3 Month SPS Coral Growth

Today, I took pictures of these SPS coral frags and compared them to pictures taken 3 months ago. Now that I've gotten a better feel on maintaining the proper seawater chemistry, it's about time to show how various corals respond under my conditions.

The tank uses Aquaillumination LED lighting and Scripps seawater (Natural Seawater) with the chemistry levels maintained as follows:

Alkalinity: 8 - 9 dKH
Calcium: 420 - 480 ppm
Magnesium: 1300 - 1350 ppm
pH: 7.99 - 8.20
Salinity: 35 ppt

These pictures were taken mainly to document growth. There are other methods to bring out the colors such as using a tripod, turn off flash and increase exposure which I haven't looked into, yet.

ORA Green Birdsnest

ORA Green Birdsnest, 3 months

Acropora sp.

Acropora sp., 3 months

Acropora sp.

This is a large piece that I tried to carefully glue into my live rock. I wanted to go for the natural look rather than glue it to a plug. I was worried that I put too much super glue at the base of the frag. Also, I worried that it ended up glued a little sideways (notice the coral growth facing to the left!). But, this piece grew relatively fast, encrusted over the glue and grew upwards toward the light!

Acropora sp., 3 months

Montipora digitata

This is one of my favorite pieces because, under moonlight (low intensity blue LED), the orange polyps fluoresce brilliantly. One of these days, I'll learn how to capture that on digital!

Montipora digitata, 3 months

Acropora formosa

I was told that this "bubble gum" piece would grow slowly. You can see the encrusting growth at the base of this frag after 3 months.

Acropora formosa, 3 months

As far as the Red Bug infestation goes, I still haven't gotten my hands on Dragon Face Pipefish. I still wonder how these corals would look without the bugs. I would expect more polyp extension and an upgrade in some colors. Though, with that Flame Angel sampling going on, I doubt it!

I've lost a few corals, but it's hard to say what the cause would be: red bug? a little dip in alkalinity? that time I had to replace my lights? a visit from a certain vibrio bug? the gosh-darn Flame Angel?!

At the rate some of these corals are growing, I might be able to create a nice piece of reef with no problem. I'll try out a few other species of coral to see which fare best and which display better colors.

RIP: Midas Blenny II

The Midas Blenny was found dead, obviously, stuck on of the Vortech pumps this morning as I double-checked the glued-down coral frags. His head had already been gnawed through with both eyeballs eaten out. I must have banged him up last night while I was cursing and pasting down frags (yes, I find it quite difficult) and rearranging rock work. Who will ever know what truly led to the demise of such a fine, outstanding member of my reef box community?

The natural reef is said to be a treacherous place to live. Every animal has its own defensive mechanisms for escaping predation whether it's from sharks, eels, dolphins, crabs, squid, octopuses and other fish. In other words, all the types of animals that I've avoided selecting for my "peaceful" tank (uh, yeah, about that dolphin I ordered the other day....). But, my reef boxed fish fall prey to mistakes I might make such as undernourishment, malnourishment, sea water chemistry neglect, incompatibilities and the occasional rock slide.

A fine fishy funeral service was provided by Jabba the Scolymia with interruptions by the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp; he didn’t want to see his buddy go (into the dark depths of the Scolymia’s mouth!).

Hmmm, is it time to go shopping for a Blue Jaw Trigger fish, yet? Or, perhaps, a Powder Blue Tang? I'd better go read up on fish compatibility and requirements!

You don't have to wait for a fish corpse to go cold; it already is!

Iwaki Pump Routine Cleaning

Here is the Iwaki WMD-30RLTXT that was replaced on the LifeReef skimmer.

Remove the 6 screws holding it together, and you can see the scum build up inside. I have no idea when it was cleaned last because I inherited this pump with the system.

Here, I've removed the impeller. More scum...

A quick rinsing and brushing with a toothbrush and all is back to brand, spanking new! I didn't even find it necessary to wash any calcification buildup with vinegar.

Skimmer Pump Swap

I've been reluctant in getting the pumps cleaned (suggested every 18 months) mainly because of the plumbing involved; For starters, I couldn't figure out how to take the skimmer pump out without spilling a lot of sea water from the sump.

