Mirya's Mini Garden (Nuvo 8) - Yasha Love Shack

[gena]

Everything looks wonderful! Good luck with the POTM!!!!

 

 

I'm guessing blasto on your LPS HH.

 

I was out of town for most of this week at a business meeting. My husband, despite his fears, took good care of the tank while I was gone. Honestly, all I had him do was feed on one day, otherwise everything else just took care of itself. The tank itself probably appreciated not having any hands in it for a few days!

 

I took a bunch of pictures of the tank tonight, both to update this thread and to get some shots for my local reef club's picture of the month contest. This month the theme is "anemone." Ha! First I got a picture that actually captures all 10 of my anemones:

 

But then I took a pic of one of my favorite nems, and I think this is the picture I will submit for the contest. I love his yellow mouth and the purple highlights on the tips of his tentacles. He is a VIP anemone:

 

Here is an update on how Meringue is looking. Not a huge difference yet, though I think there are starting to be some green highlights around her mouth. They don't come out in the picture well though.

 

And for you toadstool fans out there, is a slightly closer picture of my Japanese dwarf toadstool:

 

The Palythoa grandis I got from Tidal Gardens a few months back. I'm really pleased with them. I hope once I get my NanoBox that they start to get some green in them! And in the background you can see that the trumpets are pretty happy even though they had all that tissue recession.

 

I have this fun little tiny LPS hitchhiker on the plug my spiral wire coral is on. It almost always has some feeding tentacles out. Any ideas on what it may be? Some brain or something? You can tell by the size of the Nerite snail in the background that it isn't very big. Less than a centimeter in diameter.

 

Here are half the Ricordea I got from Saltcritters live sale. All fluffy and happy.

 

And last... one of my St. Thomas mushrooms from Saltcritters. This one is quite happy and fluffy. The other one, IDK if it will make it. It looks half melted and upset. (It is on the other side of the plug that this one is on.) I moved the plug to a different area of the tank with less flow (though they were already in a low flow area) to see if that helps it bounce back.

 

[FlowerMama]

I bet you missed your nems while you were gone. They all look happy and healthy. The meringue is so perfect because it brightens it up w/ that wonderful lemon and white coloring there. Glad to see your St. Thomas is doing really well. I have one too that's not happy, the one w/ the bright yellow/green polyps is part hiding on the rock on the right side. I can't lower flow any so the next step would be off and I can't do that.

[Mirya]

Everything looks wonderful! Good luck with the POTM!!!!

 

 

I'm guessing blasto on your LPS HH.

 

Thanks!

 

Now that you mention it, the coloring on the LPS HH does match a Blasto perfect! It does seem smoother than the pictures I Googled of Blastos, but it is just a baby.

 

I bet you missed your nems while you were gone. They all look happy and healthy. The meringue is so perfect because it brightens it up w/ that wonderful lemon and white coloring there. Glad to see your St. Thomas is doing really well. I have one too that's not happy, the one w/ the bright yellow/green polyps is part hiding on the rock on the right side. I can't lower flow any so the next step would be off and I can't do that.

 

Don't tell my husband, but I did miss seeing the tank while I was gone! He did text me pictures though!

 

I hope that yellow/green St. T of yours bounces back. I really like that one.

[gena]

 

Thanks!

 

Now that you mention it, the coloring on the LPS HH does match a Blasto perfect! It does seem smoother than the pictures I Googled of Blastos, but it is just a baby.

 

It's hard to tell when they are babies like that, but blasto was the first thing that came to mind. It just has that look .

[Mirya]

I'm up at this ridiculous hour to take my husband to the airport. Yup, I just got home from a business trip and now he is leaving on one. Anyway, I knew I should go to bed at a decent hour last night because of this... so of course I didn't. But, as I was on my way to bed I peeked in the sump of my tank. Late at night is the only time I can see into it well -- the display lights are off and the refugium light is on casting an eerie glow back there. Since I started the tank with dead rock and sand, I don't really expect to see a weird sump monster back there, but I occasionally look anyways. Last night I was in for a surprise:

 

Yup, that is my pistol shrimp in my sump, hiding under the return pump. The false wall is still water tight, which means the only way he could have gotten back there was swimming through the overflow, going through the media basket, crawling up through the fuge basket, and then into the main chamber of the sump:

 

WTF

 

So then I spent the next hour digging him out and returning him to the display area. At least I got to clean out the sump area.

 

I had been wondering why the Yasha goby hadn't been out as much and the burrow seemed to be in disrepair...

[FlowerMama]

Hooray! Glad he showed up! Now that means you're in for a nap some time today!

[gabe3eb]

Such a sweet tank!

[Mirya]

Such a sweet tank!

Thanks Gabe!

 

I have been wiped out by this week. I started a new position this past Monday within the organization I have been working for the past few years. Ended up putting in over 60 hours this past week. (I'm salaried.) Part of it was due to having to learn new systems, but a big part of it was being busier than anyone expected. But, that is a good thing! I was moved to this position to see if I could grow it more than the last person in this position was able to. So far, that answer is yes! But, that is why there haven't been any recent tank updates by me.

