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Natalia's Reefbowlocalypse: all good


natalia_la_loca

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mitten_reef

The jar is looking awesome! In the past, before I ever do any testing,  I found that my Goniopora was a good 'canary' for water chemistry change. It'd get really unhappy when other stony corals in the tank went on growth spurts. Have your SPS or other lps been on growth spurt lately? 

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8 hours ago, natalia_la_loca said:

Hey, long time no see :) been busy with summer things.

 

reefbowl is doing fine. Utter chaos have a 7th head! Here's a pic that shows my two leptos in the background, growing slowly but surely.

35332237405_11bcab3515_b.jpg35202413931_3e7a06ef61_b.jpg

 

witches wheel acan is doing really well too.

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The valida acro is liking its place at the top...

35202408361_6ca5b21d3d_b.jpg

 

Pink n golds growing like crazy...

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But not all is well. The pink goni is thriving, but the other two gonis aren't looking so well. Not sure what's going on. I've started feeding both Reef Roids and Goniopower to see if I can turn them around.

34488757574_7e418d3176_b.jpg34488747424_ee6a896aa9_b.jpg35292220566_056dd1cfdf_b.jpg

 

On the whole, however, it's a happy bowl.

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Wow, that acan is incredible! I know you probably said somewhere in the thread already, but where'd you get it? And what is the red and blue thing to the left of it?

 

I have a bowl picked out for my very own pico bowl like yours! I think it may be even smaller though. But, I gotta get through the summer semester first before I set it up. Was actually debating making it a zoa or even nem garden... zoas are sooo easy to take care of and are equally impressive in my opinion.

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natalia_la_loca

Thanks everybody :wub: Hopefully the new feed will make a difference. 

 

@micoastreefing, I do have several SPS and LPS that are actively growing.  I did a water test today, and my alk is lower than usual.  I'll probably start doing some small water changes in between the big weekly water changes to help replenish alk and calcium.

 

@JoeR, I got the acan at Cherry Corals.  They have some absolutely incredible acans.  The red and blue thing to the left of it is a blastomussa, also purchased at Cherry Corals.  I'm glad you're getting a pico bowl :) A zoa or nem garden would be fantastic.  If I had more time, I would set up a RFA reefbowl.

 

And speaking of reefbowl inspiration, a couple of weeks ago I gave a talk to the saltwater staff at my LFS about my reefbowl.  When I went there the other day, lo and behold, they had just set up this :happydance:  Pretty neat, huh?

34961337060_44b4876705_b.jpg

 

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3 minutes ago, natalia_la_loca said:

Thanks everybody :wub: Hopefully the new feed will make a difference. 

 

@micoastreefing, I do have several SPS and LPS that are actively growing.  I did a water test today, and my alk is lower than usual.  I'll probably start doing some small water changes in between the big weekly water changes to help replenish alk and calcium.

 

@JoeR, I got the acan at Cherry Corals.  They have some absolutely incredible acans.  The red and blue thing to the left of it is a blastomussa, also purchased at Cherry Corals.  I'm glad you're getting a pico bowl :) A zoa or nem garden would be fantastic.  If I had more time, I would set up a RFA reefbowl.

 

And speaking of reefbowl inspiration, a couple of weeks ago I gave a talk to the saltwater staff at my LFS about my reefbowl.  When I went there the other day, lo and behold, they had just set up this :happydance:  Pretty neat, huh?

34961337060_44b4876705_b.jpg

 

That's so cool!!!  Inspiring reefers everywhere! :happy:

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1 hour ago, natalia_la_loca said:

Thanks everybody :wub: Hopefully the new feed will make a difference. 

 

@micoastreefing, I do have several SPS and LPS that are actively growing.  I did a water test today, and my alk is lower than usual.  I'll probably start doing some small water changes in between the big weekly water changes to help replenish alk and calcium.

