My Atlantis - Wild & Woolly May 2015 Pictures!

[albertthiel]

Why is it that when I find something unexpected in the Nano it is usually a pest or ugly?!

 

I moved my original green Ricordea floridas close to my new orange and lime Rics. Under the rock was a gray, gross, webby looking mass. It has a siphon so I Google it. No luck in finding an ID. So I posted a picture to the "WTF (What-The-Frenchtoast) is this?" ID forum. I got nuttin'! So the long search began and I found it in my savior website wetwebmedia.com:

 

Quote from the article on Ascidians: " Looking and overlooked as sponges, Ascidians, mostly are likewise attached to the bottom, but bear two sometimes difficult to identify openings, or siphons... incurrent and excurrent, to move water through their individual or colonial bodies. Unlike Sponges, tunicates can/do respond to touch, shadows, other stimuli, by closing these siphons."

 

Here is the picture of the alien:

 

The focus is better on the siphon in this pic:

 

Aaaand here is a second one! The Ricordea is not bothered by it in the least.

 

Yes you sure do find the really weird ones indeed ...

 

At least is it not as bad as those huge Isopods that live in the deep ocean and are massive !

[gena]

Your hubby did VERY well I think I would outright faint if mine ever brought something like that home for me.

 

Did you figure out what that is on the rocks? I have something similar, but it's pink with a big siphon hole in the middle. I just noticed it the other day. It's very cool looking. I imagine it's some type of sponge.

[eitallent]

Yes you sure do find the really weird ones indeed ...

 

At least is it not as bad as those huge Isopods that live in the deep ocean and are massive !

 

Ha! Ha! That would be horrible. Poor little Skipper would be scarred for life.

[eitallent]

Your hubby did VERY well I think I would outright faint if mine ever brought something like that home for me.

 

Did you figure out what that is on the rocks? I have something similar, but it's pink with a big siphon hole in the middle. I just noticed it the other day. It's very cool looking. I imagine it's some type of sponge.

 

Yes, he spent more than I expected too. It counts as a valentine's gift. I am getting him seeds. (We are so weird.) He wants Poppies and Tobacco seeds to plant in the garden.

 

Yes I found the ID for the strange inhabitant (wetwebmedia). It is an Ascidian which is related to a Tunicate (Sea Squirt) but not free moving like a Tunicate. Instead Ascidians are attached to rocks. They are often misidentified as sponges because they come in so many beautiful colors. Of course mine could not be colorful. It had to look like a bag of worms! It is cool and I am glad it is in my tank but... ewww.They have two siphons, in and out, but I can only find an out siphon on mine.

[eitallent]

Hello, everyone.

 

I have so much to write I do not know where to start! First I have two links to share with you which I found on the very first pages of Albert Thiel's thread.

 

Saltwater Ich treatment on bestfish.com: one of the most clear and informative articles I have read so far (I have read a lot).

 

Should we use activated carbon in SW aquariums? Dispelling myths with science at drtimsaquatics.com.

 

All you newbies (and established reef hobbyists too), if you have not been following the athiel thread you have been missing out! It is a gold mine of info, wisdom and humor.

 

Second, I got a new test kit. I purchased the Red Sea Foundation kit. It tests for Calcium, Alkalinity (KH) and Magnesium. I followed the instructions to the letter. Magnesium was something I had never tested so I was very curious to see the results. I tested on Tuesday for the first time with this test kit. I had just done a two gallon WC and swapped the sponge filter. Here are the surprising results:

 

Tues: Temp 76 F - pH 8.02 (hannah) - SG 1.025 - Ca 535 ppm - KH 12.6 - Mg 1980 (I tested Mg 2x)

Weds: Temp 76.1 F - pH 7.95 - SG 1.025 - Ca 440 ppm - KH 12.6 - Mg 1940

Thurs: Temp 76 F - pH 8.03 - SG 1.025 - Ca 430 ppm - KH 10.1 - Mg 1460 (KH & Mg seems to drop quickly)

 

Here are the details of my tank & maintenance routine for anyone who wants to help me figure out why the Mg and KH is so high and dropped like a stone in 24 hours:

 

-->12 gal display + 2" arag sand + ab16 ~ 20 lbs LR + 200 gph pump + 240 koralia PH + macro e.g. Pinicilus sp., Halimeda kaloana

 

-->4 ~ 5 gal refugium + chaeto + LR rubble + 1" sand + airstone with fresh air intake

 

-->Livestock: 1 Citron gobi, 2 BNG, CUC inc. 1 pepp and 1 Emerald crab, Softies, a few LPS, 1 monti cap and porites lobata rock, 100s flatworms

 

-->WC of ~ 2 gal every 4 ~ 5 days with IO reef crystals

 

-->Sponge filters changed out with every WC, fresh bag carbon used every week

 

-->feed: frozen spirulina enriched shrimp 2X a day only what gobies will eat ( I skip this when I feed newly hatched SF BS), frozen cyclopeeze bar 1x every other day alternating with Kent microvert for FF and sponges, Kent Essential Elements alternating with Kent Coral Vite every 2 weeks .

