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Red Bug Battle - Round 3! :mmph:
Last Thursday I noticed my Alien Freckles Acro (the one most affected in the first infestation) was lightly covered in red bugs again. :mmph: I treated for a second time as described above. Last night I notice a few RBs on the AF Acro AGAIN! So I'm going to break off as much of the AF Acro I can (it is short growing and very encrusted), give it a 2 hour strong Interceptor bath, and put it in my Zoa tank. I will use a pipette with boiling water to kill the remaining part of that coral. I'm hoping I can get away without treating the tank again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My SPS corals' colors continue to improve since I ditched the Zeovit and started running my GFO reactor again. As expected, the Halimeda and Grape Caulerpa are significantly repressed as well, but surprisingly the Bubble algae seems to be showing a bit of die back. I can only cross my fingers! These red bugs are just hindering my attempts to use Emerald crabs to graze the Bubble algae, and that is getting frustrating. |
aw geez Mindy.....that sucks.....RBs are definitely a tough one to get gone..... I hope you can nip it in the butt.....
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I don't have anything to complain about compared to you Doug. :( Most people seem to get good results on a single dose of Interceptor, I think I am the exception.
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Ok, now I am confused. I look at the AF Acro a couple times today looking for RBs. I can't see any today. I used a siphon to suck off all the rock yesterday, including some detritus that accumulates near the AF Acro. What are the chances the RBs I saw yesterday were dead ones from last week's treatment that were somehow still stuck to the coral??? Boy would that be awesome. I didn't notice the RBs moving yesterday, and I did think that was a bit odd. Either way, I'm chiseling that AF Acro out of there today...I need to move it anyway since it gets too much light to color up properly where it is. I'm going to put it on a plug and drill a hole in the rock so I can remove it for RB dipping in the future since it's turning out to be such a magnet.
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An update is long overdue!
I am very pleased with the results of ditching the Zeovit system. Back to the basics!! :D I'm on my second rotation of GFO now. I still get the same phosphate test result of 0.008 ppm using a Merck kit. The rampant Grape Caulerpa growth has slowed down, and the red and green bubble algae has finally backed down some. The 5 or 6 Emerald crabs may be helping too! ;) I used to rip the Bryopsis off my clams in clumps every couple weeks for about 8 months. That was the only place in my tank that had Bryopsis...and try as I might I just couldn't get it to stop growing on them, and now it is gone. The day after I put GFO back online (about 8 weeks ago now), there appeared a black cyano on the top rocks in my tank directly under the halides. It is persisting to this day. Not sure what is up with it. I'm hoping with good maintenance it will cure itself. Also getting a bit of cyano on my sand...I need a couple bigger powerheads. So far so good on the RBs. *fingers crossed* However, I noticed one of my Validas browning out...I know what that means, and most of you Acro keepers probably know too. The first corals to get an AEFW infection are Validas. Hooray! Wtf?? I mean seriously??? Is my tank cursed this summer or what? So I pried out the two infected colonies and a couple bonus colonies and gave them all a 20 minute dip in TMCC scraping eggs off beforehand. All except the Alien Freckles Acro...he's special, he got a 45 minute dip because I forgot about him! :eek: He survived. That Acro has taken a real s**t kicking this summer. He's nearly all bleached out, but the neon green polyps are still neon as ever. Go figure. LOL I would post up a FTS, but the tank is a mess with Acros laying all over the place (haven't glued them back down yet). :neutral: So here are some pics of non-Acros! :D Def not an Acro...Tuxedo Urchin (after I pulled off all his decorations): http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Aug252010.jpg New Stylo that is too far from the glass to get a good pic: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Aug242010.jpg Ok, so here IS an Acro! This one is red, but I'll be darned if the camera will pick up the color very well...hmmmph. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520102.jpg Meteor Shower Cyphastrea: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520104.jpg Oh I lied again, another Acro. This one is a deepwater of some sort that is finally coloring up...has SWEET neon green polyps: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520105.jpg A couple Goniopora frags. These ones have a good track record for survivability: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520106.jpg Blue Rics: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520107.jpg Palau Nepthea: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520108.jpg Favia (one of my oldest pieces): http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2520109.jpg |
I just fed the fish, and what comes creeping out of the rock? A Eunicid worm!:faint: My luck! So far I don't think it has caused any troubles, but it is pretty small still. It's body was about 3mm diameter, and I saw about 4" of body.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2620104.jpg Got a FTS today too: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Aug262010.jpg Candlelight Acro that was a brown blob in my tank for almost a year is suddenly bursting with growth and color: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Aug2620102.jpg |
Added some photos. Including the Eunicid. Eek.
