albertthiel Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) One of NR's members made a family trip from Alaska to Tahiti (are you jealous yet ) Check out the pics here and on the page before it. An absolute must see if you have not seen them yet ! http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry3927531 Albert Edited June 22, 2012 by albertthiel 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I got a PM from a member who wanted pics of Montipora somewhat unusual corals .... Below are a few interesting ones I found but there are a lot more ... Montipora capricornis Another form of capricornis Montipora capricornis Green variety Montipora capricornis Orange Montipora filiosa Montipora mactanensis Montipora undulata Montipora capricornis (different type) Montipora caliculata Montipora aequituberculata When I run across some other more unusual ones I'll post some more pics Albert Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I looked up the tank on Drfoster etc ... and I see a price of about 850 dollars ... Am I looking at the correct one or not ... seems like a high price for just a 34 gallons tank but then maybe with all the included options that it what it goes for ... Seems like if that is the price that I can do a lot better buying everything separately and end up with more for that kind of price ... I am starting to put a costing sheet together as I have to get everything that is needed and want to make sure I am getting it at the most reasonable prices and do not spend money that I really do not have to ... Albert You caught me! Yes that is the tank and that is the price. I'm comfortable with the sleek all in one look and a hooded tank. It blends well with my home and my lack of DIY skills. It is pretty much plug and play. Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 You caught me! Yes that is the tank and that is the price. I'm comfortable with the sleek all in one look and a hooded tank. It blends well with my home and my lack of DIY skills. It is pretty much plug and play. Well I guess if I buy all the pieces separately ... looking at some current prices I may actually be spending more. Prices have changed a great deal over the last few years I have to say but hey ... better spend the money on aquariums and lifeforms than on shoes ... well maybe in your case not :) Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 EcoSmart Live offers web-based control of Radion LED, accessible by Mac, PC, iOS etc Read more: http://reefbuilders.com/2012/05/16/ecosmar.../#ixzz1yZ3QgqMD http://reefbuilders.com/2012/05/16/ecosmart-live/ Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) Below are some views of Heteractis magnifica, also referred to by some as the Ritteri Anemone With Porcelain Crab Edited June 22, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
ZephNYC Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) Below are some views of Heteractis magnifica, also referred to by some as the Ritteri Anemone love these anemones, but as you know, almost impossible to keep...right??? I had a couple in my days and they turned inside out or appeared to get bacterial infections in their mouth. Live aquaria told me they wont ever even sell these becasue of the low survival rate. Edited June 22, 2012 by ZephNYC Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 (edited) Below are some views of Heteractis magnifica, also referred to by some as the Ritteri Anemone love these anemones, but as you know, almost impossible to keep...right??? I had a couple in my days and they turned inside out or appeared to get bacterial infections in their mouth. Live aquaria told me they wont ever even sell these becasue of the low survival rate. I agree that they are very difficult to keep and very sensitive to water quality and other such factors such as other corals in the tank and what they exude into the water. I remember keeping them in a 250 gallon tank when I lived in Trumbull CT and was only able to keep them alive with few other corals in the tank, few fish, a couple of clowns and very very heavy chemical filtration to keep the water quality as high as possible. Of course that made for an aquarium that sort of looked quite empty as besides live rock and the 2 anemones and the few fish there was nothing in that tank. Not too good looking but the anemones did well and survived until I sold them and changed the tank over into a regular reef. Not sure what happened to the anemones when the new owner had them but my guess is that he lost them after a while as most hobbyists would not keep them in the condition that I described. Fortunately I had a couple of other tanks so it did to bother me too much to have that 1 that looked "sort of empty". I would agree with you that it is not an anemone that hobbyists should buy and try to keep as in the majority of cases they will lose them (and the money and they are not inexpensive if you can find them). I have not found anything indicating that keeping them has nowadays become possible so I assume that the problem in keeping them remains (unfortunately) Albert Edited June 23, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Albert, my leptastrea has become bubbly, what's it's problem Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 (edited) Hi Albert, my leptastrea has become bubbly, what's it's problem Is it getting stung by something nearby? Do you see any white slime on it or brown one being released? If not it is just IMO going through one of those phases where its short tentacles are not coming out. Note that IME this coral is very sensitive to changes in the dKH and also in strontium and magnesium levels. Any rapid changes in any or several of those will make the coral (some refer to it as Creator coral) react negatively until conditions restabilize ... Another possibility but I am not