 

Lastly, an update on the DIY brine shrimp hatcher. I had no idea it was going to be this easy and inexpensive to hatch your own brine shrimp for our little tank critters. I chose the San Francisco strain of brine shrimp because their small size make them easier to eat by most of the animals I have in my Nano.

 

Ending on a fun note, I have a little video to share with you of Skipper and Zig at an all you can eat brine shrimp buffet. If you watch in HD you can see the shrimp swimming through the water. Also, you can see the super bellies on the two fat fish. BTW I immediately cleaned the dry salt off the glass after watching the video!

 

[SeahawkReefer]

Very cool! I ordered some decapsulated brine shrimp eggs just yesterday... do u hatch them in a 2 liter hatcher or add them directly to your tank?

[gena]

Awww...Skipper is so cute...and fat. I love him

 

I would venture to guess your salt mix is very high in levels and over a few days it balances out in your tank. Those final readings seem pretty good to me.

 

Yep....sea squirt! That's what I think I have too. I got lucky with a pinkish-purple one Any color is pretty darn awesome though

[eitallent]

Very cool! I ordered some decapsulated brine shrimp eggs just yesterday... do u hatch them in a 2 liter hatcher or add them directly to your tank?

 

I think your livestock will love the decapsulated BS eggs. I use a 1 liter bottle and only hatch out 1/4 of the 1/4 tsp that came with the BS eggs. Here is the DIY hatchery how-to which I followed to the letter. It works great! I also got inspiration from melevsreef.com on this project.

I then add the newly hatched brine shrimp into the tank and refugium. The fish really are entertained by hunting and I feel it improves their quality of life.

 

Awww...Skipper is so cute...and fat. I love him

 

I would venture to guess your salt mix is very high in levels and over a few days it balances out in your tank. Those final readings seem pretty good to me.

 

Yep....sea squirt! That's what I think I have too. I got lucky with a pinkish-purple one Any color is pretty darn awesome though

 

Skipper is super!

 

Yes I will test the levels of fresh SW mix after it sits 24 hrs and see what the levels are. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

I will have to keep an eye out on your thread to see if I catch a glimpse of it in your pictures. I actually looked closer at the rock that has the Ascidian and there are three on there; a papa, momma and baby size. How did I miss those with all the looking I do?

[jedimasterben]

With the Red Sea magnesium kit, you have to follow the instructions to a T to get accurate and consistent results.

 

When adding reagent A, are you adding it one drop then swirling for 15 seconds before adding the next drop? Then after adding five drops of reagent B (all at once), swirl for 15 seconds, then let it sit for 60 seconds - otherwise your test will not be accurate. If you don't see a very light precipitate on the bottom of the vial, wait a few more seconds.

[eitallent]

With the Red Sea magnesium kit, you have to follow the instructions to a T to get accurate and consistent results.

 

When adding reagent A, are you adding it one drop then swirling for 15 seconds before adding the next drop? Then after adding five drops of reagent B (all at once), swirl for 15 seconds, then let it sit for 60 seconds - otherwise your test will not be accurate. If you don't see a very light precipitate on the bottom of the vial, wait a few more seconds.

 

Yes, Ben, that Mg test is tricky if you are not paying attention. I read the instructions on that one a few times. I am happy to report that I am doing the test just as you describe. Hooray, I did not mess that up.

 

Your and pschom's recommendation is the reason I got this test. $$$ ouch $$$! But I like it and it is worth every penny.

[gena]

I will have to keep an eye out on your thread to see if I catch a glimpse of it in your pictures. I actually looked closer at the rock that has the Ascidian and there are three on there; a papa, momma and baby size. How did I miss those with all the looking I do?

I'll try to get a picture of it, in the next few days. I tried the other day, but it didn't turn out at all. It's kind of in a difficult location at the back of the tank. The blue lighting doesn't help either.

 

Cute...a whole family

[msscha]

Why is it that when I find something unexpected in the Nano it is usually a pest or ugly?!

