Nebthet's 56g Reef

[Nebthet]

Got my new frags in the mail today from a fellow Ontario Reefer.

Red MontiCap. This one has a nice bright red coloration under the actinics. I can't wait to see it grow.


The one on the left is new. I am not sure which one it is, but figure it is one of the tricolors. Time will tell as it colors up.


This one has more of a bluish tinge than a purple with a bit of a green base to it. It is very nice looking and polyps have extended out already.


This is the green thinbranching deepwater acro. It has a really nice light green coloration and even more so when under actinics. It didn't come on a frag plug, but I found a place for it, and hope it will encrust without issues.


Two of the newer frags. I am almost certain the one on the right is a tricolor. Don't know what the one on the left is. It has a bluish tinge too. I am gonna have to buy an army of peppermint shrimp to deal with the aiptasia.. it is beginning to drive me nuts.


The one on the left is new. More than likely another tricolor.


The two new chalices. Toxic on the left and Multicolor/Rainbow on the right.


This is a purple encrusting montipora.


This was one of the freebies I was sent. I think it is a superman monti... I have another frag of the same to that was also sent.. It is larger, but a little paler.. I am holding it for another reefer who wants to try his hand at sps.


The larger of the same type of frag.


I accidentally broke a branch off my purple tipped monti.. The tip is sitting vicariously on the live rock right now but not sliding anywhere so it will either encrust there or I will be giving it to Systemtool as well.
It is a fast growing sps so I am not worried much and the digi is no worse for where.


View of the long narrow with the new Acros added. Much nicer looking now.


Now... One thing I will say.. I hate hate hate hate hate ... reef epoxy. That crap just doesn't like to stick. It is a pain in the arse and when it does stick a few months later the frags loosen off the rocks. Grrr. They need to make something a lot better than that stuff.

[shrimpchips]

Looking good!

Try a sandwich - cyanoacrylate (crazy ) gel glue - epoxy - gel glue - frag/rock. Works like a charm. The epoxy gives an exact contoured substrate for the gel glue to bond the rocks together so it holds pretty tight. Just make sure to use a lot of glue as the glue cures instantly on contact with water - basically you need a big glob

[Nebthet]

thanks I will try that because I am so not happy with the reef stuff being sold and I have tried a few types with the same results. The glue will be interesting.

[Nebthet]

Pix Update: All the new sps and chalices seem to be doing well. The only one not is the monti confusa, but it is hanging in there and I hope it will encrust then color up. Time will tell.

First for the fish.

Runt is still small, but has learned his place in the hierarchy of the tank and is not picked on as much as before. At least he is not alone in the one corner any more but Omen joins him most the time.


Omen is doing well and continues to color up. I find it interesting how the development of colors of clownfish differ when they are in a tank by themselves compared to when they are in a tank with other clownfish of the same species. It seems there development is a lot slower color and size wise when that happens. As long as they are healthy I am happy though. It a couple more months I will have had them for a year.


Jigsaw is the main bully of the tank. He puts Omen and Runt in their place all the time. At least it is not as aggressive as it could be. He shows pairing/breeding behaviour with Big Momma. Time will tell if they will be successful.


Big Momma always boots around the whole tank. She also puts the younger ones in their place from time to time, and can be a little more aggressive than Jigsaw, but the babies have learned how to quickly get behind the live rock where she can't reach them.


Sam the Eagle, named after the muppet character she resembles, continues to boot around the tank eating algae and some flake food.


The Xenia in my tank is making a come back now. I am hoping it continues to grow and spread more. I really like the stuff. One day I may regret these words but right now I don't. I have major algae and aptasia issues so Xenia is the least of them.


These pink eyes zoas are doing really well now from what they were a month ago. They have grown bigger and so have their skirts. I am really happy about that. I find it rather interesting because my skimmer is draining back into the tank, from the collection cup drain, but through some polyfill first, so I have to wonder if the improvement is the skimmer or the additives. Hmmmmm.


Duncans are happy as usual. Once I get the aiptasia issue in my tank resolved I may move them to another area so they can spread more.


Mr Clam has been slowly shifting himself closer and closer to the sand every day. I am hoping he stays in this spot rather than going to sand. I don't want him to attach to the tank bottom.


The Chalices are doing well. The aiptasia that was right beside the green chalice has decided it doesn't like to touch it and has shrunk. Hmmm... Makes me want to buy a hundred chalices to put every where there is aiptasia. LOL.


This encrusting monti is doing ok. Keeping it's color. It is more of a blue/purple with red polyps than my pic shows.


This is a multicolor monti, very close to the superman monti. It's colors have brightened within the last week and the red polyps are starting to show more. When I put it in it's place I accidentally turned it so the larger piece is turned away from the front of the tank, so I hope it starts growing a bit faster.


The Red MontiCap is doing well. The sides have colored up and are showing new polyps, so I can't wait to see how it will grow when it does start.


