capitolcityreefer Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Thats awesome about the baby hammer. My frogspawn just started that a few weeks ago. Are you going to leave it or try to frag it? Link to comment
albertthiel Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I decided to give Marty the spotlight for a change.He was feeling like a second fiddle to Skipper! Anyone who has a wrasse knows how difficult it is to capture these cuties on film. They are nonstop hunters and hardly ever stop swimming. I love that about Marty. Here is a very brief look at Marty. He comes into focus briefly! One in, never out ... although there is a method I used in the past with cheesecloth ... Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 Thats awesome about the baby hammer. My frogspawn just started that a few weeks ago. Are you going to leave it or try to frag it? I will separate it from the Mother because it is so down low that it keeps getting scraped by the snails' shells as the slide by. I will place it on a small piece of rock so that it is less likely to get damaged by an industrious snail. One in, never out ... although there is a method I used in the past with cheesecloth ... Oooh... I have cheesecloth, Albert. What is your method? Link to comment
capitolcityreefer Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I will separate it from the Mother because it is so down low that it keeps getting scraped by the snails' shells as the slide by. I will place it on a small piece of rock so that it is less likely to get damaged by an industrious snail. What's your plan? I want to remove mine because it doesn't really get any light underneath the extend polyps of the frogspawn mother colony. Are you thinking razor blade, and some superglue to the rock? Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 WHAT!???? A new page already? Hooray this calls for more peectures. Lovely Ricordea florida with orange tentacles and green tipped rim Orange Zoanthids with cute little pudgy tentacles The baby Duncan head is out to catch something tasty that may float by. Aw, what a cute pout! What a neat pink palythoa with two rows of sage green tentacles. Neon green dot daisies (Knopia octocontacanalis) are so pretty I have seen several names for these type of Zoas, Radioactive Dragon Eye, Green Lantern, Aquaman... Which is it? Pink Palys trying to color up the neat stripes radiating from the mouth Of course you cannot have a reef tank without the classics, GSP A fluffy, flowing classic, Kenya tree My sweetheart, Skipper Where is your head, Marty? Oh, showing off your body? Ah, here is your head! Blurry picture as usual! Baby blue mushroom left from the foot of Momma Mushie! The Monti really likes this current light, it is growing and greening up! Skipper, Marty and the crew wave their fins and say, "See again soon!" What's your plan? I want to remove mine because it doesn't really get any light underneath the extend polyps of the frogspawn mother colony. Are you thinking razor blade, and some superglue to the rock? The skeleton on my little hammer was/is very brittle and easy to break. So I will be extra careful handling the mother and a razor blade is sufficient to cut into the skeleton. However, I do want to give the baby enough skeleton of its own so that no glue can stick to any of its tissue and yet glue well enough to a small rock that it will not come lose. That is my plan, now lets hope I can pull it off! Link to comment
metrokat Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Your 6line loves the camera. Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 Your 6line loves the camera. Hello, Kat. Now that he knows that when ever I hover around the tank something tasty falls into the water, he sticks to me like glue! I guess it is true that the way to a fish's heart is through its stomach! I better get back in the kitchen and fix it a sammich! Link to comment
albertthiel Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Oooh... I have cheesecloth, Albert. What is your method? Put cheesecloth over all the bottom of the tank and any area where the fish could get between, behind or underneath the cloth. Put a fish net in the tank. While putting down the cheesecloth some fish may go underneath and hide, but not to worry, leave an opening at the back or side, or somewhere so the fish can come out. Now feed and hold the net in your hand. Use a somewhat oversized one. When the fish come to eat the food they will be above the cloth, now with the fishnet grab the fish you want. It may take several attempts if it does not work the first time as you sort of have to get the knack of it ... make sure the net is in the tank already and hold it while feeding, when your fish is focused on the food, move the net and grab the fish you want to get. Worked for me all the time ... Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 Put cheesecloth over all the bottom of the tank and any area where the fish could get between, behind or underneath the cloth. Put a fish net in the tank. While putting down the cheesecloth some fish may go underneath and hide, but not to worry, leave an opening at the back or side, or somewhere so the fish can come out. Now feed and hold the net in your hand. Use a somewhat oversized one. When the fish come to eat the food they will be above the cloth, now with the fishnet grab the fish you want. It may take several attempts if it does not work the first time as you sort of have to get the knack of it ... make sure the net is in the tank already and hold it while feeding, when your fish is focused on the food, move the net and grab the fish you want to get. Worked for me all the time ... This is a really great tip. I have not read or heard of this method before so I thank you for sharing your method! I will definitely try this. Link to comment
