Cycling with TBS start to finish
- Thread starter landlord
- Start date
landlord
New member
12/04/03 - Day 13
Results:
Date/Time: 12/04/03 7:11 PM
Temp: 81 degrees
Ph: 8.2
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: Normal
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 15
Notes:
The tank is doing most excellent tonight. Cool little bright orange things which resemble honeycomb like wasps nests are growing off the rock. I wish I could describe them better. Hopefully I will be able to get down to TBS tomorrow and pick up 2nd shipment. Cannot wait. I have seen so many pictures of cool TBS rock that perhaps this time I will not be so overwhelmed when choosing my specimens and can focus on those with the critters that most interest me. I dodn't realize the capacity of life that incrusts these beauties.
-landlord
Results:
Date/Time: 12/04/03 7:11 PM
Temp: 81 degrees
Ph: 8.2
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: Normal
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 15
Notes:
The tank is doing most excellent tonight. Cool little bright orange things which resemble honeycomb like wasps nests are growing off the rock. I wish I could describe them better. Hopefully I will be able to get down to TBS tomorrow and pick up 2nd shipment. Cannot wait. I have seen so many pictures of cool TBS rock that perhaps this time I will not be so overwhelmed when choosing my specimens and can focus on those with the critters that most interest me. I dodn't realize the capacity of life that incrusts these beauties.
-landlord
The honeycomb things might also be tunicates. I've had several varieties on my TBS rock. I think they're some of the most interesting creatures I've seen so far. The way to tell the difference between sponges and tunicates is to approach them with your hand or feeding stick and see if they close. Tunicates will close rapidly most sponges cannot close at all. If they are tunicates, most have a very short lifespan. I've had two generations of encrusting tunicates come and go in my tank after only four months.
hdtran
New member
They would be either sponges (poriferans) or tunicates (ascidians), all covered in Fenner and in Fenner/Calfo. But PRC is correct, sponges in general cannot contract, while tunicates (sea squirts) can contract their siphons.
My bet (I've got a gazillion of the little oranges widgies too) is a tunicate (ascidian). See http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidpt2.htm
Maybe the Distaplia corolla?
My bet (I've got a gazillion of the little oranges widgies too) is a tunicate (ascidian). See http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidpt2.htm
Maybe the Distaplia corolla?
hdtran
New member
Go to this link. I'm sure this is what you've got; I've got a bunch of those.
http://www.horta.uac.pt/species/Ascidiacea/Distaplia_corolla/Distaplia_corolla.htm
http://www.horta.uac.pt/species/Ascidiacea/Distaplia_corolla/Distaplia_corolla.htm
landlord
New member
12/05/03 - Day 14
Results:
Date/Time: 12/05/03 8:32 PM
Temp: 81 degrees
Ph: 8.0
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: Normal
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 11
Notes:
Happy days are soon to come. Tomorrow, if the gods will it, I will be heading down to good ole TBS for the second half of my shipment. Did the water change in the tank and brought the nitrates down. Should come down even more after the next water change. I can almost smell that 2nd shipment. Thanks guys for the assistance in the critter ID. I am always amazed how someone can take my lame descriptions and find exact pictures to match. PRC / Hy, you guys rock! Got the BH a strawberry basslet, misspelled I think, for her FO tank. He is really cool. Anyone out there know how they would do in a reef???
-landlord
Results:
Date/Time: 12/05/03 8:32 PM
Temp: 81 degrees
Ph: 8.0
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: Normal
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 11
Notes:
Happy days are soon to come. Tomorrow, if the gods will it, I will be heading down to good ole TBS for the second half of my shipment. Did the water change in the tank and brought the nitrates down. Should come down even more after the next water change. I can almost smell that 2nd shipment. Thanks guys for the assistance in the critter ID. I am always amazed how someone can take my lame descriptions and find exact pictures to match. PRC / Hy, you guys rock! Got the BH a strawberry basslet, misspelled I think, for her FO tank. He is really cool. Anyone out there know how they would do in a reef???
-landlord
)
landlord
New member
12/06/03 - Day 15
Results:
Date/Time: 12/06/03 8:08 PM
Temp: 79 degrees
Ph: 8.1
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: Normal
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
Notes:
Hy- You definitely need some kind of retainer fee. It is a pseudochromis. He is actually quite peaceful, knock on wood. Seems to get along quite well with the damsels and the Koran angel. Only time will tell. Was disappointed today in the weather. It has prevented TBS from making knew acquisitions and has thus delayed me in getting 2nd half of the shipment. Mark said he would be diving on Monday so I will keep the vigil alive and prepare myself for an early day from work sometime next week to make the trip. No worries the chemistry is looking great and this makes me happy. Found what I think to be an aiptasia in the tank. I will post a pic if I can capture a clear enough one.
On another note I went exploring the area and found two pretty darn good LFS's. One called "The Saltwater Reef" www.saltwaterreef.com and another called The Aquarium Inc. which bills itself as the largest saltwater LFS in Central Florida. I believe it the place is huge and the selection, although much heavier on the fish side is fantastic. Great stuff to be had there. The first store was like frag heaven. Picked up some Mark Weiss Combo Vital for feeding times. I cannot wait to start making livestock purchases. I never really was able to judge how the internet makes coral out to be large. At least large looking. What looks like a basball sized ricordea is actually quite small. This just means more goodies in the tank.
-landlord
Results:
Date/Time: 12/06/03 8:08 PM
Temp: 79 degrees
Ph: 8.1
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: Normal
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
Notes:
Hy- You definitely need some kind of retainer fee. It is a pseudochromis. He is actually quite peaceful, knock on wood. Seems to get along quite well with the damsels and the Koran angel. Only time will tell. Was disappointed today in the weather. It has prevented TBS from making knew acquisitions and has thus delayed me in getting 2nd half of the shipment. Mark said he would be diving on Monday so I will keep the vigil alive and prepare myself for an early day from work sometime next week to make the trip. No worries the chemistry is looking great and this makes me happy. Found what I think to be an aiptasia in the tank. I will post a pic if I can capture a clear enough one.
On another note I went exploring the area and found two pretty darn good LFS's. One called "The Saltwater Reef" www.saltwaterreef.com and another called The Aquarium Inc. which bills itself as the largest saltwater LFS in Central Florida. I believe it the place is huge and the selection, although much heavier on the fish side is fantastic. Great stuff to be had there. The first store was like frag heaven. Picked up some Mark Weiss Combo Vital for feeding times. I cannot wait to start making livestock purchases. I never really was able to judge how the internet makes coral out to be large. At least large looking. What looks like a basball sized ricordea is actually quite small. This just means more goodies in the tank.
-landlord
