Maroun 150g Build Thread

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15498464#post15498464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maroun.c
Capn its not like I have too much choice around here I just buy whatever I can find on travel and was very happy to find some selcon and Zoe. Do you think I should start looking for Vitachem? any advantages?
Which kinda brings me back to the unsolved mystery of the RBTAs bleaching in my tank as I remember beeing advised to add selcon or maybe zoe to their food and at the time I had none available maybe I should add to their diet a fish or shrimp that's been soaked overnight is Selcon or Zoe!

I'm not sure if Selcon and Vitachem accomplish the same thing that's why I was asking you Maybe Marc can answer that one

RBTA's bleaching. I just had my red bubble tip(actually orange) turn to a florescent like pink for no apparant reason after 6 months. The other night it split into two which is definetly a sign of a healthy anemone
Is this what you meant by bleaching

before

after--one has gone slightly behind the rock

 

[maroun.c]

Thats nothing compared to my anemones and in your case I guess that could have been caused by splitting as they usually hide beofre a split and comeout bleached.
In my case 2 anemones one introduced after the upgrade from 80G to current tank and another 6-7 months later turned from Very dark red (rather black) to a bit lighter than your anemones and lost half of the volume without a split. one of them split few months during hte latest tank move into a really tiny anemone and a smaller one. it's been close to 1 year and none of the anemones died but still their not regaining their colours.
Volume loss have stopped but still their not growing and their so small that the clowns lost interest in them. will try to take some pics and post when back home next weekend.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15498524#post15498524 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maroun.c
Thats nothing compared to my anemones and in your case I guess that could have been caused by splitting as they usually hide beofre a split and comeout bleached.
In my case 2 anemones one introduced after the upgrade from 80G to current tank and another 6-7 months later turned from Very dark red (rather black) to a bit lighter than your anemones and lost half of the volume without a split. one of them split few months during hte latest tank move into a really tiny anemone and a smaller one. it's been close to 1 year and none of the anemones died but still their not regaining their colours.
Volume loss have stopped but still their not growing and their so small that the clowns lost interest in them. will try to take some pics and post when back home next weekend.

were you target feeding them anything.
Also, Marc has a link on his site to a lady that is an expert on anemones

 

[maroun.c]

Yes I was target feeding them fish mussels shrimps.
Even soked their food in coral food and fish vitamins to add to its content nothing worked out. I remember getting in touch with her and sending her pics of my setup and we couldn't pinpoint anything. the only remaining possibility was that it could have been caused by some chemical warfare between the RBTAs and the carpet anemone I have but even adding more carbon and changing it frequently made no change so taht was also ruled out. someone looking at my tank that had no clue in aquariums told me a few weeks ago:could it be one of the additif you were adding to their food so I'm now considering feeding them fres raw fish and shrimps only.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15498665#post15498665 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maroun.c
Yes I was target feeding them fish mussels shrimps.
Even soked their food in coral food and fish vitamins to add to its content nothing worked out. I remember getting in touch with her and sending her pics of my setup and we couldn't pinpoint anything. the only remaining possibility was that it could have been caused by some chemical warfare between the RBTAs and the carpet anemone I have but even adding more carbon and changing it frequently made no change so taht was also ruled out. someone looking at my tank that had no clue in aquariums told me a few weeks ago:could it be one of the additif you were adding to their food so I'm now considering feeding them fres raw fish and shrimps only.

Have you considered not targeting them at all.

 

[maroun.c]

I haven't been for 2-3 months as after the move they're disappearing int he rockwork and showing up in different place all the time and most of the time I can't reach to them. still lately they are in open spaces right where I put them at introduction but it's been so much time that I haven't fed them

 

[Aquafred]

Long time no updates.
We need some pictures

Funny each time I feel like checking out a photography forum I check out your thread first

 

[maroun.c]

well too much travel lately and nothing important to update really...
I have been for two weeks in one go in Holland and that was a bit stressful as I have not travelled for more than one week in one go since longtime. Also the temp in my tank was hitting 85 when I was there so I couldn't wait to be back to see how things are going. Came back for 1.5 days and had to travel back to Egypt for 5 days. Should be back on Monday (one day ahead of sheduled return WOOOHOOOO) then might have couple of 2-3 days flights to Hungary and Kasachistan and another one maybe to Holland before a well needed 3 weeks vacation.
Over all tank is fine however couple of corals have lost some colour:

