Polarcollision's Nuvo 24: March FTS

[vlangel]

Such nice color to everything. The tank looks great!

[Polarcollision]

Looks great! Tons of life in there mixing closely together. Was that a branching Cyphastrea?

Thanks Sk8! It's definitely filling in with some warfare happening, especially between the orange and green montiporas. They put out these little threadlike white tentacles along the growth edges and duke it out. It's kinda pretty warfare TBH. Spongeodes is the clear winner so I get in there with my reef bonsai cutters to even the score from time to time. Pink zippers and a little green micozoa are also out of control. In a few months I'm planning to take all of the rock on the left side out and replace it with new. So the pink zippers will get a new island to do battle with nuclear greens and some of the other stronger palys. This will help create a better lighting surface area and also finally get rid of the aptasia takeover that's under way. My pom pom crab found one quite a while back and seeded the tank with little aptasia babies. Have literally tried everything but the laser to get rid of them, to no avail. So I'll toss their rock and frag my corals.

 

Such nice color to everything. The tank looks great!

Thanks! The blue LEDs really bring out the neon pop of color.

[FlowerMama]

Video update on the Nuvo 24. Still chugging along. I love these iPhone gels that cut some of the blue light. They let you see the tank more like I do in the evenings.

 

 

Thank You! A long time favorite song!!!! That was a perfect union of amazing cinematography and music... It spoke to me perfectly. Shit, I needed that.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Thanks Sk8! It's definitely filling in with some warfare happening, especially between the orange and green montiporas. They put out these little threadlike white tentacles along the growth edges and duke it out. It's kinda pretty warfare TBH. Spongeodes is the clear winner so I get in there with my reef bonsai cutters to even the score from time to time. Pink zippers and a little green micozoa are also out of control. In a few months I'm planning to take all of the rock on the left side out and replace it with new. So the pink zippers will get a new island to do battle with nuclear greens and some of the other stronger palys. This will help create a better lighting surface area and also finally get rid of the aptasia takeover that's under way. My pom pom crab found one quite a while back and seeded the tank with little aptasia babies. Have literally tried everything but the laser to get rid of them, to no avail. So I'll toss their rock and frag my corals.

 

 

Wow, that's scary about the Aiptasia - I am also battling them. I've only tried Aiptasia X with minimal results. Did you try the nudibrances? I've heard good stories about them. I also have a spongeode- didn't know it's so aggressive. It's a fast grower too so I'll have to keep my eye on it

[Polarcollision]

 

Thank You! A long time favorite song!!!! That was a perfect union of amazing cinematography and music... It spoke to me perfectly. Shit, I needed that.

Woman after my heart. "run to the water..." best --true-- line ever.

 

Thanks Sk8! It's definitely filling in with some warfare happening, especially between the orange and green montiporas. They put out these little threadlike white tentacles along the growth edges and duke it out. It's kinda pretty warfare TBH. Spongeodes is the clear winner so I get in there with my reef bonsai cutters to even the score from time to time. Pink zippers and a little green micozoa are also out of control. In a few months I'm planning to take all of the rock on the left side out and replace it with new. So the pink zippers will get a new island to do battle with nuclear greens and some of the other stronger palys. This will help create a better lighting surface area and also finally get rid of the aptasia takeover that's under way. My pom pom crab found one quite a while back and seeded the tank with little aptasia babies. Have literally tried everything but the laser to get rid of them, to no avail. So I'll toss their rock and frag my corals.

 

 

Wow, that's scary about the Aiptasia - I am also battling them. I've only tried Aiptasia X with minimal results. Did you try the nudibrances? I've heard good stories about them. I also have a spongeode- didn't know it's so aggressive. It's a fast grower too so I'll have to keep my eye on it

Aptasia X helps them spread babies really well in my experience. For the big ones I followed a home remedy that takes them out for good:

 

tablespoon or so of vinegar (I used distilled white)

add salt (I used grains from my salt mix instead of table salt) until the salt will not dissolve anymore. I used the aptasia X syringe to inject the solution through the mouth and into the aptasia.

 

The vinegar has a low pH so it will disfigure the aptasia proteins and the high salinity will cause cytolysis (cells the break open).

 

This took out a couple of big ones, but they have to grow to the size you can get the syringe in their mouths. I should have followed up with boiling water just to be sure absolutely nothing was left of the foot. Boiling water has always worked for me--until these guys showed up.

 

I remember a picture of a monti you labeled spongeodes, but it doesn't look like what is sold as spongeodes in this area so maybe you'll get lucky.

[FlowerMama]

I need to find my cd now and listen to it on the BOSE tomorrow.

