SeaFurn's 100 Days of Nanos Contest Tank: 40 Baby RFAs

[Weetabix7]

So happy to see the majorly cool stuff happening in your tank, and the GSP looking so good!!!

What powdered food are you using?

I really like Reef Chili from BulkReefSupply. 

[jesseatam]

I'm excited to see how the babies will turn out when they start to color up 

[StinkyBunny]

4 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

So happy to see the majorly cool stuff happening in your tank, and the GSP looking so good!!!

What powdered food are you using?

I really like Reef Chili from BulkReefSupply. 

When I make up my powdered food I add aminos to it, then a few more ml of water to thin it so I can suck it up in a syringe.

[SeaFurn]

On 12/3/2017 at 10:56 AM, Weetabix7 said:

So happy to see the majorly cool stuff happening in your tank, and the GSP looking so good!!!

What powdered food are you using?

I really like Reef Chili from BulkReefSupply. 

I like Reef Chili too.   However, the other day I using Cross Over Diet from Neptune Systems. It's a combination (fish & coral) pellet food for their auto feeder.  I don't have one of those  feeders.  i originally bought it for the anemone shrimp I had in the reef bowl for a short period of time.

I started giving it to the clowns now that they are bigger (and they love the pellets) and I always see the RFA's getting some of the coral food the pellet is coated with.  

However, for the babies I crush entire pellets into a fine powder.  I've also been feeding them zooplankton and they recently got some juice from Reef Frenzy. 

 

[SeaFurn]

On 12/3/2017 at 3:26 PM, StinkyBunny said:

When I make up my powdered food I add aminos to it, then a few more ml of water to thin it so I can suck it up in a syringe.

What kind/brand of aminos do you use?  Is that something I should be doing with the powder food for the babies?

[StinkyBunny]

I use Seachem aminos as well as Brightwell. I use Acropower, Reef Roids and Goniopower as the particulate.

[tanacharison]

I just had babies last night!  Is it the time of year?  I’m totally copying some of the foods your using... only thing I’m missing is reef chili.

[SeaFurn]

2 hours ago, tanacharison said:

I just had babies last night!  Is it the time of year?  I’m totally copying some of the foods your using... only thing I’m missing is reef chili.

That's awesome! Congratulations! 

How many have you seen? 

 

Supposedly spawning occurs around the equinoxes or solstices and then it's 6-8 weeks after that before the babies are born. The fall equinox was Sept 22 so yours probably spawned two weeks or so after that. 

 

This is my first RFA baby rodeo so I'm also just trying to follow some of what I've read on here that has worked for others. 

I'm finding target feeding tiny tiny particles from frozen Reef Frenzy evokes the best feeding response. But I do think rotating the types of foods is a good idea. 

 

I'm trying to feed frequently enough but not create a nutrient problem in the tank. 

 

Don't be surprised if they move around a lot. I seem to lose one or two day to day then find them again in another spot. 

 

I'll have to check out your thread for more details! 

 

[SeaFurn]

RFAs spawning tonight! A week or so earlier than I expected.

 

 

[Coral_chef]

Have you had any babies make it?

[Coral_chef]

Also the gsp looks good! 

[kimberbee]

Srsly... how do you do it?!?

[SeaFurn]

On 12/14/2017 at 12:37 AM, Coral_chef said:

Have you had any babies make it?

I still have +10 in the tank after several weeks.  There are several that don't move from the spot they are in so they are easy to count and monitor.  They seem to be happy and growing (slowly).  There are several others that seem to move all the time.  I lose them from day to day but then find them again.  I've moved several from the sand to the rocks per @seabass 's suggestion but then they've moved back off the rocks.  I'm guessing survival of the fittest is the name of the game with them until I can figure out ways to increase their chances of survival.  

[SeaFurn]

4 hours ago, kimberbee said:

Srsly... how do you do it?!?

I seriously don't know.

I think it has something to do with tank conditions (parameters, lighting, flow), maturity of the nems, numbers of them in the tank, and feeding regimen. 

I can summarize that relative to what I do for you if you think it would help.  

 

[Mariaface]

14 minutes ago, SeaFurn said:

I seriously don't know.

I think it has something to do with tank conditions (parameters, lighting, flow), maturity of the nems, numbers of them in the tank, and feeding regimen. 

I can summarize that relative to what I do for you if you think it would help.  

 

Please do!  

[kimberbee]

11 minutes ago, SeaFurn said:

I seriously don't know.

I think it has something to do with tank conditions (parameters, lighting, flow), maturity of the nems, numbers of them in the tank, and feeding regimen. 

I can summarize that relative to what I do for you if you think it would help.  

 

I'd appreciate it if you get to it!! 

 

I've had them for years and never seen a spawn, but they seem pretty happy. 

[Pjanssen]

This s so awesome, especially after all the trouble you had at the start!

[SeaFurn]

And the baby nems keep coming!  Did a count yesterday during the water change and I counted 30.  There are probably more.  I even found one attached inside the filter floss holder - under the floss.  I pulled him off and put him on one of the rocks.  There are several new ones which you can tell because they are smaller and all white.  

Siphoning the sand is getting tedious because I have to be careful to not suck them up!  I've also been trying to siphon as close to them as I can without disturbing the sand too much.  I've put several on the rocks when they are easy to get to.

 

Some of the older ones are starting to color up. I've got quite a few red ones, a couple of brown ones (let's hope that changes!), and one in the back that's hard to see that looks like it might have purple tentacles already (all the others have white). 

 

It's interesting that some are growing much more quickly than others - even when they are sitting right next to each other. 

[debbeach13]

Great update. Happy New Year

[BulkRate]

Awesome news!

 

I've got about 20-odd that popped up in the last couple weeks as well.  But mine tend to show hints of their dominant color scheme within the first few days... mostly orange-or-green disc/white tentacled ones.  Patience is a virtue - the really prized color & gradients don't tend to develop for weeks or months, so just keep feeding the ones you can get at.

  

Can't wait for what starts showing up once they ones I added in early-mid 2017 (including that purple pin-striped one from you) get to me mature enough to breed.

[RIP Sebastian]

I'M SO JEALOUS!!! Will you be selling the ones that make it?

[SeaFurn]

1 hour ago, RIP Sebastian said:

I'M SO JEALOUS!!! Will you be selling the ones that make it?

Yeah that's the plan - and solely to fellow N-R's!

How's your fish doing - the one with the swim bladder problem?

[SeaFurn]

1 hour ago, BulkRate said:

Awesome news!

 

I've got about 20-odd that popped up in the last couple weeks as well.  But mine tend to show hints of their dominant color scheme within the first few days... mostly orange-or-green disc/white tentacled ones.  Patience is a virtue - the really prized color & gradients don't tend to develop for weeks or months, so just keep feeding the ones you can get at.

  

Can't wait for what starts showing up once they ones I added in early-mid 2017 (including that purple pin-striped one from you) get to me mature enough to breed.

I've been feeding the babies - small amounts every other day and varying the diet - and I'm finally registering some nitrates (5-10ppm) and phosphates in the tank. 

As a result I've seen some cyano pop up so I've been doing an extra gallon or two water change during the week to keep it in check.

Overall things are looking good and all the babies are growing.

I think there about 5-10 more babies in there (very very small ones) since my last update.

[RIP Sebastian]

21 minutes ago, SeaFurn said:

Yeah that's the plan - and solely to fellow N-R's!

How's your fish doing - the one with the swim bladder problem?

She passed away a few hours after I posted, unfortunately. Thanks for asking, though.

[SeaFurn]

Here are some baby pics. 

Will try to get some of the more colorful ones later. 

They love the holes in the rock.