Nebthet's 57g REEF-NEW Pix! 04-19-2011

[nebthet]

Yeah I know what you mean there.. lots of algae, but I have been plucking it out and keeping some in places where my baby clowns go to hide away from the other clowns so they feel safe there.

 

I figure by the middle of summer I will have the RO/DI unit, especialy since as of Today I have a new job. I start on the 15th. Woo Hoo..

 

In the meantime, I think the skimmer will help to get extra nutrients out of the water, because I know there are a lot in there. The Coralife skimmer I have pulled out in only 12hours on my tank so you can imagine.

 

In conjunction with that I am stocking up on some phosphate remover and am getting some Kent Tech-M to raise my magnesium up. This should help to keep any bryopsis away. Of course raising the levels slowly.

 

I am going to keep my fingers crossed through all this.

 

I managed to get my hands on a remora skimmer for a decent price. Used of course.. so it should be here sometime by the end of next week. It is coming in from Florida.

[nebthet]

I have a new suprise in my tank.... can you guess what it is??? and no.. not the skimmer yet...

[nebthet]

02-06-2010 Pix:

 

My Clam

 

Big Momma and Jigsaw

 

Hermits

 

Cleaner Shrimp

 

Starry Blenny: He's already been going around nipping at the algae in the tank.

[bruce922]

Looks like your tank is doing very well, keep the pics coming!

 

 

Bruce

[nebthet]

Thanks Bruce.. It is really coming along now. Skimmer is suppose to be delivered today. They have less than an hour less. UPS SUCKS!!! and the Starry Blenny is doing a great job picking at the algae. He has a huge buddah belly on him all the time now.

[nebthet]

So I finally got my Remora skimmer w/drain in yestarday after making someone get off their butt at the local UPS office and bring it to me themselves instead of coming up with excuse after excuse for them not deliverying it to me on time.

 

I love it already. It is super quiet on my tank. No louder than my AC70.

 

It is in its break in period right now, so it is releasing a lot of microbubbles into the tank, but not near as many as the Coralife 65 superskimmer with needle wheel. I turn the Koralia3 off to confine the concentration of the microbubbles a little bit and still have the Koralia4 running.

 

It is not producing any skimmate yet. It is too wet of a skim right now as it is too wet of a skim and as the instructions state, it is best to allow it to drain into the tank for the first couple of weeks while it breaks in.

I have already noticed, a little over 24hrs later the microbubbles have lessened and the skim is getting a little dryer.

 

The microbubbles are not bothering the fish right now. That has been one of my worries for a while now.

 

I am not sure if I will keep the coralife or not. I used it about a month and it just wouldn't work well with my tank. Too loud, the rio 1100 pump with it vibrated a lot, and while it did skim very well, the amount of microbubbles it released into the tank, even with he bubble trap was terrible .. can you say white out!

 

As for the new starry blenny, he is doing very well. Getting fat! Constantly has a Budah belly on him. Sometimes I think he will explode from the shear size of it. He pics on different areas of the tank all over and there is a clear difference in the amount of algae. He is even clearing the algae from the corners of the tank where my mag-float fails. Definately a success.

I just hope he doesn't become a Mr. Hyde later on, which I have heard happens from time to time.

 

Pix in a couple of days.

[nebthet]

Time for more pix.

 

Blenny cleaning up nicely.. in the FTS you can see where on the back of the tank.

 

New skimmer breaking in nicely. Microbubbles getting smaller and fewer. Fish don't seem to care.

Dosing some Tech-M to help with bryopsis.. some corals started coloring up when I started doing this.. just following directions on bottle and dosing 12ml twice a week.

 

Moved my Crocea clam from the sand bed.. where he was attached to the bottom of the tank to the rockwork instead.. He was a little PO'd at first, but shimmied a little bit and took to his new spot.

 

 

 

This pic looking down on the same clam... just shows how more intense the green is.

 

Quarter Inch more growth on Purple tip since last month.

 

Zoas looking happier and coloring up. I even tore off a frag to trade with someone in ONT.

 

Skimmer with the drain going back in the tank, as per the instructions, for the first 2 weeks until it breaks in and starts to accumulate skimmate. Thank god for the drain, otherwise I would have been standing constantly at my tank emptying the cup for these 2 weeks.

 

FTS, where in the back you can see where the blenny cleaned.

[cmador]

 

Holy crap you aren't kidding - that guy's belly is HUGE - love it!!!

[nebthet]

Just for Sh!ts and giggles... here is a video (of my stepfather no less).

 

The Reason Why Not to Feed the Fish When a Baracuda is Watching!!

 

[nebthet]

Ok more pix

 

Bottlebrush has continued encrusting the plug over the last month. You can see the little polyps on the encrusted areas. I can't wait until this baby starts sprouting some branches.

