Joe's Reef

The Downgrading

2012-02-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a 50 gallon Starfire glass cube aquarium (born on 29jan2012) with a glass sump and stand from an SDReef user. The tank, stand and accessories were still in their packing boxes as he had decided he'd rather go with a larger setup. Since I've always wanted a glass tank to take better shots of my specimens and I was thinking about downgrading to a smaller tank, I went for the purchase. So far, I've replaced the main pump with a Tunze 1073.40 (still trying to "break in" and waiting for the humming to dissipate).

The 1" bulkhead was not easy to tighten (without over-tightening) and I've got a mini-micro-leaking going on. The rest of the plumbing is working out. I've got more work to do, but at least I can get an "instant reef" from my main 110 gallon reef tank.

I'm now stuck at the "aquascaping" part. I want to go with pillars of rocks rather than a pyramid pile of rocks in the center. More on that, if I'm successful, later.

Reef Warfare

2011-07-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Wow. After yanking out a few majanoe pest anemones from the tank, something coincidentally triggered a reef warfare among the yellow birdsnest coral (the dead, white coral in the middle of the pic) and the brown, stringy Pavona behind it. The Red Planet coral to the right of the dead birdsnest also suffered. There is some tissue death at the base of the Red Planet, but it has since slowed down, so I think it's going to stabilize. If not, I'd have to frag it to pieces so that I won't lose $100's of dollars of a worthy coral. Meanwhile, I've noticed that there are parts of the yellow birdsnest coral that have BGA at the base which seems to have protected it from further tissue death.

RKE updated

2011-05-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

After determining that the RKE head unit was corrupt, I sent it in for repairs. It somehow got fried after I did the firmware updates. Who knows what did it? But, it wasn't too much of a loss for me since I actually got the free V2 head unit trade-in when it was available back when. So, I went ahead and purchased a replacement unit and it's been up and running since May 3rd.

With the NET module working, I was able to look at the data that's been recording. Temperature reflects San Diego weather that affects the house:

The pH is fluctuating with lights on/off as it should (a spike marks a water change):

I still haven't bothered calibrating ORP since I don't really use it to push the tank in either direction. The spikes correspond to the water changes that are done once every 2 weeks. The ORP is inversely related to the pH.

The data are not uploaded to any website just yet since the router I'm using is not able to act as an access point. I'll have to search Craigslist for some old router or get a fancy Airport Express that I can hook up to a sound system and listen to Airtunes for my big fat Airhead.

Hammers for Sale!

2011-05-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

...and 5-6 heads of hammer corals for sale!

Here's an example of the Mother colony:

Fungia for Sale

2011-05-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Get your green, hot Fungia's for sale!

Unknown SPS on tall live rock

2011-03-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

I've got to sell or trade this tall live rock with an unknown SPS on top. I've already got a piece of it growing elsewhere and I'd like to make room for other corals. I'm not sure what type of SPS it is and the coral's color might be better under another type of lighting (and other tank chemistry) other than what I'm providing.

A top-down shot:

RKE, still trying

2011-03-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, I re-installed the firmware on the head unit, but this time I disabled Norton 360. The RKE looked like it was going to do much better. I was even able to use MyReef 2.0 to do some programming. But, this is what the head unit was doing this morning. I've been in contact with DA support and we're trying to do some troubleshooting.

RKE still no good

2011-03-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

After re-reading all the notes for updating, I went ahead and re-applied the firmware to all devices after my last blog post. This time, I made sure to unplug everything from the PC4's while the head unit was going through factory default settings. It worked nicely afterward, but this is what I came home to today. Again, all power from the PC4's was shut off since who-knows-when after I left for work this morning.
I'm still waiting for a reply from DA support.
I've re-applied the firmware to the headunit and now it's up and running and it looks like the settings have been kept. Now, I have to figure out how to program the PC4's to just keep the power on while while the head unit randomly goes into crap-out mode.

RKE updated (regrettably)

2011-03-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

I updated the firmware on all the RKE devices over the weekend and things were working well for several hours. I decided to feed the fish and use the RKE's standby mode, then the head unit "crashed". I re-programmed the head unit's firmware again, and it seemed to work even when I tried the standby mode. I thought that might have been the only hiccup during this updating process.

Unfortunately, this is what I came home to today at 7:30 PM:

Another, seemingly random, crash.

By the looks of it, it looks as if my main pump, protein skimmer, heaters and auto top-off devices had been powered off since 3:22 PM. LED lights and Vortech circulation pumps were kept separately on a good old-fashioned power strip.

The livestock looks healthy....so far.

Time to log on to Digital Aquatic's forum. Ugh.

Top-down shots

2011-03-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

I was doing some maintenance on the lighting hood. It looked like BBQ ashes were collecting in the LED cooling fans and heat sink fins, so I had to blow them out with a can of air.

Anyhow, since the top was off, I turned off the pumps and tried to take some top-down pictures of the corals. It's difficult without an acrylic box to minimize surface water interference. I had to crop out the flask and camera's reflection.

Red Planet (oooh, ya, my favorite SPS)

Meteor Shower Cyphastrea.
The polyps aren't as wide open as I see on others' pictures.

There's a whole mess of these yellow zoanthids. There might be a little zoa pox going on, but I wouldn't mind if there was something to control their growth.

Clam

2011-02-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

This Tridacna maxima clam is the latest addition to the tank along with a Halichoeres melanurus Wrasse that seems to be decimating the flatworm (red rusties and brownies!) population in my tank. Finally, a bioweapon that delivers results! Oh, and speaking of results, the new Tiger Conch I got from Pet Kingdom started to vacuum up the blue-green algae from the sand bed. I was surprised.
I got the clam at AquaSD for a resonable price (unlike the $400 for an equally-sized clam that this guy sells his for in NYC).

Still Growing

2010-12-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

The Red Planet, and a few other SPS corals, is growing nicely in my LED-lighted tank. I've run out of B-ionic and starting making my own two-part buffering system. It seems to work well, although the alkalinity still goes down to 7 dKH when I'm trying to keep it at 8 over the week. I just don't feel like testing every day. At the most, I'll correct the balance on the weekends.

Florida ricordeas in the refugium

2010-10-23T14:41:00.001-07:00

The Florida ricordeas are recovering from being covered up in green hair algae while in the refugium. After plucking off the algae a few times, the growth seems to have stopped on its own accord.

Hair Algae

2010-06-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I had gotten rid of my hair algae problems by increasing the magnesium content of my reef tank. But, it continues to grow in patches here and there. I think it might be related to alkalinity swings and perhaps the temperature. Since the Scripps Pier spigot has been closed off, I've had to consider ordering synthetic salt water. I'll be making the switch soon, so who knows what problems await me further down the road? I'll be sure to measure magnesium, alkalinity, calcium and salinity of the new mix. I wonder if the corals will like the change?

Here's some hair algae. I bought some Aqua Medic Aquarium Tweezers, but the siphon attachment didn't have enough power to suck up the dislodged hair algae. So, in this case, the product didn't "suck enough", so it just sucked. I had to resort back to the good old fashioned thumb and forefinger method of plunking out the hair.

Et, voila! Oh, look, there's some Florida Ricordea growing on that rock!

Here's a cup of fresh water in which I put the hair algae after plucking it off the rocks. What a great way to export nitrogenous waste! Sigh....my fingers are waterlogged after spending hours in there. And, I didn't get it all.

