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Red_Blenny's 12gal *soon to be* Ricordea Species tank.


Red_Blenny

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Red_Blenny

Sweet tank! I love the fish choice, assessors are so cool!

 

Thanks! He's an ORA fish I got from Petco.

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Really? Petcos around here don't carry any saltwater let alone high quality aquacultured fish. Excellent choice and I appreciate the big picture dump - that Yuma is so great. I'd blast that thing till it was bright orange ;)

 

Your Rics seem to like Fauna Marin, I've never looked into it? I started feeding with fridged reef nutrition but it's: expensive, goes bad quickly, and the good ones (like mysis feast) sell out quickly here. Do you feed each mouth or just one mouth per body?

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Red_Blenny

Really? Petcos around here don't carry any saltwater let alone high quality aquacultured fish. Excellent choice and I appreciate the big picture dump - that Yuma is so great. I'd blast that thing till it was bright orange ;)

 

Your Rics seem to like Fauna Marin, I've never looked into it? I started feeding with fridged reef nutrition but it's: expensive, goes bad quickly, and the good ones (like mysis feast) sell out quickly here. Do you feed each mouth or just one mouth per body?

 

My petco is a bit effy but they carry ORA corals (heck, they had like 2-3" SPS mini colonies from ORA for like $40-$50) and randomly ORA fishes. Right now, they're hitting the crapper but they do randomly improve.

 

 

As for my rics, I feed them 2 pellets per mouth but no more than 6 total overall per Ricordea (if it has multiple mouths). I used to feed them New Life Spectrum pellets and they ate them. Problem is that the pellets are quite hard and it took like 20-30min for them to eat a pellet (but they ate it nonetheless). I picked up my first yuma from IllustrioSolo and realized that yuma tend to slime up once I drop a pellet on it. Later, I decided to dissolve the pellet by hand and it gave a feeding response..

 

IME, noticed that Yumas tend to prefer 'powdery' foods and Floridas prefer pellets. Reason why I chose Fauna Marin is because it's soft/brittle and high in protein (and it comes in pellets). I read reviews about it and many people seem to believe in it so I gave it a shot. Ever since then, my rics eat the Fauna Marin pellets quickly (like 5min) and don't even bother with the NLS fish food.

 

Frozen foods are nice, but they tend to pollute the tank quickly. I did try Reef Nutrition once and they ate it but I got huge algae bloom after.

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Yeah that's my problem. Even when I'm careful about feeding, siphon out extra, do an immediate small water change, AND rinse filters after an hour of circulation I'm still getting a hair algae bloom about 24 hrs later.

 

Probably going to try switching to what you use.

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Red_Blenny

Yeah that's my problem. Even when I'm careful about feeding, siphon out extra, do an immediate small water change, AND rinse filters after an hour of circulation I'm still getting a hair algae bloom about 24 hrs later.

 

Probably going to try switching to what you use.

 

Go for it, you can also use it for your future LPS collection. I'm using the Fauna Marin LPS pellets. There's the Chalice/Zoa Powder too but it's the same formula as the LPS Pellet

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  • 1 month later...
Red_Blenny

Update: I picked up a Fungia. They're freaking awesome, especially when they eat:

 

Day 1:

http://s1096.photobucket.com/user/Red_Blenny/media/Current%20tank/01_zps6f19b49a.jpg.html'>01_zps6f19b49a.jpg

 

Day 3:

http://s1096.photobucket.com/user/Red_Blenny/media/Current%20tank/02_zpse868d28a.jpg.html'>02_zpse868d28a.jpg

 

Day 27 :

http://s1096.photobucket.com/user/Red_Blenny/media/Current%20tank/03_zpsc8f1821c.jpg.html'>03_zpsc8f1821c.jpg

 

My favorite yuma turned more hot pink and orange now:

http://s1096.photobucket.com/user/Red_Blenny/media/Current%20tank/P1000581-2_zpsd510829b.jpg.html'>P1000581-2_zpsd510829b.jpg

 

 

ATM, I'm going to thin out zoa collection and decide whether I should buy the IM nano reactor or stick to the damn Cadlights NR-1 and somehow make it work better (using gfo in a mesh bag but I think I'm giving it too much flow and it's slowly dissolving). I changed my light bulbs few weeks ago and I'm happier with the colors (some of my acros are colored up lot better now).