sure of that is the creations of new polyps but you would only be able to see that when the knobs re-open to see whether they are splitting up or not ... this is not a usual experience in aquariums though as this is not the easiest coral to keep especially if water conditions tend to change up or down in levels from time to time. I think it will recoup from whatever is going on. It can sting other corals but due to its short tentacles it is rare for that to happen unless it occurs on the periphery and a coral is sitting right next to it. Alternatively another coral next to it could be stinging yours. Not too much light on it is also recommend, so either give it some more shade or lower it in the tank, and additional feeding (it is photosynthetic) but does feed on other foods as well but you have to get it directly onto the coral using a baster or pipette type device that has food in it. Hope this helps Albert Edited June 23, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Is it getting stung by something nearby? Do you see any white slime on it or brown one being released? If not it is just IMO going through one of those phases where its short tentacles are not coming out. Note that IME this coral is very sensitive to changes in the dKH and also in strontium and magnesium levels. Any rapid changes in any or several of those will make the coral (some refer to it as Creator coral) react negatively until conditions restabilize ... Another possibility but I am not sure of that is the creations of new polyps but you would only be able to see that when the knobs re-open to see whether they are splitting up or not ... this is not a usual experience in aquariums though as this is not the easiest coral to keep especially if water conditions tend to change up or down in levels from time to time. I think it will recoup from whatever is going on. It can sting other corals but due to its short tentacles it is rare for that to happen unless it occurs on the periphery and a coral is sitting right next to it. Alternatively another coral next to it could be stinging yours. Not too much light on it is also recommend, so either give it some more shade or lower it in the tank, and additional feeding (it is photosynthetic) but does feed on other foods as well but you have to get it directly onto the coral using a baster or pipette type device that has food in it. Hope this helps Albert Thank you Albert, it just 'pooped'. I fed the tank rather heavy after ages today so I think this leptastrea may have pigged out. Is has plenty of space around it but it was in lower light till a few days ago. I am still re positioning corals and will give this one a shaded spot again. Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Well I guess if I buy all the pieces separately ... looking at some current prices I may actually be spending more. Prices have changed a great deal over the last few years I have to say but hey ... better spend the money on aquariums and lifeforms than on shoes ... well maybe in your case not :) Albert I'm always torn between buying shoes or corals. Of course I maintain a spreadsheet on the spending on my tank, not so on my shoes or handbags... Quote Link to comment
Spirofucci Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hey Albert , here is a crappy pic of three monti caps I got from Viivd as a little frag. They were all the same size when I got them, but I really like the way they are growing together so far. I really can't wait to see what tank configuration you end up with amd then discuss why!!!! Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hey Albert , here is a crappy pic of three monti caps I got from Viivd as a little frag. They were all the same size when I got them, but I really like the way they are growing together so far. I really can't wait to see what tank configuration you end up with amd then discuss why!!!! Are montipora not like other coral in that when they start touching and "fuse" that one will take over the other, so-to-speak? Or am I making that up? Quote Link to comment
TeflonTomDosh Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hey Albert, any idea what this is? I was told aptasia, but I didn't immediately agree because the tentacles are clear, and every aptasia I've ever seen has brown tentacles. Tell me what you think. . Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Albert! I could use some guidance... I have a 20" cube and I am not pleased with my aquascape, the cube does not help either My original plan was to have a SPS hill/mound and let everything grow up/in to fill vertical space I sadly now am a little impatient and am looking to improve the scape to be more 3-D and simply better Main prob is one or two rocks have SPS encrusted on them, meaning i pretty much have to build around those rocks or at least keep the corals alive... Any help would be great, pics are all over thread if needed (keep in mind i can get a wide variety of LR from my LFS, just to let you know, if it broadens my options I have seen el fabuloso talk about scaping in general, but im curious to what u have to say Thx Quote Link to comment