Leather corals and Montipora

2010-04-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

The red Montipora sp. coral has grown to a nice size. I placed two different colored leather corals near its base to create a color complement. The tank is still "re-cycling" and re-adjusting since I repositioned a lot of the live rock a few weeks ago. I've had to siphon out bluegreen algae (BGA) here and there during the water changes. Over time, I've noticed that the BGA's growth has slowed down. But, now, there's an increase in green hair algae. I'll manage that by manually removing it over time and the tank should be back to being well-balanced in a few more weeks.

Oh, and since the introduction of a dozen peppermint shrimp, I noticed that all my Aiptasia have been eradicated. It took a few weeks before the shrimp actually managed to wipe out all of the pests.

Long Tentacle Anemone

2010-03-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

After changing my mind about purchasing a Copper Banded Butterfly fish (who wants to feed a fish live food twice a day?!), I decided to go with an anemone at Vets-Pets. An anemone still requires feeding, but it'll catch food during feeding time and I'll hand feed it once a week or so.

I created plenty of space for this new, purple animal on the right side of my 110 gallon reef aquarium. The LTA (Macrodactyla doreensis) is known to expand to 18" in diameter. I think after reefkeeping for a few years, my tank (and I) would be mature enough to support the anemone. Plus, this is one of the more hardy species of anemones to keep in a reef aquarium.

The clowns were not happy because I moved their egg-bearing mushroom rock to make room for the new anemone. They were swatting at the new arrival with their tails and pouring sand on it after I introduced it to the tank.

Here is the poor anemone trying to adjust after a 1 hour drip-acclimation:

This is the adjusted anemone the next morning. I even added several cups of sand to surround the foot. The clowns don't see it as a threat anymore. I think they may considering using the new real estate containing the purple mansion as an upgrade home for their expanding family.

Here's a flash picture of the anemone. The tentacles are conforming to the corkscrew shape characteristic of the "corkscrew anemone". Now, the trick is to keep this animal comfortable enough to stay in one place. Otherwise, it'll wreak havoc by stinging my other corals to death. How do you keep an animal with no brain happy? Feed it!

Purple Tang Removal

2010-03-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

I tried using the 2-liter empty bottle method for capturing the Purple Tang, but the fish was too large. I even tried a plastic spaghetti holder with food placed at the bottom, but was only able to capture the Naso Tang. So, after moving the Naso Tang to the QT tank, I locally rented a larger fish trap from Aquatic Warehouse.

The Purple Tang took a few hours trying to figure out how to get inside the acrylic box trap. I had to use the turkey baster to swirl the Mysis Shrimp food to gain back his interest. He kept pecking from the outside of the box. When he finally entered the box, I yanked on the fishing line to close the trap. The box went up in the excitement, landed on my yellow bird's nest coral and broke it off.

Once the Purple Tang was caught, I called up the guy waiting to purchase the fish. He came to my house within 1/2 hour to take the fish to its new home.

While I was waiting, the Naso Tang was taken from the QT tank and placed back in the main tank. He was a little disoriented, but seemed to be saying his goodbyes to the old bully as he swam against the fish trap containg the Purple Tang.

Coral Extraction

2010-02-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

I pulled out a large piece of live rock with a large Acropora coral. This coral is very hardy in my tank, but it needs to be exposed higher in the tank (and closer to the light source) in order for it to produce nicer colors. I decided to remove this one and start over with some smaller frags. I've already got some growing in a higher location where it has better color.

Here it is sitting in a 9 gallon glass tank. I'll see if I can trade it with other hobbyists.

Arrow Crab

2010-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here's my Arrow Crab (Stenorhynchus seticornis) specimen in the QT tank. My neighbor thought that it was some sort of spider. Although, there are such things as sea spiders.

Kill Majanoes!

2010-01-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

What a better way to start off the New Year than with a new commitment to eradicating the reef tank of all Majanoes? My supply of Aiptasia-X has run out, so I'm going to use the Kalkwasser method, instead. Both of these methods seem to work equally well with the permanent death of the Majanoes and the temporary relief of the Aiptasia which tend to grow back more often than not. I would agree that the Aiptasia-X product is less toxic, but I don't have any "prize winners" in my tank to worry about. Come to think of it, I don't know if prize-winning corals exist, yet.

Here are my easy steps to using Kalkwasser to knock out unwanted pest anemones in a 110 gallon mixed reef tank:

1) Add 1/2 teaspoon of Kalkwasser (or Mrs. Wages Pickling lime) to a small glass or porcelain container. I'm using some sort of finger bowl I found in the kitchen.

2) Add RO water in a 1:1 volume ratio. Don't breathe in the dust (calcium hydroxide) or get it in your eyes! You want to keep the solution dense/concentrated so that when you apply it in the tank, it will sink down on to the pests.

3) Heat the solution in a microwave on high. Use 10 second intervals and stir. You want the vessel to get hot to the touch, but not crazily steaming and boiling!

4) Turn off main pump and all power heads in the aquarium.

5) Use a syringe with a wide bore needle to draw up a volume of the kalkwasser. I used the left-over syringe and needle that is found in the Aiptasia-X box.

6) Cover each pest with the sinking solution. I tend to keep the needle from touching the pests because they can clog up the syringe with some sorta goo. (using a finer needle, I've read that some people inject the solution into an Aiptasia -- I haven't tried it, yet). The solution may damage your larger animals, but they'll soon recover.

7) Leave all pumps off for at least 20 minutes. After the main circulation pump is turned on, I don't turn on my power heads until an hour or so later.

8) After you run out of solution and you still have pests left to treat, you may want to give your tank a week's break before going for another round of treatment.

Here are some before/after pics of today's treatment:

My battle is far from over; I've got Majanoes in places inaccessible to me and my syringe. But, at least I can provide some relief to my favorite corals. I plan on moving some of the live rocks to get at the remaining Majanoes at a later time. As for the Aiptasia, I'll be adding some peppermint shrimp to help out with that problem.

Fish Trapping

2009-12-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of trying to lure the dottyback into the fish trap. Once it's removed, I can fill the tank up with peppermint shrimp to take care of some Aiptasia anemones. The tank was being overfed by an automatic feeder which I removed several weeks ago.

So far, I've managed to trap a crab. It's similar to an emerald crab, but the coloration is different. This was a tiny crab that came with an Acro frag. I thought it was going to be an Acro crab, but it turned out to be something else and grew to size quickly.

Coral Update

2009-09-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Growth in the main reef tank is carrying along even with a few interruptions in its care. Every once in a while, I have a visitor over, and I tend to neglect the tank. The chemistry goes off a bit and some corals might have tissue recession. I haven't been monitoring the basics (salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium) as well as I should. The RKE unit is very good at monitoring pH, temperature and ORP, but even the respective probes need some cleaning maintenance to ensure optimum performance.

So what I'm left with is a bunch of corals and invertebrates that refuse to die. Or, looking at it from a different perspective: I'm left with only hardy corals and invertebrates. The fish in my reef tank are doing fine since I'm not overstocked with them.

This green Acropora sp. almost qualifies with kryptonite as its type of color description when observed from a normal distance. This macro picture helps me monitor the appearance of "red bugs". I definitely have eradicated them from my system.

I've been trying to sell this coral trio of blue stag Acropora sp., tricolor Acropora valida and red Montipora sp. on the internet boards with no such luck, yet. By the time the recession is really, really over, the coral will double in growth and I'll have to double the offering price!

This German blue Montipora digitata is starting to take shape. These species of coral seem to do well in the reef box setting. So, I'll look out for more with different color variations.

This Tridacna derasa clam is doing well. You can see its siphon in the middle of the picture. The siphon probably sends a current to the Acropora to the left. The orange mushroom corals on the top right are on a rock that keeps falling down. I have to find a new place for it.

