Where the Wild Things Are: 100 Days (rezing the thread)

[Mariaface]

13 minutes ago, Pjanssen said:

@Mariaface I agree with Leah. I would have scrapped everything and started over with all new stuff. Good for you for sticking with it

 

I gotta try, right?   I'm upset that I likely lost a lot of life, but for now the rocks are cycled, I still have my very obvious bivalve, the occasional duster or two, a cucumber, macros, nitrifying bacteria, worms (hair and detritus and other types).. 

 

2 hours ago, lkoechle said:

 

You'll get there! Your terrible bacteria is subsiding.  Seriously, major props to you.  I would have drained it then set it on fire.

 

 

Probably is.  He is a major diva.  Everythings about him.  tongs come in the tank, there is no way I am working on the scape, it MUST be for him.  Trying to take a look at coral/sponge/critter? Nope, Blenny to the face.  Feeding is also kind of nightmare.  I have to acquire the target and then thrust the tongs through the water as quickly as possible before Maru can come in for the steal.  I often lose and he often looks like a tiny whale.

 

He sounds. Amazing. My yellow line goby is exactly like this. If I approach the tank, he suctions himself against the front glass and gets right up close to the IM defroster that I drop food into. If I look elsewhere in the tank, he follows. Apparently this is 'don't eat me I'm a cleaner' behavior, but Fanta the neon dottyback does the same thing (minus the suction). 

 

The clowns just look at me like I'm crazy until they see the actual food  

[debbeach13]

I really like Maru. The name and the fish.

[lkoechle]

So, @skoechle managed to watch everything without killing anything while I was gone  to be fair, remember he is watching not 1 but 4 tanks.  Okay so it was 5 but Wrassey McWrasseface died the day after being removed from the copper tank... I don't know what happened,  but he had been pale the days leading up so I doubt @skoechle did anything to cause it.

 

Algae growth has been explosive (in a good way).  I am going to have to trim soon.  

 

Everyone seems happy and healthy including the serpent star.

 

FTS Week 4

 

 

 

[Weetabix7]

1 minute ago, lkoechle said:

So, @skoechle managed to watch everything without killing anything while I was gone  to be fair, remember he is watching not 1 but 4 tanks.  Okay so it was 5 but Wrassey McWrasseface died the day after being removed from the copper tank... I don't know what happened,  but he had been pale the days leading up so I doubt @skoechle did anything to cause it.

 

Algae growth has been explosive (in a good way).  I am going to have to trim soon.  

 

Everyone seems happy and healthy including the serpent star.

 

FTS Week 4

 

 

 

 

Holy Cheez, it's like a Rainbow and a Reef got together and had your tank for a baby!!!!! 

[lkoechle]

[Lula_Mae]

Yay!  I'm so glad the star got better.  So much pretty color in here!   Love the cup coral thing in the last pic, I used to have that as a hitchhiker.  Last time was on the rock that Buttercup the feather duster is now on.  Hope I get one again sometime!

[Coral_chef]

Every thing is looking amazing!

[lkoechle]

Its been a while since I have posted about the Clings:

 

I also started silica dosing today in yhe contest tank,  there has been noticeable spong growth in "The Creature Feature" but not in the contest tank.  Dosing blind and observing essentially.

 

I also found this critter today.  might be a baby urchin? bout the size of a pencil eraser.

Gorgonians are super pissed about being low flow.  I am really hoping to hear from @metrokat and @jedimasterben soon about using a sicce.  I am really angry about two broken pumps.  and now I am down a salt mixing pump. lol

 

IM should reconsider plastic shafts... 

[Lula_Mae]

18 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

Its been a while since I have posted about the Clings:

 

I also started silica dosing today in yhe contest tank,  there has been noticeable spong growth in "The Creature Feature" but not in the contest tank.  Dosing blind and observing essentially.

 

I also found this critter today.  might be a baby urchin? bout the size of a pencil eraser.

Gorgonians are super pissed about being low flow.  I am really hoping to hear from @metrokat and @jedimasterben soon about using a sicce.  I am really angry about two broken pumps.  and now I am down a salt mixing pump. lol

 

IM should reconsider plastic shafts... 

Wait, the part that the impeller goes onto is PLASTIC?!

 

Well, I never.

 

(and the Clings are cute as always)

[lkoechle]

The sicce IS SO MUCH QUIETER.  I am thrilled.  My Sicce 1.5 was no where near as quiet out of the box, so I didn't have high hopes.  About 1/4 turn (pretty much just the first click) of the flow adjuster seemed to do the trick for me to get it close to the original flow.  And according to UPS my new salt mixing pump should be here tomorrow... but it also said it's be here last thursday... So we'll see. lol

 

I also did some trimming and it still looks like a forest lol.  But I don't mind.   The blenny was very angry about me trimming his hiding areas though.

 

[lkoechle]

 

Pretty shot of the urchin.

[kimberbee]

[Pjanssen]

pretty shot of everything. It's so clear and bright.

