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Hannah’s tank journal


Hannahhhh

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3 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

Have you used regular old super glue? I was reading online about using it, seems like some people love it some not so much 

 

I use basic reef superglue. If I’m attaching larger frags or something of a weird shape I’ll use reef epoxy. 

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1 minute ago, WV Reefer said:

 

I use basic reef superglue. If I’m attaching larger frags or something of a weird shape I’ll use reef epoxy. 

Ugh I guess I should buy something like that if I’m gonna move it. I’m new to the hobby and about a million bucks deeper in than I planned 🙄 I was hoping to get by with some stuff I already owned. Oh well!

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Just now, Hannahhhh said:

Ugh I guess I should buy something like that if I’m gonna move it. I’m new to the hobby and about a million bucks deeper in than I planned 🙄 I was hoping to get by with some stuff I already owned. Oh well!

What kind do you have? It needs to say cyanoacrylate. 

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10 hours ago, Hannahhhh said:

Have you used regular old super glue? I was reading online about using it, seems like some people love it some not so much 

I use Loctite brand super glue from Home Depot (I like this one because it has squeezy grip things on the sides that make it rather easier to use). But as Yoshii mentioned, any glue that is made from cyanoacrylate gel is suitable.

 

You may wish to start that plug out on the substrate/in a lower light part of your tank, just because birdsnests can be especially sensitive to lighting changes. I advise you to take your time to choose a good location for it and give it plenty of time to acclimate to your lighting before you pop it off the plug and glue it down. But don't take too much time or it will start to encrust the plug and become very difficult to remove! 😅

 

I imagine that the toadstool will probably demonstrate some more significant polyp extension once it settles down. Leathers are grouchy by nature.

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Your tank looks great for this stage.  I don't know anything about SPS so I will let others comment on that, but I use that super glue from the dollar store and it works great.  You have a good variety of corals and fish in the tank.  I think the 3 fish is an ok stocking number for their size and type.

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On 4/19/2019 at 8:39 PM, pricewayne said:

Really like your setup!

That pompom crab is awesome!! Has it been active//out and about? I want one 🙂

Thanks so much! He hid a bunch the first week or so, but now he comes out a decent amount. It’s a small tank, so I can always find him when he’s hiding too. Most of his activity occurs around feeding time. When I feed the fish he comes running out waving his pom poms! 

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10 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

Thanks so much! He hid a bunch the first week or so, but now he comes out a decent amount. It’s a small tank, so I can always find him when he’s hiding too. Most of his activity occurs around feeding time. When I feed the fish he comes running out waving his pom poms! 

Yep, definitely gonna keep my eyes out for one.

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On 4/19/2019 at 10:40 PM, billygoat said:

You may wish to start that plug out on the substrate/in a lower light part of your tank, just because birdsnests can be especially sensitive to lighting changes. I advise you to take your time to choose a good location for it and give it plenty of time to acclimate to your lighting before you pop it off the plug and glue it down. But don't take too much time or it will start to encrust the plug and become very difficult to remove! 😅

 

I imagine that the toadstool will probably demonstrate some more significant polyp extension once it settles down. Leathers are grouchy by nature.

I was under the impression that it needed a decent amount of light. What would be the advantage in starting it in a lower light area and gradually moving it upwards vs going the other way? I’m thinking I’ll probably leave it where it is for the time being as it seems to be happy there (as far as I can tell). 

You were right about the toadstool, it’s got super long polyps and I love the way it looks!

17 minutes ago, pricewayne said:

Yep, definitely gonna keep my eyes out for one.

I ordered mine from live aquaria. I think they still have them in stock. 

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5 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

I was under the impression that it needed a decent amount of light. What would be the advantage in starting it in a lower light area and gradually moving it upwards vs going the other way? I’m thinking I’ll probably leave it where it is for the time being as it seems to be happy there (as far as I can tell). 

The birdsnest certainly will take quite a bit of light, and eventually it should end up in a very well lit part of your tank for sure! I was just pointing out that SPS corals in general can be very sensitive to sudden lighting changes, and that taking them from the dark box they've been in for 24 hours or so and sticking them directly into one of the brightest parts of your tank can be stressful or even fatal for certain specimens. For this reason many aquarists opt to turn down their lighting at first and gradually ramp it up over a period of a few days after introducing new frags, or just start their plugs out on the sandbed and slowly move them up towards the higher-light areas where they will eventually get glued down.

 

But hey, if your birdsnest has good extension and seems to be doing well, the last thing you should do is move it! 😄 Just let it do its thing.

 

Love the picture! That leather is gorgeous. It certainly seems to have come around!

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8 minutes ago, billygoat said:

The birdsnest certainly will take quite a bit of light, and eventually it should end up in a very well lit part of your tank for sure! I was just pointing out that SPS corals in general can be very sensitive to sudden lighting changes, and that taking them from the dark box they've been in for 24 hours or so and sticking them directly into one of the brightest parts of your tank can be stressful or even fatal for certain specimens. For this reason many aquarists opt to turn down their lighting at first and gradually ramp it up over a period of a few days after introducing new frags, or just start their plugs out on the sandbed and slowly move them up towards the higher-light areas where they will eventually get glued down.

