.

 

Dshnarw- fission is what I've observed, but I imagine that they have other ways as well. It'd be interesting to try fragging one of the "photoynthetic" CW nems I have, but I'm kind of hesitant now. I think I'll just feed them a lot and hope they split on their own.

 

-Jamie

[kingwintergreen]

You have stubby rose?! I want stubby rose!!

 

Hehe, I think we could work out a three-way trade. Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of coldwater stuff to offer. I'd be happy to trade with tropical stuff though. Or just use good old-fashioned money.

 

-Jamie

 

Well... I could do the three-way trade, if Mike was interested, provided we could all act on it soon (I have other trade arranged for the strawberries, if I locate some ), and I would need at least 6 of them, preferrably more, even if I "only" sacrificed the one stubby rose. I have two roses, actually, but my chances of finding those again are slim, and they are awe-inspiring (the colors are nice, don't get me wrong, but the pattern is like nothing else, tropical or temperate)-- so, I would really want a lot of strawberries for both of them. But, hey, I'm open to offers. Besides, I totally highjacked your thread, Jamie! In my defense, I did think at the time of my first offer to Mike that I was still on the Cold Nano thread! I don't have tropical stuff anymore, tropicals are for the weak ) Anyway, hopefully Mike will jump in with some input. Nice garibaldi, by the way (and gorgonian, for that matter, I'd trade the rose and throw in my sister for just a frag of that thing! Good thing I don't have a sister...)!

[musicalmike]

I'm not picky...You guys could send whatever you want and I'd be happy. It's just nice to have a variety of critters from other CW locations. I've never fragged before, so maybe you guys could tip me out. I've got a large rock (10" x 5") that has about 30+ berrries living on it. Do I just take it out of the tank along with some tank water and submerge them into a bucket together? Then use an exacto to scrape them off? It sounds like to easiest way to be, but maybe not the most beneficial.

Send me an e-mail to musicalmike1@yahoo.com with your addresses

 

How do I frag the gorg? Maybe I sould just do a search in this forum for fragging....duh!

[Jamie]

I honestly have no idea if that would work for fragging strawberries. The best way i can think of (though I don't know how fast these guys grow) would be to put a small rock next to them, let them spread onto it, and then take the rock. That could take an incredlibly long time though. You could try scraping just a couple of them off, then if they do well, scrape off more. Could you try peeling them of like regular anemones? Or irritating them so they move around? I know they're not true anemones, so I'm not sure how motile they are. For the gorg I imagine you can just cut off a branch like any other coral, but I've never fragged a gorg, so you might want to ask around first.

 

For trading I have:

1 brown and pink stripey elegantissima

1 green with white "skirt" elegantissima

(if the fragging works) 1 pink and white elegantissima

Many Sitka Shrimp (generally clear, but can change color to adapt to surroundings)

and a particularly bumpy rock, if anyone would want it

 

I also need to get rid of one of my catalina gobies, the big one is beating up the smaller one. So if anyone would like an agressive tiny fish, let me know.

 

-Jamie

[kingwintergreen]

Hey, guys. Well, what do you think of this... I could let go of both rose nems (one for each of you?) and any reasonable amount of pink/white A. elegantissima for a dozen Corynactis polyps and at least one small frag of that gorg. If you're willing to frag the gorg... the best way to do it is to sterilize (rubbing alc will do) a scissor or clipper and simply snip off a piece, out of water, and make the cut as far from a polyp as possible. Before putting the frag down or back into any water, apply a very thin coat of superglue over the cut. Then, place it in a bag and ship it to ME! I would NOT use an exacto or anything very pointy or sharp to remove the strawberries-- try gently fanning water over them in the tank to make them close up, remove the rock from the tank, and then use a sterile butterknife to work your way under them, slowly, and pry (rather than cut) them loose from the rock. Don't be afraid to use force as you push the blade against the rock, as this will ensure that it gets pushed under rather than into the polyp. They will release a lot of slime in the process which would quickly foul their shipping water, so give them a quick rinse in tank water before placing them in their bags. Just a little water in the bags is much better than too much. Don't forget a cold gelpac!

Oh, I'd supply extra elegants to Mike for you, Jamie, for that Catalina (still don't have one)...

Because of an unexpected family issue, I have to be out of state from Sat until Tue, but I really want to take care of this ASAP. However you guys would like to arrange the transfer is fine with me, so long as I don't have to ship or receive anything until Wed. Get back soon!

[Jamie]

Okay, here is a list of what I "think" everyone has, let me know if I need to add something:

 

Me: 3 elegant morphs (one of each), catalina goby, Sitka shrimp

 

KWG: pink elegants, stubby roses

 

Mike: Strawberries, gorgonian

 

So, the catalina (the shrimp too, if you want them, I have a lot) is going to KWG. In return, I will be getting a subby rose. KWG is sending another stubby rose, and maybe elegants, to Mike in return for strawberries and a gorgonian frag. I have the other elegant morphs and shrimp (if you want them) to give to Mike in exchange for strawberries. I would also really love a gorg frag, but I'm already not giving you very much, so only if you think it's fair.