I am not sure which type of Acro this is. I am thinking a blue tenuis. It's polyps are slowly coming out. Don't mind the bit of algae string on it. It came loose after the pic was taken.


This Acro, I think it is the cereulus or something like that... It is continuing to grow nicely and slowly encrusting the plug it is on.


This one fell off the top where it was beside the green bottlebrush. It is rather hardy as it didn't faze the coral one bit. I am thinking this is one of the tricolors, or another tenuis. eventually as it grows I will figure it out.


The Green Bottlebrush is doing very well. It is now developing new branches and encrusting more on the bottom portion.


The Green Thin Branching Deepwater acro fell off of where I puttied it. I hate epoxy.. hate hate hate it.. but at least it is happy where it fell so I am gonna leave it there. It's polyps are out. So I am taking that as a good indicator and it hasn't lost any color.


On the left, my purple tipped digi has healed very quickly where the one branch broke off. The middle one is another blue tenuis I think, and the one on the right is the true tri-color. That one fell from it's epoxied place originaly and I replaced it there.. that is how I broke the digi... but it hasn't moved since and it now has the black polyps extending so it appears happy there. No RTN showing from where I handled it so a super healthy frag.


Another tri-color on the left is doing nicely with polyp extension now. The unknown on the right is really growing now. At least 1 to 2mm in the last week and a half. The tips have become a dark bluey purple and the rest is more of a flourescent white. It is even encrusting on the base more. I am happy to see this after more than a year having it in my tank. The second pic is a shot of it from the back.




Over all the tank is doing ok.. I have emailed berghia.net and they have confirmed they can ship their nudis to Canada without issues so I am gonna be making a good order for a few of them to get rid of the aiptasia in my tank. Then I am gonna get an emerald crab to try to take care of that darn bubble algae.

[Nebthet]

Does anyone know the name of this acro? I can't remember if it is a tenuis or a type of tricolor.





This one is temporarily at the bottom of yhe tank until I find some decent reef glue as epoxy really sucks.


This one has stn in the front from the aiptasia I think. It could be something out but I cannot make out any bugs on it. The black dots on this one are where polyps used to be. The whole thing is also more of a red pink color than the beige tricolor it used to be.


The Red Monticap is growing nicely and even has good polyp extension.


rainbow monti starting to slowly color up. I will eventually put this higher in the tank.

[rkelman]

Wow Nebthet you have alot of Aiptasia. Forgive me if I've asked before but you have tried Aiptasia-X right? I got some from Jim and I love it. Its working wonders for me. I've reduced my numbers to almost nothing now in my 190. Surely you could control it in a 55 with it. If you ever frag some stuff let me know I have some and would love to trade.

[rkelman]

BTW I'm envious of all your SPS now

[Nebthet]

Yes I have tried Aiptasia X in my system several times.

It appears to melt the aiptasia away and they won't be there for about a week or two after I use the stuff, but then suddenly one day they are back and same size as before. It's crazy.

I have been considering getting some peppermint shrimp, but I have a bad feeling my bengaii cardinal will make a meal out of them, and now that my sps are growing well, I don't wanna get an aiptasia eating file because they are noted for going for sps polyps.

So, I am gonna order in some berghia nudibranchs in from the states. Berghia.net has verified they ship to Canada and the prices for them are cheaper since our dollar is on par right now and their price includes all duties, Plus they ship to you door and not for pick up an airport.

I can't wait to see the aiptasia go. The aiptasia in my tank is a lot worse than my pics show. I bet I have around 250 or more in there.


I am very happy my SPS are doing so well now. My green branching one that was behind my digis got moved behind my live rock but is still getting light and browing, but I can't get any good pics of it now. The Monti Confusa while browned out is in a shaded area and likes it there better. Odd.

[shrimpchips]

Get the peppermints - I don't have any aiptasia in my display or frag tanks because of them. Much cheaper than getting berghias from the states. Berghias are no guarantee either - they can be stung and killed by aiptasia, and fish will eat them too.

All those frags are looking great! When are you coming around for more??

[Nebthet]

Pic update as it has been a few weeks since I have done one and I have one new piece of equiptment.

Blue Sps


True TriColor


Purple Carduus I think.. still not sure.


Red MontiCap.. this one is really growing now.


Green MontiCap with White Polyps.


Red and Purple Digis. These continue to grow. The tips on the Purple are splitting into branches now.


Green bottlebrush with Flash. More growth and new polyp sprouts.


Reddish tricolor and Blue tipped Tenuis are both growing, especially the tenuis. The stn on the tri has stopped and a ridge has grown where the tissue receeded. Polyps extension still good with this one.


The back side of the Blue Tenuis showing more of the growth. I really am beginning to thing magnesium is a big factor in sps growth since I have been dosing it.


Multicolored Chalice doing nicely.


My clam has moved slightly again, but seem much happier.


Pink eye zoas are happy.


Dragon eye zoas are growing like crazy as usual.


Right tank shot with my new piece of equiptment.


Left tank shot.


Omen is starting to develop more of his black coloration.