 

My Red digi has decided it finally wishes to start growing on it's right side, while my purple-tipped takes a small break.

 

The elegance coral has gotten darker again but just as healthy as ever.

 

The purple matting of the GSP has become extremely purple. The metallic color remains. It is also starting to grow over the sand as can be seen by the babies on the bottom right.

 

These little zoas are looking better every day. I am hoping they begin to adjust well to the spot I put them in and they start to spread like my other ones.

 

Not much is happening with the monticap. It remains the light green color on top, and pink underneath. It has white polyps.

 

This guy finally has some consistant polyps extension. It was one of two frags of 10 I purchased from frag-a-jerk in Canada to survive transit, but has never grown.

 

This is the second one to survive, and has also not grown until over the past couple of weeks. It now has 1mm of new growth. This one has always had good polyps extension though.

 

Remember this little guy.. he is still doing really well. Growing slowly but surely.

[nebthet]

bump for the day people.. new pix on page 8.

[Billdemart]

Wow, those growth pictures are amazing. That Zoa colony is crazy.

[nebthet]

I was presently suprised with the zoa colony I have. Those sucker grow around aiptasia, that is how hardy they are... It's nuts.

[nebthet]

More pix... because I love taking them.

 

Zoa frag under actinics

 

Zoa colony with flash... these guys are getting nice and bright.

 

Unknown Acro#1, is branching out more in the back, but you can definately see here the improvement in the polyp extension.

 

Runt is still growing slowly, but strongly. He sticks to around the Koralia pump for safety. His tailbar is still coming in.

 

Omen is growing slowly too, and as you can see here his mid-bar is now touching and on the verge of merging soon I hope.

 

GSP under actinics

 

Dendro head

 

Green bottlebrush under actinics

 

Unknown Acro#2. This one has really started to grow in the last week or so. The last two pics of it with the white tips show the actual growth. The polyps are extended really nicely as well.

 

Lastly my digis under actinic.. my red digi is awsome red.... love it.. I am so glad it is growing more now.

 

The Remora is just about done breaking in... Since I dose in my tank I am giving it an extra week to break in since I didn't want to stop dosing during the breakin period.

 

Mrs Blenny... which I am gonna name Sam the Eagle anyways.. continues to decimate the hair algae.

The combination of the blenny and Tech-M supplimentation has really helped to control this, rather than just using Tech-M and raising mag to 1500. This seems a more natural solution and my corals are loving it.

[nebthet]

bump... any one????

[nebthet]

More pix.. taken today.. no lights on tank.. just flash to better show the polyp extension of the sps.

 

I am beginning to think this Acro is actually a tri-color. It has been coloring up over the past week. More purple on the tips now. I have been watching carefully for encrustment, which it looks to be doing on the back.

The second pic shows the back end of this same Acro where it branches off in every direction. Hopefully those will grow more too.

 

This Acro, I don't know the name for.. In just a flash shot it looks brown when it person it isn't. Where it is brown it is actually deep purple and where it is that light purple with the flash it is an almost white.

The polyps extend like crazy on this one.

 

Taking shots of the green bottle brush with the flash is a little harder because of it's position in the tank. So I had to use the burn tool to darken it a little so you could see the detail. It's polyps are nicely extended at night as well.

 

The Long Narrow. This is where I will be keeping most of my sps. It is within the half-way and up mark of the tank. Gets good flow from the K4, K3 and Remora, and it is tiered a little bit.

 

Big Momma and Jigsaw continue to show breeding behaviour from time to time, so I thought it would be a good idea to get a pot in there while I can. I am hoping she gets used to it and decides to use it. It's proximity to the elegance and the flow it gets should help. I would prefer she use this but Jigsaw is trying to get her to use the back wall instead.

 

And the babies... runt and Omen. Playing together while they can with the lights out and only a hint of daylight coming through my windows. I am glad they are doing this because once the lights come on, The two larger clowns like to keep them seperated.

 

 

Additionally, I am buying some more sps frags off of another hobbiest in the Toronto area. Reef to Reef.

he has them fragged and healed already and I should get them on Wednesday, so I am excited about that.

 

- Red/Orange MontiCap $10 (2" - 3")

- Rainbow Monti - $10 (1"-2")

- Pokerstar Monti - $10 (1"-2")

- Monti Confusa - $10 (1.5" - 2.5")

- Acro Tenuis - $10 (2" - 3.5")

- True TriColor Acro -$15 (2.5" - 3")

- Acro, drk gr base, bright purp tips & blk plps ! - $10 (1.5" - 2.5")

- Tri col Acro, tan base w/ bright purple tips w/white polyps ! - $10 (1" - 2")

-Thin branching acro, neon green w/white highlights ! very fast growing - $10 (2" - 4")

 

I am also getting two chalices.

