Walt's 45 Cubes Build

[clowns101]

In that first pic,with the Leuc's,is the male hosting corals other than the anemone provided?

 

[WDLV]

Yes. He lives in the green sinularia predominantly. He occasionally pops into the anemone when he thinks the female isn't looking.... Probably just to stay acclimated.

 

[WDLV]

For the third straight weekend I kalked the crap out of my aptasia population. Each time the bottom of my tank looks like the snowfall we had back in February. It seems like a two steps forward when I'm done and one step back by the next weekend. At least there's progress. I figure I'll keep at it once a week and see how far I can get with kalk alone. I removed the second anemone last week after it got a bit of kalk on it. It's fine in the thiellei tank. I just wanted to be sure it wouldn't get killed if I made a mistake and dropped some on it or the leucs did a burn out in the kalk while it was collected at the bottom (which they have done a few times.)

I would love to take the easy route and remove the fish and bleach the tank but I like the way some of the corals are growing in.

The Tech-M seems to have done its job on the bryopsis. Now I'm getting a bit of hair algae cropping up. However, it is the first of the month and that means time to change my filter media including the rowa phos.

 

[small alien]

Could you get a small loner CBB?

 

[WDLV]

There are two reasons I would be reluctant to do so.
1. I'm afraid that my leucs would kill it. Clowns are very intolerant of butterflies because they eat anemones.

2. It's one of the few fish that I'm concerned wouldn't make it through quarrantine due to their dietary habits. I would feel terrible if someone loaned me their CBB and I killed it.

I was considering a Klien's butterfly but won't do those either for the same reasons.

 

[Quickcord]

I could let you borrow my 2 peppermint shrimp. They took care of my aptasia about 2 years ago. I have not had one since. Then again, they have been eating left over mysis for 2 years so they might not have a taste for it anymore.


Quickcord

 

[WDLV]

Thank you for the offer! I forgot about them to be honest. I will have to go invest in some. Even if they don't do the job they're hired for they should at least help with detritus.

 

[Quickcord]

It's really hit or miss on them. I have watched them in a tank with aptasia and the never touched it. The two I were lucky enough to get mowed through my tank in about a month. I though I read that people had better luck with the Pacific variety, than the Atlantic.

Quickcord

 

[WDLV]

I've heard that there was a difference in Pacific -vs- Atlantic too but don't recall which were supposed to be better. I'd have thought Atlantic since Aptasia grow there naturally.

I've kept them singularly and in groups and have seen a major difference when they were in groups. They didn't seem to touch it when they were alone. I guess maybe competition compelled them.

 

[WDLV]

I wanted to add that my quarrantine tank has been up to 86 degrees for two straight days. Because there has been no symptoms of ick, brook etc., with the blue stripes in the system with them I am pulling the plug on quarrantine a week early. I'm figuring that chrysopterus are so sensitive to disease that if something were going to happen that it would have happened to them already. They have been in quarrantine since April 4th. So they're clear by my standards. The question was whether any pathogens would be introduced along with the anemones and there do not appear to be any.

I'll likely be posting more pics soon because I intend to distribute the anemones between the three tanks. There are probably twice as many as I started with. I have been intentionally ticking them off by moving them and changing flow not to mention the inadvertant temperature swings and it has paid off with several splits. I'm gonna try to coax the RBTA to split so I can have an even distribution of anemone clones in each tank.

Wish me luck!

 

[coker98]

Try a sea hare for the algae issues. Those have been known to chomp on some bryopsis.

 

[WDLV]

A few update pics. One shot of the three tanks and a bunch of the thiellei tank since that's where the most changes have occured. There are three different BTA morphs in that tank. There's a total of 6 on that rock.
i was looking at some of my GBR pics and liked how the branch rubbel was mixed in with the sand in certain places. So, I decided to use that model for this tank.

 

[Saltwaternooby]

Wow kinda looks like a flower bouquet

 

[WDLV]

Haha. I guess that's why they call them anemones.

 

[WDLV]

 

[WDLV]

Saved the best for last.

 

[frctlimg]

WOW! Did they lay eggs yet or is that just cleaning?

 

[dalilgriffith]

They start laying eggs and I'll crap my pants. I would love to have a pair of them.

 

[WDLV]

WOW! Did they lay eggs yet or is that just cleaning?

Just cleaning for now. No swollen bellies yet.

They start laying eggs and I'll crap my pants.

Me too! I've been keeping a change of underwear in the basement just in case.

 

[WDLV]

Noteworthy event.

Noteworthy event.

It seems the new food mash I've been using is working out well. My thielleis are fattening up well.

...and my melanopus clowns spawned after being added to the common system about two weeks ago!