Jump to content
Premium Aquatics Aquarium Supplies

Hypo's Underwater Garden - I am alive!


hypostatic

Recommended Posts

The tricky thing is getting those pesky things off the rocks :angry: . I had one that was on a large rock which I tried to have it release it's hold by holding it upside down above the water. Let's just say that I, um, lost patience. As a result, one of the nems is currently healing in the QT. I'm pretty sure he'll live though, they're pretty hardy.

Link to comment

Nem's are pretty stubborn. I got to bring a rock with about 200 bam bam's home because the bubble tip wouldn't come off it. Did ya try the ice cube method?

Link to comment

FTS TIME!!

 

Last time, on hypo's tank (12/2013)

345if5f.jpg

 

On this episode (03/22/2013)

goGuVOu.jpg

 

Also notice the improved camera skills, wherin the sand isn't GLOWING

 

Left closeup

uUV95kD.jpg

 

Middle closeup

hDIhFfb.jpg

 

Right closeup

WwDOMO8.jpg

 

And some macro shots

 

King's Ransom

vYQZYQn.jpg

 

baby star grass

zB7XNAr.jpg

 

Such grace, much anemone

ptCHvO6.jpg

 

thesmallerthebetter's white sun coral (I'd name them white dwarf suns :lol: )

AjEz3VK.jpg

 

peppermint butler

ILCeQzU.jpg

 

Branching dendros

HbymW2T.jpg

 

See all the babies?

n5oFBfT.jpg

 

WELL LET ME POINT THEM OUT TO YOU

ieGS9n5.jpg

 

I removed it for the FTS, but here's an improvised QT I made for my extra graceful anemones

2VaGhn5.jpg

 

And here is a near-future rearrangement plan:

PFf2FJc.jpg

eo.jpg

 

The elegance is starting to sting the zoas above it, soooo it needs a better spot. There's more room where it shouldn't sting much to the left so I think I'm gonna exchange it with the xenia. I've been wanting a rock flower anemone for a while now, and I think I'd want it where the GSP is. SO, I'd move it up on the zoa shelf, around where the pipe organ skeleton is. I'd also try to frag that damn thing somehow; that's a lot of dead skeleton hanging around.

 

WELL, hope y'all enjoyed the update!

 

PAGE QUOTE!

 

Just looks amazing. Great theme, unique coral selection, just wow. 15 gallons looks like 40 :)

 

No Changes! :D

  • Like 1
Link to comment

hmmm, so the graceful anemone that was "healing" didn't make it :( . Maybe I should have dipped it in iodine after the incident.

 

So I think I've come up with a better method of collecting those guys. So my first method that worked was to cover the nem with a plug, so that it's light would be blocked and it would move. I guess I was lucky the first time because it moved onto the plug, and it was easy to move from there. My new method is to use an opaque shot glass:

 

gbyDOZH.png

 

Simple and easy (in theory).

  • Like 1
Link to comment

PAGE QUOTE!

 

Just looks amazing. Great theme, unique coral selection, just wow. 15 gallons looks like 40 :)

 

No Changes! :D

 

Thanks for the kind words!

 

 

thats crazy, my star grass when i had a tank of it. never got taller than 2-3" max. almost made a mini forest. but REALLY short.

 

Yeah, I've definitely noticed that their growth is heavily dependent on dissolved phosphates and other nutrients. Back in my 07/13 FTS, you can see that they are much bigger than they are now. This was before I was running any GFO I think, so my nutrient levels were much higher. Now that my levels are pretty low and I don't really have any algae problems, I've noticed that the star grass is growing slower and shorter than before

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Very nice! I love the scape.

Dang! Your tank is beautiful! Great progress just in these few short months. Love that elegance.

 

Thanks for the kind words!

 

Some random pics I took today:

 

This sponge lives under my elegance:

nJ8YZci.jpg

 

calcinus tibicen

Mtc6pgc.jpg

 

ball anemones

xARc4Cc.jpg

 

mystery growth

o98C3z9.jpg

 

anemone feet

d9skmVS.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment

So I've been pretty unhappy with my star grass growth. Ever since my nutrients haven't been running rampant, their growth has been lackluster. SOOO, I picked up so Seachem Flourish Tabs for their roots. SUPPOSEDLY it should enrish the substrate without affecting water quality. I decided to be cautious, and only inserted half a tab under the star grass.

 

Here's the product page:

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlourishTabs.html

 

The tabs had a very interesting soil/iron/mineral smell lol

Link to comment

Watch the bad algae with those tabs. too much can cause an algae fest.

 

Hmmm yeah, I'll have to keep vigilant. I've actually been relying on 100% biological filtration for the last month or two. I stopped running GFO cuz I think it lowered my PO4 too much, and believe my goni wasn't pleased with this

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

So here's a quick update:

 

c71ikoR.jpg

 

ROCK FLOWER ANEMONES!!

 

Finally lol. The one on the left is a bit more orange with lots of white mixed in, and the one on the right is a bit more reddish.

 

Compared to the graceful anemones I have, these guys have a really STROG/FAST reaction to food. They react pretty much instantly when food touches them!

 

Oh, and something interesting that was going on when I went to photograph the rock flowers:

 

3Umj0fB.jpg

  • Like 5
Link to comment

 

Really nice additions...hows the star grass?

 

It's doing alright, but it's not growing nearly as robustly as when I first got it.

 

How it was looking for the last FTS:

uUV95kD.jpg

 

Now:

EwU7O7q.jpg

(sorry for the dirty glass)

 

I just today put in the other half of the fertilizer tab under the substrate. Half a tab wasn't causing any horrible algal blooms, so I figured adding the other half wouldn't hurt either. I'm not sure how much time it will take for them to work though. I'm pretty sure this was mainly designed for freshwater applications, the the description states "Nutrients are slowly made available through enzymatic action of the plants’ roots on the tabs." So it might take awhile for roots to grow onto the tabs and start getting fed by them (even though the tabs are directly under the cuttings).

  • Like 4
Link to comment
hypostatic

New zoa additions:

 

zZn1PGk.jpg

Kedd's reds? It looks like it grows in a mat like GSP. On the lower left it's just pure zoa hanging off the plug, not attached to anything.

 

iubaFUN.jpg

Tubbs blues? Now THIS is blue. Super bright and intense.

 

Both frags for $15 total at the LFS (buy one get one free)

 

Speaking of blues, my king's ransoms seem to have lost some color? They're also stretching out more. I guess Dr Mac had them under more intense lighting?

 

Oh one more shot:

 

OzRaY4Y.jpg

I think this shot turned out really nice :happy:.

Usually the fast shutter speed and small aperture make the shots too dark, so I'll increase the brightness on the camera, but this looks perfect as is I think

  • Like 7
Link to comment
hypostatic

My pipe organ coral fell somewhere in the fuge :(

I'll have to look for it when I re-do the fuge. Hope to find it and that it is still alive.

 

:( i hope it's ok. How come you haven't saved it yet?

Link to comment
hypostatic

My new guilty pleasure: feeding bristleworms to the rock flower anemones :haha: (MUAHAHAHA)

 

Those f#####s have stung me one too many times. payback's a b###.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
hypostatic

I got a shipment from KP aquatics todayyyyyy

 

The thing that I wasnt expecting to be stunned by was the red tree sponge I got. WOW.

 

Also, best packing job I've seen with coral so far. Second to none

  • Like 1
Link to comment
hypostatic

Wait so did you get that free nanobox light you won from the contest last time?

 

Yes lol. I think it's a bit too small for my long tank lol.

 

I've been thinking about maybe setting up a nano/pico tank at work....

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...