RIP Nano

2009-08-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

I took down the Nano tank yesterday as planned. The majority of the live rock was moved to the quarantine tank and one of the larger pieces was placed in the main reef tank. I wanted to move the live sand to the main tank, but I'd rather rinse off the debris before doing that. The LED lighting and canopy happens to fit the dimensions of my refugium tank. So, it's a bit of an upgrade from PC lighting in that respect.

The reason why I decided to take down the tank is because it required 2 cups of reverse osmosis water every day due to evaporation. I was fine with it at first, but, like the infamous (or mythical?) Chinese water torture, it became unbearable. And, I didn't want to subject my friends to the same torture while I go on a week's vacation.

The battery-operated auto-top off (ATO) device didn't help, either. When it would switch on, it would go "WAAAAAGGGHHHH"!!! This would sometimes go off early in the morning as "WAAAAAGGGHHHH" "WAAAAAGGGHHHH" "WAAAAAGGGHHHH" at random intervals until I decided to just pour in the dang 2 cups of water myself. On the other hand, the ATO for the main tank is one of those high tech models designed by Tunze. It hums along (until it runs out of water in the reservoir after week, then it goes "WAAAAAGGGHHHH"!).

I'm a light sleeper; rats can't tip-toe enough for me while they're outside during the hot summer months here in San Diego.

Live Rock Addition

2009-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I added a large live rock to the main tank. The rock was in quarantine for 6 weeks because it came from a tank that had an outbreak of fish parasites. It took me hours and hours to move corals out of the way and get the rock situated. I tried my best not to break corals and scratch the acrylic walls of the tank. But, it was not easy to avoid.

With the new arrangement, I wanted to move one of the Vortech pumps higher up to provide more water flow in the tank. In doing so, I changed the dynamics of the tank and had to rearrange other corals that might not like as much flow.

I still can't find a good place for my red Gonipora!

Moving corals is like playing a game of chess. You must strategically place your pieces and decide which ones you value the most. And, if you're not careful, a pawn (a colony of zoanthids) can easily take your queen (Acropora).

Rather thank taking pictures of the boring live rock, here are some shots of the right and left side of the tank.

This purple Acropora nana is about 6-7" high and attached to a 3" high rock. I found a new place for it, but in the process, I broke off some tips and tore off tissue from the main branch. I'll have to wait and see if it recovers or goes the STN or RTN route that usually strikes less robust corals.

Acropora gemmifera

2009-06-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

These frags of Acropora gemmifera were purchased on 6/1/09 and entered into a "growing/survival" contest at SDReefs. I treated the frags with TMPCC coral dip according to the basic instructions. Some inanimate flatworms were observed after treatment and I wasn't able to detect any egg masses. The frags were placed in my refugium under PC lights for about 2 days before I mounted them to live rock using AquaMend. On 6/6/09, I noticed tissue recession at the base and decided to re-frag and remount all frags to avoid any more STN (slow tissue necrosis). This time, I used a cyanoacrylate gel to glue the frags to the rock.

The frags are now in the main tank under LED lighting. I still see some tissue recession with some of the frags. I now have 7 separate colonies and will just have to wait and see which ones survive. I was limited to where I could place these frags, so getting the best pictures was difficult.

Corals, Amphipod and Sea Spider

2009-06-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Who says you can't grow SPS corals under LED lighting? In the background is a flourescent green "acorn stag" Acropora sp. and in the foreground is an A. valida coral. I originally had the green stag mounted alone on a rock, but a portion of my wildly growing A. valida grew onto the same rock and declared war at the base where they met. Several months ago, I moved the rock to a higher location in the tank and broke the connecting coral. Today, I dislodged the rock and turned it around in order to show more of the A. valida. And, because it is positioned closer to the LED lights than the mother colony, the polyps are more colorful.

This variability in color quality as a consequence of lighting intensity is a similar property in reef tanks using metal halide, T5 or PC lighting. So, one must figure out the optimal placement for each coral before committing it to its permanent location.

This amphipod was found in between the glass and the Subcurrent filter in the Nano tank. I wanted to get a clear picture of it because of the fore claws. I can see how it can easily be confused for a baby Mantis shrimp. Although, I should do some research to see what a baby Mantis really looks like!

At the base of a Devil's hand leather coral, I found this sea spider. They have a bad reputation for feasting on soft corals and prized collections of zoanthids. I really wouldn't mind if it mowed down the uncontrolled yellow zoanthids in my tank. I shouldn't take the chance and find that a mate is ready to do some serious multiplying. So, I'll have to extract it soon.

DIY ATO for the Nano

2009-05-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

The DIY ATO (do it yourself auto top-off) project was able to proceed once I received the $6 float switch ordered from eBay. I used a 1/16" drill bit to create holes on the side of the Battery Air Pump. I also drilled holes in an empty tube of AquaMend to house the float switch. The original DIY details for internal wiring can be found at Nano-Reefs.com. The air pump has a built-in clip that will allow me to mount it onto the AquaClear refugium located behind the Nano tank. I just had to shave it off a bit to avoid salt creep.

The 2.84 L container is rigid enough to allow pressure build up from the air pump in order to drive water up and out. The next step will be to figure out how to mount the float switch in the Nano tank.

Red Hot Chilli Pepper Montipora

2009-05-29T01:03:00.000-07:00

I tried snapping another macro photo of my pet RHCP Montipora coral. I'm still not too satisfied after the 50th attempt, so I guess I have to try 50 more attempts to get that one perfect photo.

I noticed that the polyps each have 6 tentacles. I've seen other photos where Montipora polyps contain 2X that number. I wonder what this implies as far as classification is concerned? With another coral, I recently learned that Goniopora have 2X more tentacles surrounding the mouth than Alveopora. Both are known as "flower pot" corals, though. I still haven't figured out the difference between Montipora foliosa and M. capricornis.

Aquascaping the Nano

2009-05-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

I had to lower the live rock platform from the top because it was exposed during a 5 gallon water change. Even though I added an AquaClear 110 on the back as a Sump/Refugium, I still had to drain some water from the Nano during a water change. So, in addition to lowering the top rock, the heater replaced with a lower wattage and Vortech moved to the left.

I'm thinking about adding another small rock to raise the top platform to separate it from the lower platform. This should make it a little more interesting. I just want to let the tank rest after the reconfiguration. With the platform lowered, there should be more room for future corals to grow to the top as well. The AC110 Sump/Refugium behind the tank is seen lit with a Coralife Mini PC.

I also added simple crown molding to the top of the canopy. Unfortunately, I selected finishing nails that were a bit too thick and really banged things up! Maybe I can use the overhanging nails to hang xmas lights during the holidays?

Nano Tank Canopy

2009-05-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

I went to Home Depot and bought all the wood necessary for the Nano Tank Canopy.

The design fit snug on top of the Nano tank. I didn't find any fancy crown molding to apply to the top, but I'll add some simple molding later. After that, I'll paint it black with some spray paint. I had an old Vortech pump that didn't power up for a few hours even though the adapter was powered up. I'm testing it out here on the lowest power setting. I'll have to rearrange things again after I decide what to do with the aquascaping.

Here's the AI LED unit resting in between two wood planks. The unit sinks 2 mm between the two pieces and cannot slide front to back.

Nano Canopy Design

2009-05-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

Using Google's SketchUp program, I put together a canopy design for my 15 gallon AGA Nano Reef with the new 12" AI LED. I just wanted to have an open top design to hold the unit in place while allowing me to decide on where I would position the AI LED left to right. The open top allows the best air circulation for the AI LED's fans which are located on top.