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I love that plate - looks just like one I had (died from agitation on the bottom by a burrowing butterscotch welk); You should try to keep some sandbed under him if possible!

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Red_Blenny

I love that plate - looks just like one I had (died from agitation on the bottom by a burrowing butterscotch welk); You should try to keep some sandbed under him if possible!

 

I moved it back to the sand but it keeps moving away from it... Might just leave it alone and let it moves wherever it wants to.

 

I think I'm in love with Plate corals and I'm now looking for a red one now :wub:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Update: Got rid some of my zoas and I ended up buying this guy:

 

P1000727_zps531e0cbd.jpg

~3.5-4" Pink yuma with greenish/grey skirt. Hoping it'll turn hot pink but for now, it stays under the shade.

 

I also moved around my Ricordea garden again and decide to let them touch each other:

 

P1000729_zps44e23f57.jpg

P1000723_zps8bb4ab0b.jpg

b352c9c6-ff2c-4e4d-ac0a-70ef55fcd690_zps

 

That gold yuma loves to stretch for light. My favorite hot pink orange yuma is a lot larger now...

 

I also picked up some zoas:

 

A small colony of Candy Apple Reds (gotta kill those aptasia soon):

P1000739_zps6a7a77ed.jpg

 

and probably my favorite zoa, Purple Rainbow Delights. It's sooo bright:

 

P1000730_zps81804d43.jpg

P1000732_zpse28ff1de.jpg

^To the left of PRD is an unknown blue-green acro I picked up from Reef-a-Palooza 2012 that RTN'ed on my way home. It was hanging on by a tiny polyp but it finally encrusted more and it now has 3 polyps. To the right of PRD is a unknown acro I found on those maricultured plugs. I thought it was a toadstool for the longest time but I guess it's something else.

 

 

And my Tri-Color Valida finally recovered. Still encrusting and I have no idea where to put it:

P1000734_zps348345e5.jpg

 

Only picture I can find when it was dying back then:

P1000270_zpsbc9dedbd.jpg

 

 

 

Hopefully, I'll borrow a DSLR with a tripod and take some decent pictures. I might also get someone to build me a small 5-6gal acrylic tank that I can put next to the tank and plumb it together so I can put my chaeto in there (got a super stuffed sandwich bag worth from an awesome local reefer). Here's my tiny refugium:

P1000744_zpsbe79fb67.jpg

 

 

Also, I gotta find something else than photobucket. I'm comparing them to my edited pictures and they look totally different from each other...

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Really great update! Gorgeous Yumas (as always) - the selection of Yumas here in the valley utterly sucks. How's your plate coral doing?

 

Thanks! The plate coral is doing fine. It eats like a pig and the tentacles mostly come out at night.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just read your thread and loved it! I love your rics and Zoas. Wow gorgeous.

 

I do not like photobucket either. They are fine for regular snapshots but quality pictures turn out poorly. I am now using smugmug.com at the basic level. You pay for their service but it is excellent. :)

 

I really enjoy how you explain why you do the things you do. :) For a newbie like me these explanations are a gold mine! Thanks for posting the link to the Reef Chemistry Calculator on flsvedlund's thread. It is really helpful.

 

I want to see more of your tank. I too have a 12 gallon nano with a separate fuge plumbed together. I can't wait to see how you set yours up. :D

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Shoot. Just realized this thread made it to the 1st page without me updating it.

 

I just read your thread and loved it! I love your rics and Zoas. Wow gorgeous.

 

I do not like photobucket either. They are fine for regular snapshots but quality pictures turn out poorly. I am now using smugmug.com at the basic level. You pay for their service but it is excellent. :)

 

I really enjoy how you explain why you do the things you do. :) For a newbie like me these explanations are a gold mine! Thanks for posting the link to the Reef Chemistry Calculator on flsvedlund's thread. It is really helpful.

 

I want to see more of your tank. I too have a 12 gallon nano with a separate fuge plumbed together. I can't wait to see how you set yours up. :D

 

Thanks! I've been trying to get ahold of someone who works with acrylic to make a gravity type sump/refugium. It sorta looks like the CPR Aquafuge 2, but a cube-ish shape that's not hanging. I'll look into that website you suggested.

