Our Tbs

[patsan]

Originally posted by bkelley02
UGH!!!! I just found Red Bugs in my tank on 3 different frags. Nothing for months, and now a little mini infestation!!

Do you usually dip your corals before they go into the tank? I've only done the lugols dip. I don't even have any FWE in the house. But then again, I also don't have sps like you do.

[phil519]

Regarding the post about the part one "popping noise". Just to back up pat on the varying sizes of pistols....here's a pic of a smallish Pistol...this was caught long ago accidentally - it just "jumped" off the LR right before I put it in the tank (part one).
Even at this size it made a sound louder than any rice krispies. =)

For the record - I had an awful ammonia spike because I had no clue what a dead sponge looked like (it was yellow - and slowly turned white). Yet most of the tiny brittle stars that came are still in my tank. At night their arms stretch out from underneath the LR and you can see them poking around for food. Good luck with part 1~!

[bobt2]

both pistols are the same coloration, 1 is a little smaller that the other

[jezzeaepi]

So is there any difference in the popping noise a pistol makes and the noise a mantis makes? Ive seen one or two hairy crabs but they escaped before I could get them. Both were about a half inch, and may have been the same crab.
The cup corals and various feather dusters/barnacles have been extending so it looks like a lot of them are going to make it. They arent going to starve during my "cycle" period are they? Same goes for the urchin and the starfish. They are pretty active at night. Just want to make sure they arent going to starve, I believe I have the rest covered.

Going to do anoter WC when I get home, and then Ill take some pics. Most of mine from unpacking day are either way too blue, or too much sandstorm to see anything. Last night the lights shut off before I could take any pics. Tonight though... tonight..


Jesse

[phil519]

Originally posted by jezzeaepi
So is there any difference in the popping noise a pistol makes and the noise a mantis makes? Ive seen one or two hairy crabs but they escaped before I could get them. Both were about a half inch, and may have been the same crab.
The cup corals and various feather dusters/barnacles have been extending so it looks like a lot of them are going to make it. They arent going to starve during my "cycle" period are they? Same goes for the urchin and the starfish. They are pretty active at night. Just want to make sure they arent going to starve, I believe I have the rest covered.

Going to do anoter WC when I get home, and then Ill take some pics. Most of mine from unpacking day are either way too blue, or too much sandstorm to see anything. Last night the lights shut off before I could take any pics. Tonight though... tonight..


Jesse

The dusters and barnacles will require some TLC if you plan keeping them - phytoplankton will improve their chances.

Question - do you have a star fish or a serpent star? If you take a serpent star and try to see if it will "stick" to the side of the glass - it won't happen. Their legs are unable to adhere to the glass like that. They also move relatively fast compared to a star fish. If it is a serpent star - feeding it a piece of raw shrimp or piece of fish would be nice.

Regarding the poping noises - there may be some difference but I never could tell. I had five small rock-smashing mantis. I guess for me I thought the popping sound of the crab getting whacked was much louder than the small pistol. BUT - I never had pistols the size that pat had in her tank.

[tgcreef]

nice tanks

[jezzeaepi]

Sorry Phil I should have been more specific. It is a serpent star. I was worried for him the first day because he didn't seem to mvoe at all. With the lights off though he likes to move around and appears to healthy now. What should I toss in for him, and how much(scale wise, like a piece the size of a grape, a pea. etc)?

Phyotplankton ehh? any particular brand you recomend, and should I attempt to target feed them, or just let the tank run without the skimmer on for a few hours? I got a lot of flow in their so I'm not too worried about it settling on the ground. And is this something I should start right away or wait for the cycle to be over?

[drk70]

Do what TBS suggests and don't feed anything yet unless the wait for part 2 gets real long. You will probalby only prolong your cycle time by putting any food of any kind in there right now. I still have the majority of my cup corals and feather dusters and I fed nothing until after part 2. Now my feather dusters decided to move between the walls of my overflow but they are still alive and well.

I think your bigger concern will be any algea growth and not having any snails to clean it up until part 2 comes.

I would suggest to just sit tight on feeding and follow TBS's instructions until after part 2 comes.

