Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef

[Nano sapiens]

4 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

I bet they are super cute!  LFS the other day had a couple citron gobies and one was glued to the corner wall so I'm guessing it's something similar with these guys lol.  Ever since I saw c est ma's pair in her 5.5 I've wanted them.

 

If you can't get them locally, then LiveAquaria is a good source.  If you can combine with other animals, the shipping cost becomes a bit more reasonable.

[Lula_Mae]

5 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

 

If you can't get them locally, then LiveAquaria is a good source.  If you can combine with other animals, the shipping cost becomes a bit more reasonable.

Yeah I totally would've got some stuff the other day with the free shipping over $99, but the GBGs were not in stock.

[Nano sapiens]

27 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Yeah I totally would've got some stuff the other day with the free shipping over $99, but the GBGs were not in stock.

 

That is a shame.  They tend to be more available than some of the others, so I'd expect them to be in stock fairly soon.

[Nano sapiens]

GBG Male Color Changes (...love the war paint on the cheeks ).  A lot of blackening going on in the fins as well as the head area...interesting:

 

 

 

 

 

There are quite a few species within this Tigrigobius genus and it seems that not all of these that we call 'Green Banded Gobies' are the same species:

 

http://www.reef.org/enews/articles/new-species-goby-discovered-reef-data-support-research

 

A few more 'hamming it up' pics:

 

 

 

 

 

Side-by-side action (seems like one of them is always moving):

 

[Weetabix7]

17 minutes ago, Nano sapiens said:

GBG Male Color Changes (...love the war paint on the cheeks ).  A lot of blackening going on in the fins as well as the head area...interesting:

 

 

There are quite a few species within this Tigrigobius genus and it seems that not all of these that we call 'Green Banded Gobies' are the same species:

 

http://www.reef.org/enews/articles/new-species-goby-discovered-reef-data-support-research

 

I love that coloration as well!!

I'll have to check out that article, had no idea about that. 

I've always wanted to have some GBG's. 

[Lula_Mae]

On 5/25/2017 at 11:02 AM, Nano sapiens said:

 

That is a shame.  They tend to be more available than some of the others, so I'd expect them to be in stock fairly soon.

Hopefully in late July/August or so since the baby clown I brought home has ich (I hope, and not something worse).

 

1 hour ago, Nano sapiens said:

GBG Male Color Changes (...love the war paint on the cheeks ).  A lot of blackening going on in the fins as well as the head area...interesting:

 

 

There are quite a few species within this Tigrigobius genus and it seems that not all of these that we call 'Green Banded Gobies' are the same species:

 

http://www.reef.org/enews/articles/new-species-goby-discovered-reef-data-support-research

That's pretty neat, I will have to check it out as well.

[Nano sapiens]

"Mine...Brine Shrimp all Mine!"

 

 

Glutton, for sure as Ms. Pedersons stole from the Rics (again).  Notice the orange thorax stuffed with eggs, but no male left to fertilize.  Due to the short lifespan, not sure how long this one will still be a kick'in...

[Nano sapiens]

On 5/27/2017 at 11:49 AM, Lula_Mae said:

Hopefully in late July/August or so since the baby clown I brought home has ich (I hope, and not something worse).

 

That's pretty neat, I will have to check it out as well.

 

Owww, Ich is no fun...for fish or the aquarist.  Hope you can save the little guy.

[teenyreef]

On 5/27/2017 at 1:36 PM, Nano sapiens said:

GBG Male Color Changes (...love the war paint on the cheeks ).  A lot of blackening going on in the fins as well as the head area...interesting:

 

 

There are quite a few species within this Tigrigobius genus and it seems that not all of these that we call 'Green Banded Gobies' are the same species:

 

http://www.reef.org/enews/articles/new-species-goby-discovered-reef-data-support-research

Wow, I've never seen GBG's look like that!  Very cool looking. And thanks for the article, that was fascinating reading. 

[Nano sapiens]

29 minutes ago, teenyreef said:

Wow, I've never seen GBG's look like that!  Very cool looking. And thanks for the article, that was fascinating reading. 

YW.  They both look like that when they are worked up (seems like half the time).  Every day they have new bite marks that look like someone sanded wood (they're like mini-pitbulls...once they get a grip on each other they won't let go).  If I can't see them fighting, I can see the big puffs of detritus they stir up from the sand bed 

[Nano sapiens]

The current (12) Tigrigobius species (including the well known GBG) with photos:

 

http://www.fishbase.org/identification/SpeciesList.php?genus=Tigrigobius

 

Wow, most of these Tigrigobius are really nicely patterned and many have great coloration.  Too bad we don't see them more often...

