cindy's cadlights 8g: on writing deadlines! :O

[Snow_Phoenix]

Cindy! Sorry to hear about your worm!

 

If it makes you any happier, even my worm is having trouble. He attempted to shed his crown few days back - few of his feathers actually began to drop - when I quickly transferred him into a separated holding jar full of sand. But he still wasn't happy and attempted to bail (even though he's still in his tube) several times. I just fished him out from the back of my tank to find him repositioned behind my star polyps today. Very tricky, this fella.

 

Have you found your goby yet btw? I might have missed the post, but I hope you did! He was a cutie.

[Maniu]

thanks, jaime. aiiii!

was so sad to see the duster cast

off its crown.

how is your writing coming?

i'm revising and it's due sunday!

i am making good progress.

 

that really is a short life span!

hope your lived longer??the Wandering RFA has planted itself

between my mushroomand trumpets plugs.

trouble maker. ha

Lol

no, that goes only for one of eviota specie.

It is one of the smallest of the family. And for obvious reason it isn't available in the trade.

[Maniu]

P.S

I love RFA. But it would have to be dedicated tank as "walkers" worry me.

 

 

[Maniu]

Cindy! Sorry to hear about your worm!

 

If it makes you any happier, even my worm is having trouble. He attempted to shed his crown few days back - few of his feathers actually began to drop - when I quickly transferred him into a separated holding jar full of sand. But he still wasn't happy and attempted to bail (even though he's still in his tube) several times. I just fished him out from the back of my tank to find him repositioned behind my star polyps today. Very tricky, this fella.

 

Have you found your goby yet btw? I might have missed the post, but I hope you did! He was a cutie.

How long did you have had that worm in your tank?

Just curious as few sources claim that feather dusters lifespan in hobbyists tank don't less that long. Six months on average. (According to those claims)

[natalia_la_loca]

few sources claim that feather dusters lifespan in hobbyists tank don't less that long. Six months on average. (According to those claims)

 

FWIW, i've had a big feather duster in my 37 gallon for a little over 2 years. I think different dusters have different lifespans.

[Maniu]

FWIW, i've had a big feather duster in my 37 gallon for a little over 2 years. I think different dusters have different lifespans.

Which one do you have Natalia?

[natalia_la_loca]

Which one do you have Natalia?

 

not really sure It's reddish brown, and the fan is maybe 3.5-4 inches in diameter. But based on Sprung's article in Advanced Aquarist, I think it's probably a giant feather duster, Sabellastarte.

 

From the article:

"The ever-popular giant feather dusters imported from Puerto Rico, Haiti, Hawaii and Indonesia belong to the genus Sabellastarte. The color of the crown is variable, and includes shades of brown, white, orange, and maroon. Sabellastartespp. can be long-lived in aquaria, but often they "last" for several months only. It is a commonplace occurrence for them to occasionally shed their crown, for reasons not well known. They readily re-grow the crown within a few weeks or months. When fed liquid invertebrate foods and phytoplankton frequently, they can live for several years in captivity."

 

I feed Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast once a week, with a mix of other coral foods daily. It's shed the crown twice and grown back both times.

[gena]

Sorry Cindy . I wonder what the issue could be? It sounds like you are feeding enough and I would never imagine that a feather duster would be so sensitive to water parameters. But maybe they are?

 

Anyways....just keep swimming . You are learning and we are learning from this too .

[cindyp]

Sorry Cindy . I wonder what the issue could be? It sounds like you are feeding enough and I would never imagine that a feather duster would be so sensitive to water parameters. But maybe they are?

 

Anyways....just keep swimming . You are learning and we are learning from this too .

 

i honestly don't think the tank is established enough?

 

that is my only guess. also, maybe too much flow?

i don't know. the thing is, i would have moved it to a quieter

corner, but its feathers were out quite often, so i assumed it

was happy. so now, i don't know what. if it dies in tube--we'll

have a problem, as i'm sure it is a big worm. like at least 5 - 6 inches,

and the biggest thing that would have died in my tank.

 

aiiiiiii

 

right now, everything is stable and happy. ha!

P.S

I love RFA. But it would have to be dedicated tank as "walkers" worry me.

 

 

 

your gifs are KEELING ME! hahaha!

