rizakaniza Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 Tonight one of my yellow tip hermit crabs was being naughty by trying to steal a shell from some of the nerite and cerinth snails...so he is currently confined to the fuge until I can pick up some spare shells from the store...I also stuck a weird looking snail down there that was doing strange things to some of the cerinth's that have not yet come out of dormancy (or death maybe...). Currently only 1 of the cerinths has snapped to life from the batch I got from RK's. I'll wait it out another day and see what happens....in the mean time I stuck a ginourmous bag of carbon in the sump...water is amazingly crystal clear since I added that as well as adding more rubble to chamber 1 and organizing things so no more bubbles make i into the next chamber....this has contributed to water so clear I can't stop looking at it... Link to comment
timdanger Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 +1 for tripod. i love the growth on your LR. you got some great-looking coloration, it seems like. Link to comment
mkregs Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Well I bought my fixture from HD. Similar to these I suppose. Another user on here used this. Any one similar to these will do. The bulb is also from HD. Something like this. Just make sure it's the proper spectrum. I originally bought a new light for the fuge because mine was flaky since I first got it. It would randomly turn off, I would then tap it and it would flick back on, then go out again. After dealing with this for a couple of weeks I just went out and picked up the clip on. The chaeto growth is way, way quicker with the 26W bulb, I'm now cutting it back every week and wishing I had a bigger fuge. This is the fixture I use. Screw in a 6500k bulb and you have a cheap fixture that is a substantial upgrade. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 This is the fixture I use. Screw in a 65k bulb and you have a cheap fixture that is a substantial upgrade. How does it contend with saltwater? Link to comment
mkregs Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 How does it contend with saltwater? My Brother used the fixture for several months and he gave it to me a few weeks ago...there is no corrosion on it. It is a night and day difference vs the fixture that comes with the CAD set-up. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 My Brother used the fixture for several months and he gave it to me a few weeks ago...there is no corrosion on it. It is a night and day difference vs the fixture that comes with the CAD set-up. Tadaaaaa! It only cost me ~$11 at Lowes (the was for the fixture + bulb). I am using a 23 watt fluorescent for maximum Chaeto growth... Also,...I may have spotted a tiny aiptasia on one of my rocks. I'm not exactly sure yet, but if so I am going to have a syringe (and lemon juice) with it's name on it... ...on a better note it looks like one of my rocks is covered in tiny orange tunicates. Another rock of mine looks like it has a brown sea squirt on it. Not sure where it came from. At first I thought it was bubble algae. Link to comment
timdanger Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Tadaaaaa! It only cost me ~$11 at Lowes (the was for the fixture + bulb). I am using a 23 watt fluorescent for maximum Chaeto growth... Also,...I may have spotted a tiny aiptasia on one of my rocks. I'm not exactly sure yet, but if so I am going to have a syringe (and lemon juice) with it's name on it... ...on a better note it looks like one of my rocks is covered in tiny orange tunicates. Another rock of mine looks like it has a brown sea squirt on it. Not sure where it came from. At first I thought it was bubble algae. i have had great success with peppermint shrimp eating aiptasia. make sure to get the peppermint, though, and not the similar-looking coral-devouring type. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 i have had great success with peppermint shrimp eating aiptasia. make sure to get the peppermint, though, and not the similar-looking coral-devouring type. But using the syringe will be so much more fun...muahahaha! ...I can't even imagine what the pharmacists response will be when I say, "I need to inject lemon juice into my aiptasis." Link to comment
mkregs Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Tadaaaaa!It only cost me ~$11 at Lowes (the was for the fixture + bulb). I am using a 23 watt fluorescent for maximum Chaeto growth... $11 well spent! Now, if you put that light on a cycle that is opposite your main tank lighting, you'll be all set. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 $11 well spent! Now, if you put that light on a cycle that is opposite your main tank lighting, you'll be all set. I'm going to experiment with a 24hr lighting in the sump...I hear the macro algae growth benefits really outweigh the PH swing. Link to comment
Deleted User 6 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 But using the syringe will be so much more fun...muahahaha! ...I can't even imagine what the pharmacists response will be when I say, "I need to inject lemon juice into my aiptasis." She's going to say, "Sir, stay here while I call the police on your heroin-addict ass." Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 I just noticed two amazing things today. The first one is this: An orange sea squirt on one of my rocks! The second is the strangest thing I have ever seen. I was gazing at my sump and watching my hermit crab who came running towards my direction when he saw me. I noticed some weird arms on the back of his shell. It turns out there is a tiny anemone living in a hole on the very back of this guys shell! When he stops moving it puts it's tentacles out and waves them around. It's really too small for my camera to capture. I'm not exactly sure what to do in the case that it is aptasia. I think I am going to have to entice him to change shells and dispose of the unwanted guest. Update: I just dropped a larger shell in the sump and the hermit crab literally leaped into it within minutes. I think he felt like there wasn't enough room for him and the anemone in that one tiny shell... Link to comment
Deleted User 6 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 The tiny anemone might be a barnacle. Does it have a white shell-looking thing around it? I had a cerith that had one on the back and it came from Reefcleaners. Link to comment