I'm not sure how much more I'd like to hide the AI LED unit within the canopy. But, I do want the AI LED to stay about 5" from the top of the aquarium. This gives me a better spread of light.

The Google SketchUp data file is shared here.

Orange Zoanthids

2009-04-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

I moved some corals to the Nano tank from my refugium frag rack. The Aquaillumination LED unit went into moonlight mode and these orange zoanthids became highly fluorescent. The lighting unit was a little too bright during moonlight mode, so I decreased its output to 0% white and 1% blue.

The Nano build has become a little bit of a headache. The AI LED unit's mounting kit does not fit properly on the 10 X 20" frame of the tank. Luckily for me, Reefgeek's AI LED package had already discounted the price of the mounting kit without my knowledge. I'll have to build a canopy since I can't go with the suspension kit. Then, the AquaClear 110 Power Filter arrived with a crack in its return area. I can't have this breaking apart on me in the future. So, I'll have to exchange the defective merchandise.

But, on the bright side, one of the main reasons I've wanted a glass Nano tank is so that I could take crisp macro photographs of the creatures in residence. I'm getting a little better, I think. I had to adjust the images to reproduce the fluorescence I was seeing with my eyes.

GSP Coral

2009-04-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Green Star Polyps (GSP) coral completely covers a foot long live rock and grows on the back wall of my reef aquarium. I tried scraping the coral from the back wall, but it started releasing some unknown white substance. I didn't want to challenge my reef as I had already removed a baseball-sized clump of zoanthids earlier.

I would rather take a hammer and chisel to this piece and separate the Devil's Hand coral from the encroaching GSP.

Nano Reef Chemistry

2009-04-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

When I purchased the live rock from AquaSD, they mentioned that the rock had been cycling for about 3 weeks. So, if I add that to the time it has been in my Nano tank, I find that I have about 5 weeks of cycling time to date. All seawater added to the Nano comes from my 110 gallon main reef tank. So, by using established tank water, I may be able to speed up the cycling process. It's a gamble to add corals at this point, but I have Frogspawn coral frags in the quarantine tank that need better lighting than a standard fluorescent bulb. So, in they go along with an Emerald Crab. The three pieces will go in a shady spot for a few days, then they'll be positioned under the new Aquaillumination LED lights (more on THAT later) of the Nano tank. After they've healed and look presentable, I plan to trade them out.

I didn't detect any ammonia or nitrite spikes with the few measurements taken. Nitrate levels are at an acceptable 5 ppm. The rock is relatively clean with a few live fan worms. I've noticed a lot of copepods starting to populate the glass walls of the tank. Two other live rock hitchhikers include a small brittle star and a stomatellid snail. From the filter bag of my main tank, I've collected tiny Cerith snails to place in the Nano.

I'm using an API Freshwater Master Test kit which works just fine for the saltwater application.

RKE V2 - Temperature Trend

2009-04-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

The weather has been getting hotter during the day. And, graphing out temperature on the RKE V2 shows the effect it has on my 110 gallon reef tank. The left part of the graph is about 77 degrees while the humps reflect rising heat during the day. It's time to move a small fan to the sump to avoid having the chiller turn on. It'll be interesting to see the fan's effect on this graph.

SeaWorld San Diego

2009-04-20T20:20:00.001-07:00

I visited SeaWorld last Saturday and made use of my annual pass. I went looking for the free beer samples, but somehow never found them. Is this because of the sell-out? Hmph!

Orca upside down and underwater

The unicorn tangs were hard to capture with my less-than-stellar photo skills.

This fish kept still enough for me to get a decent pic.

Devil's purses (skate, shark or ray eggs?)

Giant green sea anemone
Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Double Vortech Maintenance: WARNING!

2009-04-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

I cleaned off the encrusting coralline algae and other growth from the two MP40w Vortechs which operate in my main tank. I soaked them overnight in a diluted solution of white vinegar. I used an old toothbrush to help out and scraped at the coralline with my fingernails.

In an attempt to get them to pose for this blog, I inadvertently brought the two magnets too close together and WHAM! They got stuck! They almost took my thumb this time! When it happened yesterday, I at least had the protective backings on. This time, the magnets were in direct contact with each other.

I found nothing in the FAQ section at EcoTech Marine. So, a quick search on the internet (before I lose a thumb) advised: "If it is difficult to separate magnets , press one against the edge of a desk and slide the other one free."

I successfully used a 15 x 11" piece of 1/4" thick acrylic to help me slide these babies apart.

Et, voila! Here they are tempting fate once again. I just wanted to assess the status of the magnets. They're as clean as the day the company decided to replace the original rusting design. I was concerned about the area around the screw where the propeller shaft is attached. But, it looks like it's still in excellent condition!

It's a 5-star rating for this device! It should qualify as Ocean-proof!

Nano Reef Aqua Sculpturing

2009-04-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today, I collected about 10.9 lbs of "shelf" and 8.2 lbs of "rubble" live rock at AquaSD. I was able to go through a vat containing various sizes and shapes. At home, the rock was drilled with a 1/2" drill bit and acrylic rods were inserted to help construct the aqua sculpture. I was confined to making the structure fit into a 20 X 10" footprint. Most pieces of the live rock were easy to drill through while only a few were impossible to drill.

Here's a look at how the acrylic rods go through the shelf rocks. To hide the acrylic rods, I'll drill more small pieces and insert them between the shelf rocks. I'm aiming to get the bottom shelf drilled at an angle so that the shelf slants. In this way, I can position the sculpture to display more surface area when the tank is viewed from the front.

I was able to carry the entire structure by grabbing the bottom "legs". Of course, the rocks rearranged a bit when I placed it into the tank and it took me some time to figure out how to adjust it. I found that the shelf rocks had to be chipped away further because I wanted to leave enough room for front glass maintenance.

I originally wanted to fit the filtration device on the back glass, but there wasn't enough room. So, I mounted it on the left.

Next, I performed a 10 gallon water change on my main tank and used the discarded water to fill up the Nano tank. The biologically active water from my main tank should help speed up the process of cycling the Nano tank.

I used a filter bag with an MJ1200 pump and tubing to speed up the filtration of particulates coming off of the newly drilled live rock. Note: using the clip on the top was a bad idea because the seawater wicks up the sides and drips out. I caught it just in time, though. I then placed the temporary filter bag in the middle of the tank.

After it cleared up a bit, I turned on the Subcurrent filter device and installed a 50V heater. Left over rock was placed on the bottom left side for future use.

Sweet.

Blue Flasher Wrasse Stuck in Overflow

2009-04-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

(...and not mysteriously vanquished from the reef!)

I'm glad that I took a quick peek in the right overflow of my main tank because I found a fish staring back at me. The Blue Flasher introduction didn't go too well because Adebisis the Purple Tang is very dominant and sends all the little fish scurrying to their hiding places when he pulls up his fins (or when he does his weird dance).

The Blue Flasher Wrasse had taken a trip between the weir teeth of the overflow to hide. So, I was happy to know that he didn't go carpet surfing, get caught by the suspected Gorilla crab or get diced in the plastic egg crate positioned on the tank top (I've read that egg crate is a great "wrasse dicer" on ReefCentral). I spent quite some time searching for this little fish; he disappeared only hours after being introduced to the main tank while I rearranged Human furniture.

I'll have to move the lighting fixture and get access to the overflow box by removing the acrylic lid that covers it. Then, I'll pull on the Durso standpipe to pull it free from the bottom. The water in the overflow box will drain and the fish will either stay in the box area or go flowing down the return drain where he'll land in the sump.