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How are you going to catch him?
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I have finally beat the Valonia plague!!! :whoo:
In celebration, and because I am finally fairly happy with the way my tank is looking, I think it is time for a top to bottom update (mostly for my own records actually!! lol). Here is what I have goin on now: Tank is 90 gallon 48x18x24" Sump is ~30 gallon 30x16x14" Halides are 2x250w DE w/ Plusrite 20,000K bulbs (look like 13,000K to my eyes) T5s are 2x39w Fiji Purple and UVL Super Actinic Halides 12pm-7pm T5s 8:30am - 9:30pm Return is Poseidon PS3 Skimmer is EuroReef RS-180 with gate valve mod semi-wet skimming 2x150w VisiTherm heaters PhosBan reactor with 300 mL GFO changed every 6 weeks Carbon run passively in a bag in sump for 48 hours once per week BRS Drew's Dosers (x2) for Calcium and Alkalinity Tunze Osmolator ATO Tunze 6055 on single controller Koralia 3 (x2) 50-60 lbs live rock (many years old) <1" aragonite sand (Caribsea Special Grade) 3 lbs coarse shells n stuff for Jawfish (Caribsea Super Reef) ZEOvit Coral Snow 3mL once per week ZEOvit Spur2 3mL once a month or so to lighten SPS Magnesium and Potassium added to water changes 10 gallon weekly water change Temp 78-80 Specific Gravity 1.026-7 (refractometer) Ammonia not detectable (API and Salifert) Nitrate not detectable (Salifert) pH 8.2 (Hanna handheld digital meter) Calcium 420-425 ppm (Elos) Alkalinity 8-9 dKH (Elos) Magnesium 1350-1400 ppm (Salifert) Potassium 380-400 ppm (Korallen Zucht) I took a bunch of fish out recently and replaced them, so now I have (in order of addition): Pearly Jawfish Sharknose Goby Hector's Goby Picasso Percula Clownfish (F) Platinum Percula Clownfish (M) McCosker's Fairy Wrasse 2" (F) Candy Hogfish 2 1/2" Peppermint Hogfish 2" (still in sump) Orange Lip Conch (x2) Fighting Conch (x3) Ring Cowrie (x2) Astraea snail (x3) (all diff species) Nassarius snail (small white kind) Banded Trochus snail Emerald Crab (x4) (one big one banned to sump) Tuxedo Urchin Black Brittle Starfish (4+ yrs old) Stomatella snails (many, self reproducing) Rose Bubble Tip Anemone (x2) Squamosa Clam Gold Teardrop Maxima Clam Photosynthetic Gorgonians (x5) Palau Nepthea GSP on back glass Brain (x5) Candy Cane (neon green) Duncan Torch (Aussie Gold) Acan (x2) Blue Ridge Pipe Organ (green) Cyphastrea (x3) (Meteor Shower, Toxic, and decadia) Fox Ricordea (x4 colors) Goniopora (x2) (pinks) Acropora (x8) (Bali tricolor, Candlelight, Red, etc) Deepwater Acropora (x2) (blue one and yellow one) Birdnest (x4) (Snappy's blue polyp pink and Bird of Many Colors, ORA Green, and a sweet green and pink) Stylophora (x2) (Snappy's rainbow and a red one) Pocillopora (sweet green and pink) Millepora (x2) (Snappy's SuperGrape and a red one) Porites (yellow) Monti cap (green w/ purple rim) Monti samarensis (orange w/ green tips) I think that's all the nitty gritty details. Some near future lighting changes: Halides PFO pendants w/ IceCap electronic ballasts w/ Phoenix 14,000K SE bulbs Tek 48" T5 retrofit kit Oh, I had to move a Jawfish to another tank because the Candy Hogfish kept diving into the Jawfish's burrow and upsetting him. So I just moved him out, and there is only one Jawfish still in my reef. The Blue Assessor is also in another tank, as well as the big male Banggai, and the big female "normal" Percula clown. I'll get some pics next weekend maybe. I have a halide burned out right now, and some of my super high light Acros are not impressed! |
Must post pictures to get a response, eh?
