OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef

[Hop]

Well backing up a hair, I think you are totally on to something with the quarantine system... It has me re-thinking my growout tank Maybe something that is it completely separate (skimmer, sump, top off) but allows for purging the old water and adding tank water... once purged, it could then with a few twists and turns of the plumbing, can be completely integrated into the main system. This could be a great coral and fish q-system... Got me thinking

 

[WAGERJA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9199214#post9199214 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sparkss
that pict looks like a panda goby..

edit : according to the link that is what it is. I was told by an LFS owner that they are rather delicate critters, with a higher than normal mortality rate, even when everything is in the "green", much less as a hitchiker, left overnight at a shipping facility, so I would be surprised if it is what you have Johnathan, but anything is possible

yeah that is a pic of a panda goby... I have one... It came as a hitchhiker on a Pocillopora... they don't seem to do well away from there host coral for very long, hence their rep. as a bad shipper... but hay what do I know?

you may want to reconsider taking what your LFS has to say as 100% gospel.

Sorry for the OT.


those SPS look SWEET!

 

[Sparkss]

Wagerja,

Thanks for the info, that explains the poor shipping/high mortality rate.

FWIW the LFS I was referring to was Atlantis Aquarium, a sponsor here on RC (you may have heard of them, they ship all over, from what I hear) . I am sure that he just didn't go into deatil at the time about why they were poor shippers, etc, and I do appreciate your bringing me up to speed on the topic.

Thanks again

 

[jnarowe]

Hey guys. Body type is very much like that but the color is all black. And it wanted to get back into its coral in a major way. It lived all the way into Sherman's tank, through lying in the bottom of my utility sink 2 hours, varying salinity including possible contact with running hot fresh water, going down the drain, being poured into a bucket out of the drain trap, dumped into my QT tank, then transfer to Sherman's tank. Seems like a fairly tough fish to me!

Hop: As far as plumbing the QT to the main system, I don't advise that. It just seems like that might be asking for trouble. Mine is one way in and the only way water gets out is by hand. I know what you are thinking about and it could be done of course, but I am not sure it's a good idea.

However, my current QT is only a 29g tall, and that makes a difference. It really should be about 100g and then I would have to figure out a sump and water change system.

 

[sherm71tank]

The fish was mostly black or very dark red in color with a bit of blue marking around the head area. When I put him it swam about very well (I have a bit of flow) and settled on the back of a mag-float. He disappeared shortly thereafter and hasn't been seen since. He could very easily be hiding in one the acro's though. Maybe he is Gobiodon ceramensis?

 

[jnarowe]

I think that is a strong possibility. Shouldn't you be working??

 

[sherm71tank]

I am working! Just taking a mental time out!

 

[jnarowe]

ah yes...the ol' mental time out. I am on a permanent one! :lol:

 

[WAGERJA]

Tom,

Well that's an LFS of a different color... just the same I truly think that their delicate/poor shipper rep. has more to do with exporters/importers and wholesalers not understanding or appreciating their symbiotic relationship with their host Pocillopora. to ship or hold these fish sans host for any great length of time will substantially increase there mortality rate in my opinion.

they are darn cool little guys... even if I only see a little flash of him in my Pocillopora once in a while.

FWIW my Panda is almost all black... did you receive any Pocillopora sp. in that order or was it all Montis and Acros?

if it didn't have Pocilloporas than we can almost 100% rule out it being a Panda goby. It could have been a juvenile Gobiodon ceramensis.

Cool find, it just sucks that it more then likely didn't make it.

Jonathan,
how are the corals doing in QT?

 

[jnarowe]

I am sure it is not a Panda Goby. I am fairly certain that Sherman has got it right and that it is a Gobiodon ceramensis...

Corals are fine. I still need to frag a couple for Sherman but I can't find my damn disks. Hopefully he will have a couple extra. Lights just came on so off I go!

 

[Sparkss]

Wagerja,

Thanks for the info. You may have just saved our pocci . I would like to give one of those guys a try, but had not previously owing to the "poor shipping" reputation. Your insight and information make me want to consider giving one a shot .

I was debating on moving our pocci colonies over to the new tank, mainly due to their general tendency to have a polyp bailout and little poccis cropping up all around the tank, although they had not done that in our tanks before, the possibility always exists.

 

[jnarowe]

Well I traded in one of the dups I got on that last shipment of acros and got a sweet yellow acro colony. I got 3 nice frags together for Sherman and we spent much of the evening critiqueing import beers and mounting corals in my tank.

Good music, good beers, lots of corals, 35" of water, water on the floor, the hum of pumps, brite lights, salmon pate, and plenty of trash talk to go around...it just doesn't get any better!!

 

[sherm71tank]

Hey MAN! You forgot POWER TOOLS!!!! I love the smell of burning corals and innocent life in the morning! Oh yeah, you may have had a bit of coral dust basically all over your face! :beer:

 

[jnarowe]

You're right. I forgot to mention using the cut-off blade on the frags and even a mari-culture base. I held the frag in my left hand, and used the roto-type cut-off with my right hand. Sherman at one point said he should be paying to see that! :lol:

Blade guard? We don't need no stinkin' blade guard!! So a little bit of coral got on my face? NBD.

 

[jnarowe]

So I just received a spare Vortech wet frame and I am really happy with it. For starters I do se incremental improvements in the design and that is a good sign.

Also it will allow me to always have one wet frame soaking in vinegar while still running all my pumps. I must say I think the the extra $50 is well worth it and I highly recommend that any Vortech customers consider this strategy.

Also, r ecently received two Batery Backup units and wrote a post with my observations.

 

[jnarowe]

Used a 7' x 18" plank to lay on and clean the front glass today. I can only reach down about 2/3 though so I still have to bake off the bottom.

Alk is up to 9.6 dKH. The LPS all seemed to react badly to the scraping.

Cleaned the skimmer neck...stocked the beer. I'm all good!

 

[mrcrab]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9211229#post9211229 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
...stocked the beer. I'm all good!

Glad you took care of the most important additive!

 

[jnarowe]

So Ed came by today and we chatted for about 3 hours...or well, we drank for about 3 hours and chatted for a few minutes. He brought a couple cool frags which I thought was a really nice thing to do.

I know the color is off in these shots but I just didn't have the brains to adjust the white balance <urp>...

I also took a pic of my multi-media reactor:

End shot:

DIBS Turbo sp. waiting in the soup line:

And Her Highness:

I also discovered a system anomoly that may be playing part in my LPS problems. I discovered that my kalk stirrer is stirring too much up and the cloud is getting all the way to the top. This may occassionally be pumping straight kalk into the system. I turned the speed down.

 

[Hop]

I also discovered a system anomoly that may be playing part in my LPS problems. I discovered that my kalk stirrer is stirring too much up and the cloud is getting all the way to the top. This may occassionally be pumping straight kalk into the system. I turned the speed down.

The way my DIY system is designed this happens pretty frequently. So far the LPS is doing the best for me. But I guess it's a possability.

 

[jnarowe]

Some pics for you HOs:

Believe it or not, I think this is actually a pink cap:

Jade Torch after 5 heads died. The last one has been alive for 2 weeks now: