SquishyFishy's BioCube Planet

[FlowerMama]

I feel your pain, just lost my Dad this past Nov.

 

I'll see what I can scrounge up for dive pics.

 

Grab a friend and book a cruise, we are addicted to it, We've done 17 cruises in the last 10 years. 2 of them were diving cruises...we dove in Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

This is a tarpon we swam with in Bonaire we did a dive vacation there, loved those tarpon:

 

I'm a noob to the cruise scene. I went once w/ my husband, our honeymoon and we had a fun time even though he was on crutches. He still parasailed. I didn't know they had diving cruises. Do you already have to have a license before you go or is that part of what the cruise entails?

[SquishyFishy]

And here is my favorite fish to see diving, now that I am a reefer I can identify it as a yellow tail jewel damsel! Ha Ha! And I wonder what the orange coral is??? Any guesses....

 

There I am:

[gena]

I feel your pain, just lost my Dad this past Nov.

 

I'll see what I can scrounge up for dive pics.

 

Grab a friend and book a cruise, we are addicted to it, We've done 17 cruises in the last 10 years. 2 of them were diving cruises...we dove in Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

This is a tarpon we swam with in Bonaire we did a dive vacation there, loved those tarpon:

Sorry about your Dad. Mine will be gone 20 years in May, this year. Hard to believe.

 

That's an awesome looking fish! I snorkel, that's scary enough for me LOL.

 

Awesome! That's sun coral. That damsel is gorgeous too!

[SquishyFishy]

Sorry about your Dad. Mine will be gone 20 years in May, this year. Hard to believe.

 

That's an awesome looking fish! I snorkel, that's scary enough for me LOL.

 

Awesome! That's sun coral. That damsel is gorgeous too!

The tarpon is 6ft long...but are pretty harmless, they like to swim with divers...they look like mercury or tin foil.

 

By dive cruise I meant we took our gear with us to dive. Most ships do have dive shops on board and can certify you for open water certificate while you cruise.

[FlowerMama]

aaw. I like that fishy's speckles. Yep, sun coral, tubastrea, right? Looks fun.

[SquishyFishy]

How about this for a big brain:

 

 

 

and an octopus clutching what is left of his lunch, a mollusk shell, he's my favorite dive pic of all, he was so cute (Bahamas)

Guess I'll close for the evening, hope you enjoyed it..good night!

[gena]

That giant brain looks so freakin cool!!!!!! That entire photo is WOW!

[FlowerMama]

Goodnight to ya and thanks for enlightening us!

[SquishyFishy]

O.K. Ok so I read another thread about the Gorgs on here and I'm listening to you guys! I called 'em back and took off the Gorgs, added a neon green toadstool and green clove polyps with purple centers instead...they'll be here tomorrow! I can't afford to make a $50 dollar mistake!

 

I'll be watching yours 1stimer! Maybe some day....

[gena]

O.K. Ok so I read another thread about the Gorgs on here and I'm listening to you guys! I called 'em back and took off the Gorgs, added a neon green toadstool and green clove polyps with purple centers instead...they'll be here tomorrow! I can't afford to make a $50 dollar mistake!

 

I'll be watching yours 1stimer! Maybe some day....

Excellent decision!

[SquishyFishy]

Thnks Gena, what I love about you is that you are never pushy or critical, just suggest things Makes much more of an impression than some nasties around here.

[SquishyFishy]

Based on my last FTS where should I place the Frogspawn....Toadstool....and the new clove polyps? Any suggestions:


The one to the left is pulsing xenia, and I can move the middle daisies but the Zoas on the right really like it there, maybe I could put the polyps to the right next to them. I think the toadstool will need to be a little higher up, but I'm not sure.

[Pinner Reef]

I'd say put the toadstool on your little island because it'll need plenty of room to grow. Personally I'd move your central dasies closer to the xenia and use that spot for the frogspawn assuming the flow is right. That central spot should be reserved for your best coral as it will be the first thing you see when looking at the tank. Also those dasies like a little less light than many coral ask for so you can tuck them out of the way a bit.

