Mr. Fosi's drilled 20H

[Mr. Fosi]

Full system shot.

 

 

 

 

FTS. Coralline is creeping across the overflow.

 

 

 

 

Rics and sargassum. They are all growing... The 14K light is driving that really neat branchy morphology on the sargassum. It doesn't have the form in the lab tank and I seem to recall from my FW plant reading that blue light encourages more compact but branching in macrophytes. Not hard to believe that it might also work for macroalages.

 

 

 

 

The Madracis colonies. They are growing fast; so fast that the smaller colony is encrusting over the bubble algae next to it.

 

 

 

 

I finally broke down and bought 3 more asterina snails (I previously only had one) and two "assorted reef hermits" (I previously had none). They have been in the tank less than three weeks and you can already see a bright band of new shell growth. I guess they have plenty to eat.

 

 

 

 

What's left of the dark green "cyano" mat. I pulled out the bulk of the mat and ran 3 samples through the HPLC at the lab during our last sample run. I haven't looked at the chromatograms yet so I am not sure it is cyano but I'll be suprised if it isn't. I also ran a sample of chaeto, sargassum, a brown mat from the lab tank and some red cotton candy algae. I've already IDed and quantified the pigments from all but the green mat... If I find a couple minutes, I'll post the results.

 

 

 

 

The finger leather and the palys. They are hanging on but I don't see any growth.

 

 

 

 

The brown zoas. They are pi$$ed in this pic but they are generally happier than this.

 

 

 

 

The Acanthophora spicifera. Thankfully, the snails and crabs have enough to eat that they are leaving it alone to grow nice and big.

 

 

 

 

Not sure what these are... I am sure they are something common, I just haven't taken the time to look them up. They have popped up in 4-5 places on my rock.

 

 

 

 

My chaeto disaster. One of the Theo heaters malfunctioned and drove the temp of the system up to 90F. It was under the chaeto, so all the tissue in the immediate area was fried. I've pulled out most of the dead stuff but some is still in the tank decomposing. I'm not worried about it though; this too will pass.

 

 

 

 

The wall of one of the baffles on the incoming side of the sump. You can see that there are oodles of particulate feeders. What you can't see are all the q-tip sponges. Most of the surfaces of the sump look like this.

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking about picking up a mithrax crab for my display... I know that they are implicated in eating things other than bubble algae, but I might try my luck. If I get a good one, I'll leave it in the display until the bubble algae is mostly gone and then it will go into the sump.

 

Comments? Suggestions?

[bonsai reefer]

Foss You should come down to the buisness this week we have bo go on all corals Seth .

[Lalani]

 

^^ Colonial hydroids.

 

Tank is looking good, Mr. Fosi, we've missed ya around here!

Those Madracis look really neat... hitch hikers?

[Mr. Fosi]

Foss You should come down to the buisness this week we have bo go on all corals Seth .

 

Which place is "the business"? Fishy? That's bogo free or bogo half off?

 

^^ Colonial hydroids.

 

That was my suspicion. I've never had them before, but I kinda like them. On of the colonies got choked out by bubble algae which I thought was kinda funny.

 

Tank is looking good, Mr. Fosi, we've missed ya around here!

Those Madracis look really neat... hitch hikers?

 

I've been uber busy. Coming to the end of my third year in a few months and if I ever want to graduate I need to get serious about research. The good news is that the year of work that I just presented to my grad committee today was met with approval. Of course it isn't enough, but it is much better than nothing. Now I just need to make it through my comps in April and it'll be relatively smooth sailing until I am done.

 

Yes, the Madracis was a hitchhiker. It came in on some Gulf of Mexico maricultured rock that I bought back in 2006. The colonies were only 3-4 polyps each when I got them (you can see original pics in my 5.5g thread). It grows like a weed and can't be killed, which is good news for me. It actually bleached out pretty bad when it was moved into this tank, but you can see that it has fully recovered and continued to thrive.

[Weetabix7]

I like all the funky critters growing on your sump/fuge walls.

I have a bunch of fun stuff like that growing all over the inside of my Nano-Remora skimmer.

I think that's the kinda stuff that is encouraged to grow in cryptic fuges, jeremai would know.

[bonsai reefer]

fishy business buy one get one free till sunday .You should see some if the stuff we have in at the moment it would make even superman shakey Got a rediculus aussie acan that is phenominal. And you never know might accidently put an extra frag in the bag for a fellow nr member.

[Mr. Fosi]

I'll see if I can't find time to stop by tomorrow. I've gotta pick up a couple cheap FW fish for a planted tank at school. What time are you working?

[bonsai reefer]

11-6

 

have you heard from bastian?

[Mr. Fosi]

Not since he and his other half stopped by my place to drop off that Finnex skimmer, premature frags and pick up some chaeto. My wife and I saw his wife at Barnes & Nobel a couple weeks back but no bastian. They'll be moving back to FL before long I think.