 

And just about all the Western Atlantic neotropical/tropical Gobys:

 

http://www.fishbase.org/identification/SpeciesList.php?class=Actinopterygii&order=Perciformes&famcode=405&subfamily=Gobiinae&genus=&areacode=31&c_code=&spines=&fins=

 

This one ('Nine-line Goby', Ginsburgellus novemlineatus) looks to be similar to the GBG in it's choice of hibitat (Long-spine Urchin):

 

 

If anyone REALLY wants to knock themselves out with the minutiae of Caribbean Gobies:

 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267927446_Three_new_endemic_cryptic_species_revealed_by_DNA_barcoding_of_the_gobies_of_the_Cayman_Islands_Teleostei_Gobiidae

 

http://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1692&context=gradschool_dissertations

[Lula_Mae]

1 hour ago, Nano sapiens said:

 

Owww, Ich is no fun...for fish or the aquarist.  Hope you can save the little guy.

I actually took her back to the LFS Sunday night. She was getting progressively worse, swimming vertically with her nose to the ground, and I couldn't figure out the problem or how to save her.  Need to call and see if they were able to do anything for her.  I expect she might well have died that night, poor girl.

[Nano sapiens]

9 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

I actually took her back to the LFS Sunday night. She was getting progressively worse, swimming vertically with her nose to the ground, and I couldn't figure out the problem or how to save her.  Need to call and see if they were able to do anything for her.  I expect she might well have died that night, poor girl.

 Unfortunately, it happens.  Going way back, I remember driving over an hour to a LFS for my first Ocellaris clown...and then having it die two days later from unknown causes.  Good luck on the next one!

[Lula_Mae]

2 minutes ago, Nano sapiens said:

 Unfortunately, it happens.  Ging way back, I remember driving over an hour to a LFS for my first Ocellaris clown...and then having it die two days later from unknown causes.  Good luck on the next one!

Yep it was over an hour when I got her, and over an hour one way to take her back.  Plus the stuff I bought when I thought it was ich (buckets and such).  Oh well.  I'll be set up for the next one!

 

Only pet store we have here is a new PetSmart.  Yay rural living?

[Nano sapiens]

4 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Yay rural living?

 

Yay!(?)   

[Lula_Mae]

2 minutes ago, Nano sapiens said:

 

Yay!(?)   

I usually don't mind it but it can be annoying to be an hour from anything specialized lol.

[Nano sapiens]

Bye-bye, Lime!

 

Just a side note that after more than a year of giving 'Lime' LEDs a shot...they're now history (replaced by Cyan).  With my particular array, they didn't integrate well even though I tried many different spectrum and intensity combinations (Lime always tended to mute colors in the aquarium).  To my eye, the Cyan (495nm peak wavelength) produces richer coloration and still promotes a small amount of photosynthesis, so for me it's a win-win

 

This is a good example in this hobby of how 'one size doesn't always fit all'...

[Nano sapiens]

Cyan LED Update:

 

I'ts been nearly a week with the Cyan LEDs in place of the Lime and kalkwasser usage has increased by ~15% with no other changes to the tank.  Interesting that changing just two LEDs to a color that is supposedly only 'marginally used in photosynthesis' and running them at only 10% intensity made quite an unexpected difference.  Only problem, I'm now getting close to 100% Kalkwasser usage in my ATOs just to keep up with Alk and Cal demand (Birdsnests' growth, especially, took off with the addition of the Cyan)...this in a tank more than half filled with non calcifying 'Shrooms 

 

FTS next month...

[Nano sapiens]

To 'Hydor Rotating Flow Nozzle', or maybe not?  Is there really any benefit?

 

The back story is that I recently soaked my currrent rotating nozzle in bleach which did a wonderful job of removing hard algae and biofilm.  But what I didn't realize is that the internal gears that drive the rotation were already worn-in to each other based on that hard internal biofilm/calcification.  After cleaning the unit it would make 2-3 revolutions and then stutter to a stop. So after trying unsuccessfully to find one locally, I ordered two replacements online and I was faced with running the tank with just a simple output.  In order to get the flow angled up to the surface and then cascading down around the tank to help with oxygenation and cause some random currents, the easiest thing to do was to use the Hydor unit sans rotation.  Which led to the next though that since the internal gearing mechanism is not needed, can I make this long protruding nozzle shorter?  The answer? Oh yes!

 

For comparison, here's the original length nozzle (protrudes ~4" from the back wall):

 

 

...and here's the 'Mini-Me' version (little less than 2 -1/2" from the back wall):

 

 

One week in and interestingly the effect on the tank with the non-rotating 'Mini-Me' has been noted only with the Rics.  The ones that were previously directly under the rotating flow outputare now appear more puffy and 'relaxed', especially the Yumas (having the rotating flow beat down on them every 17 seconds was not so much to their liking).  As far as everything else, no visible changes and most telling is that the Alk/Ca consumption is nearly identical to when the nozzle was rotating.  Interesting...

 

Of course, in a different tank with more depth and different dimensions the rotating nozzle may be more effective than in my small 12g.  But since I am always looking for ways to 'simplify the simple', this quick fix is great 

[ninjamyst]

if u ever need them again, i have two that i dont use =P

[Nano sapiens]

16 minutes ago, ninjamyst said:

if u ever need them again, i have two that i dont use =P

 Thanks for the offer!  I've got two in the mail from Amazon so that at least I have the option of using one.

[brandon429]

hey how is that amazing fish from up top of this page doing that's the most colorful so jealous. looks plump/content

[Nano sapiens]

20 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

hey how is that amazing fish from up top of this page doing that's the most colorful so jealous. looks plump/content

You mean the two 'pork links'?

 

I feed the begezus out of them to get nutrients in the tank...so they are bloated and fat-happy  

[Nano sapiens]

9th Year FTS:

 

 

...and a few from the sides:

 

 

 

 

...and a few from the top:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I realized that I don't have single pic of my back chambers (oh, so sexy!)

 

 

 

 

 

Got a bit tired of coral fighting and then having to prune, so Last year I started to use corals to control other corals.  This Acan was bought specifically to stop the spread of the Sunset monti (on the lower left), mostly by providing shade:

 

 

I let the Setosa stretch way out to shade the Pavonas...which virtually stopped all the potent sweeper tentacles from both Pavona species:

 

 

Using Zoas to keep the Setosa and Pavona from fighting (this worked surprisingly well):

 

 

The 9^th year for this super-simple, ‘unfiltered’ little nano tank.  System wise, the only real changes this year have been gutting the Hydor rotating flow nozzle and shortening it up by 1-1/2” and replacing (2) Lime LEDs with Cyan.  I didn’t bother replacing my NO3 and PO4 test kits from the previous year since the readings were 'consistently consistent' for the last 2-3 years, but I did have a LFS check PO4 recently with a Hanna tester which showed ‘0.00’ (due to 2x/day fish and 2x/wk coral feeding, a good portion of the system’s phosphate requirement is being supplied by organic forms, so the ‘0’ result for inorganic phosphate is not unexpected).

Inverts:  Due to the short natural lifespan, I have just one big female Pederson’s Shrimp left out of three that I had ordered sometime last year.  Still have one Dwarf Zebra and a Red-Legged Hermit crab and they seem to be doing fine keeping up with the small amount of algae present.

Fish:  The biggest surprise this year was finding out that a small Green Banded Goby I had bought a while back is a second male.  Currently, both are 2” and grapple violently with each other on a daily basis (the wounds inflicted look like someone took a piece of sandpaper to them, but they heal really quickly).  Still have a single Yellow Striped Cleaner Goby and a Two-Spot Bimaculatus Blenny that likes to perch on my favorite Petroglyph Zoa colony (grrrr…), which causes the tentacles to stay fully retracted (while the fish has some real character considering its small size, I don’t think I’ll be replacing it in the future due to the irritating perching habit).

Coral:  Coral health, coloration and growth have been quite good for nearly all inhabitants.  The stony coral growth is at a point where Kalkwasser additions are getting close to a 100% fully saturated solution, so I keep this in check by gradually modifying the day length, ramp time, intensity, etc.  The mushrooms and zoanthids are doing their best to cover everything in sight.  Managing the coral warfare in close quarters has been the biggest challenge, and the easiest solution has been to use some of the branch type corals to create shade conditions underneath that considerably slow down the other, more aggressive corals.

 

Onward to the 10th year (hopefully)  

 

[Nano sapiens]

Alrighty then, due mostly to Photobucket's decision to stop 3rd party hosting of images unless one forks over a $399 annual fee, it's time to lock down this particular thread...

 

However, the silver lining is that NR has it's own image hosting and Ill use this feature exclusively for my new 9th year continuation thread as I refuse to be held hostage by ANY image hosting site, now or in the future.

 

New link:

 

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/383631-nano-sapiens-12g-ye-oldie-9th-yr-cont/