Burned out halide and all: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1120106.jpg Frag rack: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Oct112010.jpg Deepwater Acro coloring up nicely nowadays: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ct11201018.jpg My favourite birdnest. Tiny polyps. Pink with iridescent green. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1120103.jpg Snappy's blue polyp pink birdy: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ct11201011.jpg Snappy's Bird of Many Colors: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1120107.jpg Meteor Shower Cyphastrea: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ct11201015.jpg Lobophyllia. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ct11201016.jpg Ricordea. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ct11201017.jpg Duncan. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ct11201019.jpg |
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What do you mean, "I took a bunch of fish out recently and replaced them, so now I have (in order of addition)"..? How does one do that? Things look good, BTW. Mitch |
Mmmm pictures. Must .. respond .... "Looks great!"
The words looked all pretty and stuff too, but I likey the pick-choors evan moar!!1! |
I agree with Tony, love pictures and your tank looks great!
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you know, I know they're just sort of "run - o - the - mill" in terms of SPS.....but birdsnests gotta be one of my favorite corals of all time.
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Niiiiice! That Cyphastrea is really the "Bee's Knees!"
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Thanks for the comments everyone, and Randi I agree! Birdnests are my favourite, and I am regretting giving away my "plain ole" pink birdnest in my tank redesign.
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So, a little history...on Sept 10 I decided to rip my reef apart, redo aquascaping (for better flow), remove some fish I couldn't catch, remove a Eunicid worm, and give away some corals because there were just too many! As per this thread, here is my result. Sept 10: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Sept102010.jpg Sept 11: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ept1120105.jpg And then, notice the growth a month later. Check out the top rock on the left. It has the blue polyp pink birdnest, a tabling green and blue Acro, the blue deepwater Acro, and the pink w/ green iridescence birdnest too. Almost an inch in a month on some pieces! I think they like the changes! That dang Caulerpa is really outta control though! Now I can't wait to get my new lighting going. :D Oct 11: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1120106.jpg |
My Sharknose was up to something weird...I think he has been watching my Jawfish too much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTTO9z3YimY Oh, and ignore the f'ugly SPS on the right. That's called a bad case of "fallen and forgotten"! |
how do you find the sps and sofites together? Any issues. I love the green softie you have on the right side of the tank!
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Hey Chris, I can tell you that my SPS got a lot better coloration when I removed the Zoas into their own tank even though I was running quite a bit of carbon to try to conquer the chemical warfare. I may find I need to remove or trim down the GSP at some point since surprisingly it known to be one of the more chemically aggressive corals. The green softie on the right is a Palau Nepthea.
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cute vid of the little sharknose Mindy...looks like a long project moving it a grain at a time:mrgreen:.....and nice rics btw...
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:lol: It is a continuous project for Sharky!
Video of Picasso in rose Bubbletip Anemone. The nem is quite pink, but video doesn't show it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2QPPjXY0xA |
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wow beautiful video mindy that bubble is gorgeous and i love the name "peacefull reef" cheers:):) |
really like the new rockwork. That birds nest (pink one on the left) had an unreal amount of colour change. Looks much better
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Thanks reefwars! What's more peaceful than a clownfish in an anemone? That's my happy place too. :D
Ya, thanks Jon! Those FTS are 2 weeks apart, and if I open them both in a viewer on my computer I can switch back and forth from one to the other. The color change is surprising, but what was really impressive was the growth! It's harder to see when you can't go back and forth between the photos, but if you look closely you can see huge growth especially on that tabling Acro and the two birdnests on the left. |
My Candlelight Acro is almost in good enough condition to post a photo. What a fussy coral!! It took the coral 10 months to even start to color up. It was totally poo brown for 10 months. I just about chucked it out.
