[CUSTOM] Ann

[tinyreef]

oops!

[kinetic]

i saw your tank pic in the Idol thread! This is my favorite pico I've seen! I love the rockwork so much!

 

keep it up =)

[raven]

How's the new pico zoas doing? Have they attached to the rock yet?

[Ann]

Well they are still in the same postition in the tank so I take that to be a promising sign. I think that the blue and pink spotted ones have attached but unless I give them a tug to find out I can't be 100% positive. There's no way am I messing with those beauties, nooo way at all.

 

The green Palythoa has settled in great and has already developed a new little bud at its base already. I wish all the other corals would be so accomodating with their growth.

 

Still no sign of the elusive crab but one more frag has been knocked off this week so something's still up to no good. I'm just willling everything to encrust onto the actual rockwork so that I don't have to worry about stuff being moved anymore.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[melbourne]

Tank is looking fantastic! Excellent pics as well - you should post up some of your reef keeping and picture taking secrets for the rest of us

[tinyreef]

I'm just willling everything to encrust onto the actual rockwork so that I don't have to worry about stuff being moved anymore.

mind over reefing.

[Ann]

mind over reefing.

 

You bet!

 

So anyway not much to update really. All is progressing OK I think, The zoanthids are fine, growing a bit too slowly for my liking but hey I'm just thinking of how the tank won't have filled in by the end if the competition.

 

The mushrooms haven't done anything at all which is disappointing, they used to like me but I guess not any more.

 

The B wellsi is doing great, with 1 new polyp and 3 other buds developing now, I must try and get a shot of it one night. The B. merleti however is not doing so great, I broke down in the end and moved it lower down the tank, it's not in a great viewing position any more but I don't care as long the new position perks it up a bit. I find it hard to imagine that it was getting too much light. The Fungia is still good to go.

 

Oh and the Sargassum is looking mighty fine. No chance of faking a FTS for me, my algae'o'meter is a dead give away.

 

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[ecotoxlady]

Wow! I've been eagerly awaiting an update so glad to see a new FTS! I'm sorry your merleti isn't doing so hot. I hope the new location will perk the little guy up. It definitely looks like the macroalgae is enjoying the conditions of your tank. Is there any chance that it will go sexual? I've heard that you can lose a lot in a tank if macroalgae goes sexual so just be careful I hope to see more updates soon

[Ann]

Hmm, you have a point there. I really don't know if Sargassum can go sexual and crash a tank, I've not read about it happening but that doesn't mean that it's not a possiblity. I'd better check up on that asap.

 

I'll post some close-up shots of the corals soon. I've been trying to resist posting too many updates as there's not a lot changed recently (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Don't want to bore you all rigid with almost identical pictures.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[fras]

looking good ann

[ecotoxlady]

You never have to worry about boring us with your tank Ann! You have one of the nicest tanks I've ever seen and growth or not, it's still ultra cool to look at pictures of it! I hope I didn't worry you too much with the question about the sargassum going sexual, I just wanted to make sure that you were aware if it was a possibility. Can't wait to see close-ups of everyone! I especially can't wat to see the pics of the frags you got from your friend. Those blue zoas still make me drool every time I see them!

[Maxvan1]

"Algae reproduce in astoundingly diverse ways. Some reproduce asexually, others use sexual reproduction, and many use both. In asexual reproduction an individual reproduces without combining its genetic material with that from another individual. The simplest form of asexual reproduction is binary fission, in which a unicellular organism simply divides into two new individuals. Some multicellular algae, including Sargassum, reproduce asexually through fragmentation, in which fragments of the parent develop into new individuals. In a similar process called budding, special buds detach from multicellular algae and develop into new individuals, commonly found in Sphacelaria. Many algae produce special cells called spores that are capable of growing into new individuals. If these spores move about using flagella, they are known as zoospores."

-http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573848/Algae.html

 

But, that doesn mean it doesnt do both though... As always, AWSOME tank+pictures.

[Ann]

Karen, no actually I'm glad that you brought it up cause it's made me think hard about this algae now and not just about the potential of crashing my tank either.

 

Thanks Max, I have performed a search on the reproductive strategies of Sargassum too and have also discovered that it does sexually reproduce but does not sporulate like Caulerpa is known to do. So basically it won't crash my tank.... phew!

 

However, this has triggered me to wondering if this type of seaweed has a detrimental effect on the health of my corals in other ways. I assume that it must produce some noxious chemicals to deter hungry herbivores after all most I've seen seem to avoid eating it and a pico has such a small volume of water that any chemical warfare can be a big issue. I do like the look of this algae and its potential to lock up nutrients but not if it's going to harm my corals in anyway.

 

Anyhow I'm still in research mode and will keep you all posted of any findings.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[Travis]

Amazing Ann, simply amazing.

[Maxvan1]

Do you run carbon or phosban (or somthing like that)?

 

Try asking Anthony Calfo (spelling?) on the RC forums.