[Polarcollision]

Wow, that's scary about the Aiptasia - I am also battling them. I've only tried Aiptasia X with minimal results. Did you try the nudibrances? I've heard good stories about them. I also have a spongeode- didn't know it's so aggressive. It's a fast grower too so I'll have to keep my eye on it

 

I just treated about 40 aptasia with disks (not tentacles) ranging from quarters to pinheads. Used the saturated marine salt and distilled vinegar solution. They shriveled up like limp snot if I was able to inject them. Some of the larger ones even came off the rock from the foot. If half are gone I'll consider it a win and treat again next week.

[vlangel]

I just treated about 40 aptasia with disks (not tentacles) ranging from quarters to pinheads. Used the saturated marine salt and distilled vinegar solution. They shriveled up like limp snot if I was able to inject them. Some of the larger ones even came off the rock from the foot. If half are gone I'll consider it a win and treat again next week.

Good luck in the war against aiptasia. I have been fortunate enough to never have battled that in my tank. The occasional 1 or 2 I hit with a slurry of super buffer.

[Sk8n Reefer]

I may have to try the vinegar solution. I have a fairly large infestation so most likely it's a nudi's branch solution.

[Polarcollision]

I may have to try the vinegar solution. I have a fairly large infestation so most likely it's a nudi's branch solution.

How many are you getting?

 

Good luck in the war against aiptasia. I have been fortunate enough to never have battled that in my tank. The occasional 1 or 2 I hit with a slurry of super buffer.

What is super buffer? I might try it

[Sk8n Reefer]

How many are you getting?

 

Not sure yet- probably around 12-15 of different sizes. I am not traveling this week so I can keep up on maintenance but next week I am in Arlington TX for 4 days so I need to plan a delivery when I am around for a few weeks!

[vlangel]

Superbuffer is a product that can be used to adjust PH higher and that is its main purpose. It will also boost alkalinity. It is really better of course to deal with the organics that are pulling the PH down. However it works great when made into a thick milky slurry that can be pulled up into a syringe and then squeezed down the mouth of an aiptasia. Be sure to watch your PH if doing a lot of aiptasia. If its getting too high switch to lemon juice which will also kill aiptasia or do WCs to correct the imbalance.

[Polarcollision]

Superbuffer is a product that can be used to adjust PH higher and that is its main purpose. It will also boost alkalinity. It is really better of course to deal with the organics that are pulling the PH down. However it works great when made into a thick milky slurry that can be pulled up into a syringe and then squeezed down the mouth of an aiptasia. Be sure to watch your PH if doing a lot of aiptasia. If its getting too high switch to lemon juice which will also kill aiptasia or do WCs to correct the imbalance.

I will add that to my arsenal! Thank you

[Mr. Microscope]

Congratulations on TOTM PC! Well done. Your mixed reef is really impressive, especially your talent for keeping both SPS and zoas happy at the same time. I really like your fish selection as well.

[vlangel]

Congrats on May's featured reef profile! Way to go! Well deserved! I enjoyed your write up immensely.

[markalot]

Congrats, well deserved. The colors in your tank are always so awesome. Any larger size picture of the profile FTS?

[teenyreef]

Congratulations on TOTM!

I think you've been in the running for a long time - this tank so beautiful.

[gena]

Congrats on TOTM . I need more info on your cyphastrea. I can't get over it's growth pattern. Is that a "special" type or does all cyphastrea have that potential???? It seriously fascinates me LOL.

[ReefWeeds]

YAY KAREN!!! CONGRATS! Well-deserved.

 

I just treated about 40 aptasia with disks (not tentacles) ranging from quarters to pinheads. Used the saturated marine salt and distilled vinegar solution. They shriveled up like limp snot if I was able to inject them. Some of the larger ones even came off the rock from the foot. If half are gone I'll consider it a win and treat again next week.

 

 

I may have to try the vinegar solution. I have a fairly large infestation so most likely it's a nudi's branch solution.

I hate those buggers. I had tried everything then finally went with the berghias from Reeftown. I got 8 for my 66 and within 2-3 months, they wiped out my aiptaisa population. I think I was in the 100+ range for amount of aiptasias. I was hoping to remove the berghias and send them to someone else, but the last time I saw them, there were maybe two or three aiptasia left so I let them be and I've not seen them since so I think they died off. I think I spent just under $150 for the 8 medium size including shipping and honestly, best $150 I spent so far in this hobby.

[DaveFason]

Amazing tank. I cant believe I never stopped by! Keep up the AMAZING work.