albertthiel Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 This is a really great tip. I have not read or heard of this method before so I thank you for sharing your method! I will definitely try this. NP .. will work all the time once you have the cheesecloth put down the correct way and the net in the tank before you feed ... and then be swift and catch the fish ... Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 NP .. will work all the time once you have the cheesecloth put down the correct way and the net in the tank before you feed ... and then be swift and catch the fish ... Thanks again. I always wondered what I would have to do if ever I had to take a fish out of the Nano. Now I know! Link to comment
albertthiel Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Thanks again. I always wondered what I would have to do if ever I had to take a fish out of the Nano. Now I know! U R Welcome .. Link to comment
capitolcityreefer Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 The skeleton on my little hammer was/is very brittle and easy to break. So I will be extra careful handling the mother and a razor blade is sufficient to cut into the skeleton. However, I do want to give the baby enough skeleton of its own so that no glue can stick to any of its tissue and yet glue well enough to a small rock that it will not come lose. That is my plan, now lets hope I can pull it off! If you do it, please document (preferably with pictures!). I'd love to see your technique on this! Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Hello everyone! It has been another busy weekend and got around to doing the water change today. I am not sure if I need more, less light or different light but my Sympodium is not as blue it once was. It is growing fast but it is a bit more brown than blue now. I am taking any and all ideas on this. The Monti continues to have great polyp extension it is all puffy all the time now. One my favorite HH is the Orange Ball anemone / Strawberry anemone. I have three that I have seen so far. These are actually a mushroom (not anemone) of the species Pseudocorynactis caribbeorum. This one is on the base of the Duncan: This one is on the rock above the glue mess. Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 If you do it, please document (preferably with pictures!). I'd love to see your technique on this! Hello, CCR. unfortunately I was so nervous removing the baby hammer that I completely forgot to take pictures. Here is what I did: First I got my work area ready: .towel on the counter to absorb water, tools like razor blades, tweezers, clippers, glue, paper towels, bamboo skewers, etc .a bright light over my work area .a bowl of clean tank water for baby hammer once separated and another to rinse of Momma hammer after messing with her .plug or rubble to attach the baby hammer to I removed the section of the Momma's soft, brittle skeleton that had the baby hammer with the clippers (small jewelry wire cutters) and placed it in a water bowl. I rinsed off Momma Hammer in the second bowl of tank water, dried off her skeleton, applied Loctite gel super glue and placed her on the LR in the tank. I took the baby out of its bowl and dried the back part its portion of skeleton, applied the glue carefully so as not to get any on the tissue and placed it on a small piece of LR. I glued the LR with the baby close to the mother Hammer. I feel like the Momma hammer may offer it some protection. From what I do not know. It is just a Mommy thing. http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/MyAtlantis/2013-04-11_13-18-12_151_zps1aa19f5b.jpg.html'> Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 I have a question about lights for you brilliant people. I have noticed several things since I took out the PCF and put in only LEDs. The Zoas are getting really stretched out reaching for the light. The Sympodium is turning brown, the Monti cap has more "flesh" now but loosing the green, the Dot Daisies (knoppia) is thinner and longer also seems to be reaching for the lights, the Xenia is also less 'plump,' the GSP have really long tentacles and faded green, etc. This seems like a light issue but may be not. So I am asking for some input please. Here is the run down: Four strips of the Ecoxotic 12.5" 6 watts each >1 white 12K/magenta >1 403nm ultraviolet >1 445 Royal Blue >1 white 8K (they do not have just white 12 k) I run these lights 7 to 7 with gradual increases up to full intensity for 6 hours and faded down to lights out. I am thinking of taking the 8k white out and putting it on my macro grow-out tank. In its place I am thinking about adding the 10" 12k white LED strip from TrueLumen. However, these are only 3 watts per strip but they are 12k. EDIT: Just read a bit more and come to find out that Stunners are not for growth just color! I did not do enough research and did not (still do not) fully comprehend LED "stuff"! I am now looking at the Ecoxotic Panorama Pro 12K white or 12k/Royal Blue. These are supposed to be for growth. They are 19 watts (makes sense) and will still fit in my hood at 12.75" What does all this mean?! IDK! I need some help people! Thanks! Link to comment