- Toxic Chalice -$10 (1.5 - 2.5")

- Multicolor Chalice -$10 (1.5 - 3.0")

 

 

The person I am getting them off of is also throwing in some freebie frags to make up for shipping cost which I thought really cool.

You can see pics of the frags here.

 

So overall I am all excited.. I am not sure if the skimmer is really helping with the health of the SPS yet since it is still breaking it and still draining back into the tank, bu through some polyfill first. It is taking longer for the skimmer to break in for me because I use water conditioner and additives and I wasn't gonna stop doing that.

 

Please let me know what you think.

[nebthet]

Got my new frags in the mail today from a fellow Ontario Reefer.

 

Red MontiCap. This one has a nice bright red coloration under the actinics. I can't wait to see it grow.

 

The one on the left is new. I am not sure which one it is, but figure it is one of the tricolors. Time will tell as it colors up.

 

This one has more of a bluish tinge than a purple with a bit of a green base to it. It is very nice looking and polyps have extended out already.

 

This is the green thinbranching deepwater acro. It has a really nice light green coloration and even more so when under actinics. It didn't come on a frag plug, but I found a place for it, and hope it will encrust without issues.

 

Two of the newer frags. I am almost certain the one on the right is a tricolor. Don't know what the one on the left is. It has a bluish tinge too. I am gonna have to buy an army of peppermint shrimp to deal with the aiptasia.. it is beginning to drive me nuts.

 

The one on the left is new. More than likely another tricolor.

 

The two new chalices. Toxic on the left and Multicolor/Rainbow on the right.

 

This is a purple encrusting montipora.

 

This was one of the freebies I was sent. I think it is a superman monti... I have another frag of the same to that was also sent.. It is larger, but a little paler.. I am holding it for another reefer who wants to try his hand at sps.

 

The larger of the same type of frag.

 

I accidentally broke a branch off my purple tipped monti.. The tip is sitting vicariously on the live rock right now but not sliding anywhere so it will either encrust there or I will be giving it to Systemtool as well.

It is a fast growing sps so I am not worried much and the digi is no worse for where.

 

View of the long narrow with the new Acros added. Much nicer looking now.

 

Now... One thing I will say.. I hate hate hate hate hate ... reef epoxy. That crap just doesn't like to stick. It is a pain in the arse and when it does stick a few months later the frags loosen off the rocks. Grrr. They need to make something a lot better than that stuff.

[nebthet]

bump

[TheStar]

Looking really nice. What are you feeding the Acros? Is that some aiptasia between the two chalices?

[nebthet]

I put in some reef roids once every couple of weeks, but am dosing Coral Accel.

 

Yes, that is aiptasia between the chalices, the stuff is everywhere in my system. I am trying to get some berghia nudibrachs at a reasonable price to deal with it, but finding a place in Canada who sells them at a reasonable price (like around $15 each) is hard and a few of us are trying to get our local seller in Gananoque to get them in, but he has been a no go for that.

 

The places that do have them in Canada right now want $28 to $40 per animal, and that is just highway robbery.

 

I emailed Salty Underground because they were able to ship them to Canada in he past and they told me they applied for the permits to be able to ship to Canadians again, but the process is a long one. I am hoping they come out soon because I need the little animals and if I went with Peppermint shrimp there is no guarantee they would eat the aiptasia.

 

Joes Juice hasn't worked and neither has AiptasiaX, the later will get rid of them for a week and a half and then the same aiptasia suddenly reappears, same spot, same size it was before. So that suff is not a permanent solution.

[nebthet]

Pix Update: All the new sps and chalices seem to be doing well. The only one not is the monti confusa, but it is hanging in there and I hope it will encrust then color up. Time will tell.

 

First for the fish.

 

Runt is still small, but has learned his place in the hierarchy of the tank and is not picked on as much as before. At least he is not alone in the one corner any more but Omen joins him most the time.

 

Omen is doing well and continues to color up. I find it interesting how the development of colors of clownfish differ when they are in a tank by themselves compared to when they are in a tank with other clownfish of the same species. It seems there development is a lot slower color and size wise when that happens. As long as they are healthy I am happy though. It a couple more months I will have had them for a year.

 

Jigsaw is the main bully of the tank. He puts Omen and Runt in their place all the time. At least it is not as aggressive as it could be. He shows pairing/breeding behaviour with Big Momma. Time will tell if they will be successful.

 

Big Momma always boots around the whole tank. She also puts the younger ones in their place from time to time, and can be a little more aggressive than Jigsaw, but the babies have learned how to quickly get behind the live rock where she can't reach them.

