Yellow H. magnifica

[OrionN]

Nick and Aaron
Thanks,

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14234544#post14234544 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by garygb
Thanks Orion. Makes sense to mix with tap for water change and then use RO for top-off. I'm tempted to do the same thing.

Gary, I got a little nutrient problem with my small tank (slime dino). I always drip kalk but this did not help. I did a bunch of water change but can not get rid of it. I end up add a sand bed but still can not get rid of it. A few weeks ago, I took the rocks with slimes on it and brush it all off and then change 3/4 of the water, suction all the slime off the sand bed. It works, the 95% slime are gone with the rest receding.
I was about to give up mix salt water with tap (next step) but now that it is receding, I decided to continue to use tap water to mix salt. I cannot easily collect 50 g of RO water at a time to mix salt and never have problem with this before. In order to change to RO water, I have to get another RO unit and hook it up in the garage. I was about to do this when the battle was won without it.

 

[jonnybravo22]

can you show a picture of your lighting setup?

 

[OrionN]

I got an Orbit 150 W 24 inch MH over the 30 g cube

 

[jonnybravo22]

thanks - was hoping to see a picture of the setup

 

[Henryreef]

Wow it is great to see someone with good success with such a difficult species :thumbsup:. Your yellow mag. looks awesome. Good luck and happy reefing.

 

[OrionN]

jonnybravo22,
I actually got a Sunpod instead of an Orbit. 24 inches long with a 150 HQI 10000K with 12 LED 6 blue and 6 white (not hook up)
Her is the picture of the whole system with the 1 g kalk container I am dripping into the tank.

 

[OrionN]

Update on my H. magnifica. It is now under my care for almost 6 months. I removed all the fish except the clown pair in this 30 g cube, so it is essentially a species tank. I got two clams, some Xenia 5 Acropora, one Montipora, one Seriatopora and an un-ID SPS, one mushroom and one Polyp colony in the tank. I added a thick layer of bivalve shells, initially to keep the fine sand from blowing around, but end up added a very think layer of this to make my whole tank in to a large 'pod pile'. I am successful, there are lots of pods in this tank in broad daylight. As soon as I can find a small Mandarin, I will put him or her in there.

Here is a picture of the shells in the tank

Here is the picture of the tank, FTS

Here is a close up picture of the H. magnifica

 

[t4zalews]

^^^ awesome picture

 

[apayne]

Minh,

Will the shells cause an excess build up of nutrients?

Looks SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!

Aaron

 

[OrionN]

t4zalews,
Thanks.

Aaron,
I am a believer in water change. I had tanks with just large crushed corals without problem. These shells are full of amphipods, mysis, worms and other crustaceans. I think it will be OK. Just about 1 week now and the small animals population really exploded. The tank does not have any predators so these animal are out all day. When I feed the tank, they just out grabbing food everywhere. I can see many of them loaded with eggs too.
I think the shell will be a great thing for this tank so I can have a Mandarin.
I will keep you guys/gals update.
If worst come to worst, I can always do the tank over. Handling 30 g tank is sooooo easy after taken care of my 500 g system.

 

[garygb]

I'm glad you H. mag is doing well for you. It looks pretty.

 

[OrionN]

Here is my anemone after +/-6 months under my care. I think I got him 10/15/2008. He is doing very well. He get to eat whatever I feed the fish and the light. He also getting natural sunlight in AM for about 1.5 hrs (Window facing NE)

About my small tank, it is full of pods of variety of species. They have no predation, so I added an Mandarin. She is doing well but hardly come out to the front where I can take a picture of her. She is getting fat even just after 10 days in the tank. Her body is full, both of the sides of her back are higher than the base of her dorsal fin. I don't often see Mandarin that fat in captivity. I should have got a male instead of a female. I wonder if she will ever be egg bind because of having eggs and not have a male in the tank so she can spawn. I don't think this tank can support a pair of Mandarin, not in a 30 g tank even if it is full of pods at this time. I will post a picture when I can catch her out in front of the rock.
Here are the pictures of my Magnifica as of 4/15/2009

 

[OrionN]

I got a PM asking about the clown underneath the anemone. This is a SnowflakeXPercula that was given to me by a friend. She is a very nice and somewhat unique clown with the look of a Ocellaris but some black c/w Percula
here are some picture of her when she was younger

 

[PAZE]

Man that mag. looks awesome, do you feed her or do you just let the clowns feed her, is it enough food if the clowns just feed her? I just picked one up and mine looks awesome but its color is nowhere near yours. amazing Mag.

 

[OrionN]

Paze,
Thanks. I do feed her from time to time, but no more than one every two weeks if that. The clowns do not feed her because I only feed them flake and cyclopeeze twice a day. The anemone just catch some of the fish food. The more you feed an anemone, the faster they grow. I do not want to have my anemone grow because the tank is too small. She is larger now than when I fist got her, but not by much. IMO, she is healthy and has very nice color. The pigment of the tentacles is white and yellow. The white is the pigment color not because it is bleached. The tentacle is white but not translucent if you understand what I mean.

 

[hobogato]

very nice minh - love that clown too

 

[Henryreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14781086#post14781086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by t4zalews
^^^ awesome picture

yeah that really is a great picture!

What camera are you using?

 

[Project Reef]

Minh the master! Great job bro, keep us updated...

 

[OrionN]

Thanks everybody. I will update every few weeks.

 

[OrionN]

This H. magnifica under my care for 7 months now. Not much new other than I removed all the SPS to another tank. Now just the Anemone, one clam, Mandarin, and a Pistol shrimp (I will add a shrimp Goby in the near future)
The tank is absolutely swarmed with crustaceans. I tried but cannot take a picture to show this. Maybe I will add a second Mandarin but that is remain to be seen.
FTS today

Fat Mandarin (night picture since I cannot get her during the day)

Picture of my clam today

Close up picture of the H. magnifica and the clown