brandon429 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 (edited) Albert I saw on nightly news NBC last nite a story on this delicate mariculturing of staghorn acropora all around the keys. They are missing out on tons of free biomass not utilizing aquarists for production alongside mariculture routes. alot of us would do it even though the bane of todays sps pico is a brown acroporid-- That being said, can you use your connections to score me a plug I'll set up a dedicated vase and quintuple it within a year. maybe there's a permissible/legal way for a licensed researcher down there to ship a plug to TX with a firm promise ill mail several more back ~ B just a shot, thought id ask. Edited June 23, 2012 by brandon429 Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Albert, Regarding my H.magnifica. I don't know if you missed my post a page back (simply because you didn't reply to it not that you needed to) but I kept that nem for many years back in the 80s. No reactors little carbon and then only used now and again, no chemical filtration just a skimmer a DSB and Caulerpa grown in the sump. BTW the turn over through the sump was 1 every 3 hours yes you read right it was a slow flow through the sump which contained my DSB. I won't repeat what I said a few posts back about keeing that nem but I never had any trouble keeping it what so ever. I kept that nem for many years and was sad the day along with the clowns had to go. Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Thank you Albert, it just 'pooped'. I fed the tank rather heavy after ages today so I think this leptastrea may have pigged out. Is has plenty of space around it but it was in lower light till a few days ago. I am still re positioning corals and will give this one a shaded spot again. Well it still needs light but maybe not as much as it is getting now, or the portion that is closing up may be getting too much of it. Yes Kat Try that and I think it will look like it should again ... I'll post some pics later for you to see what other ones look like ... Albert I'm always torn between buying shoes or corals. Of course I maintain a spreadsheet on the spending on my tank, not so on my shoes or handbags... Wise of you indeed to do it that way ... you wouldn't want to know the other amount Albert Hey Albert , here is a crappy pic of three monti caps I got from Viivd as a little frag. They were all the same size when I got them, but I really like the way they are growing together so far. I really can't wait to see what tank configuration you end up with amd then discuss why!!!! Very nice indeed and, yes, they will continue to grow out and get larger and may develop more separate plates, and since they are so close together that will be a real nice set of Monti's to look at. Good for you that you positioned them the way you did Albert Are montipora not like other coral in that when they start touching and "fuse" that one will take over the other, so-to-speak? Or am I making that up? If you have different types which is what I think you do have then no they will not overtake each other but should IME grow independently of each other and continue to do so. The only issue could be that if one of them grows far faster than say one of the other ones is that the fast growing one covers the slow growing one and that the slower growing one may not start doing so well for lack of light or nutrition or both, depending on how the growth of the faster growing one inhibits how the other ones gets light and food. Hope I did not confuse you here with the faster and slower descriptions Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 You can definetly grow red and green monti caps together. The place where I got some of my corals had some large colonies that were mixed. The green has to be on top though, otherwise the red will crowd it out eventually. They don't really fuse together, they intermingle where one overlaps the other. Yes kind of, sort of IME ... it also depends on how the lighting hits them and how the water flow goes over them. I am not sure that the green one has to be on the top though although it grows a little slower but I have seen instances of both happening so it will be a "wait and see" IMO Check what I wrote to Kat also please Albert Hi Albert,Regarding my H.magnifica. I don't know if you missed my post a page back (simply because you didn't reply to it not that you needed to) but I kept that nem for many years back in the 80s. No reactors little carbon and then only used now and again, no chemical filtration just a skimmer a DSB and Caulerpa grown in the sump. BTW the turn over through the sump was 1 every 3 hours yes you read right it was a slow flow through the sump which contained my DSB. I won't repeat what I said a few posts back about keeing that nem but I never had any trouble keeping it what so ever. I kept that nem for many years and was sad the day along with the clowns had to go. I must have missed that post indeed. Thanks for reposting part of how you kept the H magnifica and that is good to know (that some hobbyists do manage to keep them alive). You are part of the exception ones rather than of the rule ones as most hobbyists have not had that kind of success with them. I'll go look for that post and reply to it from there ... Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hmm don't tell that to the guys who have been running them for around 12 months here in the UK.My sandy coloured hystrix is turning pink.,my LPS have never been so colourful same for my mushrooms and zoas. I agree its still early days yet for my tank but then others have been running them longer. I will just have to sit it out and see how they all develope over the coming months. Yes indeed only time will tell how those lights will affect the corals over a longer period of time ... Interesting though that I have not seen posts in other forums where hobbyists stated that their LED's ended up killing off their corals or bleaching them out, or result in some negative effect of any kind of them, but there are so many posts that it is easy to miss one Glad that in your case so far at least everything seems to be going fine ... Hopefully it will stay that way and you will not see any negative effects. As far as I have been able to tell mostly from reading Jedi's posts a lot has to do with the type of LED's used and the mix of them etc ... so you may have the right combination of them all and that would then explain why everything is doing well ... Albert 55 LED's 3 watts each but only driven to 2 watts. 