 

I like the zoas where they are. That sloped rock will be good for displaying them.

 

That cravace up in the top right would probably hold the frogspawn pretty well too and it will be able to grow all it wants there without stinging anything. LOL I dunno! there are so many choices! Just see what the coral likes best.

 

I'm a big fan of clustering various coral types together. Favia, Zoas, and the like are all within close relation to their bretherin in my tank if only for flow/light conditions.

[gena]

Thnks Gena, what I love about you is that you are never pushy or critical, just suggest things Makes much more of an impression than some nasties around here.

Well thank you! It's not my nature to be pushy nor critical LOL.

 

Wherever you decide to place them, just make sure you keep the leather away from the toadstool and frogspawn because they will fight if they come in contact with each other .

[FlowerMama]

Can't wait til you get your corals. Red finger gorg you would've been fine but I myself would have been scared about losing money on the blueberry. Good decision on blueberry.

[SquishyFishy]

Thanks guys. I had thought about the top right crevice also for the frogspawn since it will need the extra light and flow, but Houdini has taken up residence! O well, he can find another hidyhole! Just kidding!

 

I hate to move the daisies (my favorite right now, I just love them) as they are crawling all over the rock beneath and have sent out babies everywhere, perhaps the crevice will draw the eye upward to the frogspawn and around the tank. I'm trying to get different color in every area and I think I'm going to save the island on the right for the RBTA to come but it may be too low in the tank, if it is, then the top right hand near the output nozzle may be better. At least I plan on coaxing it to stay there!! I'm planning a ric/mushroom garden also and I was going to start that below the Zoas. I thought the upright wall structure where the xenia is would be good for attaching a branching or wall hammer....Reef Gardener has one that I must have soon! And I want some sun coral at some point. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

I may eventually get a purple feather Gorg to go in the corner behind all the rock and I think that won't cause so much grief.

 

Oh, and I forgot about the maxi minis...Geesh, I want a couple those too, I can smell a change coming.........no I must remain true to my original plan...to stay in this tank! LOL!

[FlowerMama]

Ha- it is so hard, because there are so many possibilities, shapes, colors, textures. Just know the RBTA will move around and sadly seems many people have lost them due to power heards so put some wedding veil material or the mesh from a bag of oranges around the powerhead to prevent any entangling and "nem soup" like they say.

 

I got so overwhelmed because I started wanting so many things and I knew I had to try some things out first, see how I like them, how they grow before I could definitively say what I wanted. And there are still so many reefing years ahead of you. People do one thing for like 2-3 yrs, then change course , change up the rockscape and coral selection and have new passion again.

 

After Don passed it was really nice to have strong feelings about something again, and not feelings of overwhelming grief but more positive. Just strong feelings. Ha- I used to think I loved crocheting, until I found this. I only "Like" that now.

[SquishyFishy]

I'm already planning for that. I'm making a cover out of the same material as I made my screen which you can see back on post 90 I think.

 

I used a paint screening bag which is a fine mesh. It doesn't filter out the light but it is white and will help camouflage my head anyways. Its very fine, nothing can get through it.

 

I know the BTA will make his own decision, but I hope it's there! I read where someone's actually made his home a crevice in the very back of the tank and he never saw it! Yikes! That's one of the disappointments I had with my first coral....3 baby mushrooms whom are all inside my rock or dead, but I never saw most of them again, even though I tried to glue them down. I have seen the largest one at times in the back of my rock but he hardly gets any light at all....don't understand it! But he's still alive, the others were so small they may have died.

 

I have been through so many phases in my life as well, painted for a long time, made painted shirts when that was big, I have several bins of paints that I've been meaning to throw away, half of them probably dried up. I also used to knit and crochet. I've always been very creative, but in my later years I don't have the passion or stamina I used to...but this hobby has really fired it up again...moving on........

