Nano sapiens Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Oh, he's cute! I'd be tempted to get one but he'd be the fourth small goby in this tank. That would be pushing the edge on the bioload for sure. My ampipods do look similar - they are white rather than golden. I haven't seen them actually on the zoas very much, and I haven't noticed the skirts being eaten, though. What I get is a more generalized "zoas won't open", and I've seen whitish spots as well as a brown coating on the stalks off and on over the past year. I used spot peroxide treatment to handle those problems and right now they all look pretty good. I have noticed that doing heavy spot feeding of zoaplan and reef roids seems to help them a lot, too. So while I am still deeply suspicious of the amphipods I haven't really seen conclusive proof that they are the problem. I'm still tempted to get that goby anyway. You know, just to take care of the amphipod problem Great to hear that the Zoas are looking better! I remember back when the mantra was 'Zoas don't feed, why waste your time feeding them'. Turns out they benefit greatly from the right type of foods being fed. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 wow, those progression pics are amazing! Thanks, Ninja! Here's a much better pick for you ...or how about this one? ...or... They do like to hide a lot, but they are quite stunning when they do come out at feeding time Omigosh I was just going to add that they are territorial and need their very own cave. With 3-4 gobies already in a 4g, there *could* be trouble in Dodge Another option would be to remove the other Gobies temporarily and let the Nocturnus have 3-4 months in the tank to eradicate the Pod population. Hmmmm I could easily remove them from this tank by pulling all the rocks out, and put them in the 10g. The real problem would be getting them back out of the 10g. I think they'd be in there to stay. But that guy is so cool looking. Even if he was rarely out it would be nice to see him around Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Great to hear that the Zoas are looking better! I remember back when the mantra was 'Zoas don't feed, why waste your time feeding them'. Turns out they benefit greatly from the right type of foods being fed. Thanks! And yeah, I know I've certainly learned a lot personally. For probably the first six to eight months I had this tank, I was obsessed with low nitrates and phosphates because all the beginner articles stressed managing the cycle and keeping parameters low. So I did all the traditional stuff like limiting feeding, large water changes, even pulling rocks out so I could thoroughly vacuum stuff out of the sand. Turns out all I was really doing was starving the corals. So I stopped all chemical filtration for a while and started feeding heavily. Everything started growing and coloring up in about a week! Since then I've figure out how helpful heavy target feeding can be for zoas. I see it make a huge difference in my tank. But of course now my nitrates and phosphates have swung the other way and really are too high. So I'm very slowly lowering them again, but much more cautiously! Link to comment
holy carp Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Here's a much better pick for you ...or how about this one? ...or... They do like to hide a lot, but they are quite stunning when they do come out at feeding time Good looking fish - do they pair with pistol shrimp or are they loners? I've got my eye out for an interesting friend for my little snapping shrimp. Link to comment
Mirya Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Thanks to my hunt or Magnificent Shrimp Gobies, I've been looking at a lot of online retailer's goby pages. Priolepis nocturna also goes by the name Circus Goby, and is listed on quite a few sites as such. Live Aquaria and Blue Zoo Aquatics has them in stock. There is even a WYSIWYG on Diver's Den. Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Thanks! And yeah, I know I've certainly learned a lot personally. For probably the first six to eight months I had this tank, I was obsessed with low nitrates and phosphates because all the beginner articles stressed managing the cycle and keeping parameters low. So I did all the traditional stuff like limiting feeding, large water changes, even pulling rocks out so I could thoroughly vacuum stuff out of the sand. Turns out all I was really doing was starving the corals. So I stopped all chemical filtration for a while and started feeding heavily. Everything started growing and coloring up in about a week! Since then I've figure out how helpful heavy target feeding can be for zoas. I see it make a huge difference in my tank. But of course now my nitrates and phosphates have swung the other way and really are too high. So I'm very slowly lowering them again, but much more cautiously! It really is a balancing act. Quite easy to have a small tank swing one way (too little nutrients), or the other way (too many nutrients). Over the years I've settled on just enough feeding/nutrients to keep the corals colored up nicely plus some slower growth (I'm not in any hurry to have coral grow out of the tank). Makes for less coral aggression/overtopping/pruning, cuts down on the overpopulation of Pods, Bristleworms, Brittlestars, Hydroids, Vemetid snails, etc. that comes with heavy feeding as well as tank maintenance/nuisance algae issues. Good looking fish - do they pair with pistol shrimp or are they loners? I've got my eye out for an interesting friend for my little snapping shrimp. They can live with each other in a large enough tank, but they don't pair with shrimps: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/fish/index.php Link to comment