 

I moved my original green Ricordea floridas close to my new orange and lime Rics. Under the rock was a gray, gross, webby looking mass. It has a siphon so I Google it. No luck in finding an ID. So I posted a picture to the "WTF (What-The-Frenchtoast) is this?" ID forum. I got nuttin'! So the long search began and I found it in my savior website wetwebmedia.com:

 

Quote from the article on Ascidians: " Looking and overlooked as sponges, Ascidians, mostly are likewise attached to the bottom, but bear two sometimes difficult to identify openings, or siphons... incurrent and excurrent, to move water through their individual or colonial bodies. Unlike Sponges, tunicates can/do respond to touch, shadows, other stimuli, by closing these siphons."

 

Here is the picture of the alien:

 

 

The focus is better on the siphon in this pic:

 

 

Aaaand here is a second one! The Ricordea is not bothered by it in the least.

 

LOL! I have stuff like this in my tank, too. Some gray, thready sponge-stuff grew for a while, and lfs said it was a good sign of tank health, but frankly, I'm glad it is no longer around. I have a big, bulbous, white thing underneath one of the cave rocks that I've never been able to identify. OTOH, I have spongey-tunicatey things in various colors of yellow, orange, and red, too! And most recently, some sort of pale-blue something -- like a watercolor wash -- growing on the rocks nearest the lights. It's not just light reflection b/c I can see it when the lights are out, and it might be encrusting coral of some kind...I can't even get a good picture b/c the light bleaches out the photo.

 

Skipper is still my fave fish ever. And maybe when my life calms down I'll try breeding my own shrimp -- you've inspired me!

[eitallent]

LOL! I have stuff like this in my tank, too. Some gray, thready sponge-stuff grew for a while, and lfs said it was a good sign of tank health, but frankly, I'm glad it is no longer around. I have a big, bulbous, white thing underneath one of the cave rocks that I've never been able to identify. OTOH, I have spongey-tunicatey things in various colors of yellow, orange, and red, too! And most recently, some sort of pale-blue something -- like a watercolor wash -- growing on the rocks nearest the lights. It's not just light reflection b/c I can see it when the lights are out, and it might be encrusting coral of some kind...I can't even get a good picture b/c the light bleaches out the photo.

 

Skipper is still my fave fish ever. And maybe when my life calms down I'll try breeding my own shrimp -- you've inspired me!

 

You and Gena both have the pretty kind! I am jealous.

 

Thank you for stopping by, I know you are busy.

 

When your life calms down, the hatchery is easy to do. You can set it up in a corner in the afternoon before you leave work, and the next day they will be hatched and ready to go for a swim in the DT! I put my little set up in the utility room because the "blorp, blorp, blorp" sound is a bit annoying. But if you set it up overnight you will not have to hear it for long! Also, I use a teacozy to keep the whole contraption warm (I seem to remember your office is kept cold). Keeping it warm ensures a hatch in 18 - 20 hours.

[eitallent]

I get so much pleasure reading the tank threads on NR I neglect my own thread!

 

Everything is warm and cozy in MyAtlantis. Which is opposite the sleet and icy rain outside! Blegh!!

 

Skipper has grown fat on newly hatched brine shrimp and now loves to perch on top of the warm heater. He is my kind of lazy! Eat, then nap on a warm place.

 

I am a bit worried about my sponge. It may be my imagination but it looks like it is loosing some of its holes. Not a good sign for a filter feeder. It is also growing green and red 'hair' since there is no true shade in this little, well-lit tank. Oh well fingers crossed that the sponge will make it!

 

The newly added Ricordeas are really beautiful. I like their colors, texture and peaceful demeanor so much.

 

If flatworms had a justice system, I would be tried for genocide. I mashed a few more dozen of them on the rocks, from in between Zoas and Palys and the glass. When I see the Zoas closed up there is always one of these maniacs on them. So, this means war!

 

I have mustered up the courage to buy another sixline wrasse. I have ordered it from reefs2go.com. Hopefully it will arrive in good shape and I will take extra careful measures to acclimate it. I am nervous. Any suggestions on this fish would be much appreciated.

 

Water params: pH 8.05 :: SG 1.025 :: temp 76.2 :: Alk 9.8 :: Ca 400 ppm :: Mg 1820 (WC yesterday ?)

Nitrates and nitrites undetectable

[gena]

Second time was the charm for me and my sixline wrasse additions. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!!! Sometimes they can just be very difficult to acclimate to a new tank.

 

So happy to see an update here...slacker!!!! Just kidding, of course

 

I just love your updates

 

I need to go back over your thread again to read about the brine shrimp hatchery. I'm seriously considering doing it.