 

My stuff comes in today, so I must plan my acclimation process...that scares me with so many to do at one time. I always get freaked out about the temp of the water, when dripping how do you keep it from getting cold??? And when do you dip it? Before or after you drip it? I float so far and drip but it's always a hassle, taking out the water in the tank for displacement and then adding it back, a mess for sure....how do ya'll go about it?

[SquishyFishy]

I went and looked up the dripping process here and now the consensus of opinion is don't drip, just float, dip and drop! The instructions from Aquacon said to drip...excessively drip! Like for an hour!

 

I guess I will follow Nano-reef suggestions.

[Pinner Reef]

My acclimation process goes like this:

 

-Float everything while I prep the supplies. (~15min)

 

-Empty all the bags into one container (tupperware works good) Usually I have to prop it on an angle at first to keep everything wet.

 

-Use my turkeybaster to add about a tablespoon of water every other minute.

 

-As the voulme grows I add incrementally more water faster until the tupperware mostly full. Add your favorite dip (Iodine, Revive ect.) and wait like 10-15min.

 

- For softies and sps...Take the turkey baster and blast each frag individually. Hold them by the bottom of the frag plug and splash, dunk, swirl the frag in the tuppperware. (Be Gentle on your LPS! just inspect and, if necessary, lightly baste any suspicious charactors off)

 

-one quick full inspection out of the water under good light then I place everyone in the sandbed for close observation.

[gena]

I went and looked up the dripping process here and now the consensus of opinion is don't drip, just float, dip and drop! The instructions from Aquacon said to drip...excessively drip! Like for an hour!

 

I guess I will follow Nano-reef suggestions.

I think most people do not do any water acclimation with coral other than floating to equalize the temperatures. I always compare the bag water salinity to my tank salinity...if it's significantly different, I'll do some water acclimating. With zoas/palys I don't ever bother with it, regardless of any salinity dif.

[SquishyFishy]

Here is the new FTS

The frogspawn and cloves started opening right away, the toadstool is still sulking and I think the urchin is dead, most of it's spines were in the bottom of the bag! I shot them off an email with pic the minute I got it. My LFS guy said he thinks its a goner! I wasn't happy with him anyways cuz he was supposed to be a nano purple pin cushion and as you can see he's huge! Well we ought to know by tomorrow if he moves.

[SquishyFishy]

Here are the closeups:

 

Clove:

Frogspawn:

 

Toadstool:

 

Urchin:

I have the Hydor 240 on, but its really blowing the frogspawn around, like the bubbles part and I can see down to the body, is that O.K.?

[FlowerMama]

As long as it's not direct on it, it should be ok, so it should be pretty random how it wiggles w/ flow. As long as it's not retracted totally in where you can see the skeleton it should be fine. You can also position the powerhead up toward the surface, you'll still have flow below and it will help lessen it if it's a little strong.

 

I like your gramma. I have one too, in my mantis tank w/ Gertie. She hides most of the time, except when she wants food.

[SquishyFishy]

It is pointed up toward surface, I guess its o.k. although during last night the cloves got either blown off the rock or the turbo knocked it off. the urchin did not move all night so this morning I sent him to heaven.

 

As for the clove, it looks like they just shaved it off whatever it was on, there is no frag plug nor rock under it so it just almost floats....too fragile to use epoxy so I have to go get some gel glue and then I'll put it on a piece of rock and then secure it to the scape. Do not like this...I feel it should have been secured to a frag at least.

 

Toadstool starting to open but there is some sort of mucus on it too...what is that?

 

I am never ordering from Aquacon again...although someone on here recommended them. There is no guarantee the frogspawn is "Green with purple tips" nor the toadstool "florescent Green" at this point. And of course the dead urchin. He had to have been in trouble before they shipped him. But since he was on sale for $9 I'm not going to make a big deal over him...just not doing business with them anymore.

 

Since I got rid of the Chromis, my Gramma is always out and about, and loves to pal with the clowns.