Mr. Fosi's 5.5AGA fish/coral mix

[EL CHUPACABRA]

Good luck on the move. I think your moving setup should work great!!! It sounds like you made the tank a priority. Let us know how it goes.

[ezcompany]

got ur camera fixed yet?

[EL CHUPACABRA]

I am excited for you to return to nano reef. I hope the corals and your baby are having fun sloshing around right now in the moving van.

[Mr. Fosi]

I am not really back yet, as our house is not in order but I wanted to give an update to you all.

 

It took us 14 hours to get from Erie, PA to our new home in Columbia, SC; U-Hauls, fast they ain't.

 

The freshwater stuff rode the whole way in the back of the truck because we didn't have room for it in the cab. It was no big deal, though because most of the trip was through the night (no sun shining on the big metal box). I also gave away most of my FW fish and plants just before I left to minimize fatalitites. Even so, as a result of the shipping stress my wife lost most of her fish (all FW) and I lost several FW fish as well. I was expecting my losses (all otocinclus catfish) since many of my fish don't handle stress well.

 

The SW tank did very well and my little clownfish did the best of all the fish. The only loss that I had in the SW tank was my xenia. When I was siphoning the water out just before I loaded it in the truck, I wasn't paying full attention to what I was doing (I blame sleep deprivation coupled with 18 hours of straight packing) and it got sucked into the tube. I clamped off the end of the tube and the xenia settled back into place with its rock, but it was clear that I had badly damaged it.

 

Of course, when we arrived here I got the tank up and running again and found the xenia rock upside down and buried in the sand; very dead. Oh well, everything else, including the remaining chalice and Madracis was extending polyps within 20 minutes of turning the lights on.

 

Also, the cigarette lighter in the truck didn't work, so the $60 power inverter that I bought didn't do squat. I think the tank did (pardon the pun) swimmingly given that I couldn't pump air into it or use any water movement devices.

 

D-Fly: Sorry I didn't give you a call about the Madracis, I really didn't intend to blow you off. I didn't get the tanks broken down until after 1AM and we didn't get on the road until 1:45AM. I don't have my 20L+10g system up and running yet, so I will be transferring the rock sometime in the next couple months and I fully intend to ship you some of that Madracis. I will not forget about you, especially since I have been stringing you along for so long already.

 

EDIT: EZ: My camera was never broken, I just didn't own it. It was my ex-boss' camera and I (unfortunately) had to give it back when I quit.

[travisurfer]

It sounds like you made it out alright except for a few losses. Get a cam so we can see the new 20l.

[NanoClown]

good job! i was just at the LFS and they had the smallest hippos evr like 1/2-1 in for like 14.99 each and 2 smallest black sebaes i evr seen! they where like 1/2in and 1/4 inch it was 13.99 for the pair but i only had 10 so no buy gosh i hate having no job! lol

[EL CHUPACABRA]

Welcome sorta back.

[halfpint]

How's everything doing? Anything to report?

[JeremyChase]

Hrm, sponges. Think they're a type that will die off if exposed to air? Wouldn't want to kill off anything for a frag, and dremels don't work under water

Actually, if you have the flex-extension you can use that under water; it uses a flexbile spring to turn the bit!

 

So what are you doing with your tanks? Is the 5.5 staying or are you changing to a 20L? I'm confused....

 

-Jer

[Mr. Fosi]

Thanks, El Chup.

 

Sorry for the absence, I have been busy with other things.

 

I don't intend to keep the 5.5 running as a SW tank for too much longer. At this time, however, I can not make the switch to the 20L due to monetary concerns. That is: we went broke moving to SC and we need a little time to get some $$ together before I can finish construction.

 

I hate all the delays, but what can I do?

 

At any rate, the 5.5 is doing great. Everything seems to like the new lights more than they like the old ones and the clownfish has gotten a little bigger. The chaeto that I got from Six several months ago has started to take off, but the gracilaria isn't thriving like the chaeto.

 

This brings me to what I was going to post about: I haven't seen any nuisence algae in a while. The water that I was going to use for changes has been appropriated by my excess live rock and I have been too lazy to make up new water so... I haven't done a water change in over a month. I just did an NO3 test and it came back a 0 mg/l. At seven months, my nano (pico?) seems to have made large strides toward maturity and self-containment.

 

It makes me think twice about upgrading to a bigger tank 'cause I hate the thought of going through the 6+ month long maturation process again, but I want a bigger tank. I also probably do need to do a waterchange soon to replentish calk, alk, and trace elements, but I'm not gonna get into a twist over it.