[patsan]

I agree with Dennis, and say don't worry about feeding the tank yet.
If all goes well with your cycle, and TBS...you should have your part 2 within the month.
Being it's a new tank, you're going to get all the algae blooms common with new tanks. Don't even worry about that too much for now either.

Look at Danielle's pictures and all the algae growth she had in her tank, and look at how beautiful it is now. She did have to wait forever for her part2.....but I'm sure she will correct me if I am wrong...I don't think she fed the tank for quite a while after getting part 1.

If you want to feed the serpent star, just give it small pieces of silverside or something similar to that. It will come running to you when you put it in the tank.

[krajacich]

Originally posted by patsan
Look at Danielle's pictures and all the algae growth she had in her tank, and look at how beautiful it is now. She did have to wait forever for her part2.....but I'm sure she will correct me if I am wrong...I don't think she fed the tank for quite a while after getting part 1.

Thanks Pat. You're right....I didn't feed my tank much while waiting for part two, although I did target feed the serpent stars. I think I started dosing phytoplankton (really lightly) after waiting for part 2 for a month. But for the first month of waiting for part 2 I don't think I fed anything.

jezzeaepi: I wouldn't feed even the serpent stars during the initial cycle. Wait until your cycle is done and then start giving them small pieces of shrimp or silverside. I initially fed mine pieces about the size of a pencil eraser.

[patsan]

Got some pictures today. The leather is sprouting a baby.


What's left of this coral:


Than various others:

[patsan]

Some of the fish:



I had a really nice one of the foxface, but the picture had all the brown dots all over from it where the walls of the tank were dirty.

Bob is doing a water change right now....I didn't know he was doing one today.

[bkelley02]

These are a few more pics I took the other night.

Female Anthias



And the male anthias flashing.

[patsan]

Originally posted by bkelley02
These are a few more pics I took the other night.
Female Anthias

And the male anthias flashing.

Wow, I like the look of those fish!!
I so badly want to get the male version of my swallowtail. I've been looking for months with no luck.

[drk70]

Here are some pics of the new corals.

Not sure if this is Montipora Capricornis or Montipora Foliosa.



Under Blue Plus bulbs.





Purple Montipora Digitata

[drk70]

Now some of the older corals.

Hammer





Zoanthids under blue plus bulbs.



Full tank shot.




Side shot.

[bobt2]

dennis, how do you keep the inside glass so clean?

[drk70]

Originally posted by bobt2
dennis, how do you keep the inside glass so clean?

See that white mag float on the side. I use it almost everyday. I also have a scraper that I use every once in a while. I don't do anything else.

I also found that when I take pictures I clean the glass, turn off the skimmer an hour before and when I take pics I turn off the Tunze. It makes everything look clearer and you don't have crap all blowing around in there.

[patsan]

Originally posted by drk70
I also found that when I take pictures I clean the glass, turn off the skimmer an hour before and when I take pics I turn off the Tunze. It makes everything look clearer and you don't have crap all blowing around in there.

That's what I should do. I have never turned anything off when I take pictures.

[patsan]

Well, I have been looking for a very long time for the male version of the swallowtail with no luck.
I just PM'd Pets Warehouse. That's the place I get my salt from and right near Bob.
He said they do get them in, but they're hard to adjust when they get them, not so much by the time the consumer gets them.
I joined their fish email list, so hopefully I'll see one on their list of new arrivals and will be able to get one!! It's just not close enough to me to take a weekly trip there to check on my own.

[bobt2]

pat, i'll pick it up for you,but it will never make it out there. it will look good in my tank.

[patsan]

Originally posted by bobt2
pat, i'll pick it up for you,but it will never make it out there. it will look good in my tank.

I'm sure it would!!

Seriously though....I really hope he can come thru for me. I've looked everywhere online and even emailed Tony from ReefExotics....and had no luck.

When he first wrote me back, he said they did get them, but they were tough to adjust. I asked him what he meant because the female we had was no problem adjusting. He said they were tough when they first import them, and not so much for me when I'd get one.

[patsan]

Brian Kelley....how are you making out with your red bugs?

[xrbzq]

wow, what a beautiful tank. I'm jealous.

[BrianPlankis]

Dennis,

I love your sponges in your tank! How long have you had those sponges on your lower left rock near the sand? Was that part1? I only have a few sponges left, although they are growing now that I have more phyto again.

Brian