[Pjanssen]

I'm jealous. Your tank looks like what I imagined mine to be when I was thinking Florida biotope. It's what I see when I dive. I've ordered some more macros. Maybe I should consider some sponges, but I'm not sure my skill Level is ready for that. Not that I want to copy you, mind you, but really I do! (I'll concede for the contest, you win! I just want my tank to be pretty like yours!)

[lkoechle]

1 minute ago, Pjanssen said:

I'm jealous. Your tank looks like what I imagined mine to be when I was thinking Florida biotope. It's what I see when I dive. I've ordered some more macros. Maybe I should consider some sponges, but I'm not sure my skill Level is ready for that. Not that I want to copy you, mind you, but really I do! (I'll concede for the contest, you win! I just want my tank to be pretty like yours!)

I am surprised.  i thought my 25 would be my favorite, but these tanks are taking the cake.  I need to get excited about the 25 again...

 

I am excited about your mated pairs.  I think that will be really cool. 

 

And I dont really know about sponges either.  we will see how they look at the end of the contest.  fingers crossed.  i am dosing brigthwell sponge excel and KZ spongepower daily plus some kind of plankton whether its phytofeast, phytogold or phytogreen.  I also read they like the "milk" from thawing foods like mysis, so I pour that in every now and then too.

 

There is a small orange/red sponge at the top thats started growing, so I think thats a good sign/indicator for the tank?

[lkoechle]

The sponge

[lkoechle]

 

[MaineReefkeeper]

53 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

 

Looks amazing!!! Great job!!! 

[lkoechle]

So, if you recall I mentioned the orange tree sponge was damaged when I received it.  After talking to @Boggers and on closer inspection of the sponge, I found it to be deteriorating further so I pulled it yesterday.  I'm sad because it was a beautiful sponge, but I don't think there was any chance in it recovering and its deterioration was speeding up.  

 

With it removed however, that opened enough space to move some things from the mantis tank back over.  The mantis tank is pretty much the same idea as the contest tank and everything minus gsp, zoas, clove polyps, and kenya tree are from the TBS contest tank package.  I just ran out of room in the contest tank. 

 

What I moved back over was:

• the second candelabra gorgonian
• an unknown encrusting coral (which I think is a type of gorgonian) purple base with white polyps
• an elephant ear sponge
• a second sea fan thing (still working on a proper ID)

The seafan wasn't getting enough flow to shed its skin, so it was more of a "while I'm at it" thought.  It's already been able to shed most of it and is opening up again.

 

Photo Dump:

 

Its cute seeing Maru on his seaweed throne too. lol

 

Unknown coral

 

Trio replacing the tree sponge

 

I forget the name of this one, it's on the first page though. lol

 

Mrs. Cling

 

You can see the algae covering it and some damage from that.  It's mostly closed in this picture, but it's opening and looking loads better.  In a few days when it's sloughed the rest off, it should be in pretty good shape and hopefully grow over those dead bits. 

 

Pretty Sea Whip

 

Just a pretty little view of the short side with the red sponge, an elephant sponge, and a second piece of unidentified coral. And the urchin.  I like him a lot, but I do wish he wore a party hat

 

[Coral_chef]

I love your tAnk

[lkoechle]

2 minutes ago, Coral_chef said:

I love your tAnk

[Boggers]

corky sea finger maybe?

https://www.kpaquatics.com/product/corky-sea-finger/

[lkoechle]

10 minutes ago, Boggers said:

corky sea finger maybe?

https://www.kpaquatics.com/product/corky-sea-finger/

maybe... but they make it sound more soft in structure although the picture does look like it.  This feels like a hard rock and I don't think it grows branches but encrusts... I don't know.  It definitely gives me a starting point though.  I've looked at corky fingers before when just doing regular ID stuff, but hadn't looked at them pertaining to this coral due to what I just said.  I'll give them another look.

 

ETA:  Doing another search and looking for closed ones specifically, I think you're right. lol  Mine's just prettier than most   And has broken tips.  It is fragile.  Not like super fragile, but like a hard candy shell fragile...  I may or may not know this from dropping it.

[lkoechle]

@Boggers FTW

 

Quote

Corky Sea Fingers are also referred to as the Sea Stalk Briareum, Deadman’s Fingers, Moss Coral, Encrusting Gorgonian, or simply Briareum. 

-http://www.coralreefphotos.com/corky-sea-finger-briareum-asbestinum-octocorals/

 

And no, I'm not determining Boggers is right from corky sea fingers = encrusting gorgonian, I just thought it was ironic.  And I have spent hours looking for this thing.  What threw me off I think was never seeing a photo of it closed in the "advertisements" like KP Aquatics so I couldn't see the underlying structure and assumed it was soft.  You know what they say about assuming.  Well, closed up they look exactly like mine.  Mine just has a more vivid base and way prettier polyps than most.

[Boggers]

I know what you mean. The "encrusting" thing got me for a long time until another reefer showed it to me in their own tank.

In any case, it looks good and happy.