 

Still no camera for pics, but I was in the lab (of my advisor at USC) all the last week and it looks like there may be a camera there that I can borrow for some current pics.

 

Hey Jeremy, how's that FW tank coming? Still going strong?

[nanospoof]

Welcome to the heat!

[Mr. Fosi]

You got that right! 110F today in Columbia with the heat index.

 

Good news on the xenia front: There was a very small (1.5/6mm) strip of not-dead xenia flesh left on the rock after the main part rotted off. Now, almost 3 weeks later, that strip of flesh is still there and there appears to be new polyps sprouting off it.

 

Maybe in another few weeks I'll see some real xenia stocks coming back.

 

travisurfer: I have not forgotten our trade agreement. You will get the first-fruits of the new xenia.

[halfpint]

That Xenia's amazing how well it makes a comeback after near-certain death. As for the heat in SC, it sure is intense! I lived there for 3 years. I'm actually moving back in a couple months.

[travisurfer]

You got that right! 110F today in Columbia with the heat index.

 

Good news on the xenia front: There was a very small (1.5/6mm) strip of not-dead xenia flesh left on the rock after the main part rotted off. Now, almost 3 weeks later, that strip of flesh is still there and there appears to be new polyps sprouting off it.

 

Maybe in another few weeks I'll see some real xenia stocks coming back.

 

travisurfer: I have not forgotten our trade agreement. You will get the first-fruits of the new xenia.

Thats great! I actually got on a waiting list at my lfs so I will have to tell them I can get it again. How about some nice new pics?

[bluebastion]

You got that right! 110F today in Columbia with the heat index.

 

Hey Mr. Fosi... I'm in Cola. SC... I would have said something if I had read your post earlier. Anyways... there are only 2 decent (but overpriced) Marine LFSs around here... Fishy Business (Bush River Road): http://www.fishybusiness-sc.com/

and Fins (St. Andrews Rd... Irmo, SC)... I'm from FL, and my wife is from TX.... we met here at college (Columbia International University) and I'm still waiting for her to graduate from nursing (Midlands Tech) so we can flee here pronto... anyways.. no offense, but this place sucks. But enjoy your stay in hell.

 

 

 

p.s. Fishy Business isn't open on Sundays anymore. They don't update their website much either.

[Mr. Fosi]

bluebastion: I am just off broad river where it intersects I20, so the shops you mentioned are actually pretty close to me, thanx for the heads-up. Maybe we can trade some frags or something before you 'flee'. What do you dislike most about this place?

 

travisurfer: See below.

 

halfpint: When & where?

 

I borrowed my advisor's camera and got some pics of my very pregnant wife and some pics of the tank. No, you can't see the pics of my wife. Sorry for the poor quality, but the camera isn't as nice as the one I have been using all along and I couldn't use my tripod because the tank is sitting on the floor.

 

Let's start with the GSP. If you browse back through this thread, you'll find the post from when this first arrived (Apr 21 2006). This is the piece that is hook-shaped and you can see that I am getting full extension out of the polyps. I am also getting some fluorescence out of it, but it is more yellow than green. This should be no suprise, since they were completely bleached. I expect them to take up to a year to fully color back up; that is, to aquire a full replacement compliment of zooxanthellae.

 

 

 

On to the blue chalice. This is a then/now comparison of when it arrived on May 21 2006 and last night. You can see that the flesh has filled out very nicely and it is actually growing over what used to be exposed skeleton.

 

 

 

 

These are my $3 palys. They are going well, but they are kind of irritated because I had to push the chaeto past them to get a good pic. You can also see the skeleton of the pink chalice with a few gobs of flesh clinging to it; soon it will be completely devoid of tissue.

 

I tried moving this thing between flow velocities, light intensities, and nothing worked. It is too bad because it was very pretty, as you can see from the "then" picture.

 

 

 

 

The Madracis is doing great, but I still can't get a pic of the other colony on the back of the LR. You can also see one of my neon green sponges on the back edge of the rock, but it is a little washed out b/c of the camera settings.

 

 

 

Here are the porites that came as hitchhikers on a piece of rock that bought just before I moved. There were some neat globule colonies on some of the bigger pieces of rock, but the rock was too big too $$. I am seeing a little bit of polyp extension and fluorescence that doesn't come through in the photo. I hope that they do well under my lighting, only time will tell.

 

 

 

EDIT: The following pics woulnd't load properly, so I had to provide links to them instead of

 

 

Because I can post it, this is what I saved from my 20T FW planted tank. This is a 10g running 30W of light and a generic spillover filter. Both my wife and I lost a lot of fish in the move, so instead of having her own 15T, I just chucked her gourami and cory cat in with my checkerboard barbs. I also still have a few amano shrimp left, but they never show up in FTS pics.

