A Splash of Color - My SPS Peninsula Reef

They encrust over it but at a slower rate than when it's just coralline covered rock. It's very easily eradicated with boiling RO but i've been too lazy to nuke it. I need to get some new 60ml syringes and i'll make a video showing you how immediate the results are with the white wand of death. :blown:

The dragons head blue acro has more than just a crab living in it. I have at least three of these guys and they always share their acro with a single commensal crab from what i've seen. Anyone know what critter i'm talking about :reading:

1_zps4xtwgnta.jpg~original
 
Great thread. Enjoy my subscription. If you don't mind - a couple of questions about your sand bed... 1. What is the average depth? 2. What is your maintenance routine for it? I've always had bare bottom tanks but am starting a 37g cube only sps and was to try a sand bottom. Any other insights would Ba appreciated. Thank you.
 
Biggles, I've been a closet fan for a while and that video of that radium junks acro is just insane! So so jealous of your collection and skills.

-deez
 
That acro on the last page demonstrates your handiwork better than anything so far, Andrew.
It requires a certain amount of skill to install underwater lights inside such a small plastic ornament while keeping it looking so real.
Nice!
 
May be totally wrong but in the upper right hand side of that colony I see a pair of eyes that look crustacean like to me. Maybe a kind of shrimp?
 
cFloor said:
Thats a nice acro biggles, but I do not see anything other than the crab in there.
Click to expand...

It's hiding lol.

Nibrown9 said:
Usually a clown goby that's hiding in acros that aren't pests :beer:
Click to expand...

I find clown gobies can really irritate an acro if they settle in long term so i avoid them like the plague tbh mate.

M007 said:
Seahorse?
Click to expand...

A seahorse hey Mike.......... you didn't even bloody try to look did you mate....:p

1000_smiles said:
Looks like there might be a tiny brittle/serpent star to the right of the crab.
around 2 o'clockish. :hmm5:
Click to expand...

Whilst i have other acros hosting brittle stars this particular critter isn't one mate. At least you didn't suggest a unicorn etc like someone we know lol.

Quiverfull said:
Great thread. Enjoy my subscription. If you don't mind - a couple of questions about your sand bed... 1. What is the average depth? 2. What is your maintenance routine for it? I've always had bare bottom tanks but am starting a 37g cube only sps and was to try a sand bottom. Any other insights would Ba appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, i keep the sand to 1" or less and regularly disturb it with a stick after lights out. Things like sand sifting star fish are great and my wrasse are happy as long as there's at least 1" to sleep in. You really only need it as shallow as you can get away with whilst allowing for any sand duning from your in tank flow. A 2ft length of 1/4" JG airline tubing makes a great tool for swishing through the sand bed to release gunk without actually disturbing the bottom too much. :thumbsup:

deeznutz1 said:
Biggles, I've been a closet fan for a while and that video of that radium junks acro is just insane! So so jealous of your collection and skills.

-deez
Click to expand...

Thanks for dropping in to say hello deez :beer:

reefmutt said:
That acro on the last page demonstrates your handiwork better than anything so far, Andrew.
It requires a certain amount of skill to install underwater lights inside such a small plastic ornament while keeping it looking so real.
Nice!
Click to expand...

Hiding the wires is the real trick Matt ;)

urbanrat84 said:
If you're ever interested in selling a frag of the Anthelia let me know Biggles, I love matting soft corals.
Click to expand...

I'll gladly keep a piece of it for you, i never expect or want anything in return for stuff i give friends. :)

Andyf30 said:
May be totally wrong but in the upper right hand side of that colony I see a pair of eyes that look crustacean like to me. Maybe a kind of shrimp?
Click to expand...

Bingo Andy :celeb1:

2_zpsmpyet188.jpg~original


The only way you spot them is by shining a torch or taking flash pics of your acros after lights out. Their eyes reflect back as bright white dots unlike normal commensal crabs who's eyes never reflect. If you see eyes reflecting from within an acro and see no body it's a shrimp and a good guy. If the reflecting eyes are attached to a crab it will be a little hairy bugger that you don't want in the colony.

So - the easiest check for good stuff and bad stuff in your acros is with a torch during darkness. I found and removed two hairy brown crabs from this acro the night after i got it. An inspection the first night revealed two hairy crabs, one tetralia sp and the shrimp.

This bad pic taken while i held a torch with one hand and the phone with the other at least shows you what i mean about a torch revealing stuff you might otherwise miss.

3_zps8drhgyhk.jpg~original


Pretty sure it's one of these guys or similar and the other two i know of are the same. Try the torch after lights out and you might be surprised what's living in your acros.

commensal shrimp

I am uploading a two minute video of the tank as we speak. Wait until you see the fish react to me dumping in two mysis cubes, flake and mini pellets all mixed together in a jar of tank water lol...........
 
Just wait until the entire bottom is covered in white sand............ :smokin:

<iframe width="854" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eEPHp57DCQ8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
biggles said:
They encrust over it but at a slower rate than when it's just coralline covered rock. It's very easily eradicated with boiling RO but i've been too lazy to nuke it. I need to get some new 60ml syringes and i'll make a video showing you how immediate the results are with the white wand of death. :blown:

The dragons head blue acro has more than just a crab living in it. I have at least three of these guys and they always share their acro with a single commensal crab from what i've seen. Anyone know what critter i'm talking about :reading:

1_zps4xtwgnta.jpg~original
Click to expand...

Send it to me i will take care of them critters lol
 
Seriously I expanded your pic and at the lower end of the crab appendage I see what looks like a tiny seahorse head. Look again and you'll see it too :hmm4:

How deep is your tank and are you running 250's or 400's? Have you given any though to applying your creative talents to the multitude of power heads you have?
 
Nice!!!!
Did I say nice? I meant crazy nice!! Like, supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus NICE!!!
I'm loving the scape you are developing with the stags surrounded by the more massive and plating corals.
That last macro is stunning with the contrasting body and polyp colors.
Crazy... But they are all fantastically good. The lepto (I think it's a lepto-the orange clumpy one) is also a superb capture. These are not done with a simple macro lens, are they??
I was thinking that sand may never make it into your reef but then I realized that you would never leave the bases of your scape creations exposed.
Now, what I really want to see is what is going on, on top of your tank! :)
 
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