 

@JoeR, I got the acan at Cherry Corals.  They have some absolutely incredible acans.  The red and blue thing to the left of it is a blastomussa, also purchased at Cherry Corals.  I'm glad you're getting a pico bowl :) A zoa or nem garden would be fantastic.  If I had more time, I would set up a RFA reefbowl.

 

And speaking of reefbowl inspiration, a couple of weeks ago I gave a talk to the saltwater staff at my LFS about my reefbowl.  When I went there the other day, lo and behold, they had just set up this :happydance:  Pretty neat, huh?

34961337060_44b4876705_b.jpg

 

I've never heard of Cherry Corals before but WOW those are awesome!! Expensive, but totally worth it especially in picks where space is limited.

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  • 2 weeks later...
10 minutes ago, natalia_la_loca said:

My reefbowl is featured in the latest Reefs.com magazine :)  Check it out!

 

I love it. 

It really resonated with me when you said, "I just wanted to grow coral in the simplest way possible".

Very well written and illustrated, and I just shared it with some friends. 

Congrats!!!

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mitten_reef
22 minutes ago, natalia_la_loca said:

My reefbowl is featured in the latest Reefs.com magazine :)  Check it out!

I especially enjoy the maintenance section and the "burned out" reefer anecdote in the article. As I'm trying to "push" myself to the next tier of reef keeping practice (with routine dosing, skimming, reactor, etc), I often think back to the previous years of maintaining my basic, but otherwise thriving, reef tank with just simple chemical filtration pads (deep blue professional - carbon, phosphate, and nitrate) and weekly water change. 

Reading your article really makes me reflect on that thought even more. 

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natalia_la_loca

I havent posted any updates on my opae'ula shrimp bowl in a long time. Well, now there is news. The shrimp have gotten eggs many times, but none have hatched. Finally, after nearly a year and a half of diligently doing nothing, there are babies!

34820635523_3b1e50cb64_b.jpg

 

The shrimp at left under the overhang has a cluster of newly hatched larvae. The one at upper right also has nymphs, but those aren't really visible in the pic,

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In the pic below, the two tiny tadpole shapes are free-swimming larvae. They have a 2-week planktonic stage before they settle down and become benthic like adults.

35461271042_d2ac9e5b5b_b.jpg

 

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Nano sapiens
On 6/25/2017 at 10:28 AM, micoastreefing said:

I especially enjoy the maintenance section and the "burned out" reefer anecdote in the article. As I'm trying to "push" myself to the next tier of reef keeping practice (with routine dosing, skimming, reactor, etc), I often think back to the previous years of maintaining my basic, but otherwise thriving, reef tank with just simple chemical filtration pads (deep blue professional - carbon, phosphate, and nitrate) and weekly water change. 

Reading your article really makes me reflect on that thought even more. 

 

There is an unfortunate tendency in this hobby to equate 'more things/gadgets/tech' with 'advanced reefing'.  The reality is that one often spends more time maintaining the tech and less time enjoying the aquarium when things get too complex.  Having been at this for a really long time, I find that the simpler the system...the more enjoyable it ultimately is.

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mitten_reef
14 minutes ago, Nano sapiens said:

 

There is an unfortunate tendency in this hobby to equate 'more things/gadgets/tech' with 'advanced reefing'.  The reality is that one often spends more time maintaining the tech and less time enjoying the aquarium when things get too complex.  Having been at this for a really long time, I find that the simpler the system...the more enjoyable it ultimately is.

Agreed!  Heck, especially for the beginner crowds that are tweaking/tinkering away at so many equipments before getting the basics right.  I've been at it for 5+ years, and these are my first skimmer and reactor (skimmer bought 12/2016, reactor 5/2017) only cuz I'm hoping to "grow" some Acropora colonies :unsure:

And their usefulness is still TBD for me - as long as you keep up good husbandry, things should be fine. 