 

I think the only thing to update is a new coral. I know, I hear you, "OMG WHY DID YOU GET ANOTHER CORAL?!? YOU HAVEN'T SET UP YOUR OTHER TANK YET!" Well, this was a special circumstance. Really! (I sense your doubt! ) A member of my local reef group is breaking his tank down and was selling a frag of Jason Fox Jack-o-Lantern Leptoseris. I have loved that coral from the first time I saw it, but decided I would never drop that type of cash on such a small frag. Well, this frag was going for a steal of a price because it has seen some better days. It has tissue recession and is bleached. So, my fingers are crossed that it will make a recovery. Here is a pic of it so I can document its progress:

 

In other fishy news, Tidal Gardens is having a photo contest on their Facebook page. Please go "Like" the submission by Karen Tefft. You will recognize it from my signature!

BRS' next photo contest will be themed "anemones." You can bet I will be entering that as well!

 

In non-fishy news, I signed up for this today:

omgomgomg omgomgomg omgomgomg omgomgomg

[gena]

I "liked" it . Good luck!!!!! I got an email about BRS' anemone theme photo contest. I thought about entering that one too .

[Mirya]

 

I "liked" it . Good luck!!!!! I got an email about BRS' anemone theme photo contest. I thought about entering that one too .

Yes, I figured you and Annette should enter as well!

 

I have one last non-fish photo for the night. The wonderful thing about this time of year in the Midwest... The fireflies are out! This time of night the males are all starting their aerial light dances. The females remain on the ground and flash back at the boys. I was curious what the iPhone camera would think of firefly light. Wasn't too terrible. Here is a female:

 

Fireflies just have a way of putting a smile on my face, no matter my mood.

[FlowerMama]

I get their advertisements but maybe I deleted one before reading it. I didn't know they had photo contests. Personally I think you guys take better pics of your rock flowers than me.

[gabe3eb]

Voted, but some dude taking very simple pictures of his common fish is in the lead...

[Mirya]

I get their advertisements but maybe I deleted one before reading it. I didn't know they had photo contests. Personally I think you guys take better pics of your rock flowers than me.

Here is the link for Bulk Reef Supplies contest. I think voting opens tomorrow. I just entered the same photo I entered in my local reef club's contest:

[FlowerMama]

Thanks.

[Mirya]

Whew. My first two weeks in my new position were both 60+ hour weeks. This week I'm starting to settle in a little bit better. Actually got home at a decent hour tonight and got to enjoy looking at the tank for a change. Borneman was being all photogenic:

 

I should be getting my NanoBox light for this tank soon. I am sooo excited! I've seen pics of the lights I'm ordered in Dave's "too be assembled" teaser pic he posted a few days ago. Once the lights are here I can make progress on setting up the other tank.

[FlowerMama]

Oh my gosh, sure hope those hrs spent at work dwindles some. I'm sure you'll be content once you have some regular hrs again, spend more time enjoying your tanks and having time w/ your hubby. Pretty pic of your Bornemon. Think I'll call it your Bohemian. That lavender on the edge encircling it and the contrast w/ the light green are sweet.

[anjakristina]

I just found this post the other day as I put a rock flower anemone on hold at my LFS! This is my first RFA and I'm super excited, I'll probably be picking it up Friday! You guys have posted a lot of good info on here and I've read every single post!

[Mirya]

Thanks Anja! I love your Sexy Shrimp icon.

[FlowerMama]

I just found this post the other day as I put a rock flower anemone on hold at my LFS! This is my first RFA and I'm super excited, I'll probably be picking it up Friday! You guys have posted a lot of good info on here and I've read every single post!

 

Wonderful! they're addicting, they're like chips or M&Ms, you can't have just one!!! They add so much to the display in my opinion.

[Mirya]

I had been eyeing some items on Legendary Corals site, but figured I would be good and not order anything. But then Darwin posted a 25% off sale. Damnit, I am weak... (The sale is good for the rest of the week, so you should click that link and go take advantage!)

 

The package arrived today, and my husband texted me a play by play of the unboxing:

 

 

 

It was so exciting to come home and see the new shinies! The Blue Hornet and Prometheans were open. The Reef Tek Starburst cap was waaaaay bigger than what the wysiwyg picture showed. And, the Yuma is just yummy!

[FlowerMama]

We're all weak. Join the club!!!!! Lovely yuma alright and that toadstool!!. You have some really beautiful items in your tank.

[gena]

Awesome! The yuma is gorgeous! Can't wait to see the starburst cap .

 

The little toadie is a cutie too .

[FlowerMama]

I don't even know what a starburst cap is. Is it a monti or something?

[gena]

I don't even know what a starburst cap is. Is it a monti or something?

I don't know either...but it sounds fancy . I just like caps. I assume it's a monticap .

[Mirya]

Yup it is a Monti. It looks like this grown out:

 

I've always liked Gena's Montis so wanted to give one a try.