 

So, in the end we will have:

 

Me: strawberries, stubby rose, and *maybe* a gorg frag

 

KWG: catalina goby, strawberries, gorg frag

 

Mike: stubby rose, various elegantissima anemones

 

Sorry for the redundancy, I just want to make sure I'm getting this right!

 

-Jamie

[jeremai]

Jamie, what kind of lighting are you using over the new tank? Does A. elegantissima harbor zoochlorellae as well, or is it just A. xanthogramma?

[Jamie]

It's a 10 coralife T-5 fixture. I couldn't find it on the light or bulbs, but I believe it is 2x18 watt. According to my book, A. elegantissima may harbor the algae Chorella, but still rely on catching prey. The white/clear and pink ones are azooxanthellate, the opaque green and pink are definitely photosynthetic. The clearish green ones may be; they have that same green iridescence that xanthos have. They may even be baby xanthos. When I collected them, xanthos seemed to be the only other species of anemone. Even if the light is kind of pointless for the anemones, I still need it for the varius macro algaes I have and the seagrass (which is still growing like mad, by the way).

 

-Jamie

[kingwintergreen]

Me: strawberries, stubby rose, and *maybe* a gorg frag

 

KWG: catalina goby, strawberries, gorg frag

 

Mike: stubby rose, various elegantissima anemones

 

Sorry for the redundancy, I just want to make sure I'm getting this right!

 

That's not redundancy, that's clarity, and I love it! Of course, Mike has yet to jump in, but assuming he's okay with all of this, I'll propose the following: I'll send 2 stubbies and 6 elegants (plus a surprise bonus to each, because I like doing stuff like that) and will receive 12+ strawberry polyps and at least one gorg frag from Mike, and a Catalina (and perhaps some cool shrimp!) from Jamie.

To save on shipping costs... Mike could send everything (both my stuff and Jamie's) to Jamie. If Jamie would ship everything (from himself and me) to Mike, I'd be willing to make the drive to Portland to do a delivery (of your guys' stuff)/pick-up (of my stuff) on Sunday Feb 10th.

Jamie? Mike?

[jeremai]

I like the way it looks. I didn't think temperate anemones get the majority of their nutritional needs from their symbionts like tropical ones do, but you seem to have the perfect balance. If I set mine up again, would you do some foraging for me next time you're out?

[Jamie]

Sounds good to me! I have to convince my parents this is a good idea though, they are worried about scary people coming from the internet to kidnap me. So don't try anything funny! Where are you located?

I don't want you do have to drive really far to get here! Of course, as of yet Mike has had very little input in this, and he's the one with the strawberries, so it would be best to wait and make sure he's okay with all this.

 

-Jamie

 

EDIT: Jeremai - didn't see your post the first time. Of course I'll forage for you! It won't be until spring though, all winter tides happen after dark. I have gone night tidepooling, but it works better, and is much safer, during the day. I might be able to convince my parents to go to Puget Sound for spring break. If we go I could get some great stuff. Still don't know if that'll be happening though.

 

EDIT2: Just wondering, KWG, do you have any pics of the roses?

[Jamie]

Very bad news in the coldwater tank world.

 

I noticed bite marks on the smaller of the two catalinas this morning. I thought nothing of it, as this has happened before, but I made a mental note to separate them after school. When I got home, I didn't see him, which was unusual. He always used to be out and about. I finally took apart the rocks this evening and found him. He was dead . I guess he just couldn't take eight more hours of harrasment. This of course, is not only sad because of the loss of a fish, but because it ruins our deal. I now have nothing to trade. I can call around to different LFS's to see if they can get one in by the tenth as a replacement, but I doubt I will be able to find one. I'm sorry this happened, I wish I had just spent the time to get him out this morning! I suppose if I can't find one, I'll just have to pay you or something. I'll call around and see what I can do.

 

:sigh:

 

-Jamie

[kingwintergreen]

That's too bad. Let's wait for Mike to chime in, I'm sure something can still be worked out.

[Jamie]

It gets worse. Today I wake up to find the OTHER goby dead. I just don't know what's happening. I thought the first died from pestering, but then what did the second die from? Could it be a disease? The "bite marks" I saw could have been ich, but I never saw them on the bigger one. I don't think it's a water quality issue, as all inverts and aemones are fine. I suppose the kelp crab could have attacked them, but he's alway been very peaceful. I don't know, do you guys have any suggestions? I'm worried about getting other fish now, if it's a disease. :sigh: I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[jeremai]

Disease is pretty much nonexistent at these temperatures; if they were sick, it was something they brought with them, and I wouldn't worry about any other fish catching it. But I think there's a much larger culprit. Crabs have a tendency toward sudden violence - I had two hermits that were fine for a few months then suddenly started nipping off the tentacles of my anemones.