 

I'll see if I can't jump out of school a bit early and stop by before 6. I'll browse around and see what you guys have. I haven't stopped by since I picked up those snails and crabs three weeks ago. Thanks for the heads up.

[Symbiotic]

fishy business buy one get one free till sunday .You should see some if the stuff we have in at the moment it would make even superman shakey Got a rediculus aussie acan that is phenominal. And you never know might accidently put an extra frag in the bag for a fellow nr member.

 

Where is fishy business now? I remember it used to be right off I-20, Bush River Rd maybe, some old wooden building next to a hotel? Anyway, I stopped by there on my way home from Charleston a coulpe of weeks ago and found it empty.

 

And are you guys doing a reef meeting at Star Aquatics this month (got a 2/28 mailer from Star)? I live in North Augusta and was thinking of showing up?

 

Thanks,

 

Symbiotic

[Mr. Fosi]

You're close but it's closer to I-26 on Bush River. It's in a plaza behind a Capt. D's across the street from KMart.

[bonsai reefer]

Cool see ya then.

[Symbiotic]

Thanks guys, I'll have to stop by next time I take the kids to the zoo! and if you happen to be at Star for that meeting, I hope we can meet (I think it is the Columbia Marine group, isn't that the only one in the area?)! STAR Aquatics is over in Evans Georgia (Augusta Area)

 

 

Symbiotic

[Mr. Fosi]

So I stopped by the store and bonsai hooked me up.

 

I don't remember the names... Maybe he'll stop by and refresh my memory?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last specimens are from bonsai's personal collection. I can't wait to see what else he's got waiting in the wings.

[clifford513]

Sweet new frags! I love your sargassum, btw. Gives the illusion of bird's nest coral.

[Lalani]

Ooh, nice additions. I think I have some of the zoas like in the last shot.

[Mr. Fosi]

I think the sargassum is nice too. Too bad it is over (and under!) growing my small rics. The rics are at the same time being shaded and pried up off the rock by growing "branches". I like how the 14K light causes it to grow in that very squat, branchy morphology instead of the tall, willowy one I have seen in the past.

 

Those frags are awesome for the price (~$30). I am happy to finally have come nice zoas... I have wanted some ever since I started my 5.5g but I was never able to lay my hands on any for a low enough price. They seem pretty happy in the tank, so... I'm hoping that bonsai gives me the inside track when he is ready to sell some more of his stock.

 

Also, I moved a kenya and my toadie back from the lab tank. I almost killed them when I added them to this tank the last time because I added them before the tank was settled. But they look good this time! ^_^

 

When I stopped by the school to get the kenya and toad, I took a look at the brain that is still sitting in the surge tank. It looked great as well; the lights were off and all the mouths were surrounded by tentacles. I have been keeping an eye on it and it has finally regained the color that it lost when I tried putting it in the tank too early. So long as everything else stays happy in the tank over the next week or so, I will be moving it back home as well.

 

Lastly, I need to get some epoxy so I can dremel off a couple of the frogspawn heads, and attach them so I can move them home.

 

Lots to do over the next month or so!

[Weetabix7]

Those new frags look really nice, I'm so glad Bonsai hooked you up with some nice stuff!

Hopefully you'll have better luck with zoas this time around.

If you have any issues, make sure to keep an eye on your Mg levels.

I recently had to raise mine in my tank and it was amazing how much happier all the corals got.

[Mr. Fosi]

I got some epsom salts standing by.

[bonsai reefer]

Let's see the first ones are I think bleeding hearts , the second ones are eagle eyes ( orange ) and dragon eyes(green) and the last ones are for all intensive purposes what I am referring to as darth vaders untill I can come up with an accurate name . Glad you like what I have but that is not even the tip of the ice burg . Just got 25 diffrent ones straight from japan can't wait to see them open .Glad you like.

[Mr. Fosi]

Keep me on your short list bonsai, my tax refund will be here soon.

 

Thanks for stopping by and providing those IDs again.

[bonsai reefer]

Any time.

[reefer123]

saweet closed loop. i am gonna do one just like yours! great tank!

[GiantBen]

Great looking tank. I love the scape.

[Mr. Fosi]

Thanks for the kind words guy.

 

The 'scape was more a product of my unwillingness to discard any of the rock I had rather than a well thought-out plan. However, it has turned out to be great for detritus control because there aren't any places that it can gather that I can't get a turkey baster or a siphon into.

 

As it is, I haven't has to baste yet and I've siphoned only twice. The stuff just naturally ends up in the sump, which is where I want it. Of course the sump has some rubble in it but that was also a product of mny pack-rat instinct rather than any conscious plan.

 

This is the best setup I've had by far. Everything is healthy, it doesn't require any maintenance other than the occasional waterchange and glass cleaning.

 

Pretty soon I'll be moving my big brain coral and frogspawn back in. I want to do them now, but I want to give the system time to full assimilate the new frags. I'd like to put some colt in there as well but it is just so darn hard to get to attach to rock and I don't want it blowing around.