30pcs Bridgelux Blue LED :465nm ;25pcs Bridgelux white LED 14000K plug and play just set the controller. BTW I have mine set at 80% blues 100% whites. Made for the UK but made for most countries inc US with relative voltage and plugs etc. Nope just the above. Love to get some more info. Thanks, the tank is made by a company called Interpet but also branded it seems as a Kent so possibly branded as others. I have heavely modified it however in fact the only thing I can think of that remains standard is the glass itself You name it I have moded it and added to it one way or another. Les Thanks Les ... Is this the post I did not reply to ? I thought I did :0 Let me know please Albert I can certainly post some of my own. Few people have posted pic's of corals under them and I don't like posting others pic's as I can only vouch for my own. However here's some recent ones of mine but do bare in mind I have had my lights barely a month so still early days. I have to say I am not the best at photography and the tank does not look so blue nor the corals as they do in the pic's Great looking corals indeed ... thanks for the post ... the corals look in great shape I have to say. Albert I can certainly post some of my own. Few people have posted pic's of corals under them and I don't like posting others pic's as I can only vouch for my own. However here's some recent ones of mine but do bare in mind I have had my lights barely a month so still early days. I have to say I am not the best at photography and the tank does not look so blue nor the corals as they do in the pic's Now that is for sure what others and I like to see ... lots of pictures of lots of corals in great shape ... Thanks for the post ... and that is with those LED's so they are obviously doing the right things for your corals and giving what must be the right spectrum etc ... for them Thanks Albert I've started a small search, but turned up nothing on the pink sarco, other than pictures. If by chance you come across one for sale in your internet searches, please let me know!!!!!! Yellow fijis are easy to find. I picked one up a few years ago at my LFS. I wish I still had it. Hopefully the new owner took good care of it...should have saved their number Did you find any yet Gena ? Did you see the one I found and that I posted ? Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Thanks Les ... Is this the post I did not reply to ? I thought I did :0 Let me know please Albert Great looking corals indeed ... thanks for the post ... the corals look in great shape I have to say. Albert Now that is for sure what others and I like to see ... lots of pictures of lots of corals in great shape ... Thanks for the post ... and that is with those LED's so they are obviously doing the right things for your corals and giving what must be the right spectrum etc ... for them Thanks Albert This is the post I think you missed Albert. atoll Posts: 185 Joined: 17-March 12 From: Bolton UK Member No.: 73,296 QUOTE (albertthiel @ Jun 22 2012, 11:50 AM) Thanks Les ... Nice description of all the books listed there indeed .. .had to laugh a little on what they said about me though ... ... a bit overstated I thought but, hey, nice to read anyway Good link for info on books though. I have all my books in new condition, except the 10-steps with the cover of your anemone. I will keep an eye on eBay and Craigslist here in the US and see if I can snatch a 10 Step (well buy I mean) with that anemone H magnifica on it .... Albert Good luck with finding a mint copy Albert. I have 3 of your books and the other 2 are in better condition than this one. Shame you never brought out a hard back version though.I was very pleased to see my pic on the front cover when I bought Ten Easy Steps. Regarding the H. magnifica on the cover. I had that nem for many years as stated earlier and when I got it I was unaware it was considered impossible to keep for any real length of time. I must have been doing something wrong The nem would sit right under a 250w HQI with an Osram powerstar 5200k lamp. That was the highest K value lamps available at the time. I used to feed it once a week and I could control it's size buy the amount and how often I fed it. It would never move much and stayed firmly planted under the HQI lamp. When the time came to strip the tank down it measured approx 18" across and took up a fair part of my 6'6"x2'x2' tank. The nem housed a mated pair of common clowns that laid eggs continually and a sub adult. I had that nem from around 1988 till 1995 when I sold it on. I never did find out how well it fared after. I could go on but will bore you to death Les. BTW do you ever sleep? Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hey Albert, any idea what this is? I was told aptasia, but I didn't immediately agree because the tentacles are clear, and every aptasia I've ever seen has brown tentacles. Tell me what you think.. Aiptasia can look like what you posted ... here is a pic of one that looks a lot like what you have and I do think it could be one but if not it is probably a majano ... Even though the pic is pretty good and near close up it is still difficult to tell but compare the above with what you have and if you think it is not what I posted let me know and I'll see what else I can find or maybe you can post a real close up pic ... Thanks Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Aiptasia can look like what you posted ... here is a pic of one that looks a lot like what you have and I do think it could be one but if not it is probably a majano ... Even though the pic is pretty good and near close up it is still difficult to tell but compare the above with what you have and if you think it is not what I posted let me know and I'll see what else I can find or maybe you can post a real close up pic ... Thanks Albert Or possibly a baby sun coral? Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 This is the post I think you missed Albert. atoll Posts: 185 Joined: 17-March 12 From: Bolton UK Member No.: 73,296 QUOTE (albertthiel @ Jun 22 2012, 11:50 AM) Thanks Les ... Nice description of all the books listed there indeed .. .had to laugh a little on what they said about me though ... ... a bit overstated I thought but, hey, nice to read anyway Good link for info on books though. I have all my books in new condition, except the 10-steps with the cover of your anemone. I will keep an eye on eBay and Craigslist here in the US and see if I can snatch a 10 Step (well buy I mean) with that anemone H magnifica on it .... Albert Regarding the H. magnifica on the cover. I had that nem for many years as stated earlier and when I got it I was unaware it was considered impossible to keep for any real length of time. I must have been doing something wrong The nem would sit right under a 250w HQI with an Osram powerstar 5200k lamp. That was the highest K value lamps available at the time. I used to feed it once a week and I could control it's size buy the amount and how often I fed it. It would never move much and stayed firmly planted under the HQI lamp. When the time came to strip the tank down it measured approx 18" across and took up a fair part of my 6'6"x2'x2' tank. The nem housed a mated pair of common clowns that laid eggs continually and a sub adult. I had that nem from around 1988 till 1995 when I sold it on. I never did find out how well it fared after. I could go on but will bore you to death Les. BTW do you ever sleep? I guess this may be the one but it does not show up as #185 ... but I found it a few pages back ... quote Regarding the H. magnifica on the cover. I had that nem for many years as stated earlier and when I got it I was unaware it was considered impossible to keep for any real length of time. I must have been doing something wrong The nem would sit right under a 250w HQI with an Osram powerstar 5200k lamp. That was the highest K value lamps available at the time. I used to feed it once a week and I could control it's size buy the amount and how often I fed it. It would never move much and stayed firmly planted under the HQI lamp. When the time came to strip the tank down it measured approx 18" across and took up a fair part of my 6'6"x2'x2' tank. The nem housed a mated pair of common clowns that laid eggs continually and a sub adult. I had that nem from around 1988 till 1995 when I sold it on. I never did find out how well it fared after. I could go on but will bore you to death Les. unquote Yes in those days Osram is what we were all using and you even had a better one than the ones that first came out that were only 4600K if I remember well. Was that one in a heavily loaded tank or in a low to moderate one as IME when the load got a big heavy and when there were other corals in the tank that exuded slime etc. that seemed to affect the ones that I kept in such tanks and invariably those did not make it ... Of course as always in this hobby ... there are exceptions. Maybe the good feeding and the fact that you had breeding clowns with it made a difference ... that is something to keep in mind and investigate to determine whether they do better when clowns are around (that often bring small bits of food to the anemone) and whether that allows the anemone to survive and grow. Had not given that some thought up to now and will have to look into that some more ... interesting if that were the case as that could make a big difference in the perception we have about them. Thanks for letting me know that I did not reply to that post and may not have read it till now ... I'll do some thinking about that and ask some friends of mine and see what I come up with Albert Or possibly a baby sun coral? Yes that could be another possibility ... a real close up pic of what he has would probably help in getting the proper ID but it is one of the three so far mentioned IMO Albert This just isn't true at all. Neptune Aquatics in San Jose has a SPS display tank that has 10 aquaillumination sols above it since about the time that those fixtures went on sale. The corals look amazing in that tank, and they've all been in there for long periods of time, with no additional supplementation. That's been 2 years at least, their lights are the old model. When corals turn brown, it's more likely from poor feeding, high nitrates/phosphates, or PAR levels that are too low. There are plenty of reefers that are getting great colors from their corals using only cool whites and blue LED's ("narrow band"). I will let Jedimaster reply to you as he is the one who made the post you are replying to ... and I am not an expert on LED 's :-0 Albert Albert I saw on nightly news NBC last nite a story on this delicate mariculturing of staghorn acropora all around the keys.They are missing out on tons of free biomass not utilizing aquarists for production alongside mariculture routes. alot of us would do it even though the bane of todays sps pico is a brown acroporid-- That being said, can you use your connections to score me a plug I'll set up a dedicated vase and quintuple it within a year. maybe there's a permissible/legal way for a licensed researcher down there to ship a plug to TX with a firm promise ill mail several more back ~ B just a shot, thought id ask. Brandon not sure I can get you one or two but I will try and get in touch with someone I know down there (and it is someone you know too but I won't mention names - let me just say that he has been around for a very very long time). I'll see what I can do and PM you once I find out whether it can be done after I reach my contact either today or on Monday Albert Quote Link to comment
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