gena Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 I had a pair of circus gobies. Gorgeous fish but hardly ever came out. They like to hang upside down in the shadows. But beautiful for sure. Happy tank anniversary . Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 It really is a balancing act. Quite easy to have a small tank swing one way (too little nutrients), or the other way (too many nutrients). Over the years I've settled on just enough feeding/nutrients to keep the corals colored up nicely plus some slower growth (I'm not in any hurry to have coral grow out of the tank). Makes for less coral aggression/overtopping/pruning, cuts down on the overpopulation of Pods, Bristleworms, Brittlestars, Hydroids, Vemetid snails, etc. that comes with heavy feeding as well as tank maintenance/nuisance algae issues. They can live with each other in a large enough tank, but they don't pair with shrimps: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/fish/index.php Exactly! I had been feeding lightly for the same reason, but it was only after I started the heavy target feeding that the zoas started to recover. And now I've got lots of vermetids and bristleworms. Love the progression pictures, it's great to look back and see how much things have actually changed - sometimes it feels like nothing is happening. Looking beautiful as usual in here. Thanks, Shaun! It's funny how much things change without being noticed. The progression pics really me appreciate what has changed, and especially what has worked well and what hasn't. I had a pair of circus gobies. Gorgeous fish but hardly ever came out. They like to hang upside down in the shadows. But beautiful for sure. Happy tank anniversary . Thanks, Gena! They remind me of Flash, my rust goby. He hangs out upside down in the dark and hardly ever comes out. Every once in a while, I can get him to come out to grab pellets as they float by, but it's literally just a flash of red Hmmmmm...more flow is a good thing but when the sand buries the acans it might be a little too much of a good thing Lincoln likes the new sand dunes, though Too Much Flow by TeenyReef, on Flickr I fixed the sand dunes problem by putting a small rock in the sand as an erosion barrier. But now I have this really bright rock in the middle of everything. I think I will put some zoas on it or something... Acans Unburied by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
lostsol95 Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 These are some really amazing shots! CAD Lights 4g FTS - 2015-01-03 by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Happy 2 year birthday. Did the OT frag arrive? Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Happy 2 year birthday. Did the OT frag arrive?Thanks! Not yet, I had the shipment scheduled to arrive today but we pushed it back a week because of the snow. Link to comment
Elizabeth94 Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Those purple acans are amazing. I would say this tank is probably the most "packed with coral" tank I have ever seen. I think a pink birdsnest would look spectacular on the upper right of your rock, on the highest point (if the frogspawn doesn't mind that is..) Lovely tank as usual. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks, Elizabeth! It's definitely filled in quite a bit since I first started all the frags. I hadn't thought of a pink birdsnest, but if the oregon tort I ordered doesn't work out that might be a good backup plan Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 The red millepora has been steadily receding since the last picture I took. It's almost gone now. Is it bad to say that I'm relieved? It's never looked very good, at least in my tank, but I never had the heart to get rid of it since it was one of the first sps that I ever got. So when it started to stn I didn't try to do anything to stop it. I plan to just replace it with some other branching sps once it's gone. RIP Red Millepora by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 The branches that broke off the stylo/seriatopa opened up the areas below with more light. You can see the favia again, and it's been growing new heads. A slightly blurry pic: 20160123-untitled-003-Edit.jpg by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
gena Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks, Gena! They remind me of Flash, my rust goby. He hangs out upside down in the dark and hardly ever comes out. Every once in a while, I can get him to come out to grab pellets as they float by, but it's literally just a flash of red Yep..that's exactly what they are like. Only prettier and larger . Link to comment
Angeles Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 This system and tank is amazing. It's so packed with corals in a natural way that is challenging to accomplish. I think a birdsnest, acro, or basically any nice branching sps would look great! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 This system and tank is amazing. It's so packed with corals in a natural way that is challenging to accomplish. I think a birdsnest, acro, or basically any nice branching sps would look great! Thank you! I have an oregon tort and a miyagi tort on order from Cultivated Reef, coming this Saturday! I hope they will do well in this tank. And grow slowly Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 To make room for the new SPS frags coming tomorrow, I decided it was finally time to cut the hammer and the duncans down to pico size I've meaning to frag these guys for a while now but just haven't been able to get up the nerve. Something about cutting though bone and meat with a diamond saw just made me a little scared. But since I don't want them killing the new frags, it was time to man up and make it happen! I started with the hammer because it had better defined heads and longer stalks. I set up with the diamond wheel on the Deremel on a towel in the garage, and kept the frags in a little bowl. Before fragging: Hammer Before Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr After fragging: Hammer After Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr I glued the smaller frag back on the rock in the tank, and put the other frag on a plug. Within thirty minutes back in the water, they were back out completely! Hammer Frag by TeenyReef, on Flickr Next up were the duncans. I was a lot more nervous about these because while there are a lot of heads, the stalks are very short. I decided to just cut it in half vertically. Before fragging: Duncan Before Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr After fragging: Duncans After Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr Here's another view showing the cut side: Duncans After Fragging - the Good Side by TeenyReef, on Flickr My duncans take a lot longer to come back out after they retract, and they were out of the water longer than the hammer. I took this picture right after putting them back in the tank. An hour later, they are just starting to pop back out. Duncan frag by TeenyReef, on Flickr The end result is I have frags in the tank that are much smaller and won't bother their neighbors anymore. And I have two new frags to put somewhere else or sell later Hammer and Duncan Frags by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
holy carp Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Very cool. What do you use to saw them, teeny? Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 I used a diamond cutting wheel on the dremel: http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-EZ545-2-Inch-Diamond-Wheel/dp/B000Y4ZTFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454119290&sr=8-1&keywords=diamond+blade+for+dremel I took a quick cell phone FTS before I did the fragging just so I could remember how big and full the duncans and hammer were Cadlights 4g FTS - 2016-01-29 by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
drgibby Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 To make room for the new SPS frags coming tomorrow, I decided it was finally time to cut the hammer and the duncans down to pico size I've meaning to frag these guys for a while now but just haven't been able to get up the nerve. Something about cutting though bone and meat with a diamond saw just made me a little scared. But since I don't want them killing the new frags, it was time to man up and make it happen! I started with the hammer because it had better defined heads and longer stalks. I set up with the diamond wheel on the Deremel on a towel in the garage, and kept the frags in a little bowl. Before fragging: Hammer Before Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr After fragging: Hammer After Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr I glued the smaller frag back on the rock in the tank, and put the other frag on a plug. Within thirty minutes back in the water, they were back out completely! Hammer Frag by TeenyReef, on Flickr Next up were the duncans. I was a lot more nervous about these because while there are a lot of heads, the stalks are very short. I decided to just cut it in half vertically. Before fragging: Duncan Before Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr After fragging: Duncans After Fragging by TeenyReef, on Flickr Here's another view showing the cut side: Duncans After Fragging - the Good Side by TeenyReef, on Flickr My duncans take a lot longer to come back out after they retract, and they were out of the water longer than the hammer. I took this picture right after putting them back in the tank. An hour later, they are just starting to pop back out. Duncan frag by TeenyReef, on Flickr The end result is I have frags in the tank that are much smaller and won't bother their neighbors anymore. And I have two new frags to put somewhere else or sell later Hammer and Duncan Frags by TeenyReef, on Flickr I want dibs on that hammer.... It's so dreamy! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 I also put a tiny zoa frag on the rock I added to block the flow from burying the acans in sand. These were a freebie I got some time ago from Aquascapers and I never got around to gluing them down anywhere. I'm looking forward to seeing what they look like when they get bigger and start coloring up. New zoa frag by TeenyReef, on Flickr Here's a closer view that shows the colors better: New zoa frag by TeenyReef, on Flickr I want dibs on that hammer.... It's so dreamy! Thanks! I love the colors. But this frag is going in the 10g tank. The colors will make a nice contrast with the other hammer that's already in there Link to comment
ReefWeeds Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I used a diamond cutting wheel on the dremel: http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-EZ545-2-Inch-Diamond-Wheel/dp/B000Y4ZTFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454119290&sr=8-1&keywords=diamond+blade+for+dremel I took a quick cell phone FTS before I did the fragging just so I could remember how big and full the duncans and hammer were Cadlights 4g FTS - 2016-01-29 by TeenyReef, on Flickr I this tank! teeny - what is the flowerpot looking coral in the left center? Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Teeny, I notice most of your zoas have long stalk. Is that the same in your 10g too? I wonder how to get them to be flat and matty instead. Link to comment
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