 

 

 

I didn't take a pick of my red shroom because it has been irritated ever since I changed light bulbs. I am thinking about removing it from the rock and sticking it in a higher-flow/lower-light area.

 

So there you have it! I don't know when I will next be able to get pics, but I will do my best.

 

I have been topping off with PUR filtered tap water, but I think I may run into hair algae problems if I continue. No $$ for RO water yet, so I have to keep on keepin' on.

 

CKing4749: How about a frag?

[bluebastion]

bluebastion: I am just off broad river where it intersects I20, so the shops you mentioned are actually pretty close to me, thanx for the heads-up. Maybe we can trade some frags or something before you 'flee'. What do you dislike most about this place?

 

Let me guess... you're around Essex Park. I don't have any frags I can trade really... and actually I'm hoping to go SPS in my new tank. But we'll see what we can do.. definitely.

 

As for what I don't like about this place? It would be easier to answer the question, "What do you like about this place?". Honestly.

 

 

Satirical Joke for ya...

 

Where's the best place to be when the world ends?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Carolina...

 

 

 

Everything happens 30 years later here.

[Mr. Fosi]

Good call on the locale and great joke as well!

 

I just saw an ad on TV last night in which a particular bank has just started offering services online. Also, the Pepboys on broad river can't give cash back on debits. Things definately move slow around here.

 

We (my wife and I) plan to be here for a minumum of 2 years. I'll get my MS here at USC, then my PhD somewhere else.

 

I will say this for Columbia, though: It is better than where we used to live in Erie, PA. At least here the economy and population is growing instead of stagnating or declining.

[travisurfer]

awesome pics. are you still planning on putting it all in a 10g?

[Mr. Fosi]

Not unless I get a new stand.

 

I made a stand that I intended to use for a 10g but I made some serious miscalculation. The miscalculation resulted in a stand that will fit a 20L, so that is what I am planning at this point.

 

I have the 20L drilled like I want it, but I have to put an external overflow box together and put baffles in the 10g sump before I can think about setting it all up. I'm not sure when I am going to get it done given that my classes start soon and I am out of $$, but I will get it done eventually.

[Mr. Fosi]

No new pics, but I have noticed a couple interesting things.

 

While the NO3 is zero, I have noticed a bunch of dustbunny-looking, detritus-like junk hanging off my LR. I have also noticed a brown skin-like film starting to spread over one of my LR pieces. The film occasionally traps large bubbles under it, which can be released by tearing through it. Also, my red shroom and palys don't look as happy as they used to be. I think it is time for a waterchange.

 

The good news is that I now have 8 or 10, 2-3mm xenia polyps growing out of the tissue that was left. No pulsing yet (still too small), but at this rate, I'll have good-sized nano xenia in a couple months.

 

I think I'll stuff the AC70 full of filter floss, agitate the water and substrate, let it clear, then to a waterchange. Maybe that'll clear out any irritant particles that may be around and the waterchange will re-balance the iodine, calc and alk.

 

Meanwhile, I will try to score another camera to get some updated pics.

[ezcompany]

finally, pics! scrape the coraline in the front!

[shivametimbas]

did the sargassum not survive?

[halfpint]

Looks like everything's taking the move quite well. I'm going to be moving to Gilbert (Close to Lexington SW of Columbia ~20min.) I'm actually setting up a tank ahead of time at my sister's house down the street from where I'm going to be living. We'll have to do some frag swapping some time after I move.

 

 

As for liking SC, I love it. I'm not a city person. I was born in Orlando and spent half my life here. The other half in Alabama and SC. There are a lot of things to do in SC. You just have to look a little harder.

[Mr. Fosi]

shivametimbas: It seemed to at first, but it took a nose dive just a few days after it arrived. I think the shipping didn't agree with it, because I experienced a similar occurance when icyuodd sent me several types of macro from Canada (linky). The same thing happened when travisurfer sent me some from NC. I think sargassum just doesn't handle shipping well.

 

halfpint: Looks like it'll be a nice tank and it looks like you'll be ~30 min from me. I am not sure if I am a city person, but I have no choice, since the school I go to is in the city.

 

I am down with frag swapping, but travisurfer gets my first pulsing xenia frag, since I promised it to him. I also need to remel off some Madracis for Deamonfly, but at the rate it is growing, I could have some ready to frag as soon as January.

 

I really wish the F-ing school would pay me my first paycheck so I could pick up some silicone and finish the construction of my 20L...