 

What did the 'bite marks' look like?

[musicalmike]

Sorry for the delay guys. You have to bear with me as I have so many things going on on right now, I don't always have the time to get to a computer. Sorry to hear about the goby deaths. Sounds to me like the crabs got them. Although who knows, becasue I have two Cat gobies and a few crabs as well and they seem to co-exist well. If you really want a Cat goby, you can get one here http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...tid=155&N=0

I bought one at the LFS and I captured one while SCUBA diving @ Catalina in the summer. They are a very colerful fish....for CW.

I have no problems with scrapping the berries off the rock and sending them to Jamie. In fact, I will just send the entire rock and you can pick them off and split them when they get there. The rock does have some hair algae growing on it though, so I'm not sure if your gonna want to put it in your tank like that. Maybe you can scrub it if you do. Anyways, I'm heading to Vegas this weekend (whooohoooo) for the Super Bowl and I won't be back until Wed. So I will send them Thurs or Fri. As far as the Red Gorg. The particular piece I have in my tank is something I wouldn't feel right about cutting. However, I will get you a piece next time I go diving. Send me your e-mail

[Jamie]

Jeremai - The "bite" marks looked a lot like ich - white, fluffy patches. I was thinking that they were little bits of flesh torn partly away, but still hanging on. I kind of doubt it was the crab because it just doesn't have the claws to kill something with. The crab itself is only 3/4 inch wide (including the legs) and it has tiny claw compared to other crabs. They're about 1mm long and flush with the legs. Oddly, the pair of legs they are on is not the longest pair, which makes me think theyre not used for "catching" things.

 

Mike, that sounds great. If you send them thursday, they'll definitely get here in time (assuming no probs in shipping). The gorg is not that important to me, and I totally understand that you don't want to kill it.

 

I also remembered that I have a couple pieces of cobble that have orange compund tunicate on them, so if either of you want some, I can throw that in, too.

 

So, Mike will send me the berries. I'll split them up, then Ken will come and I will exchange the berries, and shrimp, (and elegants, if you want them. If you want money too, that's fine. I'm not giving you very much!) for the roses and elegants. I will then ship one of the roses and the elegants back to Mike. Right?

 

-Jamie

[kingwintergreen]

Mike, that sounds great. If you send them thursday, they'll definitely get here in time (assuming no probs in shipping). The gorg is not that important to me, and I totally understand that you don't want to kill it.

 

I also remembered that I have a couple pieces of cobble that have orange compund tunicate on them, so if either of you want some, I can throw that in, too.

 

So, Mike will send me the berries. I'll split them up, then Ken will come and I will exchange the berries, and shrimp, (and elegants, if you want them. If you want money too, that's fine. I'm not giving you very much!) for the roses and elegants. I will then ship one of the roses and the elegants back to Mike. Right?

-Jamie

Mike can have the tunicate, if he wants it. But, without a gorg frag (I understand, Mike) AND without the Catalina goby (I understand, Jamie), giving up both of my stubbies is a hard sell. I'll do it, but I will want the original rock, with AT LEAST 12 adult strawberries still on it. And, Jamie, it would be nice if you could supply two of the six aggregating nems (I'll supply 4, of course). So, to reiterate:

 

1. I get rock with 12+ Corynactis (maybe some shrimp), I give two stubbies and four aggregating nems

2. Jamie gets one stubby and some Corynactis (we split number of them that exceeds 12, if it does), and gives two aggregating nems

3. Mike gives Corynactis rock, gets one stubby and six aggregating nems

 

Deal? I'll try to keep in touch, but I'll be visiting family for the next few days (I'm actually leaving soon). If you both like this arrangement, go ahead with it (Mike can send the stuff up to Jamie) and I will deliver/pick up on the 9th or 10th of Feb (hopefully both work for now, I'll have to check other plans before I can say which). In any case, Jamie will ship all of Mike's stuff (perhaps on Mon 11th). For my part, I can assure both of you that I will deliver on time and that my animals are in perfect health. Hopefully I'll hear from both of you soon...

[Jamie]

For driving all the way here from Eugene you deserve ALL the berries! I only need two or three (though more would be nice). I hardly deserve them, all I'm giving are a few aggregating anemones and shrimp. I will be able to supply at least three (one pink and two green) elegants, and if the pink one I sliced heals (looks like it will) that'll raise the number to four. Hopefully later this year I'll be able to collect some good stuff to trade so I can make it up to you guys.

 

Sounds like a deal to me!

 

-Jamie