Superman montipora is rather very light blue.
ORA green birdnest is still ight depsite taking it down to a lower lit area. Good thing is that it didn't loose more color.
Another Bird nest/ Pocillopora (still waiting for Id) has lost more color but still has same polyp extension so most probably its due to high light. Moved both the superman and bird nest/pocillopora lo lower light and hoping they'll improve when I'm back.
these could also be loosing colour because of higher temp???
My dad is adding 5-6 bottles of iced water while halides are on to control the temp and he's telling me that temp is 83 max but not lower than 82 even at night. My chiller parts have arrived but I still have to pick them up and install them to run it. I'm guessing by next week when this is done temp would start going down as we would be approaching the end of summer.
will upload and post some pics I took from a nice LFS in holland and some pics of corals I picked up which was the worst shipment I ever did as most didn't make it for some reason... so yes things are getting a bit frustrating lately

 

[maroun.c]

Some pics I took in holland at a very good LFS,

 

[maroun.c]

more pics of this LFS from this and a previous visit:

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm185/mcaqua150g/Coenen Aquarium/?start=all

 

[maroun.c]

and pics of the corals I got:
this is one that arrived fine:

This yellow brown with very nice purple tips:

was the bigest coral I picked up and unfortunately arrived with all branches bronken on the end and looking like this:

it's not totally white skeleton and looks to have some tissue covering the skeleton on some parts but hoping for it to recover will be just wishfull thinking.

and another small one that seems to have made it:

this one: in store

arrived with only this much alive:

also part of it looks like this so not totally dead? hoping this can recover?

Finally this really nice green millepora that arrived without water due to bag rupturing for some reason :

I'm hoping that the living branches of those corals will regrow but feel like I'll ifnd them totally white when back on monday evening:

 

[maroun.c]

Also got these two for a friend:

This one arrived 80 % white (green skeleton not white yet???)
and on the following day only one brach on it was still covered with tissue and all the rest was a greenish skeletton.

and this nice puple accro that arrived with open polyps in the bag and whish looks to be doing great so far:

all corals were packed really good and weather was excellent for shipping and weirdly I lost 4 out of 6 large corals. I had previsouly shipped corals for 24 hours in worse packing conditions and have had very minimal losees in transport. so it's kinda bumming to loose that number of big colonies that would have immediately improved the look of the tank...
so again very frustrating (and expensive):mad2:

 

[maroun.c]

Also got some broken pieces of this non identified coral that I guess looks like the "blob" Marc has in his tank?

 

[Aquafred]

That is a great LFS. Feels nice to be able to buy huge colonies...
Sorry that some of your corals didn't make it. And unfortunately I wouldn't hope much of the remianing small branches. still it would be awesome if these recover. Not sure if fraggin them would save them or not as I guess its stress that affected the corals and not RTN or STN? I'm sure others will chime in with better assessment however it's weird that those dead corals even the big one with purple tips still have some tissue on the skeleton.
That purple accro looks great any reason why you gave it to your friend? Guess the best thing you can do to add coral diversity is to share frags within your community of reefers at least you minimize the risks of losses. also maybe try to buy small frags. Not fresh cut ones but I would guess that a small frag that has already encrusted on the base would have better chances to ship better because of the realtive water volume to its size than a large colony. still it's very weird that some coral will make it without a single branch RTN and other arriving totally RTNd....
Most important is to realise that you will loose some corals in this hobby and not to let it get to you.
May I ask how much those colonies sell for?

 

[maroun.c]

Thanks Aquafred.
agree that frags would be safer to ship however I wanted to get 4-5 large SPS to change the look of my tank which still looks like a softies & LPS tank while I have around 15 SPS corals in it. I do realise that some corals just don't make it in some tanks however killing corals in transport like that felt really bad...
Prices were between 60-90 Euros for each except for the smallest one which was for 20.

 

[tangtang clown]

Lookin good. Just started reading, on page 6. I am setting up a 125 and I like what you did with yours. Congrats.

 

[maroun.c]

Thanks

 

[mityoak]

that un known coral looks like blue ridge

 

[michika]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15578103#post15578103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mityoak
that un known coral looks like blue ridge

I agree.

 

[maroun.c]

thanks for the info. Didn't see any polyps on it to be sure however I do remember having one coral like this that just popped up from beneath some GSP and was IDd as blue ridge a long time ago. I'm hoping the pieces I got will make it as it looks interesting. might pick up the whole thing when there next time as it is indeed a strange coral.