WhiteRat Posted December 13, 2002 Share Posted December 13, 2002 Hi guys. Got a 30-gallon, CPR Bakpak skimmer/filter, 2 Zoo-Med powerheads and a PSL MH/PC lighting system with a 175w 10000K MH and 2 55w 50/50 true actinic/10K bulbs. About 48 hours got in ~30 pounds of TBSW aquacultured rock and 30 pounds of their live sand. Was totally stunned at how much stuff was on it. Can't identify half of it. About a dozen different colors and shapes of sponges, lots of little circular guys with transparent tentacles, lots of little wormtubes. For the first day, not a lot of activity. Lots of little transparent tentacles, a bunch of tiny little conical black-shelled snails and really, REALLY tiny little hermits, then a 1/2" porcelain crab showed up, then a 2" olive drab sea cuke with orangish spikes. Day two and WHOA! There's an inch long kind of purplish-pale nudibranch swimming around for a minute or two, then he hides again. Then a tiny white brittle star crawls across a hunk of blue sponge (i never would have seen him otherwise) almost all the wormtubes now have fans sticking out of them and there's about a 3" clam sticking out of one of the rocks that I thought was just more encrusted rock, earlier. It seems every time I look at the tank I see something new. Really impressed! What I'm wondering about is this: I have heard bad stories of how nasty sponges get when dying off. How can you tell if they are dying off? I mean, they aren't the healthiest looking things when they're in the ocean depths doing great to begin with, kind of like chewed bubblegum in weird colors smeared over the rock (though I have a few ball-shaped ones growing out on their own and some finger-shapes). What signs should I look for to tell me 'get that sucker out now before it gets ugly nad pollutes the tank'? Also, I have read that nudibranchs almost always die in captivity. Is this true? If so should I find it again and net it out before it adds to my initial ammonia spike? So far things are going amazingly well and I only wish I could figure out how to manually focus my digital camera so I could get good pics of it. Ratty Link to comment
ross76053 Posted December 13, 2002 Share Posted December 13, 2002 Yep, you're very lucky with the things that hitchhiked on your rock....what a great deal. I've read the same about nudibranches not doing well in captivity, but have never had one so I can't really speak to that. How can you tell if they are dying off? Here's the way I could tell my sponges were dying - they reaked. If you suspect they're dieing, pull a small piece off and take a whiff. If you fall over backwards, it's dieing. Keep us posted on your progress... Link to comment
me03 Posted December 13, 2002 Share Posted December 13, 2002 If you don't mind me asking but what was the name of the LFS you got the LR? Link to comment
ajroahkni Posted December 13, 2002 Share Posted December 13, 2002 Originally posted by WhiteRat lots of little circular guys with transparent tentacles Ratty AIPTASIA!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHHHHH! - maybe you got a little pepp shrimp as a hitchhiker too. Link to comment
WhiteRat Posted December 14, 2002 Author Share Posted December 14, 2002 I don't think they are aptasia. But I could be wrong, being a rank amateur (very rank, but I'll go shower now). Some of them are visible in my photos at www.bastet.org/~whiterat/reeftank Specifically look at tbsw13.jpg and the right edge of tbsw8.jpg. They look like a little blue or brown lifesaver candy with a catseye mouth in the middle and have transparent tentacles. PLUS! I got some pics of the nudibranch! I think. I am not so sure he is a nudibranch now. I am not even sure he is the same one as his colors seem different. Now instead of purplypink speckles he seems to have cinnamony-purple speckles. See tbsw18.jpg through tbsw20.jpg and any positive ID would be greatly appreciated. =) And I got the rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater (tbsaltwater.com) as part of their 'package'. Ratty Link to comment
Centrek Posted December 15, 2002 Share Posted December 15, 2002 i've got 2 nanos that i am planning to set up at the beginning of the year. 1 12 eclipse for my dad's office, and 1 15 or so custom acrylic for me. I think i'm going to go with TBS, i saw someone's pics with a 75, and it looked amazing. I tried to go to that website, but it seems down. I am excited to see how yours looks, keep me updated! Link to comment
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