Here's a close-up of the Aiptasia (or "glass anemone"). It is constantly sending out an invitation for dinner and certainly could accept a wrasse of this size. Although, I've never seen it happen in my tank. The anemone serves as a detritus feeder along with all those other filter feeders (sponges, fan worms, snails) in the "cryptic zone" of my overflow box. The anemone is also a pest which can rapidly multiply in numbers and create an uncomfortable environment for the other inhabitants of the tank.

Nano Bug

2009-04-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, noooooo....

I got bit by the Nano Bug! For some reason, I've become compelled to put together a Nano Reef tank. Okay, so here are some made up reasons: (1) To grow extra corals apart from my main tank. (2) to set it up in case someone wants to display it at a certain class during a certain time of the year. So, it'll be set up for a mobile application.

It feels like reef tanks replicate on you by the process of budding: the main tank will eventually bud a quarantine tank, which buds a hospital tank, which buds a Nano reef tank. And, mixed in there is a budding of sump, refugium and frag tanks in the complex life cycle of the hobbyists' reef tanks.

I first started out with a 15 gallon glass tank. I stripped off the top, black bracing to give it that Euro "rimless" look only to discover the shoddy workmanship of the glass underneath. And then I found that the old tank had too many cracks in it to risk having it leak some day in the future like it happened here at this almost-inspiring thread at Nano-reefs.com. So, I tossed that idea and hid the tank in the garage.

Next, I selected a rarely used 10 gallon glass aquarium without removing the top black bracing. Here I am scraping away at the glass with a razor blade. This would satisfy anyone's hidden, inner OCD requirements. I kept wondering if I could use the same method on my car! It would be extremely clean!

During my research for internal overflows, I came across Current USA's "Subcurrent" model for Nano tanks while I was shopping online at MarineDepot. It sold for $30!

Here it is during a test run with tap water filled to the rim. It's a two-in-one device: a (1) mechanical/biological filter connected to a power head which (2) agitates the water column. The two loc-lines allow you to control the direction of the outflow. There was plenty of flow action within the constraints of this tank. I know where a frag of my torch coral is going to end up.

Fortunately (or unfortunately---depending on how you will now predict my future expenses), I came across an offer on SDReefs for an 18 gallon tank for a mere $10. I had been shopping around to see what tanks were available at the stores. They were all too pricey. It's the "brand new car?" or "used car?" situation; they both get you to your destination but one's more stylish than the other. I just couldn't pass up this offer as this was going to be a DIY project. Read "used car".

It turns out that the 18 gallon tank was formerly used as a "hospital tank" which involved copper treatment. So, I decided to send it through a sterilization step with some chlorine bleach for any disease causing microbes. I'll assume that the copper levels weren't too high to become associated with the seam materials in the tank. A few good rinses would help. But, it wasn't done before I scraped away at the glass with a razor! It was in pristine condition!

Nano tank build: to be continued...

Heater Malfunction

2009-04-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

I avoided being electrocuted today.

Today's 12 gallon sea water change preparation was interrupted by sparkles. This 150 watt glass heater popped off a chunk and exposed the elements to the water. There were an unusual amount of gass bubbles on it before I plugged it in. Maybe I should have wiped them off to avoid a heater malfunction? Or, because I am constantly moving the heater before and after water changes, I might eventually cause a micro crack? I should invest in a "shatter proof" heater for the water change preparations.

I'm going to toss out the water preparation since the heater leaked out some ozone-smelling, black liquid. Why take a chance?

Blue Flasher Wrasse

2009-04-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait to post pics of my new Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus) that I purchased from LotsaFishies. But, rather than jinx this currently quarantined fish with a full body shot, I decided to post the details of his dorsal fin.

Okay, the truth is that he wouldn't sit still for a photo session!

War Coral - Nighttime Photography

2009-03-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

When the lights go out on the reef tank, all hell breaks loose with the War Coral! There are numerous feeder tentacles waiting for nighttime creatures to accidentally brush against them. I can't image what the sting might feel like on my fingers.

You can even see that the War Coral is attacking the Coralline Algae at the base. It's most likely clearing a space for future expansion of the colony.

I used the camera's built-in flash to capture this nighttime image.

Here's a daytime, close-up image of the War Coral's "peacetime" look.

Emerald Crab on Red Goniopora

2009-03-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, I took this flash photo of an Emerald Crab on the red Goniopora.

It's artsy fartsy, no?

Ocellaris

2009-03-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

An Ocellaris clownfish staring back at the invasive macro lens.

Non-emerald Emerald Crab

2009-03-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

I just bought this non-emerald Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus) at AquaticWarehouse (AW). For acclimation, I decided to just equilibrate the temperature and chunk it into the main tank. I think crabs seem to be less sensitive to water changes. It immediately went to work picking at algae on the rock work.

Tank-Raised Banggai Cardinal 4 Sale

2009-03-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

This tank-raised baby Banggai Cardinal measures about 1.5 inches and popped out of its daddy's mouth about 7 months ago. I fed it baby brine shrimp (BBS) for a while, but now it exists solely on whatever it can find swimming about in the refugium. I'm putting it up for sale since I've got a new batch of Banggai's to manage.

Here's a comparison of the two different generations. The new generation has about 9 surviving members last time I counted. About 5 others didn't survive the transition because I handled them harshly or they were somehow maimed on their way out of the main tank to the sump.

I think the older sibling is being tempted by their bite-size-ness.

SPS-eating Fish

2009-03-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

I had a frag of a three-headed Hammer Coral fall and land between the Orange Montipora digitata and the ORA Green Bird's Nest corals. It wasn't more than 24 hours contact time, so I thought there would be a little bit of loss. Over the course of a week, however, I noticed that the corals kept loosing more and more tissue. The white skeleton underneath kept getting more and more exposed!

After careful observation, I noticed that my Pygmy Angels, especially the Coral Beauty, were picking only at the weakened tissue. Given more time, I think the fish will just work their way around the entire colony. Then, I noticed the Coral Beauty picking at the new SPS frags that I just transferred over.

I've decided to ask around for a fish trap on the hobbyist boards because I'm not going to be very successful trying to grow SPS frags with the Pygmy Angels always on the hunt.

Banggai Batch No. 6?

2009-03-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

I've lost count on how many times my Banggai Cardinal pair have released batches of babies. With the first batch, I was able to rear one fish. After that, they seemed to have been eaten by the mother or the Timor Wrasse (a suspect which is no longer present). Today, so far, five brave fish left their daddy to take a gulp of air for their air bladders. As they did so, they either got swept away and ended up in the sump, or I netted them. One was just getting comfortable around a Frogspawn coral where two Ocellaris Clowns reside. Two of them were injured because they got caught in the filter sock. And, one of them died instantly; I must have squashed it during the rescue attempt. There are several more babies still waiting to come out, but I hope they do it on my watch. Otherwise, they may easily become fish food for the larger fish in my reef tank.

Here's one of the babies that I've moved to the refugium. They seem a little more mature this time around.

New SPS frags

2009-02-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Originally, I was only going to buy a $10 frag of "Scripp's Acro". But after seeing all the beautiful colonies growing in this user's Zeovit-type tank, I couldn't help but inquire about what else was up for sale. I got two more. Then, another piece came from trading in some equipment.

This frag came from a large mother colony.

This one is a Yellow Bird's Nest, Seriatopora sp.

Finally, here is the Scripp's Green-tip Staghorn, Acropora sp.