 

my RFA have all been quite good. this one

is the walk abouter. it didn't like being

cuddled to a big nem, and i blame myself

for taking it off the rock where it was happy.

 

so that was my fault. it is still wedged between

two other corals, but has moved more into the rock,

out of the way. hopefully it is happy there. dunno!

 

FWIW, i've had a big feather duster in my 37 gallon for a little over 2 years. I think different dusters have different lifespans.

 

 

lucky lucky you! i love them, but my tank is obviously

too small and not established enough at 6 months, i suspect.

How long did you have had that worm in your tank?

Just curious as few sources claim that feather dusters lifespan in hobbyists tank don't less that long. Six months on average. (According to those claims)

 

i think often the consensus is that the larger ones

slowly stave to death. my naked worm, as sad as it

looks, is two months in my own tank already!

Cindy! Sorry to hear about your worm!

 

If it makes you any happier, even my worm is having trouble. He attempted to shed his crown few days back - few of his feathers actually began to drop - when I quickly transferred him into a separated holding jar full of sand. But he still wasn't happy and attempted to bail (even though he's still in his tube) several times. I just fished him out from the back of my tank to find him repositioned behind my star polyps today. Very tricky, this fella.

 

Have you found your goby yet btw? I might have missed the post, but I hope you did! He was a cutie.

 

 

aiiii sending good thoughts for your guy.

 

i think they can be challenging for sure. but i think

if no predators, they can also live naked for some time,

as long as they keep their plumes. wishing you luck!

 

and no, my gbg has disappeared. not in the back of

tank--i am assuming it is hiding in the rock work.

[owenj]

thanks, jaime. aiiii!

was so sad to see the duster cast

off its crown.

 

how is your writing coming?

 

i'm revising and it's due sunday!

i am making good progress.

Hopefully it's just settling into the tank...? I'm having tank woes too and think the clam is dying. It seemed fine until last night when it fell over and has been gaping/non-reactive to light or shadow all day.

 

Writing is going alright. I'm taking an "at your own pace" sort of online class that I like, it's just a matter of finding time and churning out some words. Short story earned its second rejection and is currently off at another market

 

Good luck on the revisions. I hate revising

[cindyp]

Hopefully it's just settling into the tank...? I'm having tank woes too and think the clam is dying. It seemed fine until last night when it fell over and has been gaping/non-reactive to light or shadow all day.

 

Writing is going alright. I'm taking an "at your own pace" sort of online class that I like, it's just a matter of finding time and churning out some words. Short story earned its second rejection and is currently off at another market

 

Good luck on the revisions. I hate revising

 

are you kidding? i LOVE revising.

i hate rough drafting. haha! well, i'll do it cause

i have to do it, but it is hard and scary to make something

out of nothing. haha! so much easier when you have

something to work with. novels are so loooong too, and

i don't write as long as some of my adult fantasy author

friends. i think they routinely write 150k novels--double

the length of mine!

 

so sorry about the clam. NO! ASD has some gorgeous

ones, some maybe just two inches big. but yeah. i've not

had luck. and if the duster worm is settling, it is weakened

a lot by no crown. i think it just didn't like it here.

[cindyp]

Runaway RFA is tucked between my

legendary corals mushroom (no idea what

kind of mushroom it is, but it's tripled in size

in these last six months--it came teeny!) and

my trumpet corals. you can see my big feather

duster tube, which is empty of feathers now.

 

[Maniu]

not really sure It's reddish brown, and the fan is maybe 3.5-4 inches in diameter. But based on Sprung's article in Advanced Aquarist, I think it's probably a giant feather duster, Sabellastarte.

 

From the article:

"The ever-popular giant feather dusters imported from Puerto Rico, Haiti, Hawaii and Indonesia belong to the genus Sabellastarte. The color of the crown is variable, and includes shades of brown, white, orange, and maroon. Sabellastartespp. can be long-lived in aquaria, but often they "last" for several months only. It is a commonplace occurrence for them to occasionally shed their crown, for reasons not well known. They readily re-grow the crown within a few weeks or months. When fed liquid invertebrate foods and phytoplankton frequently, they can live for several years in captivity."

 

I feed Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast once a week, with a mix of other coral foods daily. It's shed the crown twice and grown back both times.