 

Sam the Eagle, named after the muppet character she resembles, continues to boot around the tank eating algae and some flake food.

 

The Xenia in my tank is making a come back now. I am hoping it continues to grow and spread more. I really like the stuff. One day I may regret these words but right now I don't. I have major algae and aptasia issues so Xenia is the least of them.

 

These pink eyes zoas are doing really well now from what they were a month ago. They have grown bigger and so have their skirts. I am really happy about that. I find it rather interesting because my skimmer is draining back into the tank, from the collection cup drain, but through some polyfill first, so I have to wonder if the improvement is the skimmer or the additives. Hmmmmm.

 

Duncans are happy as usual. Once I get the aiptasia issue in my tank resolved I may move them to another area so they can spread more.

 

Mr Clam has been slowly shifting himself closer and closer to the sand every day. I am hoping he stays in this spot rather than going to sand. I don't want him to attach to the tank bottom.

 

The Chalices are doing well. The aiptasia that was right beside the green chalice has decided it doesn't like to touch it and has shrunk. Hmmm... Makes me want to buy a hundred chalices to put every where there is aiptasia. LOL.

 

This encrusting monti is doing ok. Keeping it's color. It is more of a blue/purple with red polyps than my pic shows.

 

This is a multicolor monti, very close to the superman monti. It's colors have brightened within the last week and the red polyps are starting to show more. When I put it in it's place I accidentally turned it so the larger piece is turned away from the front of the tank, so I hope it starts growing a bit faster.

 

The Red MontiCap is doing well. The sides have colored up and are showing new polyps, so I can't wait to see how it will grow when it does start.

 

I am not sure which type of Acro this is. I am thinking a blue tenuis. It's polyps are slowly coming out. Don't mind the bit of algae string on it. It came loose after the pic was taken.

 

This Acro, I think it is the cereulus or something like that... It is continuing to grow nicely and slowly encrusting the plug it is on.

 

This one fell off the top where it was beside the green bottlebrush. It is rather hardy as it didn't faze the coral one bit. I am thinking this is one of the tricolors, or another tenuis. eventually as it grows I will figure it out.

 

The Green Bottlebrush is doing very well. It is now developing new branches and encrusting more on the bottom portion.

 

The Green Thin Branching Deepwater acro fell off of where I puttied it. I hate epoxy.. hate hate hate it.. but at least it is happy where it fell so I am gonna leave it there. It's polyps are out. So I am taking that as a good indicator and it hasn't lost any color.

 

On the left, my purple tipped digi has healed very quickly where the one branch broke off. The middle one is another blue tenuis I think, and the one on the right is the true tri-color. That one fell from it's epoxied place originaly and I replaced it there.. that is how I broke the digi... but it hasn't moved since and it now has the black polyps extending so it appears happy there. No RTN showing from where I handled it so a super healthy frag.

 

Another tri-color on the left is doing nicely with polyp extension now. The unknown on the right is really growing now. At least 1 to 2mm in the last week and a half. The tips have become a dark bluey purple and the rest is more of a flourescent white. It is even encrusting on the base more. I am happy to see this after more than a year having it in my tank. The second pic is a shot of it from the back.

 

 

Over all the tank is doing ok.. I have emailed berghia.net and they have confirmed they can ship their nudis to Canada without issues so I am gonna be making a good order for a few of them to get rid of the aiptasia in my tank. Then I am gonna get an emerald crab to try to take care of that darn bubble algae.

[Degener8]

Man i love that purple encrusting Monti.. its HOT!!

 

as for the emeralds try to request em small and young. They seem to be reported to eat the bubbles better than more mature emeralds.

[nebthet]

Thanks.. I like that monti too. It was one of the extra ones that came in the order I had and can't wait to see how it does.

 

Thanks for the tip on the emerald. I had heard they can get a little mean on the acros when they are bigger so I will look for the smallest one I can find.

[nebthet]

bump for daytime readers. Please let me know what you think. yes.. I know I have an aiptasia and bubblealgae issue.. LOL .

[nebthet]

The tricolor on the right is already beginning to grow. On the lower branch there is a purple bulge beginning to grow point up.

 

Just a couple of shots of another tricolor and my one unknown sps that is growing very rapidly now. It's colors are getting bluer.

 

The green montiCap is doing just fine. It is attaching itsself to another rock now and continues to develop new platelets.

 

The deepwater branching in the background seems to like where it has fallen. It has nice flourescent green color. The red digi continues to grow as does the purple. You can see where the broken area was and that it is going to start growing back out.

 

The clam has made it's way back down to the sand again.

 

The Cardinal is doing well. I still need to find a male for her.

 

My pink eye zoas being all happy.