9 to 5 Goniopora and Alveopora Forest - NEW FTS

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

5 hours ago, LazyFish said:

I have been wondering I dont know if its posted somewhere and I missed it what exactly is that large mass in the backish left corner that's the lovely bright orange. Could I see a close up of its polyps also?

That’s a bernardpora. It often gets sold in the trade as a short tentacle goniopora, but they are totally different species, although the polyps look similar. It completely encrusts, as it’s skeleton grows. It’s the easiest way to tell them apart.

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, DevilDuck said:

Wow looking great! I lost my favorite alveopora this week. So I'm back to being 50/50 with them surviving in my tank.

Thank you!! That sucks… I’m really sorry to hear that.
 

We generally have really good luck with Alveopora. We rarely lose one, but gonis are still often a mystery. I’ve got one that was doing great, but now has been grumpy and (mostly) closed for a couple months. The rest around it are out and happy. I think as the hobby gets more and more aquacultured pieces in it, our survival rates on these guys will go up. 

  

[LazyFish]

Thanks its beautiful. I love the color of it. 

[kekke1082]

21 hours ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

Tuesday Photo Dump

A little Alveopora focus to start the day. 

 

I love colorz. 

 

Topless Tuesdays are the best! (At least that’s what I tell the tank keeper.) 

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, our final full tank shot for the contest. 

 

I have to try this now! Out of all of the more challenging corals i tried during this contest the only two that have thrived are my goniapora and the Duncan. This is gorgeous 🤩

[Tamberav]

Maybe a branching Duncan for her? They grow differently. Not sure about pattern though. 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

16 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Maybe a branching Duncan for her? They grow differently. Not sure about pattern though. 

I didn’t even know Duncan’s came in a branching variety… Well now I know what rabbit hole I’m going to spend the rest of my afternoon on. 
 

Also, did the tank keeper put you up to this?! This feels like something the tank keeper would have put you up to. 🤔

[Tamberav]

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

For anyone that wasn’t aware, the voting is going on now. I appreciate everyone that has voted for our little slice of the ocean, especially with all the great tanks in this contest. 
 

You can vote here: 

 

 

More wavy goodness: 

 

 

I hope everyone has a great, and safe Memorial Day weekend! Please take a moment this weekend, to remember those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. 

[chipz]

This tank is a work of art! What is the maintenance and feeding routine you (or rather the Tank Keeper) use to keep the gonis and alveopora corals looking so fine?

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

On 6/4/2022 at 8:40 PM, chipz said:

This tank is a work of art! What is the maintenance and feeding routine you (or rather the Tank Keeper) use to keep the gonis and alveopora corals looking so fine?

Thank you! 

We keep it pretty simple. 

 

I have a pretty heavy hand when it comes to feeding. So much so, that I’m not allowed to feed the fish in the tank keepers ADA60P, SPS tank without her monitoring/approving the amount put in. (Poor hungry fish!)  
 

Specifically for these corals we’d feed 2-3 times per month one of these : reef roids, benereef, or brightwell lps. I try to rotate through them, but I’m not sure the corals care. Some of the bigger colonies, we also can feed small TDO pellets to. We also have a product made and sold locally at fish stores, called Reef Chowda. It’s a mix of phyto, rotifiers, a couple different types of pods and live brine shrimp. I try to feed that to all of our tanks a time or two per month. 
 

As far as maintenance goes, the tank keeper is old school. She’s been keeping tanks for most of her life, and she’s been on/lurking NanoReef for most of its existence. She’s a huge believer in water changes. We do weekly water changes on most tanks. I think it works well with my (heavy) feeding habits, and her need to change water. This tank holds about 6 gallons of water, after displacement, and we’d usually do 2 or 3 gallons per water change. 

 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

Well looky looky what came in the mail today: 

 

 

I can’t wait for the tank keeper to get home, so we can open it, and the flexing on her can commence! 

 

[seabass]

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

Sorry I haven’t updated this thread with pictures yet. I’ll need to get some at home with the award… However, I never want to disappoint those that follow because of my antics with the tank keeper. 

 

This weekend was especially for you! On Saturday our local reefing club at a meeting hosted at Vivid Creative Aquatics (mostly know for his random flow generators, but has some other cool stuff as well!). I decided it’d be the perfect opportunity to flex on the tank keeper.

 

 

 

 

I think the award looks damn good inside the VCA display tank.
 

Also, after our meeting we went to the Romanelli’s, which just so happens to have some of the most delicious sandwiches on planet earth. If you ever find yourself in Phoenix, I highly recommend stopping in for a sammich and slice of limoncello cake (it’s out of this world good!) It should go without saying, that it wasn’t just the tank keeper and I.  
 

 

Seriously though, if you’re ever in Phoenix, check this place out. NanoReef Award Stamp of Approval. 

[Looselyhuman]

There was a time when literally nobody could keep goniopora alive. "Goner-opora." If you could time travel your FTS 15-20 years back, a bunch of reef nerds would spontaneously cream their pants. Gg

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

On 7/27/2022 at 8:27 PM, Looselyhuman said:

There was a time when literally nobody could keep goniopora alive. "Goner-opora." If you could time travel your FTS 15-20 years back, a bunch of reef nerds would spontaneously cream their pants. Gg

While getting reef nerds to cream their pants, has always been a goal of mine, sadly the technology for a time machine has yet to be invented.
 

