Ratvan Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 21 minutes ago, banasophia said: Thank you, @Lula_Mae. It is a pipe organ, though it’s more of a white color. Pipe organs seem so underrated to me; I really love them. Bummer yours didn’t make it through the tank transfer. Mine doesn’t really grow much, except to grow back new polyps when the hungry emerald crabs pick them out and eat them. They are gorgeous little Corals and seem to be both brittle and hardy. I've fragged mine accidentally about 4 times now, each item it takes a little while for the tubes to heal but then the Polyps pop out the most incredible colours. I love the colours on yours and hopefully will be getting a couple more in the new year the ones below (to go with my mint green) 2 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 Went to a presentation on fish photography by YouTuber SWHISKEY (on Instagram he’s jimmygimbal) last weekend, organized by my local freshwater club and learned something new - use the flash! The flash accentuates the fish and makes the background black. Here’s my first attempt. It was not dark in the tank or the room when I took it; the background would’ve been the room without the use of the flash. 2 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 The cloves are happy... but so are the aiptasia, bristleworms, and cyano... oh and we’ve also got a bit of bubble algae, and the ball anemones are multiplying and one was actually eating the paly next to it last night. 😬🙈 I’ll have to post a pic of that later. I’m a fan of diversity in my tank, but the different pests are getting to be a bit of a nuisance. I got some containers to try to make a bristleworm trap, and still deciding what to do about the aiptasia and ball anemones... I’d get Berghias again but they seem to be sold out or just not shipping until January from the two sources I know of. Not sure if I should just wait or get a couple peppermint shrimp along with my ReefCleaners order I’ll be placing. What are you guys’ thoughts on peppermint shrimp? 3 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 3 hours ago, banasophia said: What are you guys’ thoughts on peppermint shrimp? I think there's a considerable risk of them eating your rock flower anemones, so if it were me I would avoid them. Apparently some only eat Aiptasia and are perfectly safe with other kinds of 'nems, but some eat both Aiptasia and anything that remotely resembles them, and I've even heard of some that ignore Aiptasia entirely and just go after RFAs. There seems to be a ton of variance in their behavior, so I'd be leery of taking that risk. 😬 It will probably be very difficult to remove them once you have them in there too. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted December 19, 2019 Author Share Posted December 19, 2019 On 12/16/2019 at 12:36 PM, billygoat said: I think there's a considerable risk of them eating your rock flower anemones, so if it were me I would avoid them. Apparently some only eat Aiptasia and are perfectly safe with other kinds of 'nems, but some eat both Aiptasia and anything that remotely resembles them, and I've even heard of some that ignore Aiptasia entirely and just go after RFAs. There seems to be a ton of variance in their behavior, so I'd be leery of taking that risk. 😬 It will probably be very difficult to remove them once you have them in there too. Thanks for pointing that out about the RFAs; I’ll plan to go with the berghias! 4 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Merry Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄 Tank’s hanging in there but very hungry! Our fridge broke 10 days ago and the first replacement we got didn’t fit. Got our new new fridge just before Christmas so we were still able to host Christmas Eve dinner at our place last night, but I can’t wait to get to the LFS tomorrow and get these guys some frozen!!! Been getting by feeding pellets and fresh baby brine shrimp, but that’s not enough for my mandarin and all my NPS corals! It’ll be a feast tomorrow!! 1 Quote Link to comment
Jackal227 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 2 hours ago, banasophia said: Great picture! 1 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted December 30, 2019 Author Share Posted December 30, 2019 7 hours ago, Jackal227 said: Great picture! Thanks! So excited to see your new tank starting up!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 I can’t believe I’ve had my tank for nearly two years now and I’ve never seen it this way before! I always open the entire lid to feed my fish & corals, but the other night I opened the little feeding door and I was pleasantly surprised... I felt like I was opening Willy Wonka’s magical door and catching my first glimpse of the chocolate factory! 💛 3 1 Quote Link to comment