 

But hey, if your birdsnest has good extension and seems to be doing well, the last thing you should do is move it! 😄 Just let it do its thing.

 

Love the picture! That leather is gorgeous. It certainly seems to have come around!

What should the extensions look like? I can see that it has little polys and looks kinda fuzzy. Is that enough? Thank you for the advice!

Also, does birds nest coral grow outward and make new branches as well as encrusting at the base?

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6 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

What should the extensions look like? I can see that it has little polys and looks kinda fuzzy. Is that enough? Thank you for the advice!

Also, does birds nest coral grow outward and make new branches as well as encrusting at the base?

SPS corals all have very small polyps, so if it has a fuzzy or furry appearance you are probably in pretty good shape. It will indeed grow numerous new branches over time, and can form a large interlacing colony under the right conditions. Do a Google image search for Seriatopora and you can see some of the amazing shapes that birdsnests take! They are one of my favorite corals; I think they are extremely beautiful.

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Just now, billygoat said:

SPS corals all have very small polyps, so if it has a fuzzy or furry appearance you are probably in pretty good shape. It will indeed grow numerous new branches over time, and can form a large interlacing colony under the right conditions. Do a Google image search for Seriatopora and you can see some of the amazing shapes that birdsnests take! They are one of my favorite corals; I think they are extremely beautiful.

Ok that’s what I thought, but then everyone was talking about it encrusting the base, and I wasn’t sure if it was only going to grow that way! Do I need to add anything specific to the water for SPS coral? Also should I be feeding it something?

I can’t wait to see it grow! 

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Just found my two nassarius snails wrestling over the remains of my emerald crab 😞 I was hoping it was a molt but no such luck. Is there some parameter I should be checking to make sure my tank is fine for crabs? I’m worried for my pom pom. All my hermits, corals, snails and fish seem totally fine. I did a 5-10% water change right away. I was planning to do one soon anyway and I’m not sure how long that crab had been sitting there decaying. I really liked watching the emerald at work, I’ll probably replace him sometime soon. Any suggestions for small crabs that chow on algae? 

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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
11 hours ago, Hannahhhh said:

I was under the impression that it needed a decent amount of light. What would be the advantage in starting it in a lower light area and gradually moving it upwards vs going the other way? I’m thinking I’ll probably leave it where it is for the time being as it seems to be happy there (as far as I can tell). 

You were right about the toadstool, it’s got super long polyps and I love the way it looks!

I ordered mine from live aquaria. I think they still have them in stock. 

I didn't read farther down so I don't know if anyone answered this, but you can kill a coral quick with too much light. You start them low to get them used to the light. My AI prime has acclimation setting. When I get new coral I dim the light and have it ramp up over a 4-5 week period. Corals can live in low light but will die if the light is too strong for them too quick. I hope that helps.

Sorry if someone answered this already.

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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
30 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

Found a dead hermit this morning :( 

Did you take it out and look at it? The molt looks just like the crab and when you take it out you'll see a split in the back of the shell where they crawled out.

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Maybe give it a few days and see if you see your emerald crab? Mine had its first molt couple weeks ago and it was spooky how much the molt seemed like a dead crab. Also, he more than doubled in size lol. They’ll usually be a bit more timid right after a shed while their new shell hardens so it’s possible it’s hiding somewhere.

 

Won’t surprise me if it’s also a hermit molt — and I’ve read that water changes can trigger molts. I thought I’d lost a few hermits over a few days a while back but my hermit count is the same today as it was so they were just molts 🙂

 

I don’t think there’s a particular thing to measure — but if ya want to play it safe, check your ammonia, nitrates and salinity levels. I think those 3 readings should be indicative of any livestock red flags (I’m no pro though lol).

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3 hours ago, 748S911 said:

sure its not molt?

 

3 hours ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

Did you take it out and look at it? The molt looks just like the crab and when you take it out you'll see a split in the back of the shell where they crawled out.

Ya the emerald crab and the hermit were definitely not molts. The hermit has a lot of his fleshy lower body still attached and the emerald crab was not a molt either. 

 

Any reason come to mind why two crabs would die at the same time?

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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
28 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

 

Ya the emerald crab and the hermit were definitely not molts. The hermit has a lot of his fleshy lower body still attached and the emerald crab was not a molt either. 

 

Any reason come to mind why two crabs would die at the same time?

Hmm, not sure, maybe they were at the end of their life cycle? Sorry about the losses though. Just check all the parameters and make sure nothing weird is going on.

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49 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

 

Ya the emerald crab and the hermit were definitely not molts. The hermit has a lot of his fleshy lower body still attached and the emerald crab was not a molt either. 

 

Any reason come to mind why two crabs would die at the same time?

Definitely wait and see. Even after seeing molts of crabs for 10 years, I still think they are dead crabs 90% of the time - especially hermits. If they aren't out in a couple of weeks, then you know for sure.

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6 hours ago, jservedio said:

Definitely wait and see. Even after seeing molts of crabs for 10 years, I still think they are dead crabs 90% of the time - especially hermits. If they aren't out in a couple of weeks, then you know for sure.

Ok well that makes me feel better! I hope you’re right

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