 

Those those those rics!

Those rics I got from you are doing well. I'll take a picture of it soon once I get back from school..

 

 

~~~~~

I noticed my mushrooms get more attention than my SPS. I freaking love the colors they have and again, I wish I started off with them instead but that's the past. I'll probably post pictures of my SPS since I'm sure there's people who are wondering how they're doing (I don't see too much SPS dominate keepers that is doing it under 20gal).

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I took plenty of photos a couple of days ago but I managed to upload a few pictures (slow internet)

 

My FTS shot as of 07-13-13:

P1000860_zps70e5c82b.jpg

 

 

And a top down shot of one of my hairiest coral:

P1000925_zps1a5bce01.jpg

 

 

Plenty more pics to come...

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These pics were from the 13th but summer school happened. Got time now so here's a update with lots of pictures starting off with my Ricordeas:

 

Pinky Coral Yuma:

 

P1000949_zpsf15d4b28.jpg

Top down shot:

P1000944_zps2bf8c5f0.jpg

 

That Tri-color Ricordea I got from Illu:

 

Daylight shot:

P1000948_zps65c9aa61.jpg

Actinic shot:

P1010007_zpsf00b71b4.jpg

Close up during Actinic shot:

P1010011_zpsfefd20c8.jpg

^I love how you can see the red and purple under the Actinics

 

And the rest of my Ricordea garden:

 

P1000955_zpsfc785d09.jpg

P1000956_zps1e95f05b.jpg

P1010014_zps974ae807.jpg

 

Sexycoral's hot pink orange yuma. Accidentally broke off a side rock while cleaning the glass so it's smaller than usual:

 

P1000954_zpsd489cb30.jpg

P1010016_zpsa0c591d4.jpg

 

My favorite paly:

P1000888_zpsf30dec69.jpg

P1000988_zpsdc330f84.jpg

P1000939_zpsc3efe01e.jpg

 

Candy Apple Reds. I fragged them up so I can get rid of the aptasia and put them on a glass plug (heavier so it won't get moved). Starting to get some color back:

P1000892_zpsb11eee36.jpg

P1000937_zps8c026ca8.jpg

 

SPS Pics:

 

My rose mille. Most aggressive grower:

P1000969_zps59b70b7b.jpg

P1000972_zps445edd0e.jpg

 

Pink Lemonade:

P1000869_zpsf37a94ec.jpg

P1000934_zpsc31bb7cf.jpg

 

Strawberry Shortcake (front left), Blue Staghorn (back left), Unknown RR Acro (back right), Bubblegum Mille (front center), Pink Lemonade (right):

P1000864_zps88d57908.jpg

 

And a top down shot for each of them:

 

P1000936_zps923be141.jpg

P1000932_zpsf90731ce.jpg

P1000926_zpsfe84dbbe.jpg

P1000933_zpsdbd44674.jpg

 

Tri-color healing nicely. Still has a tiny bare spot left:

P1000891_zps1699cc30.jpg

P1000919_zpsd29e39f4.jpg

 

Unknown Acro. Originally, it had a green base, pink body, and blue tips:

P1000881_zps8df035ed.jpg

P1000921_zps155c7567.jpg

P1000982_zpse581ac3d.jpg

^Atm, the polyps turn pinky-orange, but that's during Actinic and I can't capture it too well

 

Platinum Prostata:

 

P1000885_zpsfc3a88e3.jpg

P1000946_zpsa1ac1a20.jpg

P1000908_zps4e4f8d5a.jpg

 

Hellfire Acro. Very picky. One half of it is encrusting, the other half is STN'ing. Though, the STN'ing stopped ever since I upped my mp10 to 55% at Nutrient Transport Mode (I get bubbles blown around), it's still being effy:

P1000884_zpsa405d6a1.jpg

P1000922_zps43f43cc5.jpg

^In the top pic, if you look carefully, you'll see a patch of polyps that was once from Hellfire. Back then, it was only 2 polyps, now it grew to 3 polyps and encrusted a bit more.

 

Setosa:

P1000943_zps5c0c4f0a.jpg

^Too bad the Mermaid's Cup algae is gonna die off, it looks pretty cool.

 

Unknown SPS hitchhiker, probably a Stylo:

P1000887_zpsc2760801.jpg

 

Unknown acro from RAP:

P1000890_zpsb0b295e2.jpg

P1000941_zpsb5df8d45.jpg

^I'm happy that it didn't die and it's gaining more territory.

 

Plate Coral. Only gets hairly when the lights are off:

P1000940_zpscb435ab6.jpg

http://s1096.photobucket.com/user/Red_Blenny/media/07-13-13/P1000895_zpsd056737a.jpg.html'>P1000895_zpsd056737a.jpg

 

 

