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msscha's 24 gallon office cube


msscha

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Tuesday Morning and...

 

Everyone is accounted for! The only issues were the astrea once again tipped over. I righted it, and it's moving some, but I do wonder why this is happening every day. The tubipora had tipped onto the duncan. The duncan heads are pouting a bit, but not burned, and the tubipora is already open and waving about. I thought the shrimp had cloned itself! It molted over the weekend, and the molt still is quite brightly colored. Even the antennae molt -- it's so interesting.

 

We enjoyed lovely weather on Saturday, with raining starting around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning -- it pretty much hasn't stopped since. We need the rain, so it is very welcome, and we didn't get any of the strong sides of Beryl, so I used it as an excuse to do NOTHING all weekend!! Hang out with family, shop with daughter (who discovered shopping can be tiring :lol:), watch TV, sleep in. Did get my side garden finished -- moved an arbor to make a proper entrance, finally put down mulch. Just in time for rain. Altogether, an entirely satisfying holiday weekend -- and no tank mortalities to contend with upon returning to work!

 

Hmm -- I think I may need to get a new snail or two. I can see algae starting to accumulate on the back wall and rock -- this hasn't happened in ages. Not sure what the lifespan of a snail is, but I'd say the astrea is not doing much algae-eating at the moment.

Edited by msscha
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I think my trumpet coral is sick. The stalk is turning brown and the heads have developed deep striations. I'm not sure what to do. I posted in the coral section to see what people recommend.

 

Sick Trumpet?

neongreen_trumpet_sick.bmp

 

On impulse, decided to post a pic of the FW at home. This tank is about 35 gallons -- currently has a variety of tetras and some cory cats, fake and real plants, and one pleco of a breed that actually stays pretty small. When the tetras die, I will remove the cories and pleco and convert to SW -- probably a FOWLR, with macro and schooling fish. Something easier than what is at work, though, since I'm not home as often.

 

FW Tank

fwtank.bmp

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Not sure about the trumpet, sorry.

 

Nice fw tank though. That sure would look good as a sw tank, schooling fish are nice but if i did a fowlr i'd get a puffer, probably a green spotted or a figure 8.

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The trumpet doesn't look sick to me, but you are the one who sees it every day, so you can tell when it changes. Have you tried target feeding it? That always makes mine super-happy.

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Any chance it's just growing? My frogspawn has had a bit of receding in the tissue at the base the last few weeks, and I was kinda freaking out, but it's still acting super happy so I think it's just growing. Not the same coral, but still LPS, and I had the same thing happen with my torches awhile back, it seems like.

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The trumpet doesn't look sick to me, but you are the one who sees it every day, so you can tell when it changes. Have you tried target feeding it? That always makes mine super-happy.

I just read about target feeding, something that I hadn't been doing specifically. I will give that a try!

 

Any chance it's just growing? My frogspawn has had a bit of receding in the tissue at the base the last few weeks, and I was kinda freaking out, but it's still acting super happy so I think it's just growing. Not the same coral, but still LPS, and I had the same thing happen with my torches awhile back, it seems like.

That may be the case! While I was surfing for info yesterday, I came across several pictures that showed brown stalks, too, especially on older clumps. Maybe the green was a sign of having been recently fragged? It certainly seems generally happy...

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Just hanging in there this week! Kids have lots of end of school activities, so mostly I am in my chauffeur role :D. Had a few close ups I wanted to share.

 

Duncan

duncan_closeup3.bmp

 

Rics

bluegreenrics_closeup.bmp

 

FingerLeather

fingerleather_closeup1.bmp

 

Orange Ric

orangeric_closeup.bmp

 

Tubipora

tubipora_closeup1.bmp

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So, so pretty! Especially that tubipora pic.

 

What's the flow like in your tank? I'm having all sorts of organizational issues with who goes in what flow and what light. Do the tubiporas like strong flow?

 

How's the trumpet doing?

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So, so pretty! Especially that tubipora pic.

 

What's the flow like in your tank? I'm having all sorts of organizational issues with who goes in what flow and what light. Do the tubiporas like strong flow?

 

How's the trumpet doing?

Thank you! The trumpet is "fine" insofar as there is no change. Maybe it's just what it looks like as it ages? I'm going to pick up some different foods and see if that helps.

 

The only flow in the tank is produced by the pump -- I just changed it a couple of months ago from the stock pump that came with the BC. I know the manufacturer is Marineland, but I can't think of the model # (I'm at home today, so can't check by just looking). The output nozzle in the tank points off-center, diagonally, with the nozzle aligned horizontally and flow shooting just under the top of the water -- there is some movement on top, but no "boiling" or serious bouncing. The alignment produces good flow throughout the tank, with the strongest in the front right corner and along the right side wall. The tubipora actually sits just off this strong flow, in an area that gets constant gentle movement but is not whipped around (whereas the single little clump of xenia I have looks like it's sitting in a strong wind all the time). Honestly, there's been no bad place where I put the tubipora, but it has never been in a spot with "low" flow.

 

Unless a coral is in the shade, everywhere in my tank gets at least moderate lighting. The acans definitely like being a bit higher up, and I think the zoas probably did, too, though they are okay where they are.

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chrssprngs

Your trumpet coral looks fine. It has nice tissue coverage. As the coral grows and splits the polyps become defined and you will notice the exposed skeleton as it grows. With declining health, the exposed skeletal section fo the coral will move closer and closer to the polyp head. I have seen this progress to the point that the polyp becomes completely detached from the skeleton. Your trumpet has nice tissue extension down the branch. Nothing to worry about.

