Granite’s Dropoff Poopico: New Light!

[MainelyReefer]

I put a stepping stool near the tank for my son, now he runs around asking to “feed the fish” one of his first sayings that is compounded words.  Chilling with a juice 

[mwp]

On 3/30/2019 at 5:47 AM, GraniteReefer said:

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2019/03/29/surprise-coral-spawning-in-a-reef-jar/

coincindence that on the day I expect to start my Leptastrea brooding tank coral magazine emails me this article. Life is almost creepy

I swear I did not plan that!

I thought you'd like to know, the article that inspired your tank concept was made available as an online excerpt, so all of you following this thread can read it - https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2019/03/06/leptastrea-purpurea-a-model-stony-coral-for-research-and-captive-breeding/

 

GraniteReefer, get that macro lens ready - if you succeed in your mission, I want to hear about it and well, you'll need to have some great photos too! 😉 Best of luck on this project - exciting!

[MainelyReefer]

Reef Cleaners order came in, everything healthy and alive.

11 Zigzag Periwinkles 

5 Dwarf Planaxis

3 Blue Legged Hermits(one added after picture)

Random smooth shell snail, cowry? Mini conch? Found it in the dwarf cerith pile.

3 mussels/clam 

A lot of Dwarf Cerith

I never would have guessed it but the GBGs were viciously attacking the periwinkles.  At 15 cents each it’s  pretty cheap escargot!

[MainelyReefer]

Soft cycling with expensive RSCP salt is a burden, but it’s my favorite way of starting a tank.  Dirty top down from today’s WC.

I am purposely only cleaning the two viewing panes of glass and leaving the others to build a film algae layer.  This will help support a pod population for my fish and I think cement film algae’s position as the dominant algae type in the tank.  The only coral that I am concerned with currently is the JF Spitfire as it is positioned in the highest spot.  The top looks lighter than the sides, however this is a weird specimen in that it’s base is white so when not under blues it’s very pale.  Perhaps since the sides would have me looking through more flesh that enables the pigment to appear deeper in density.

I was going to move it but decided to wait until tomorrow’s WC and observe it more thoroughly on my day off.  If it is indeed in distress today I may place a small coin on the glass top over it to block the direct light, that may be a viable form of acclimation. After today’s WC I tried out running a small surface skimmer for 10 mins to remove excess detritus, results were nominal. I may try with filter floss in place of the stock sponge or on top of it.

Also without a sieve, blue fluorescent light and filter to check if any planula were released I have been putting the waste water into my Mantis shrimp tank which is covered in coraline algae in hopes any planula would settle.

 

[Wendy]

Leptastrea purpurea: A model stony coral for research and captive breeding

That article is VERY interesting & informative about Leptastrea coral.

It's so amazing how these corals reproduce & it would be awesome if you produced a new generation.

Good luck!!!

[MainelyReefer]

Three Fish Visible

One Fish Visible

The sieve came in today so next weekend... maybe even tomorrow I may try it out.

[MetaTank]

This tank is making leaps and bounds as far as progress...😊. I literally just got my surface skimmer mod tuned in, I'm definitely taking my sweet time, and I'm glad to be able to watch everyone elses tanks progress as well!

[JBM]

I like your determination and uniqueness 

[A Little Blue]

17 hours ago, MetaTank said:

This tank is making leaps and bounds as far as progress...😊. I literally just got my surface skimmer mod tuned in, I'm definitely taking my sweet time, and I'm glad to be able to watch everyone elses tanks progress as well!

2 ,3 ,4 weeks behind the build makes no difference on coral growth/health. Getting it right does. 

[asting]

What's the sieve for?

[MainelyReefer]

18 minutes ago, asting said:

What's the sieve for?

Collecting planula which are potentially released nightly.  These could then be placed in a settlement tank, or hopefully the planula just settle in the Dropoff and I could make sure I don’t throw them away with each WC and place them right back in or into another system.

[asting]

what's a planula?

🧐

[MainelyReefer]

12 minutes ago, asting said:

what's a planula?

🧐

Baby coral before it builds a stony body, unclear if they are free floating or self propelled but they prefer to settle on certain substrate so I’m leaning towards some kind of mobility

[asting]

hmm, so then growing it in another tank?

[Wendy]

2 hours ago, asting said:

what's a planula?

🧐

You gotta read the article on the previous page, so much awesome information about Leptastrea coral & planula!

[Tempestas]

On 4/13/2019 at 11:20 PM, GraniteReefer said:

Three Fish Visible

One Fish Visible

 

Gosh, this is worse than Where's Waldo. I can't see those fish for the life of me.

 

But the tank is coming along nicely.

 

[debbeach13]

I think I see 1 different fish in each picture. 

[seabass]

[MainelyReefer]

Lowered the intensity on my lights from maxing at 100% on each channel down to 60% on marine mix and 80% on blues.  The JF spitfire continues to bleach so I have lowered it to under the lip of the Dropoff.  Alternatively the brownish frag that was at the bottom of the drop off has regained a green-yellow coloration after I relocated it to the upper deck(right where the spitfire was).  Lots of variation in desired location in different specimens of leptastrea apparently.  Leptastrea has proven to be a more finicky coral than my blasto, Acan, trumpet combo in the reefbowl but a challenge is what I was looking for.  Maybe placing 18 corals in a single day made it harder to match each specimen with a suitable location... or maybe it made it easier as I was able to watch them all react and move them(they were all fine on the same level frag rack while waiting for this tank to get wet).  Only time will tell if they will all be successful. Still two that are lower down on the wall that don’t show great polyp extension, they do have the proper color still though.  Since some scientific descriptions of leptastrea purpurea mention the polyps retract during the day in the wild I haven’t been overly concerned with these few specimens.  I fed TLF chalice power to all the corals yesterday along with frozen for the fish, flakes and pellet are fed daily throughout the week.  Every coral exhibited a feeding response(bounce too)

from brown to this.

one of my favorite colored Leptastrea the cornbred hell’s fire 

Same coral no filter

Dirty FTS

Dirty portrait view

Happy 420.  Reefers on reefer!

[Tempestas]

Still can't get over how pretty some of these corals are.

[MainelyReefer]

Midweek WC, lots of reddish/brown algae starting in and maybe the slightest green film on the rocks.  Bubbles everywhere, and the waste water was dark like tea after stirring the sandbed and tooth brushing the walls/rockwork.

Before(had to be top down due to dirty glass)

After

[MainelyReefer]

PE is back to normal a few hours later.

Maybe the pit viper Leptastrea  is less dark and I may move it down but I lean towards pushing it and seeing if it can’t adjust

[This guy is extra salty]

On 4/14/2019 at 11:00 AM, A Little Blue said:

2 ,3 ,4 weeks behind the build makes no difference on coral growth/health. Getting it right does. 

Yasss !!

[vlangel]

Looking great, granite reefer.  That is a wonderful pic of your son drinking a juice box and looking at the tank!

[fishfreak0114]

now I want a drop off  great start!