I traded an ATO switch that I didn't need for a frag of this Miami Orchid Staghorn, Acropora sp. The close-up picture show tissue damage from being handled. I'll have to give all the corals some time to recover in the refugium before I find a place for them in the main reef tank.

Carpet Surfing

2009-02-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

This week I noticed a certain "note" missing from the reef tank. The Timor Wrasse, which normally swims about in the open, was not up and doing its early morning rock inspection routine. So, when I decided to search behind the tank stand, I found the dried remains of the fish. This is what reef hobbyists refer to as "carpet surfing".

Who could appreciate a close-up picture of a Timor Wrasse's formidable jaws? There seems to be a pair of "tusks" involved as well. Don't let the teeth fool you; this fish was an extremely friendly member of my tank the entire year it spent in my tank.

I liked having the top of the acrylic tank uncovered for the benefits of gas exchange and better light penetration. But, to avoid anymore random losses, it's time I put them back on.

Zoanthid Surprise

2009-02-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

I was checking up on some neglected corals in my main tank when I noticed this surprising zoanthid. It's now got a nice red ring pattern around the mouth! It was difficult to take a decent picture because of the angle of the shot. Once I get this colony situated higher up on the rock work, I'll be sure to get some high quality images.

RIP: Acro Crab

2009-02-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

Leave it up to a Red-legged Hermit crab to discover the struggling Acro crab in the isolation chamber I created. Or, the Acro crab was probably already dead and the Hermit was only performing its cleaning duties.

I'm currently on the third dose of Interceptor treatment on the reef tank. There are no signs of Red Bugs, though. To be safe, one must stick the recommended 3 week regimen as prescribed by experienced users. I have noticed a rise in cyanobacteria which has been noted by others going through this treatment.

I can't wait until this is over and done. Though, my next problem is with a Powder Brown Tang that I purchased yesterday. It's already showing signs of stress and may need to go through a copper treatment for Cryptocaryon irritans. Now, I'm worried of cross-contaminating the quarantine tank with my main tank's water.

Yellow Scroll Coral in HDR

2009-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

I've been fooling around with HDR photography. Discussion about HDR in SDReef's Photography forum got me curious. HDR requires at least 3 pictures taken with normal, under and over exposure settings. On the Canon Rebel XTi, this can be accomplished with the Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) function. I've set my camera at ISO 100, manual focus and Av mode for this test. Tripod and remote control are also used.

The demo software that I tried out is PhotoMatix Pro 3. It certainly applies a new level of dynamic color to the picture. The sample pics below are normal, under, over exposure and the combined HDR image.

Porites Nudibranchs II

2009-02-08T00:49:00.000-08:00

I pulled out another 10 adult Nudibranchs. They come out from under the rock to feast on the Porites coral. Using a pipet, I loosen them and transfer them to a container of RO water.

Porites Nudibranchs

2009-02-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

I thought I saw a familiar shape on my new Porites coral. Since it was so small, I didn't want to believe my eyes. I just wanted it to be a piece of debris or maybe a small bit of scallop DIY food. Then, a day later and early in the morning, I saw a very large (relatively speaking) Nudibranch. So, I immediately isolated the coral/zoanthid combo rock to the refugium. There, I used a pipet to loosen and remove about 8 adult Nudibranchs. After the battle, there were cerata everywhere. I'll have to keep the coral under watch for several weeks until I remove all the Nudis and their offspring. Another idea is to use a Waterpik to help hose them off.

Red Bug Eradication

2009-02-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

It seems the treatment progressed as planned. The Red Bugs have disappeared and the other crustaceans are in good condition. I've turned on the protein skimmer and the carbon filter canister at the 15 hour mark. I'm a little behind schedule with the 10 gallon water change, though.

All corals area seem fine including the Pulsing Xenia and Purple Haze Montipora. I can observe copepods still kicking with life and egg sacs in the refugium.

Next week: treatment II.

BEFORE (click for larger image)

AFTER (click for larger image)

Now, I may have to wait several weeks before I can see any improvement in this coral's polyp extension and color.

Interceptor Treatment I

2009-02-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight, my whole reef system (main tank, refugium, sump, skimmer) was treated with Interceptor. I got information from Melevsreef, DFWMAS and a few fellows at SDReefs.

Outline for the treatment of my 110 gallon tank system:

1. Remove ornamental crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, hermit crabs).
2. Crush tablet & stir in 1/3 powder in 1 cup tank water.
3. Stop skimmer's Venturi (air).
4. Disconnect filter media cannisters (carbon, Seagel, Purigen)
5. Add solution to filter sock in the sump.
6. Treat for 15 hours.
7. Perform 10 gallon water change.
8. Reconnect filter media cannisters.
9. Treat two more times at week intervals.
10. Return crabs back to main tank after several water changes (use one hermit at a time as a test).

This treatment is used to eradicate "Red Bugs" (Tegastes acroporanus) an obligate parasite of "smoothed skinned" Acropora. Even though the corals still grow, the infestation causes a lot of irritation for the corals and may keep them from displaying full colors. Also, this treatment may increase the survival rate of future Acropora specimens that I add to the tank.

Click on the image below and see if you can count all the little orange dots.

The treatment has the ability to kill not only Red Bugs, but other small crustaceans (copepods, isopods, shrimps, crabs) as well. That's why I rescued this Acropora crab (to the tune of All for you). It inhabits the branches of an Acropora. It took me several minutes to squirt the the tiny crab free from the coral with a pipet. I transferred it to the quarantine tank along with all the hermit crabs I could rescue. I was unable to retrieve the Emerald crab, Skunk shrimp, Coral-banded shrimp and pistol shrimp from the main tank, but other hobbyists indicate that they may survive the treatments.

About 10 minutes after dumping the solution of Interceptor in the filter sock of the sump, I noticed that the Pulsing Xenia retracted their polyps. The colonies in the refugium did likewise, so that seems to be an indicator that the chemical is circulating through the entire system. Who knows if they'll recover?

This "Purple Haze" Montipora had some fine white debris on it, so I snapped a pic. The macro photo revealed retracted polyps and white material associated with the coral. I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm a little nervous about what I'll find tomorrow, but I feel confident after reading as much as I could about this regiment of treatment. And, there's got to be a morning after.

Coral Shopping Spree

2009-01-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

Living on the West Coast has its benefits...

Yesterday, I was able to pick out some corals at AquaSD. It really was like being in a candy shop. The variety of colors and shapes dazzled my eyes and piqued the right side of my brain. And, I nearly drained my wallet to the chagrin of the other side of my brain. I at least had enough money left over to purchase food for the new animals!

I was in a rush to acclimate the corals because I had a class to attend within an hour. So, I equilibrated them to the temperature of the tank by floating the bags for 10 minutes. Then, I added some corals to the main tank and some to the refugium.

This is just an example of the corals I purchased: War Coral, Japanese Blue Snowflakes, Red Goniopora, and a Montiopora/palythoa combo (correction: Porites/palythoa combo).

Here are some of the zoanthids and palythoas. Some of them aren't so colorful, but when the numbers increase, they can create an interesting pattern. The SPS frag may take several weeks before it reveals any colors in my tank.

TDS Monitor

2009-01-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

Most reef aquarist highly recommend that evaporating aquarium moisture be replaced ("topped off") with RO (reverse osmosis) water. And, a TDS (total dissolved solids) monitor should be used to test the quality of RO water being produced over time. Part of the goal is to avoid adding water containing trace contaminants (ammonia, nitrates) and chemical additives (chlorine/chloramines) which may be detrimental to the inhabitants of your aquarium. The other part is to know when you absolutely must replace the cartridge filters on the RO unit.