The Iwaki WMD-30RLTXT that I inherited with this set up seemed a bit over-rated (and noisey) for the skimmer. I checked LifeReef online and found that indeed it was. Also, I didn't like the excess heat it produced in the cabinet. Was it the source of those extra 2 degrees that have been plaguing me this summer? Getting the proper Iwaki pump may prove to be the solution because of lower energy consumption and smaller size.

Last Sunday, I finally figured out a way to plug up the hole in the sump that feeds water to the skimmer pump while I cut the 1" tubing with a razor. I replaced other tubing in the skimmer line as well. There were some bad, sulfurous smells that escaped for a while. Towels helped soak up excess drainage.

Iwaki WMD-30RLTXT

I was having trouble installing the red ball valve fixture (a source of leaking), so I decided to remove it from the plumbing. I never really used it during skimmer operation. Besides, it's the gate valve that controls the level of skimming.

Now, with the installation of two "quick release" valves (thanks to the guys at Aquatic Warehouse for their suggestions), the swapping out of pumps should be more efficient. Although, the two pumps I have are completely different models!

The new, smaller pump is much quieter and does the same job as the one I replaced. It still heats up a lot, but the body is half the size. The pump is forced to sit at an odd angle because the exit valve does not sit at a 45 degree angle nor is there a way to adjust it. It's odd. I used a rubber stopper to fix it up.

Iwaki MD-20RXT

The main pump seen in the background is an Iwaki WMD-30RLTXT. It seems to have internal fans, doesn't heat up as much and is relatively quiet. Cleaning out that pump will be another story.

Kern River White Water Rafting

On a side note: I, coworkers and friends went on a white water rafting tour of the lower Kern river. I've done this one before, so I assumed I would be quite the accomplished veteran. Instead, it was like I was a beginner again. The river was little more playful (read: treacherous) this time. I must have fallen overboard about 3 times. One of the times was expected as we rowed the boat up to a bank of rapids to see what we would see.

We had a lot of fun and escaped with minor injuries for all except one crew member: one sprained knee, one fingernail dislocated (this was done outside the river), another banged knee, and finally, one black eye just in time for a wedding!

Our guide was helpful in getting us to row at the right moments as we tried to maneuver through the rapids without getting stuck or flipping over. In the picture below, we finally got an idea of how much fun he was really having with us. We had no clue this was going on in the back until we saw this picture.

Call him "Peter Pan".

Yellow Scroll Coral

This coral was kindly provided as a gift from a reef society member at the last meeting. With summer time breaks and busy schedules, it took me two weeks to finally pick it up at his house. I was expecting a small, 2" piece or so. It's about 6" across and contains many pieces! He also included an Acropora frag and a red Pavona frag!

It may not look like much; at this point it looks like IHOP Sea Pancakes. But, after it has gone through some rehabilitation and acclimation, the color and shape of this Yellow Scroll Coral will be a nice addition to my tank.

We shall see how it responds to Scripps sea water, Aquaillumination LED lighting and my attempts at reef keeping husbandry.

Turbinaria sp.

Banggai Parenthood III

This morning, I counted 4 baby Banggai Cardinals. I swear, the mother of these fish has her 2-chambered heart set on Total Mini-Reef Box Domination because she looks like she's going to go for another round of egg laying. I'll probably miss the event where the male fertilizes and engulfs the eggs into his mouth.

The fry are so small that it's almost impossible to get a clear picture of them. They're "schooling" on the bottom left side of my tank, under the powerful surge of the Vortech pump. One of them has already disappeared. I suspect the Timor Wrasse of knocking one off as a tasty treat. The Wrasse seemed to look at what I was looking at this morning and then noticed the tiny, black & white Graham Cracker Bears.

Four

Composition

Banggai Parenthood II

The Proud Parents

The female (background) has been getting fat again. Perhaps she's ready for another round of egg laying?

Father: still preggers

It's been a few weeks since I last posted about the male carrying eggs. He doesn't eat while incubating the eggs. I see something wiggling inside his mouth. I guess they've hatched.

He's got his dad's eyes!