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Your trumpet coral looks fine. It has nice tissue coverage. As the coral grows and splits the polyps become defined and you will notice the exposed skeleton as it grows. With declining health, the exposed skeletal section fo the coral will move closer and closer to the polyp head. I have seen this progress to the point that the polyp becomes completely detached from the skeleton. Your trumpet has nice tissue extension down the branch. Nothing to worry about.

Thanks so much for your message! I very much appreciate the information and reassurance :).

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No wonder your softies look so happy. I have a hurricane going on in my tank compared to yours - and it's a problem with some of my corals.

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kugelblitz
Thanks so much for your message! I very much appreciate the information and reassurance :).

You have beatiful tank! Going to start my 14 shortly waiting on some items. Going to start a thread but unsure how to post pics anyway your tank shows your talent for saltwater and the freshwater tank is killer! good luck

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You have beatiful tank! Going to start my 14 shortly waiting on some items. Going to start a thread but unsure how to post pics anyway your tank shows your talent for saltwater and the freshwater tank is killer! good luck

Thanks so much, kugelblitz, and welcome to NR :welcome:!

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Going to start a thread but unsure how to post pics

The "trick" to posting pics here is that they must be uploaded from a web-based program such as flickr, picasa, photobucket, etc. OR from a a web-based account that can provide the picture with a unique URL. I think the format must be .bmp or .jpg. (I use bmp) You do not have to resize photos yourself; they will automatically shrink. However, I do resize using Paint (I know, not high tech, but it's the simplest way of dealing with it), then save to a folder in my web account and upload from there.

 

I would recommend using a camera with a macro setting -- even cheap point-and-shoots have them. Then, also invest $5 in a 4" magnifying glass -- try for at least a 4x or 5x power (I cannot find one with a higher magnification that is also 4" in diameter without spending way more money on it!). The combination of magnifying glass with macro setting does wonders for getting close up shots! There is a whole photography forum, too -- They are a bit more technically advanced than I am as a photographer, so I haven't spent much time there. But as with most forums on NR, the advice there rocks!

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My Macro has Algae and other Pests

redcaulerpa_algae.bmp

 

Micromussa, Basket Star, Mollusk -- happy campers all

micromussa_basketstar_mollusk.bmp

 

Tube Coral, up close

tube_coral_upclose.bmp

 

Latest Inhabitant! Found a bright, lemon-green smudge peeking out from behind this ricordea...

pink_ric2.bmp

 

thought it might be a nudibranch, but looks more like a tunicate...

greentunicate1.bmp

 

especially when up close! See the 2 siphons? They retract when disturbed and it has grown in the last couple of days!! (managed to get this using a 2" 10X mag glass :))

greentunicate2.bmp

Edited by msscha
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especially when up close! See the 2 siphons? They retract when disturbed and it has grown in the last couple of days!! (managed to get this using a 2" 10X mag glass :))

greentunicate2.bmp

cool B) !!

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FTS

 

Here is where the tank is at and where it will stay for a while (though clearly I need to get a scraper for the sides of the tank). I considered a frogspawn (so, is it "frog spawn" or "frogs pawn" :lol:) that is supposed to have short tentacles and be NR safe and while I really like the way they look, I decided not to get it. Instead, I will keep all of this going and try my hand at fragging some time down the road (then I can get one of those cool soap baskets :P).

 

The trimma goby still does not have a mate. They cannot get the female out of her hidey-hole at the lfs. That would be the only addition I would make. Right now, the trimma has finally adjusted to the new arrangement and Gilda's presence, and has taken to perching out on the rocks again -- yay! The picture below isn't very good (I'm having a "can't hold my bleeping hands still" kind of photo day), but I love the perspective between the little fish and the gaping maw of the acan above him!

 

FTS -- 6/08/2012 (ooh -- and you can see my reflection in the glass -- I'm sure there is some post-modern, existential statement that makes about the relationship of reef to reef-keeper :happy:)

fts_6_08_2012.bmp

 

Trimma in new hang out spot

trimma8.bmp

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Looks great! I keep finding ways to jam a little more into mine :P

Thank you! Right now, I am sticking the course -- during the second half of the summer when I have more free time, we'll see!

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Gilda is looking a bit worse for wear today. She has a tear in her upper dorsal fin, though not sure if it is from Bozette or the GCB shrimp. She has a new hiding spot at the back of the cave and does protect that spot when Bozette gets aggressive. She'll flare her dorsal and nip right back at her. However, when the shrimp approaches, she backs away and will face Bozette before facing the shrimp. Hmm. I suspect territoriality. In fact, I just watched Gilda do her tail swishing thing in her new hole, trying to get the shrimp the heck out. The shrimp did not budge. I have grown fond of Gilda. May turn shrimp back in after all. Gilda's yellow bisecting line is a bit darker this week and she has developed little brighter spots of yellow on either side of her gills at the base of the fins. She also looks bigger to me!

 

The favia is morphing into a very pretty coral. It has a neon green throat, purple-burgundy ring, followed by a lighter brown-red ring, with a hint of green near its base. Very pretty! The second head is now clearly visible.

favia4.bmp

 

The trumpet is splitting again, too! I hoped this might happen when I turned the coral around so the unsplit side faced the current. I think this increases food intake. I'll just keep turning it every few months.

neongreen_trumpet7.bmp

Edited by msscha
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So it appears that the trumpet is more than alright. Nice tank. Love the diversity and it has a nice natural look. Something I always strive forin my tanks. Nice goby!

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