Last August, I ordered this in-line TDS Monitor for my water purifier and finally came around to plumbing it in. Having dual conductivity probes allows one to track TDS for input and output water quality.

Looking under the kitchen sink, I discovered that the RO unit was being fed with a 1/4" line while the other lines, including the output, were 3/8". Unfortunately, the TDS Monitor was only supplied with two 1/4" Quick Connect tees.

To solve the problem, I bought two 3/8" to 1/4" coupling adapters from Home Depot and inserted 1/4" line to join them to the supplied tee. I found one website that offered other sized fittings with this kit, but I'm unsure on how they address the fact that the probe is still 1/4". Maybe they provide a simple adapter to cover the probe?

Here's the final look. I haven't activated the double-sided tape on the back of the monitor, yet.

Current Reading

Input (water softened) : 462 ppm

Output: 9 ppm (<10 is recommended)

Macro Photography

2009-01-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've finally graduated from beginner to amateur photographer. This morning I received a macro lens (Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM) along with a remote control (Canon Wireless Remote Control RC1). I also ordered the lens hood and UV protection filter which Amazon lists as "Frequently Bought Together".

With the remote control, tripod and macro lens, I'm able to reveal polyp detail of Montipora undata "Idaho Grape".

Now I've got to work on getting a more consistent representation of color when snapping pics, focusing, artistically balancing images and avoiding diffraction interference from the aquarium acrylic walls.

7 Blue-green Chromis & Firefish goby

2009-01-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

I stopped by Pet Kingdom and purchased 7 small Blue-green Chromis and one Firefish. With a refractometer, I measured the salinity in the bag containing the Chromis which came from the All Fish section of the store. It read at 1.020 SG (hyposalinity). While the Firefish's water salinity read at 1.024 SG (near normal) because it came from the Invertebrate section of the store. I keep my reef at 1.025 SG (normal). I don't have to alter it much since that's what comes out the hose at Scripps Pier.

Chromis can be quite sensitive depending on the stock. So, I acclimated the bags containing the fish to the temperature of the tank. Then, I gradually added tank water to the half-emptied bags to at least avoid any drastic changes in pH. I doubt they would be sensitive to a shift in salinity since some hobbyists routinely "fresh water dip" the fish for several minutes to avoid parasites.

I plan on observing these fish in my quarantine tank for at least three weeks before I move them to the main reef tank. How that story ends is left up to the current critter community.

Relentless Echinophyllia Attack

2009-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's a dumb idea to glue an acan coral next to an echinophyllia (or "chalice") coral. The acan coral on the left is suffering from a relentless attack once again. I have pics of the previous attack.

I must have done a good job gluing it down because it will not budge. The irony is that my hermit crabs don't have problems undermining my other shoddy gluing attempts!

Maybe I can place a rock between the two corals? Either way, the echinophyllia will probably eclipse the acan when it grows to Personal Pan size. I think I might have to go in there with a pair of dirty, old, rusty pliers!

This picture with flash is taken early in the morning before lights are turned on (it's easy to notice the white thread in the darkness).

A close up of the atrocity:

Hmph...I should have read more about Echinophyllia at Advanced Aquarist's.

Blue Tuxedo Urchin

2008-12-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

What did my BlueTuxedo Urchin decorated itself with this month?

It pulled on some red macro algae until it came loose. The Pulsing Xenia was already growing on the macro algae and couldn't help but come along for the ride. Now the urchin is making its way up the side of the tank to feast on the pink coralline patches growing there.
(Don't look too close; you may see some BGA on the algae. I've been working on that issue by changing out the carbon and Seachem biofilter matrix from the sump. Note to self: changed those out last weekend)

There are reports that Mespilia globulus also likes to eat algae, but I haven't seen any evidence of that here. If it's using the macro algae for camouflage, then the urchin will be attracting the attention of Tang and Pygmy Angels. Though, I haven't seen them nipping at its decor.

Bubble Vs. Hammer Coral

2008-12-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to re-arrange the corals often in my mini-reef tank. It's difficult to find the right balance of shape & form that you might find written in a feng shui booklet where the couch is not expected to attack the coffee table.

My bubble coral expands to the size of a personal pan pizza (with extra cheese) when the lighting turns up. I have to be careful because the "sweeper tentacles" will seek out any coral placed too close. Last night, I re-arranged corals and got some results in the morning.

Here you can see one tentacle attached to the hammer coral. A few more zaps from the bubble's nematocysts and the hammer coral will eventually lose its head and expose the skeleton underneath! I've already got a dead head out of view that I conveniently use as a handle so that I can move this coral.

On a side note, this rainbow acan is showing a lot of new polyp growth at the base. I'm thinking of placing this coral in a better display location. The difficulty will be in getting it glued down properly.

Refugium Maintenance

2008-12-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

The macroalgae started to take up 90% of the refugium and show some discoloration on the tips, so I removed them all and put back small samples of each. This method provides a good way to export nitrates from the main tank as long as the algae is intact and not dying. I keep 3 types of Red Macroalgae. Their common names are: red grape kelp, red feather kelp and gracilaria. The other macroalgae is "dragon's tongue". At some point, I'd like to add a green "Neptune's Shaving Brush" to break up the monotony of red.

This picture shows the refugium (Lifereefugium 20") featuring a 6" deep sand bed (DSB) and frag rack illuminated by power compact (PC) lighting.

Even after removing a majority of the macro algae growth, blue-green algae (BGA) or cyanobacteria can be seen growing on the macro algae as a fine, dark reddish, slimy film. It's also seen creating a coat over the DSB. I decided to take action by increasing the rate of flow for a few hours in the refugium. This action should help dislodge the film where it will be caught in the main tank's filter sock. After that, the macroalgae should be able to compete for nutrients and drive down the growth of the undesirable BGA.

Since moving the Emerald Crab to the main tank, the green bubble algae has taken a foot hold in the frag rack. I used a pair of forceps to help remove them. They'll go down the toilet where the water treatment plant will neutralize them. Again, once the Red Macroalgae get a boost from my efforts, they should out-compete the green bubble algae for nutrients.

Sea Cucumber & Favia

2008-12-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

I found this activity going on in the reef tank early this morning.

The sea cucumber has been consistently "vacuuming" the sand with its sticky tentacles when the lights go out. It has also grown in size over the past several months. This is the same sea cucumber I inherited with my tank "upgrade". After I initially set up the tank, the sea cucumber would invariably crawl up the side of the tank during the night and end up going over the overflow and landing in the sump. Because it has decided to stay in the main tank now, I consider this as a stamp of approval on the tank's condition.

Before it crawls back to a dark cave for the day, here it is posing with the slowly recovering "x-mas" Favia coral.

Blue Throat Trigger: R.I.P.

2008-12-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

I wish I didn't have to bother with negative news. But, it's only fair to balance the blog with all sorts of news of the goings on in my reef. So, here it goes:

Even though I selected him for his different body shape and colors, the Blue Throat Trigger had a bit of a tough time in my reef tank. It was revealed that Adebisi (I wanted to name all my fish after the characters in Oz at some point), the Purple Tang, had asserted himself as the queen bee of the tank and had his misgivings about the trigger. I noticed that the trigger was allotted the left side of the tank where he was allowed to swim figure eights around the two Vortechs nearby.

I noticed that the few small patches of "fin rot" were clearing up on the trigger. Maybe he was getting a midnight cleaning treatment from the coral banded shrimp or skunk shrimp? Or maybe the water quality and circulation was better in the main tank rather than in the quarantine tank (he stayed at least 5 weeks there)?