becact Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Looking good so far! Don't worry about the algae, it will all stabilize with time. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 The tiny anemone might be a barnacle. Does it have a white shell-looking thing around it? I had a cerith that had one on the back and it came from Reefcleaners. Nope. No white shell, just slightly yellow tentacles protruding through the small hole in the back of the now abandoned hermit shell. I watched it for a little while and the tentacles were picking up pieces of sand and rubble and lifting them. That's just amazing power for such a tiny creature. I am in amazement. Looking good so far! Don't worry about the algae, it will all stabilize with time. No worries, my CUC is really doing there job. It's amazing how clean they are keeping it at this point. I may need to pick up an emerald crab though. I have a slight bubble algae. It seems one of my failed extracions caused a slight outbreak. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Wow! I am so absolutely amazed with the life that has come with my rock from Sea Life Inc. Tonight while examining my LR with a flashlight I stumbled across what seems to be a single arm of what appears to be a tiny "condy" anemone. I can't really see the base well, but it seems to be wedged in a crevice of a rock. Not sure how to feel about it, but I am excited to see a new strange creature in the rock! Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 I spotted a harmless Amphiscolops flatworm in my sump today. I hear they reproduce like crazy....and make for goo fish food, so I am psyched. Also....I have been hearing a mysterious "click..click" sound all day today. It could possibly be the pistol shrimp that went into hiding in my sump area....or maybe it's one who hid in my display...I don't have evidence that it is a mantis just yet...but I hear that Pistol shrimp usually click in one's and two's so I am hopeful... Also, I added an emerald crab to solve my bubble algae problem and a peppermint shrimp to solve my aiptasia problem...Yes, btw, I did make sure to get the Lysmata wurdemanni and not the Rhynchocinetes durbanensis....so I am very hopeful it will commence all anemone eating ASAP! I wanted to mention that I think my LFS was starving the emerald crabs because my new crab began grabbing the second he landed on his back in my tank next to a rock. He's been eating nonj-stop ever since...unfortunately he has not yet noticed the yummy bubble algae on the rock next to him as of yet. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Here's some pics of the harmless flatworm: And here's a couple of the emerald crab: Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 wow Thats a monster emerald crab Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 wow Thats a monster emerald crab He's also an algae eating machine! I told the LFS to grab me a hungry looking one. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Here's a little update. My peppermint shrimp went right for the giant aiptasia that was hiding under a rock in the back of my tank and decimated it in one night. "Pepper" is still hanging out under that rock as we speak. My emerald crab has been almost nonstop eating algae throught the tank. He did not get to the bubble algae yet, but he apparently ate the two remaining shaving brush macros I had on one of my rocks. Didn't think he'd eat that, but oh well. Under my new lighting I noticed my Chaeto really took off in size. For now I separated it into two clumps. One I left in the fuge and the other I moved to the return pump chamber towards the back until I find someone in the LA area to trade with. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Not sure if I mentioned that I have been hearing clicking in my tank for the last two or three days. It seems to come in one's and two's which leads me to believe it is more likely a pistol shrimp (...I hope). I'd much rather not have a mantis in my tank. My emerald crab has been doing a good job of algae eating except that he has not yet taken sight of the bubble algae which is what I bought him for in the first place.. He's really entertaining to watch. My peppermint shrimp seems to prefer hiding. I haven't seen him except for the antennae that stick out under the LR in the back of my tank. He took out the giant aptasia in that area, but there are still two others I wish he would put in his crosshairs. I'm purposely not doing any manual feedings so these guys go digging for what is currently in the tank. Link to comment
rizakaniza Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Interesting thing happened today. I was sitting near my tank at about 4pm and my metal halide went off. I immediately looked at my controller to see if it was shut off due to high temp. Everything checked out. I waited for about 8-10 minutes and the light flickered and came back on. Very weird. Not sure what that was about. Link to comment
timdanger Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Interesting thing happened today. I was sitting near my tank at about 4pm and my metal halide went off. I immediately looked at my controller to see if it was shut off due to high temp. Everything checked out. I waited for about 8-10 minutes and the light flickered and came back on. Very weird. Not sure what that was about. uh.. that seems problematic, doesn't it?? HAVE YOU MOVED THAT ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT OUT OF YOUR CABINET YET?!?!? seriously, though -- i might mention that to eddie and see what he says about that. i can't imagine that's supposed to happen. Link to comment
Deleted User 6 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Not sure if I mentioned that I have been hearing clicking in my tank for the last two or three days. It seems to come in one's and two's which leads me to believe it is more likely a pistol shrimp (...I hope). I'd much rather not have a mantis in my tank. My emerald crab has been doing a good job of algae eating except that he has not yet taken sight of the bubble algae which is what I bought him for in the first place.. He's really entertaining to watch. Pistols are common hitchers on sealife rock. And if you don't feed the tank, that emerald will go after the bubble algae eventually. Link to comment
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