On a sad note, I lost my Crazy Lady Paly (disappeared one day) and Rainbow Tenuis. It was turning pale/white so I moved it to the bottom. It STN'ed quickly and that was that. I guess no A. Tenuis for me.

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

You got some amazing coral dude

 

Thanks, though it's not much. Could use a bit of color. Can't seem to find a decent phosphate removing method yet...

 

From the last heat wave we had 2-3 weeks ago, most of my snails died so I got a bit of a nutrient problem. So far, most of the acros lost some color EXCEPT Strawberry Shortcake and my Blue Staghorn. Their colors perked up, even with a high nutrients :o

 

 

 

Lol, been itching for some rics eh?

 

 

_________________________________

 

The other day, I was looking for some old pictures of my dog. Instead, I found pictures of acros I've lost in the past... RIP:

 

Rouge Mile. It's the red sps in the middle, right when I first had it. It was dark bloody red with yellow/green polyps. Someone told me it might have been RMF Diablo (and sorta reminds me of AoA Hells Bells) buuut we'll never know :(

 

DSC_0607_zps096c45ef.jpg

 

 

Giant 3-4" Colony of Red Dragon. This is when I first got it. I had it for roughly 2-3 months and it had a light pink color to it. However, I lost it when my heater boiled my tank to 85+

DSC_0586_zpsc18bf780.jpg

 

Unknown Tenuis. Picked it up at Reef Raft. It's a blue tenuis with pink coralites:

 

DSC_1362_zps37199276.jpg

 

**It ALMOST looks like Reef Raft Multicolor Matrix or this fella:

 

DSC_1362_zpse091df97.jpg

 

Either way, I'll never know :(

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Nice! I have the RR ice fire...dunno if it's any different than a regular ice fire but the colors are still nice. It's actually like the only acro in my tank that has fully colored up.

 

I seem to be having problems with color as well.

 

I would get a fan if you're having heat problems. I always thought that if a coral is turning lighter then it needs more nutrients, and brown less? i get both, though, so i'm not sure

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Nice! I have the RR ice fire...dunno if it's any different than a regular ice fire but the colors are still nice. It's actually like the only acro in my tank that has fully colored up.

 

I seem to be having problems with color as well.

 

I would get a fan if you're having heat problems.

 

Ice Fire is my one favorite, the classic sky blue body with the dark blue tips. I've been wanting to pick up a deepwater acro but I decided against it because 4x24W T5s + shallow tank = not a good idea.

 

My smallest fan its quite strong. It drops 2* in like 1.5 hours and I gotta turn it off before it drops even more (and I forget due to summer school hw) Hmmmmm, maybe that's why my snails died, temp swings waaay too fast.

 

 

 

I always thought that if a coral is turning lighter then it needs more nutrients, and brown less? i get both, though, so i'm not sure

 

Sounds about right. I sorta figured out that if the colors are faded, needs more nutrients or too much light.

 

Brown = too little light (don't think that's possible in my case) or too much nutrients. Though some told me that browning could occur if you have too much light BUT you can counter it by dosing Potassium to help it release the excess zooxanthellae from too much light.

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Deleted User 4

Yeah....lolol. I'm saving up some right now, since the lfs don't have rics. It isn't the rics season, they said. Lmao!!

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Yeah....lolol. I'm saving up some right now, since the lfs don't have rics. It isn't the rics season, they said. Lmao!!

 

Probably because hurricane season is coming. Hate to be collecting R. Flordias during a tropical storms. You can always try aquascapers or ebay.

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