-Dave

[Polarcollision]

Congratulations on TOTM PC! Well done. Your mixed reef is really impressive, especially your talent for keeping both SPS and zoas happy at the same time. I really like your fish selection as well.

Thanks MrMS :-) I'm a wrasse addict too. If/when there's ever a larger tank I'd like to add more fairy and flasher wrasses--assuming they'll all get along. I'm not sure there's a secret to keeping zoas and sps together. At least I've not really had to put effort into it. They both like really high light and low nutrients. The only thing I do that seems to help them out is addition of iodine. For me about a drop of Lugols once a week-- if I remember it. :-)

 

Congrats on May's featured reef profile! Way to go! Well deserved! I enjoyed your write up immensely.

Thank you! I figured I'd share the things that didn't work out so well. Stuff like that happens to everyone and it doesn't mean you have to give up!

 

Congrats, well deserved. The colors in your tank are always so awesome. Any larger size picture of the profile FTS?

Yes! I'll see if I can link the FTS from imgur. You're SPS color obsessed--are you going to peep at my sps colors? :-) Go by the single image versions where I could color correct to what I see in life. The layout of the LEDs in the hydra don't distribute light colors evenly so I picked a middle ground for the FTS color balance.

 

Congratulations on TOTM!

I think you've been in the running for a long time - this tank so beautiful.

Thanks Tiny! It came as a (welcome) surprise to me. I was enjoying seeing all the beautiful tanks each month.

 

Congrats on TOTM . I need more info on your cyphastrea. I can't get over it's growth pattern. Is that a "special" type or does all cyphastrea have that potential???? It seriously fascinates me LOL.

Thank you Gena! I answered over at the official page so I'll just copy that here to be sure you see it. It's called a branching cyphastrea. The ones we usually see are the encrusting type like the meteor shower cyphastrea. The LFS that sold it to me said that there's really only one type of branching cyphastrea -- the lighting makes the difference in color. This one loses the pretty teal color and stops growing any place it's exposed to direct light. Probably the slowest grower of all my corals. Anyways, I did a quick google search and i looks like people are calling it a Tyree decada. If you get one, keep it really well shaded. Mine is under a shallow ledge.

YAY KAREN!!! CONGRATS! Well-deserved.

 

 

I hate those buggers. I had tried everything then finally went with the berghias from Reeftown. I got 8 for my 66 and within 2-3 months, they wiped out my aiptaisa population. I think I was in the 100+ range for amount of aiptasias. I was hoping to remove the berghias and send them to someone else, but the last time I saw them, there were maybe two or three aiptasia left so I let them be and I've not seen them since so I think they died off. I think I spent just under $150 for the 8 medium size including shipping and honestly, best $150 I spent so far in this hobby.

Thanks Stella! (It's Deborah, btw. ;-) I'll consider nudis again. I only bought 2 of them previously and they disappeared within a day or so. Probably a crab? I injected 30+ the day before pics... there's just soooo many!

 

Amazing tank. I cant believe I never stopped by! Keep up the AMAZING work.

-Dave

Thanks for dropping by Dave! Be sure to come back to say hello!

[ReefWeeds]

I have no idea why I typed Karen I saw your reply and thought huh then I reread my message. apparently I hadn't had enough coffee

[Polarcollision]

Gena, here's a beautiful colony from google images. You can see it's base in the background as a blurry blue/teal color. That comes from higher lighting than I have it in. In some deep shade places, mine is almost a pale phthalo green. Notice the tips are the purple-ish violet like my tips? That's from direct, unshaded light. At the rate mine grows this colony might be 5 years old.

 

[markalot]

Yes! I'll see if I can link the FTS from imgur. You're SPS color obsessed--are you going to peep at my sps colors? :-) Go by the single image versions where I could color correct to what I see in life. The layout of the LEDs in the hydra don't distribute light colors evenly so I picked a middle ground for the FTS color balance.

 

 

 

Nah It's jsut really small on the feature is all, the popout is smaller than the embedded image.

[gena]

Thank you Gena! I answered over at the official page so I'll just copy that here to be sure you see it. It's called a branching cyphastrea. The ones we usually see are the encrusting type like the meteor shower cyphastrea. The LFS that sold it to me said that there's really only one type of branching cyphastrea -- the lighting makes the difference in color. This one loses the pretty teal color and stops growing any place it's exposed to direct light. Probably the slowest grower of all my corals. Anyways, I did a quick google search and i looks like people are calling it a Tyree decada. If you get one, keep it really well shaded. Mine is under a shallow ledge.

Awesome! Thanks for the info . I was hoping it was just something the meteor shower I have would magically do one day LOL. It certainly adds interest to the look of it .