I received this as a teeny frag from a friend who said it was Fragalot's Elegant Purple Acro (you can see it under SPS section on first page I think). You can see mine has different colors from different conditions. It is currently my favourite SPS in my tank. I love the white base. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Oct182010.jpg Here is a sweet Goniopora frag that does well in captivity. Growing like a weed. Eats small pieces of meaty foods too. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1820104.jpg My red Acro that I'm still trying to get a good pic of. I fail once again. My camera doesn't pick up red very well...maybe it's my settings. http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1820102.jpg Another favourite of mine. Acropora lokani (deepwater): http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1820103.jpg |
I just took a bunch of top down photos. :D
I finally got a half decent photo of that red Acro! http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1420104.jpg The white based Acro: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1420103.jpg The finickiest coral in my tank that I always struggle to get color out of; Candlelight Acro: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1420106.jpg One of my slowest growing corals; Snappy's Supergrape Mille: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ov14201013.jpg One of my oldest corals: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1420109.jpg Gold teardrop Maxima: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1420108.jpg Dunno why my Squamosa looks yellow in the photo?? ...It has blue edges! http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1420107.jpg |
Have the same issue with my millies at first. Don't worry once they get a base and they feel its time, they explode. Happened with my supergrape as well
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Awesome pictures Mindy.
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I really hope my supergrape ends up looking like that. It was shaggy for a bit but now seems to be putting it's energy and polyps into encrusting. I'm also noticing on my other millis that they really looked much better once fully encrusted then those branches start popping out the sides like a bad acne outbreak.
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EDIT (wtf....NOW there's an edit button?!?!)....great looking corals Myka...colors are fantastic. |
That Supergrape frag was born mid-Oct 2009! It has always had good color, but pretty much did nothing until about 6 weeks ago it encrusted the frag rack and started putting out a bunch of new branches.
Zoaelite: Omg, that Candlelight Acro is such a pain in the butt. I bought it Sept 10, 2009 and it was ok colored, but the brown was moving in hard, although I figured "It'll color up real quick". Two days after I bought it, it was 100% dark brown. :twised: In Nov 2009 I fragged a small piece off and gave it to a friend with a real nice SPS tank. In July 2010 it started to show a bit of growth on the tips, and this new growth had some color! Now, there is about 1 1/2" of new growth with the color, but the older parts of the coral remain brown. The brown has lightened up a bit, but I don't know if it will actually color up or not. The frag I gave my friend just started growing and showing color now too. So, that was 10 months of full on brown before there was any growth or color. Now, I can tell it's time to change my GFO because the colors fade. It is SO finicky! |
I'm excited to grow this Pocci out:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ov14201015.jpg Palau Nephthea: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ov14201016.jpg Funny looking Nemos who haven't decided to love eachother yet: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Nov152010.jpg |
and a nice jawfish photoboming them both.
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:lol: Randy, that's SO what's going on. He's such a jealous Jawfish!
Inspired by "sweet ride"s photography skills I set out to take a few decent shots today. Much to my dismay I think I should invest in a better camera! I tried taking photos underdeveloped as he suggested, moreso than usual. This is what I managed: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Nov192010.jpg http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1920105.jpg http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1920104.jpg http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1920103.jpg http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Nov1920102.jpg |
The last one is a beauty!
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your getting there!! what ISO are you shooting at and are you using a tripod?
actually better yet what camera are you using? |
Thanks Steve! That one turned out ok, but I find that coral is easy to take pics of. The other ones I seem to have a hard time focusing on. As you can tell the others are out of focus.
sweet ride: Thanks for checking out my (non)skills! :D I usually shoot at 100 or 200 ISO. The above photos are all 200. No tripod. Canon G7. |
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