There are several Sabellastarte worms in the family. But I am betting on Sabellastarte spectabilis which is most common. If that's the case then it is the same one I have.

Your tank is definitely better suited for dusters then mine. (or Cindy)

Since feather dusters are basically filter feeders, light is irrelevant. The only factor is food delivery...... or lock of it.

So I think we can agree that placement, flow and nutrients are the only factors we need to be concern.

Perhaps those with success stories could chime in.

Lol

no, that goes only for one of eviota specie.

It is one of the smallest of the family. And for obvious reason it isn't available in the trade.

It is the Eviota I was referring to:

 

http://australianmuseum.net.au/fish-shortest-lifespan

i honestly don't think the tank is established enough?

 

that is my only guess. also, maybe too much flow?

i don't know. the thing is, i would have moved it to a quieter

corner, but its feathers were out quite often, so i assumed it

was happy. so now, i don't know what. if it dies in tube--we'll

have a problem, as i'm sure it is a big worm. like at least 5 - 6 inches,

and the biggest thing that would have died in my tank.

 

aiiiiiii

 

right now, everything is stable and happy. ha!

 

your gifs are KEELING ME! hahaha!

 

my RFA have all been quite good. this one

is the walk abouter. it didn't like being

cuddled to a big nem, and i blame myself

for taking it off the rock where it was happy.

 

so that was my fault. it is still wedged between

two other corals, but has moved more into the rock,

out of the way. hopefully it is happy there. dunno!

 

 

lucky lucky you! i love them, but my tank is obviously

too small and not established enough at 6 months, i suspect.

 

i think often the consensus is that the larger ones

slowly stave to death. my naked worm, as sad as it

looks, is two months in my own tank already!

 

 

aiiii sending good thoughts for your guy.

 

i think they can be challenging for sure. but i think

if no predators, they can also live naked for some time,

as long as they keep their plumes. wishing you luck!

 

and no, my gbg has disappeared. not in the back of

tank--i am assuming it is hiding in the rock work.

Well then, I will try to entertain you some more.

As to nem moving around ...... that's fine as long as it isn't stung by other more aggressive badass rebel or does the same to other roommates.

[Maniu]

Ohhh, and everything looks great and happy in that last pic update Cindy.

[teenyreef]

Runaway RFA is tucked between my

legendary corals mushroom (no idea what

kind of mushroom it is, but it's tripled in size

in these last six months--it came teeny!) and

my trumpet corals. you can see my big feather

duster tube, which is empty of feathers now.

 

I love this shot We reefers tend to focus on what's going wrong in our tanks, but when you post a picture like this of these beautiful corals, you definitely have a lot going right, too!

[kimberbee]

Cindy, BOTH of my tiny nems have run away into the rock work!

 

I try to feed them, but they are always hidden or closed! I don't think my food stealing hermits help any.

 

I'm convinced that, similar to clams, bigger ones do better. My tiny quarter-sized nems just weren't hearty enough for my tank.

 

Though I still hope I can help them survive.

[owenj]

 

are you kidding? i LOVE revising.

i hate rough drafting. haha! well, i'll do it cause

i have to do it, but it is hard and scary to make something

out of nothing. haha! so much easier when you have

something to work with. novels are so loooong too, and

i don't write as long as some of my adult fantasy author

friends. i think they routinely write 150k novels--double

the length of mine!

 

so sorry about the clam. NO! ASD has some gorgeous

ones, some maybe just two inches big. but yeah. i've not

had luck. and if the duster worm is settling, it is weakened

a lot by no crown. i think it just didn't like it here.

150k is a lot of words lol. I'm aiming for mine to clock in around 80k--good length but still salable, especially for a first novel. I'm also leaning more towards reading stand alones. I grew up reading trilogies, I love trilogies (and quartets, quintets etc) but I'm getting a little tired of that in fantasy. And it seems like everything in fantasy has to be serial in some way.

 

I think I like outlining the best but that's because I'm a total left-brain freak.

[cindyp]

150k is a lot of words lol. I'm aiming for mine to clock in around 80k--good length but still salable, especially for a first novel. I'm also leaning more towards reading stand alones. I grew up reading trilogies, I love trilogies (and quartets, quintets etc) but I'm getting a little tired of that in fantasy. And it seems like everything in fantasy has to be serial in some way.