Matteo Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Cool little shot through the feeder door! It's a like a door to a new dimension 👀 3 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 44 minutes ago, Matteo said: Cool little shot through the feeder door! It's a like a door to a new dimension 👀 Thanks! Yeah, I was so surprised cuz I just casually opened it not paying any attention, then I looked down and it seemed so cool. I think it’s interesting when you look at something you look at all the time and suddenly see it in a whole new way. ☺️ 3 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 19, 2020 Author Share Posted January 19, 2020 Gah! Holy huge corals!! I switched to Tropic Marin Reef Pro a few weeks ago and my corals are getting too big!! Probably also because I did a couple extra water changes to compensate since I got behind over the holidays. Not sure what I’m gonna do. I can frag all my gorgs and that should help tame the jungle some... and I guess I’m gonna need to learn how to frag some of my other corals!! The good news is that an LFS I just started going to seems to give really good store credit and has lots of nice SPS I want for the other tank, so maybe they’ll take some frags off my hands. Also, my sinularia wilted and part of it detached where the Xenia was over growing it, so I need to reattach it. And my yellow RFA moved from its spot front and center so it’s kinda like a tooth is missing on the front of my scape... then again it’s so overgrown maybe it’s okay. 3 1 Quote Link to comment
Mrs. Limpet Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I'd love to buy some of your frags if you end up selling any. I'm not too far from where u live Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 36 minutes ago, Mrs. Limpet said: I'd love to buy some of your frags if you end up selling any. I'm not too far from where u live Oh really? I didn’t realize that... Where are you located? Quote Link to comment
Illumin-8 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 4 hours ago, banasophia said: Gah! Holy huge corals!! I switched to Tropic Marin Reef Pro a few weeks ago and my corals are getting too big!! 😂😂 This should be Tropic Marin's new motto. Too too funny. Hank looks super happy in his mega candy cane mansion. 😍 3 Quote Link to comment
Mrs. Limpet Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 hour ago, banasophia said: Oh really? I didn’t realize that... Where are you located? We r in santa rosa. 1 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 17 hours ago, banasophia said: Gah! Holy huge corals!! I switched to Tropic Marin Reef Pro a few weeks ago and my corals are getting too big!! Probably also because I did a couple extra water changes to compensate since I got behind over the holidays. I love the look of it! Everything is so hugely expanded, it's like a riot of life in there. 😁 I understand the need to frag things that are getting out of control of course, but I also think it would be interesting to just let everything go crazy and see what you end up with when the dust settles. Probably just a tank full of clove polyps and giant trumpet corals. 😅 Have you ever fragged those gorgonians before? They look like they are getting pretty long! 1 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 On 1/19/2020 at 8:57 PM, Mrs. Limpet said: We r in santa rosa. Ah nice... do you ever head in this direction? I used to go to Santa Rosa for work all the time, but now I work from a home office. On 1/20/2020 at 8:41 AM, billygoat said: I love the look of it! Everything is so hugely expanded, it's like a riot of life in there. 😁 I understand the need to frag things that are getting out of control of course, but I also think it would be interesting to just let everything go crazy and see what you end up with when the dust settles. Probably just a tank full of clove polyps and giant trumpet corals. 😅 Have you ever fragged those gorgonians before? They look like they are getting pretty long! Thanks... it’s so... jungle-y!! Or kinda like a cottage garden haha. The zoas/palys really like this water too and I’m a scaredy cat and don’t want to frag them. I do trim the gorgonians fairly regularly. I think gorgs may be the easiest coral to frag... as I’m sure you know it’s as easy as just snipping a branch, stripping a bit if the tissue from the skeleton at the base, adding a little dab of superglue, and then gluing wherever... I really should get on that project... glue some to frag plugs, and see if I can get some credit at my LFSs. 1 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 18 hours ago, banasophia said: I do trim the gorgonians fairly regularly. I think gorgs may be the easiest coral to frag... as I’m sure you know it’s as easy as just snipping a branch, stripping a bit if the tissue from the skeleton at the base, adding a little dab of superglue, and then gluing wherever... I really should get on that project... glue some to frag plugs, and see if I can get some credit at my LFSs. I definitely agree that they are by far the easiest coral to frag. All you really need is a pair of scissors! I'd even consider the trimming/gluing of the base to be an "advanced" gorgonian fragging technique... strictly speaking you could just cut off a branch and jam it into a hole in the rock, and the frag would probably start to encrust and grow. 😅 The light tan-colored gorgs on the far right and left of your display look like Grube's gorgonians, which are absolutely bulletproof and grow like weeds. I bet your LFS would be happy to get their hands on a few of those! Also I meant to ask you: did you end up getting those Berghia nudibranchs? I'm also considering picking up a few and I am curious to hear about your experiences with them! 1 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 6 hours ago, billygoat said: I definitely agree that they are by far the easiest coral to frag. All you really need is a pair of scissors! I'd even consider the trimming/gluing of the base to be an "advanced" gorgonian fragging technique... strictly speaking you could just cut off a branch and jam it into a hole in the rock, and the frag would probably start to encrust and grow. 