The cream dream will just have to be put on hold.

 

For now. 

 

We have definitely killed our fair share of gonis along the way. I really think mag plays a big role in their health. My theory is they prefer higher levels. I’ve started dosing our TM All for Reef mixtures with additional TM Bio Magnesium. The goni’s have never looked happier. 

[debbeach13]

Best looking Goni tank I have seen.

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

Just wanted to show off a new(ish) Alveopora we picked up. This one is unlike any I’ve ever seen.
 

It’s almost pastel looking under day lights. 
 

 

And then the tips of the polyps really pop under actinic lighting. It almost glows a light yellow/whitish color. It’s one of the brightest things in the tank, when only the blue LEDs are on. 
 

 

[debbeach13]

Looks so healthy and very nice color.

[debbeach13]

Good morning - any updates?

I hope you, the tank keeper and your tanks are well.

[MLS_Reef]

i was thinking about a tank like this earlier this week.. including yesterday and today... any updates? i bought an aqueon 60 breeder for 95 dollars at the petco sale.

 

i want to recreate this..

 

[wuzzo]

Seeing this for the first time, wasn't as active on the forum when the thread was live.  This tank is beautiful, I've been looking to get different types of gonis outside of the red/green variety, and this was huge inspiration. Hope it's all going well

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

On 6/20/2023 at 4:52 AM, debbeach13 said:

Good morning - any updates?

I hope you, the tank keeper and your tanks are well.

Hey Deb! We’re doing good - just busy with life. You know how that goes. I hope you’re doing great! 

 

On 6/20/2023 at 4:43 PM, MLS_Reef said:

i was thinking about a tank like this earlier this week.. including yesterday and today... any updates? i bought an aqueon 60 breeder for 95 dollars at the petco sale.

 

i want to recreate this..

 

You should definitely do it. I love gonis and alveoporas. Generally speaking, I feel like Alveoporas are a little easier. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I’d be happy to share my experiences. 
 

11 hours ago, wuzzo said:

Seeing this for the first time, wasn't as active on the forum when the thread was live.  This tank is beautiful, I've been looking to get different types of gonis outside of the red/green variety, and this was huge inspiration. Hope it's all going well

Thank you so much! That’s so nice of you to say. We really had fun with this tank. 
 

Ok… Long overdue update. 
 

Last fall, I started a new job, where I work from home full time. We set up an office in a spare bedroom, that was mostly just used by the cats, for day time naps.
 

After about a month of working from home, the Tank Keeper asked if I wanted to move a tank into the office so I could enjoy it throughout the day. (Mistake number 1 on her part - she should definitely know better by now.) I said that was a great idea, and we proceed to discuss my options over a beer on a lovely Friday night. She wouldn’t allow this tank to be moved, as this particular ADA tank is her absolute favorite, and she wasn’t about to let me have it when there were other tanks available. (Mistake number 2, unbeknownst to her.) She was ok with me taking whatever corals from it I wanted. It was just the tank itself I wasn’t allowed to have. [Cue Stephanie Tanner “How rude!”]
 

The very next day we had our local reefing club meeting, which was hosted by Titan Aquatic Exhibits. They specialize in massive acrylic tanks (Mostly 1000+ gallons), but had made a small (for them) tank to raffle at the meeting. The tank being raffled was 48”x18”x14”, made out of 1” thick acrylic. At this point, I’m sure you can see where this is going… I bought $20 worth of raffle tickets (We have to support the local reefing club, yo!) For anyone wondering, I had the Tank Keepers blessing. (Mistake number 3 on her part. Will she ever learn? God, I hope not.) 
 

There were hundreds of tickets sold for the opportunity to win this tank. The odds of us winning were slim, at best.

 

As I heard the numbers being called out one by one, for the Titan tank, I couldn’t help but notice as each number was called, it continued to match the tickets in my hand. As the eighth and final number on the winning ticket was called out, I was both excited, and a slightly panicked. It’s not every day I have to convince the tank keeper how it would be rude to the club, and Titan Aquatics to not set up the freshly won tank. Plus, we had most the needed equipment all ready (not really - but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) 
 

Needless to say, I didn’t have many bargaining chips. We agreed that we would consolidate a couple of tanks in to my new office (Offish) tank. This tank unfortunately, was a victim of the consolidation. The livestock got dispersed in to our other tanks, and the tank itself got put away in to the corner of a closet. Perhaps one day to reclaim its former glory on a future NanoReef contest. (Hint Hint CM and CBass) 

 

Sorry I’ve been too lazy to start a build thread, but maybe these pictures of my new office (Offish) tank will suffice until I set up a build thread. 
 

 

 

[debbeach13]

5 hours ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

We’re doing good - just busy with life.

Glad to hear you are all doing well. I do understand I have been busy with family. Keeping up with taking care of the tanks but not enough time for coral shopping!

 

5 hours ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

I bought $20 worth of raffle tickets

And you won! It was meant to be. The tank looks great.

[seabass]

Lucky you!  Glad that all is well.  The tank looks great as we'd all expect.

[kekke1082]

That tank is lovely! How many gallons does it hold roughly? I love how low profile it is! I'm considering doing a goni garden in the newest iteration of my tank. This little slice of reef heaven is serving as my inspiration 😁

[ml86743]

How the heck did I miss this!! All your setups look wonderful!