Kat's Ol' Max

[pyronus]

He'll be fine. You can also frag in the tank, or I use a Tupperware full of tank water.

[kgoldy]

Razor blade, meet zoa colony. Over here is cousin superglue, and here is your new home frag disk/rock rubble.

 

Let the slicing begin. My shipping address is...

 

 

^This after you get: this.

 

My rocks never leave the water. Just pretend you're Dexter crossed with Aquaman.

 

Seriously, there's no trick. Just slice that shizzle. Practice on a colony that you don't like as much.

[Spirofucci]

LOL, fragging zoas in the tank seems scarry to me as well. I've never fragged them either unless some fell off during shipping. Can you just cut them off at the neck and not worry about having to lift the little foot completely off???

[pyronus]

LOL, fragging zoas in the tank seems scarry to me as well. I've never fragged them either unless some fell off during shipping. Can you just cut them off at the neck and not worry about having to lift the little foot completely off???

Just don't do it with cuts on your hands, or wear gloves. Palytoxin is the real deal and will make your hand go numb if you have any cuts. I cut the runner or the mat around the polyp and scrape the head right off with the scalpel.

[mike c]

LOL, fragging zoas in the tank seems scarry to me as well. I've never fragged them either unless some fell off during shipping. Can you just cut them off at the neck and not worry about having to lift the little foot completely off???

Best way, if possible, is to get some of the rock that it's grown on. That way you don't rip or stress the zoa's mat. You don't want to just lop off the head. You want the mat intact.

[kgoldy]

 

BTW- these^

 

I get em at Home Depot.

 

Real tough. No powder. Nitrile. Bristleworm proof, and tough enough to stand up to rough liverock. I use these every time I do tank maintenance now.

 

Put the gloves on, and throw some small rubberbands around the wrists to keep the water out. Your hands may not be 100% dry, but the gloves won't totally flood, and your hands certainly be protected.

 

Double posting on my thread cuz I've been meaning to post these forever.

[Spirofucci]

WTF is going on in yer cabinet????

[metrokat]

WTF is going on in yer cabinet????

Did they never imagine people would put sumps and reactors and things?!

 

BTW- these^

I get em at Home Depot.

Real tough. No powder. Nitrile. Bristleworm proof, and tough enough to stand up to rough liverock. I use these every time I do tank maintenance now.

Put the gloves on, and throw some small rubberbands around the wrists to keep the water out. Your hands may not be 100% dry, but the gloves won't totally flood, and your hands certainly be protected.

Double posting on my thread cuz I've been meaning to post these forever.

I'll have to get a pack for sure.

 

Best way, if possible, is to get some of the rock that it's grown on. That way you don't rip or stress the zoa's mat. You don't want to just lop off the head. You want the mat intact.

Can't chip my rock, it's my main crowning glory. See how the zoanthids are growing to the base of the Milli here, it's the same on the other side they are encroaching on the monicap. I have another monti cap on the same rock, a yellow with green polyps that is getting over shadowed by the ORA green bird too. Looks like this weekend is fragging day, maybe even today!

[jedimasterben]

If you like the SPS more than the zoas, just take a razor blade and cut the hell out of the zoas to keep them away.

[Spirofucci]

OH MAN, I'd be pissed.!!! Can't wait to see what they have to say.

 

I wonder if other folks have had this problem? A lot of them do have sumps in there.

 

If I remember, I think you said you glued the stand together??? So it might be not much to worry about and maybe you can replace the hinges with some stainless ones???

[metrokat]

If you like the SPS more than the zoas, just take a razor blade and cut the hell out of the zoas to keep them away.

That's the plan. I have some Green Bay packers on the back that I want to frag to grow however. How to make out which polyps are which. ha ha

 

OH MAN, I'd be pissed.!!! Can't wait to see what they have to say.

I wonder if other folks have had this problem? A lot of them do have sumps in there.

If I remember, I think you said you glued the stand together??? So it might be not much to worry about and maybe you can replace the hinges with some stainless ones???

Yes the stand is gorilla glued in every imaginable place, I even glued the nuts and washers. But if the face of the nuts and washers starts to rust, I can't replace those. Maybe I should silicone coat them to seal them.

You're right, I can probably replace the hinges, I'll take it to Home Depot to find a proper fit. I can't believe in a SALTWATER tank setup they would use parts that corrode so easily. IT was the same with the Panoramo Pro lights, the fixture itself is solid but the screws on the ends, the mounting brackets and the screws used for the brackets are all rusted!

[metrokat]

Sigh.

 

High Levels of phosphates needed for corals to thrive

A study conducted by the University of Southampton details how the health of coral and its susceptibility to bleaching depends heavily on the health of zooxanthellae—the single-celled algae that lives symbiotically with coral and gives it its color. According to the research, zooxanthellae require a combination of high levels of phosphate and low levels of dissolved nitrogen compounds in order to avoid nutrient starvation.

[Spirofucci]

Sigh.

 

High Levels of phosphates needed for corals to thrive

A study conducted by the University of Southampton details how the health of coral and its susceptibility to bleaching depends heavily on the health of zooxanthellae—the single-celled algae that lives symbiotically with coral and gives it its color. According to the research, zooxanthellae require a combination of high levels of phosphate and low levels of dissolved nitrogen compounds in order to avoid nutrient starvation.