[eitallent]

Here it is on pg. 14:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/310202-my-atlantis-diy-brine-shrimp-hatcher-happy-skipper/?p=4176270

 

Second time was the charm for me and my sixline wrasse additions. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!!! Sometimes they can just be very difficult to acclimate to a new tank.

So happy to see an update here...slacker!!!! Just kidding, of course

I just love your updates

I need to go back over your thread again to read about the brine shrimp hatchery. I'm seriously considering doing it.

 

I posted it here on pg.14. The editor screen did not let me link this (?)!

 

Here is a video of it at work:

 

[gena]

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/310202-my-atlantis-diy-brine-shrimp-hatcher-happy-skipper/?p=4176270

 

 

I posted it here on pg.14.

 

Here is a video of it at work:

 

Awesome! Thank you

[eitallent]

I am a softy for softies!

 

 

Oreange and blue Ricordea front and center!

 

 

The little one closest to the sponge is an orange with a green outer perimeter where the others have a blue-gray.

 

Green Rhodactis feending. Whatever it caught must be delicious!

 

 

 

[albertthiel]

I am a softy for softies!

 

Oreange and blue Ricordea front and center!

 

The little one closest to the sponge is an orange with a green outer perimeter where the others have a blue-gray.

 

 

Green Rhodactis feending. Whatever it caught must be delicious!

 

Yes it sure looks like it ... but good looking .... I like !

[gena]

I love the new pics!!!!

 

I am a softy for softies!

Me too

[eitallent]

Yet another YUCH! moment. I was admiring the growth of my red macro (Halymenia floridana) when I noticed what looked like a brown slug. I believe it to be the Grandmother of all my flatworm residents.

 

Here is the video. It is in the center of the frame and moves at the 30 sec mark. It is difficult to see but once it moves you can see it.

 

 

I decided to take out the small clump of macro and rinse it out. Well I had no idea how much stuff lives in just one small clump of macro! There was a huge (relative to others) curly amphipod, countless copepods, a little colonista snail and (of course) at least two dozen brown, flatworms! (large amphipod at 1min 40 secs)

 

[gena]

Huh....interesting creature. Seems like it has pretty quick movements when it actually moves.

 

I always have an incredible feeling of guilt when I prune my chaeto. I just know I'm throwing out a ton of pods

[Spirofucci]

Grandma flatworms........LOL!!!!

[eitallent]

It's Monday, and of course it is a stormy day again! Will this weird weather ever get back to normal? Ugh! It is as wet outside as it is in MyAtlantis! Skipper never seems to mind the rain, but he definitely hates power outages.

 

I did my regular water change today. I use a turkey baster to stir up the sand a little. I am straining the old water through a rotifer mesh bag to catch flatworms (IDK if it catches their eggs) and detritus and adding the water to my newly wet 125 gallon tank. I am hoping to transfer some good bacteria into the new tank. We will see.

 

It is six months since MyAtlantis was born. So for a change I am rearranging the furniture in the tank. The way things are growing it is impossible to clean the glass so I will try to get a better arrangement. Wish me luck!!

 

For now here is a very short video of my Xenia tightly coiling its tentacles after feeding Oyster feast. In the video you will also see my itty-bitty Toadstool leather. On it's rock sits a pretty little Strawberry anemone which you can only see if you set the video to HD (720p). You will also get a look at cute little Dragon Eye Zoas and what I like to call Snoopy's Woodstock corals my Yellow polyps. In the background you get a peek at the Montipora that has grown an inch all around in the last three months!

 

 

 

Huh....interesting creature. Seems like it has pretty quick movements when it actually moves.

I always have an incredible feeling of guilt when I prune my chaeto. I just know I'm throwing out a ton of pods

 

 

 

IK! I feel guilty that I swished them out of their macro homes. I got the biggest of the amphipods back in the fuge. I had no such mercy on the flatworms. :|

 

 

Grandma flatworms........LOL!!!!

 

 

 

Ha, ha. You laugh but I just know that ginormous FW was the start of this abundance!

[eitallent]

A few more pictures. I gotta get a camera! You guys are so lucky I do not have a real camera! There would be soooo many pics and videos that it would take an hour on high speed internet to load this page.

 

Yummy baby brine shrimp and oyster feast!

 

Many do not like these but I am very fond of their deep purple mat, green fronds and happy white centers.

 

 

 

Also lovely are the Daisy (Knoppia Sp.) polyps' soft motion: like they are waving hello with their striking neon green centers glowing in their palms.