[Ann]

OK I've found my answer now, it can be kept but it must be trimmed back very regularly and chemical filtration (ie carbon) must be employed along with plenty of water changes to keep the noxious chemicals at bay.

 

In light of this I've been quite severe with my prunings this week, in fact I've hacked all but a little of it right down, the tank looks quite empty without all the bushyness. Still, I'm sure that it's for the best, I am ever mindful of what happened to Jareds beautiful SPS Pico and my experience with the Seriatopora earlier on in this competition too.

 

I am running carbon and doing regular water changes but there is something that seems to be upsetting the corals that I can't quite put my finger on. It could just be down to living life in a Pico with all it's little quirks I suppose.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[Tony]

I luv the tank Ann. Looks awesome.

[Maeda]

NICE.

 

So that sargassum's no good? I'm growing a forest in my tank too. o.O

[tinyreef]

ann, was the sargum giving you trouble? i thought it was looking fine (along with everything else).

 

did you notice something recently that prompted the research, filtration and prunings? i advocate carbon 24/7 anyways but more frequent changes if i see something amiss.

[Fishfreak218]

I am running carbon and doing regular water changes but there is something that seems to be upsetting the corals that I can't quite put my finger on. It could just be down to living life in a Pico with all it's little quirks I suppose.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

did u figure it out yet???? did u get ur water tested.. anyway i love the tank. and i REALLY want some of those rics...lol...

[Ann]

Well I'm not sure what the problem is really, if indeed there is a problem at all. It's just that some of the zoanthids look a bit off, they are not dying or anything like that they are just not as expanded as I know they could (should?) be. Also some of them may be a little faded out colourwise, but that could be down to lighting I guess. Anyhow curiously the expansion/deflation tends to follow a sort of pattern. Things seems OK in the morning but by the afternoon the zoas are looking a bit rough and by that I mean most are open but the skirts are sort of curled in. It's interesting that whatever is upsetting the zoas is worst in the afternoon after the lights have been on for a while.

 

The Sargassum may be totally blameless but there was a lot of it and it did need a really good prune, there were even clumps of it growing on rocks in the refugium too. So anyway I've plucked a lot of it out but still have a clump growing to the left hand side and on the right.

 

The water parameters have all been tested and seem OK, in fact I wonder if the water is too clean. LOL! Not a hint of any nitrates or phosphates.

 

I'll try to get a load of new pictures up later on today.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[raven]

The water parameters have all been tested and seem OK, in fact I wonder if the water is too clean. LOL! Not a hint of any nitrates or phosphates.

Wouldn't have thought there would be much nitrates/phospates left after the Sargassum has been at it!

 

Don't know if it's relevent but the zoas in my tank curls up a little during dawn/dusk as there is less light, and expands fully when the main lights are on.

[Ann]

Hi Raven,

 

If anything I'd say that the zoas look better when there is only one of the tubes lit. I feel sure it's a chemical thing or perhaps a food thing, maybe I need to add more fertiliser, I mean food. Another thing that I've noticed is that the individual polyp heads are smaller than they were, this is probably down to the light.

 

Anyway here are a ton of new pics as promised....

 

These are really doing well, new heads popping up every week, the fastest grower in the tank I think:

 

 

 

These have finally settled down and have produced two new heads and fixed themselves to the rockwork too:

 

 

 

Still no new polyps here, there has been growth since they were added but nothing to get excited about:

 

 

Still nothing happening here :

 

 

These seem to be growing away from the light rather than towards it, in addition to which a few of the upper polyps have mysteriously vanished:

 

 

I had to tie these ones down as they weren't as secure as I'd thought:

 

 

more to come......

[Ann]

 

A new polyps here and two babies on the way too, interestingly they look nicer at night than during the day, expanding much more, looking for food I guess. They love Cyclopeeze:

 

 

Growth here too

 

 

The blues are a bit of a mystery to me, they are not quite a blue as before but what is even more perplexing is that they don't expand their tentacles as much as they did in their previous home. There is definitely growth (the tiny polyp on the far left is new) so they seem to be doing OK. I wonder if it's a light thing or a flow thing or both? They still look great though:

 

 

The Ricordea florida are much the same, no obvious signs of expansion:

 

 

At last a pic of the blue Discosoma, it seems to have settled in nicely:

 

 

Other news: The R. yuma is really struggling sadly, not sure if it'll be around for too much longer. The red dot 'shroom is still, well a red dot 'shroom, so change there then. The B. wellsi is mad because I pruned back the Sargassum and its getting more light that it really wants/likes. The B. merleti seems doomed, it's fading away and I'm not sure why. Also the hitchhiking tunicates are shrinking due to a lack of the correct food, I'm not surprised really but none the less still a teeny tiny bit disappointed.

 

Here's how the tank looks at the moment. The coralline has finally begun to take off on the back glass which is maybe not such a great thing as I really quite liked the clean look:

 

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[Maxvan1]

Did the orange sponge hitchhike or did you put it on there? I like all of those orange skirt zoanthids.