120gal mixed predatory reef tank

[whatcaneyedo]

Originally Posted by PoonTang

LOL. Frag on a rope. Thats cool, never seen that done before.

Anthony Calfo talks about it in his Book of Coral Propagation as well as in this article: Coral Culture in Suspension http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

[BlueAbyss]

I've read about people doing this while collecting frags... and then they were shipped damp, without water. 100% success rate... but can the frag be grown out while suspended like that? I'm very curious now...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/eb/index.php

[whatcaneyedo]

Originally Posted by BlueAbyss

I've read about people doing this while collecting frags... and then they were shipped damp, without water. 100% success rate... but can the frag be grown out while suspended like that? I'm very curious now...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/eb/index.php

I've had really good results with most of the stuff I hang. Corals like seriatopora grow into twisted spiked balls which are pretty neat. I'll try to find some before and after shots to show the growth. I grow a lot of SPS in general on the lines and then most of my LPS sits on the bottom slightly shaded. lol Then the soft coral grow up the sides and back of the tank! By doing this I can really pack a lot of frags into a standard 50gal.

However I do have problems with algae growing on the fishing line or growing on sections of dead coral skeleton. I dont have any swimming herbivores in my frag tank so nothing can eat it off. I also find water flow to be a bit tricky, if I have too much everything blows around and smacks into each other. Currently there is 30x per hour in that tank and I dont know if I could do much more. Also as everything grows larger the coral starts to weigh down the acrylic rods and bow them in.

[whatcaneyedo]

I couldnt find any decent 'before' shots showing how small these were so you'll just have to take my word for it. All of these frags have been hanging a year or less.

I've had mixed results with hanging some of the acropora, I think a few of them prefer the bottom where the light isnt as intense. Seriatopora, pociliopora, montipora digitata, hydnophora and pavona have all been doing very well on the stings.

This was about 2" and only 3 spikes and now is more like 4" and many more spikes.


The pociliopora was an odd shape 1" frag and is now circular and 2" in diameter. The little acro is still pretty small but nearly double what it was. It seems to be very interested in encrusting the fishing line.


This acro was a single 1" stick on a frag plug that I hung.


The green montipora digi has tripled in size since the winter but I fragged it in half for someone not too long ago so it only looks double in size now. The Acro I got last July, it was under 2" and is now over 4".

[busypencil]

loved your tank . would love to get some montipora , green red or blue. Do you ship and what would you be asking for a frag?. I am new and am anxious to get going. Busypencil

[whatcaneyedo]

I'd love to sell you some frags but at the moment I'm only dealing in drop-ins and pick-ups. However I have been stockpiling used coolers and boxes so I think I may soon give shipping a try but its more stress than I need at the moment. What I sell locally I generally sell for pretty cheep too. $5 1" or $5 a head depending on the type of coral, sometimes more and sometimes less.

For you I'd recommend having a look at www.coralmaster.com hes located in Calgary and was fantastic to deal with in our group order a little while back.

[whatcaneyedo]

A little update. At the beginning of August my (5 year old) volitan lionfish went on a hunger strike and lost all of its appetite. By the end of the month it was dead... I looked around on reefcentral to try and find answers but the best thing anyone could come up with was spontaneous fish anorexia. So I'm swearing off big lions for a while until I have a chance to upgrade to a larger tank in a few years.

In the mean time our LFS has had this little fu manchu for months and they've weaned it over to frozen food. It takes both frozen silversides and krill off of the end of a feeding stick and is almost always out and viewable.

[lastlight]

Ok that tomato is just MASSIVE. I sure hope the FU doesn't wander to close to his new. I saw one of these lions in person at Pisces here in town and I was fascinated by it. Seemed like a very shy fish tho so I'm not sure I'd get one. You say yours is out a lot...what's the norm for these guys?

[BlueAbyss]

Looks great! Your Fu Manchu is beautiful, I love those little guys. Glad you got one that's eating, I've heard they are difficult to get to eat sometimes.

[whatcaneyedo]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Ok that tomato is just MASSIVE. I sure hope the FU doesn't wander to close to his new. I saw one of these lions in person at Pisces here in town and I was fascinated by it. Seemed like a very shy fish tho so I'm not sure I'd get one. You say yours is out a lot...what's the norm for these guys?

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

This article regards the Fu Manchu as being one of the most difficult lionfish to keep because they ship poorly, wont often eat frozen, are quite shy, and are easily out competed for food.