Haha, in fact, I took the skimmer offline shortly after I posted that comment.  The tank didn't skip a beat.  Well, maybe a little, BTAs are a tad bit less bubbly.  Maybe it has something to do with the 'added air' from skimmer (aka dissolved oxygen).  I have to say with so many varieties of corals I keep in my mixed reef, having carbon media reactor helped a lot with reducing the un-see-able toxins that are floating around. And that was the latest 'gadget' I added :D. I see it as a better, more effective way than flow-through carbon pad. 

 

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I love that the Opae ula are finally reproducing for you!  I've wanted to do a shrimp tank/bowl for years.  Hopefully I can do that soon!

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Been reading through this thread for the past week now, huge inspiration! I have already been buying to make a vase Reef, may go ahead and do a bowl while I'm at it.

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brandon429

Your setup is pro right from the start Natalia

 

remember that time you saved me eighty bucks from ordering a bunch of those opulae for my rb heh

 

the dedicated tank you have for them looks amazing, has self-cycled and selected into a pure balance for them. I think I remember reading those shrimp if in ideal conditions can live  a very long time, amazing colony you have there and the system looks amazing. They have unlimited natural feed avail. I was never able to keep goni in my tank, something doest mesh and all the corals stay closed so I had to boot one. that yours is the system canary and looks perfect only shows the variation we can stuff into these tiny bowls, everyone should try one to see what they can do.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Natalia, can you tell me how you use the airline for filtration?  :blush:

 

I don't fully understand how that would be used, but from the nether-regions of my brain I seem to recall something about creating current through the substrate due to it's rich biological presence? :ninja:

 

I'm thinking of starting a 2 gallon cookie jar reef and want to know exacery what's needed. :wub:

 

are there any how-to guides out there on making a pico bowl?  :huh:

 

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natalia_la_loca
19 hours ago, Friendly said:

Natalia, can you tell me how you use the airline for filtration?  :blush:

 

I don't fully understand how that would be used, but from the nether-regions of my brain I seem to recall something about creating current through the substrate due to it's rich biological presence? :ninja:

 

I'm thinking of starting a 2 gallon cookie jar reef and want to know exacery what's needed. :wub:

 

are there any how-to guides out there on making a pico bowl?  :huh:

 

 

Hi :)  The airline is nothing complicated.  I run airline from the pump to a piece of rigid airline that has been bent into a rounded shape to fit over the lip of the bowl.  My LFS sells these bent pieces of rigid airline, or you can make one yourself by holding it over a toaster and bending it when it heats up.  To the other side of the rigid airline, I attached a short piece of flexible airline, maybe 15 cm long, just enough to get close to the bottom of the bowl.  This helps ensure strong circulation throughout the bowl.  I don't know about the creating-current-through-the-substrate thing.  You wouldn't want to have an airline under the substrate as it would just blow sand all over the place and irritate the corals.

 

Re: how-to guides, Reefjar.com is a good one.  My Featured Reef Profile and my Reefs.com article provide a good synopsis of how mine is set up.

 

By the way, here's a shrimp update: the baby opae'ula in my shrimpbowl settled down at the two-week mark, like clockwork.  There were very few, if any, fatalities.  The shrimp population has more than doubled!  Opae'ula are so cool.

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hey Natalia, so the airline does create bubbles in the bowl? 

 

is there any way you would be up to taking a quick video with your phone and show how it works? 

 

I'm going to look at those links you provided. thank you! :)  

 

as for the airline and substrate, it was a fresh water thing...you put some equipment in the bottom and then your sand/gravel on top and the airline pulled water through it as a time of biological filter. wasn't sure if that was what you were referring to with the airline stated for filtration. I don't remember all the details of how it worked, but it's no matter. you made it clear, so thanks!

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Congrats on getting featured on reefs.com.  Nice to know you can go on a vacation again.  :lol:

 

And also congrats for the shrimp babies.  What is that green stuff in the shrimp bowl?  Almost looks like green sponges or some kind of Dr. Seuss snowstorm happened in the bowl.

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  • natalia_la_loca changed the title to Natalia's Reefbowlocalypse: all good

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