pschom Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Yeah that makes sense. The stunners are for color. Your going to get more growth from white spectrum and color from blue. Web I suggested the stunners it was only for a little color. I'm not sure what people are using in total, but I know a guy with a smaller ADA tank that gets pretty decent growth and color from just the ecoxotics. I feel like 3 eco's and three blue stunners would be fine. Eco's would be a good combo of white and blue. If you have the $ you could invest in a better fixture like an Aquaillimination NANO. But your getting a larger tank anyway.... Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 Yeah that makes sense. The stunners are for color. Your going to get more growth from white spectrum and color from blue. Web I suggested the stunners it was only for a little color. I'm not sure what people are using in total, but I know a guy with a smaller ADA tank that gets pretty decent growth and color from just the ecoxotics. I feel like 3 eco's and three blue stunners would be fine. Eco's would be a good combo of white and blue. If you have the $ you could invest in a better fixture like an Aquaillimination NANO. But your getting a larger tank anyway.... Yes I see that you suggested the stunners for colors and I thought "Cool! I'll take off the PCFs and use only stunners!" I never stopped to think it through and now I realize there is not enough oomph in the stunners. I would have to go with the Ecoxotic Panorana Pros (which I am thinking is what you are saying your friend uses) for growth. Live and learn, newbies! Hey, its only money! I am keeping this nano going in the kitchen despite having the bigger tank started. I have committed the 125 g to a Caribbean biotope and very few of the animals in the nano will be transferred to the "Caribbean Castle Made of Sand." Link to comment
gena Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I guess I didn't realize you removed the stock lighting when you added the stunners. Or I thought you added the pros. At least your corals let you know fairly quickly that something was up Link to comment
pschom Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Just keep the CF's going and add the stunners as extra. Run the CF lights shorter than the others. 125 sounds awesome. I want a really long shallow tank so I can do the same thing. Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 I guess I didn't realize you removed the stock lighting when you added the stunners. Or I thought you added the pros. At least your corals let you know fairly quickly that something was up Yeah, I feel so smart. I like the way the stunners fit in the hood so I think I will go with the pro version. It is really quiet with no fans and the heat is minimal. Just keep the CF's going and add the stunners as extra. Run the CF lights shorter than the others. 125 sounds awesome. I want a really long shallow tank so I can do the same thing. hah! I wish I could just turn on the CFs but I removed them. See, when I do something I go all the way! So far I have five Blue Reef Chromis and a Porites coral with lots of CUCs in the "CCMS." I am excited about how it will look eventually. Link to comment
gena Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Yeah, I feel so smart. I like the way the stunners fit in the hood so I think I will go with the pro version. It is really quiet with no fans and the heat is minimal. I'm not familiar with the stunners, but I do know that the pros give out more heat than I expected. You'll want fans running to keep them cool in your hood. Link to comment
eitallent Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 I'm not familiar with the stunners, but I do know that the pros give out more heat than I expected. You'll want fans running to keep them cool in your hood. Thanks Gena. I figured as much. The stunners are only 6w and the pros are 19w so I will be adding some fans. Link to comment
markalot Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 They make reflector inserts for the stunners, but I'm not sure if they help or not. LED's are odd. I'm using the 1 watt BuildMyLED 24 inch lights with 1 watt LEDs and individual 90 degree reflectors over my 46 gallon tank and it's still too much light for some corals. I've got both strips running at 25% now to see if I can get any signs of too little light. reflectors: http://www.marinedepot.com/Ecoxotic_Stunner_LED_Polished_Reflector_-Ecoxotic-XX05020-FILTACRALD-vi.html Link to comment
gena Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Thanks Gena. I figured as much. The stunners are only 6w and the pros are 19w so I will be adding some fans. Do you still have the original fans? That's what we used. My husband did all the re-wiring for me, and they worked great for the setup. Link to comment
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