😅 The light tan-colored gorgs on the far right and left of your display look like Grube's gorgonians, which are absolutely bulletproof and grow like weeds. I bet your LFS would be happy to get their hands on a few of those! Also I meant to ask you: did you end up getting those Berghia nudibranchs? I'm also considering picking up a few and I am curious to hear about your experiences with them! Oh yeah, I’m not totally sure if that gorg is a Grube’s, as I got it from an LFS and they had gotten it from a local hobbyist... they didn’t know what it was, and thought it was dead because it wouldn’t open for them. Very possible that’s what it is though, and definitely my fastest growing... also it quickly attaches to anything it touches. There were some branches of it on the live rock from my Nuvo 10 that I donated to the LFS when I broke down that tank and they were charging a fortune for them... like $50 for a medium sized gorg!! So hopefully I can get a few bucks in store credit somewhere. I did get the Berghias on 1/7, along with the mint pavona in my 32 that I ordered to avoid the shipment charge from salty underground... I received five, though one perished when introducing it into the tank. Haven’t seen a noticeable effect on the aiptasia yet, but as I recall it took at least 3 weeks to see any difference when I ordered them previously, and I almost never saw them since they’re nocturnal, so hopefully I’ll see something start to happen in another week or so. They eradicated the aiptasia in my tank 100% last time... I only got aiptasia again because they were living in the pipes of my pipe organ coral I bought at RAP. 1 Quote Link to comment
Poison Dart Frog Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Looking so nice. You still have the sponge with the zoas growing on it (spider sponge?)? They had one about 10" tall at the fish store the other day for $60. I tried to get my girlfriend to buy it for her 40 breeder reef tank but she didn't want to spend that much. I wish I had room for it. Just curious how hardy those are. I have a couple orange "ear sponges" in my little tanks and they seem to be doing okay a few months in. 2 Quote Link to comment
banasophia Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 hours ago, Poison Dart Frog said: Looking so nice. You still have the sponge with the zoas growing on it (spider sponge?)? They had one about 10" tall at the fish store the other day for $60. I tried to get my girlfriend to buy it for her 40 breeder reef tank but she didn't want to spend that much. I wish I had room for it. Just curious how hardy those are. I have a couple orange "ear sponges" in my little tanks and they seem to be doing okay a few months in. Hi, thanks! Sadly, I no longer have the spider sponge or the small red tree sponge that was in the front left... and the bigger red tree sponge had to be fragged way back. All of my sponges, in addition to my pink palys and my blue sympodium, responded terribly to water I made using an RODI filter back in August/September. The sponges all lost tons of tissue and turned clear... I’d had that small red tree sponge since the beginning and it was always very hardy... not sure what is in my water that doesn’t get filtered out, but whatever it is, it’s not good even in tiny amounts that don’t register with my TDS meter. Theoretically there are no chloramines in my water, per a perusal of the water district’s info online, but maybe there a really are. I switched back to using commercially distilled water and now get it via monthly deliveries from Arrowhead. The cost is $1/gallon, and they take back and reuse the 5 gallon jugs. Anyway, it is true that spider sponges are sensitive/difficult to keep. Mine really suffered loss of sponge tissue any time I changed my water source, but aside from that it seemed pretty happy in my system. I hope to get another small one once I know for sure I’ll be sticking with the distilled water home delivery and the Tropic Marin salt. The pink palys/zoas sure are happy now with this water/salt combo, and the GSP on the back wall is starting to improve as well. Hopefully I can stick with this combo so my tank can stabilize again. Some pics from right now, showing the zoas/palys, tank’s still waking up: 3 Quote Link to comment
mitten_reef Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 56 minutes ago, banasophia said: I no longer have the spider sponge or the small red tree sponge oh no! sorry for your loss. those were my favorites. I almost picked some up for my tank after seeing yours. But I chose to go with NPS gorg first to test the tank's capability to house any NPS. 1 Quote Link to comment
Mrs. Limpet Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 On 1/19/2020 at 8:57 PM, Mrs. Limpet said: We r in santa rosa. Hi, Yes I do get to Sacramento often. What type of work do you do from home? I'm a nurse too, in the ED. getting to old for that though! lol 1 Quote Link to comment
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