 

I think I like outlining the best but that's because I'm a total left-brain freak.

 

yeah. i write for the upper young adult market

(it's just where my voice and story sits) and if

i get maybe 62-65k for a first draft, i'm good. i'll

revise and layer and flesh out and usually will

end up with 10k more. this sequel clocked in at 85k

rough, which is long for me. ha!

 

but that's okay.

 

as for story, i'd opt for a stand alone (easier sell

in this tough market) BUT open ended enough (don't

kill everyone) that you can easily make it into

a series. companion books are quite popular now,

even within SFF.

 

i didn't know you were working on a novel now!!

that's so exciting! (i had though you were getting

a short story critiqued?)

 

HOW IS THE CLAM??

[gena]

Runaway RFA is tucked between my

legendary corals mushroom (no idea what

kind of mushroom it is, but it's tripled in size

in these last six months--it came teeny!) and

my trumpet corals. you can see my big feather

duster tube, which is empty of feathers now.

 

That Legendary mushroom is gorgeous! It kinda looks like a blasto . I've always loved mushrooms...they hardly ever let you down .

[cindyp]

That Legendary mushroom is gorgeous! It kinda looks like a blasto . I've always loved mushrooms...they hardly ever let you down .

 

thank you, gena!

 

i admit, i was a little disappointed when this

shroom arrived and i saw how teeny it was. it was

maybe the size of my pinky fingernail? haha!

but i think it actually has MORE than tripled in size,

perhaps six fold. i was able to direct feed it for

some time. and it seems happy--despite the pesky

flower nem crawling all around its plug to settle next

to him. haha!

 

i do love shrooms. and ironically, i like the cheap

radioactive dragon eye zoas that came on my featherless

duster rock. so i'm vaguely interested in them again!

[Mkus]

Cool tank!!have any new pics?

[owenj]

 

yeah. i write for the upper young adult market

(it's just where my voice and story sits) and if

i get maybe 62-65k for a first draft, i'm good. i'll

revise and layer and flesh out and usually will

end up with 10k more. this sequel clocked in at 85k

rough, which is long for me. ha!

 

but that's okay.

 

as for story, i'd opt for a stand alone (easier sell

in this tough market) BUT open ended enough (don't

kill everyone) that you can easily make it into

a series. companion books are quite popular now,

even within SFF.

 

i didn't know you were working on a novel now!!

that's so exciting! (i had though you were getting

a short story critiqued?)

 

HOW IS THE CLAM??

Clam died, but you saw that on my thread ahh well. Onto the next adventure.

 

I was working on the short stories for a writing class, but have been doing the outlining and stuff (still am) for a novel. It's funny because I loathed short stories for a long time, but am finding them more enjoyable now. I'm taking an "at your own pace" sort of writing class now to focus on the novel. Bleh, I just need more time why do I need to sleep?

[cindyp]

Clam died, but you saw that on my thread ahh well. Onto the next adventure.

 

I was working on the short stories for a writing class, but have been doing the outlining and stuff (still am) for a novel. It's funny because I loathed short stories for a long time, but am finding them more enjoyable now. I'm taking an "at your own pace" sort of writing class now to focus on the novel. Bleh, I just need more time why do I need to sleep?

 

jaime, i think this is SO exciting!

and i took TWO novel writing classes while

i was working on my debut. will this novel

be speculative fiction? *excited*

 

and again, so sorry about the clam. our misadventures

indeed.

[cindyp]

friends, i thought i'd share my latest brush painting.

i finished her on the lunar new year! (which was last

thursday--but i'm still on deadline so haven't had time

to upload this yet.)

 

i love painting chinese beauties, and when i saw

her in a book, i just fell in love with her attitude.

i'd like to think that even if she's wrapped in furs, she

can chuck that giant pot of plum blossoms at someone

if necessary.

 

sequel is due March 1st, which is THIS sunday, friends.

where does the time go?

 

Cool tank!!have any new pics?

 

thank you! hopefully sooner rather than later.

[kimberbee]

She is beautiful Cindy!!

 

I know you said you paint just for yourself, but is there a way I can convince you to paint something for my fish nook?!?