 

I'm sure this is true, but IMO, there are always plenty of nitrates and phos and other goodies floating around in the cleanest of tanks compared to a nutrient poor real reef.

 

Have you checked out Eric B's articles on feeding corals? Very good stuff. It does always make me wonder how we do somehow manage to "balance" it all.....at least most of the time.

[jedimasterben]

I'm sure this is true, but IMO, there are always plenty of nitrates and phos and other goodies floating around in the cleanest of tanks compared to a nutrient poor real reef.

 

Have you checked out Eric B's articles on feeding corals? Very good stuff. It does always make me wonder how we do somehow manage to "balance" it all.....at least most of the time.

Where did you ever hear that reefs are nutrient poor?

[metrokat]

I'm sure this is true, but IMO, there are always plenty of nitrates and phos and other goodies floating around in the cleanest of tanks compared to a nutrient poor real reef.

 

Have you checked out Eric B's articles on feeding corals? Very good stuff. It does always make me wonder how we do somehow manage to "balance" it all.....at least most of the time.

Good articles. I'm looking at growing my own live phyto. My tank was really happy whenever I've had it. But it can get really expensive.

[Spirofucci]

All coral reefs are nutrient poor except those in lagoons or where there is a lot of run off from land.

[ZephNYC]

Good articles. I'm looking at growing my own live phyto. My tank was really happy whenever I've had it. But it can get really expensive.

 

 

 

Actually, it is a terrible article of misleading information. For them to say "HIGH LEVELS OF PHOSPHATES ARE REQUIRED" is a load of BS. High and low levels are a matter of opinion, and this article reveals no technical data whatsoever. What do they consider high? 0.001 ppm? or 3.0 ppm?

 

Fact. If you measured phosphates in the water column of any natural coral reef it would measure ABSOLUTE ZERO.

 

Fact: Corals do need phosphates and nitrates to survive, but the required amount would not be considered "HIGH" in any respect.

 

Dont believe everything you read. Especially if it is derived from pampas pseudoscientists drinking martinis in the Hamptons.

 

just my personal opinion of course.

[metrokat]

What's wrong with the Hamptons? In fact I'm going next weekend for a winery day trip. Come with?

[patback]

To reiterate what kat said... Jerk. Im in the hamptom right now . Honestly, I agree with you though.

[ZephNYC]

What's wrong with the Hamptons? In fact I'm going next weekend for a winery day trip. Come with?

 

That article was actually more about the higher temps or certain coral reefs, which will in turn speed up the metabolism of all life forms, thus increasing the nutrient demand, but I dont think any scientist would want to go on record as saying " corals require high amounts of PO4." THats just silly.

Edited September 14, 2012 by ZephNYC

[ZephNYC]

To reiterate what kat said... Jerk. Im in the hamptom right now . Honestly, I agree with you though.

 

 

So you and Kat should hook up.

 

PS. I may be a jerk, but then again, im not the one with 3 quotes concerning testicles.

Edited September 14, 2012 by ZephNYC

[jedimasterben]

Fact. If you measured phosphates in the water column of any natural coral reef it would measure ABSOLUTE ZERO.

If that were true, then corals would not get the nutrients they need. Phosphate and nitrate are measured incredibly low, but are always flowing through, and for every molecule of phosphate and nitrate consumed, there is another to replace it, therefore I would call no reef nutrient poor.

[patback]

That article was actually more about the higher temps or certain coral reefs, which will in turn speed up the metabolism of all life forms, thus increasing the nutrient demand, but I dont think any scientist would want to go on record as saying " corals require high amounts of PO4. THats just silly.

But again, what is "high temperatures?". A tide pool heating up to 105*? 85* in the middle of an ocean? All he says is coral reefs( assuming he's speaking of ALL the known reefs and high temperatures. ) need extra nutrients if the environment warms up. It kinda seems like one of those spoof articles that want to lead You to think that high levels of x-chemical proves cancerous to lab mice, yet they forget to mention that they multiplied the dose by 100,000 times the dose an average human would take in naturally.

Without knowing anything about the author of that... I'm willing to bet he is a big save the earth-ride a bicycle,-start a compost heap sort of guy?

 

So you and Kat should hook up.

 

PS. I may be a jerk, but then again, im not the one with 3 quotes concerning testicles.

 

 

Ouch.

[ZephNYC]

If that were true, then corals would not get the nutrients they need. Phosphate and nitrate are measured incredibly low, but are always flowing through, and for every molecule of phosphate and nitrate consumed, there is another to replace it, therefore I would call no reef nutrient poor.

 

 

SO what do you think phospahtes and nitrates measure in the water column at the Great Barrier Reef?

[ZephNYC]

SO what do you think phospahtes and nitrates measure in the water column at the Great Barrier Reef?

 

 

Edit: Give him some time to look it up.

 

But again, what is "high temperatures?". A tide pool heating up to 105*? 85* in the middle of an ocean? All he says is coral reefs( assuming he's speaking of ALL the known reefs and high temperatures. ) need extra nutrients if the environment warms up. It kinda seems like one of those spoof articles that want to lead You to think that high levels of x-chemical proves cancerous to lab mice, yet they forget to mention that they multiplied the dose by 100,000 times the dose an average human would take in naturally.

Without knowing anything about the author of that... I'm willing to bet he is a big save the earth-ride a bicycle,-start a compost heap sort of guy?

 

 

 

 

Ouch.

 

 

Exactly the reason why I said it is a terrible article. No specifics