From afar, things looked like they were going well. But whenever I would get closer to the tank, Adebisi would become more aggressive and try to use his special scalpel weapon on the trigger. The behavior reminded me of a dog becoming aggressive to other dogs when a treat was about to be given out. I doubted that I could use any advice from The Dog Whisperer because the fish wouldn’t be able to hear my “CHT!” through the tank.

Ad ebisi, the Purple Tang (the queen bee. 8! CHT!)

The day came when I finally realized that the trigger had truly disappeared. I knew the night before that I noticed he was missing. There was nothing I could have done because some friends had visited and we were going out for December Nights in Balboa Park. So, while I was chowing down on funnel cakes drenched in strawberry preserves and whipped cream and an orange chicken rice bowl washed down with hot chocolate and enjoying the festivities, my blue throat trigger had gone carpet surfing.

I had given him a few days to magically reappear so that everything would be all right. Then, I pulled out my flashlight and went on a search. First, I checked the surrounding carpet. I checked under the sofa and chairs in the living room because I’ve read that some fish may surf across the room. Usually, in the stories, it’s found that their pet cat is the culprit. I don’t have any pets, so he’d have to get across the room by a human’s foot kicking action. I tried to simply use my sensitive nose and it lead me to the sump area. No where to be found, I then checked the back of the tank setup.

There, amongst the shadows of Vortech, battery backup, ATO wires and refugium tubing, I saw a small shape at the bottom. The access to the area was 4 feet from the side and two feet from above and my arms did not fit. So, even if I had located the trigger on time, I would have probably had to kill him in the process of retrieving him. I was able to use my 2 foot “multi-tool” tong s to whack the body around until I was able to clamp down on it.

When I examined the body with its sunken eyes and trigger fin fixed in the up position, my first impression was “fish jerky”. I didn’t want to snap a picture of him for the blog. I used him, instead, as fertilizer for the yet-to-arrive, new fruit trees in the back yard.

PS: the pipefish are gone as well; I couldn’t keep up with their demands for fresh baby brine shrimp every day. The baby Bangai Cardinal still lives, though. There is still hope, Mr. Frodo.

Random Coral Pics

2008-11-30T17:20:00.000-08:00

After another arduous water change, I decided to relax and snap a few shots with my Canon Rebel XTi. I turned off the main pump and the Vortech pumps. It was interesting seeing gas bubbles streaming up from the crusty brown algae called (I forgot its name, it just looks like caca, anyway).

Here are some Candy Cane corals and some palythoas.

My blue tuxedo urchin likes to peel off some of that brown, crusty algae for camouflage. The green Sinularia is coming along fine. The yellow parazoanthids have been there since I started the hobby.

These orange Bam! Bam! zoanthids died off until I had 2 left. Now, they're recovering fully (because of my good husbandry!). The rock takes a tumble every once in a while since I haven't glued it down.

Coral Attack!

2008-11-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

I looked through my recently cleaned acrylic walls today and found this activity going on.

The Echinophyllia sp. or "chalice coral" on the right is attacking one of my prized Aussie acans on the left. They've both been glued down in place for several months, so I'm not about to go in there and separate them.

Here's a close up of the threads being sent out from the chalice coral. Why is it that my pretty ones have to get zapped?! I guess in the coral world, they must be saying to each other: "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"!

Fish Papier-mâché

2008-11-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

My sister came by for a week's visit (and now the main fish tank hasn't had its water changed in about 3 weeks!!!). We spontaneously decided to make some fish Papier-mâché (does the beer bottle in the background give you a clue as to why we did this?). The bodies are made out of balloons which have been wrapped with the sticky strips of newspaper and I use tape to attach the manila folder fins.

Here they are drying in the Santa Ana Winds.

I was amazed at how that gooey substance solidified after a day in the sun.

Someday, I'll get around to painting them. For now, they're back in the garage.

Fish Closet

2008-11-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

One of the essential items for the reef keeping tank is a Fish Closet. This is where you keep your testing kits, aquarium scrapers & sponges, excess tubing, left over egg crate, acrylic rods, fish foods, dosing chemicals (Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, etc.), carbon, sump sponges, replacement pumps, refractometer, various tubing, digital thermometer, extra pH meter, plastic bags for fish, various containers for coral transport, towels and more towels for avoiding any oceanic spills and other materials you somehow inherit. (Water changing 5 gallon buckets, pumps and sump sponges are stored in the garage where they can dry out after each use).

Close the Fish Closet door, et viola; your visiting guests will only see your reef tank and have no true idea of how much maintenance is involved!

Stuff started piling up in a disorganized manner, so I decided to empty out my Fish Closet and reorganize.

I was using two old CD racks to hold various items. Nails were driven in the wall to hold maintenance tools.

The garage was being rearranged and this rack was made available.

Luckily, for me, it fits nicely in this under-the-stairs closet. Now, I can stuff it full of more junk!

Blue Throat Trigger

2008-10-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Okay. Without further delay, here are a few snapshots of the Blue Throat Trigger Fish.

I had to take these pics from several feet away.

He's looking all "blue throat" lately.

Camera Shy: Blue Throat Trigger Fish

2008-10-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've had the Blue Throat Trigger Fish in my 26 gallon quarantine tank for a week, so far. He was purchased at Fountains in San Diego. I noticed him there the previous 2 weeks before with about 5 Niger triggers. His species is listed as one of the few "reef safe" triggers. Although, I'm nervous about him nipping the T. crocea and T. derasa clams when I introduce him to the main tank. I think the Coral Banded Shrimp and Skunk Shrimp will be able to defend themselves; they're kinda large.

He's gained back some color and scarfing down some food pellets.

When the camera comes out, he goes for a hide.

It took me a while to figure out where he's hiding in the sparsely populated QT.

Instead of a fish pic, here's a doctored up pic of the macro algae in the QT called "Dragon's Tongue"!

DIY Fish Food

2008-10-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is my third batch of fish food in about a year or so. I started out with the recommendations in Robert Fenner's older edition of "The Conscientious Marine Aquarists" which worked well enough. I think I added too much seaweed in one batch and it reeked so badly that I got tired of handling it. Also, I didn't like adding gelatin because you had to heat it up and the stuff was always sticky at that high consistency which you were never sure of having attained.

For this batch, I make a few modifications like subtracting the gelatin and the veggies.

I figure that the resulting proteinaceous muck will hold itself together (after all, gelatin is just another protein. Why add more?).

Also, I like feeding seaweed separately on a clip.

Finally, I'm trying to see if this batch will have less "floaties". I don't know what contributes to floating food in the other batches, which ends up going into the overflows when the main pumps turn back on, but I'll reduce the recipe to see if that helps out.

I just threw in a Bay Scallop and it sunk. So, there's one ingredient that I'm going to keep including. The Timor Wrasse went wild with it once he figured that it wasn't a (sinking) marshmallow.

I forgot to take a picture of the scallops. They just looked like miniature marshmallows.

I was unsure about the treated and cooked imitation crab, so I removed them all.

INGREDIENTS:

1) 16 oz (454 g) Seafood Combo (squid, octopus, monkfish, crab, pollock, etc.)
2) 0.3 lbs Bay Scallops
3) Dashes of Freeze Dried Cyclop-eeze®
4) Pictured, but not used: Marine Gro pellets. If I'm in a hurry to feed, I'll just feed the fish flakes or pellets. So, adding these things to the mix is not necessary.

STEPS:

1) Thaw and rinse Seafood Combo in colander over the sink. I wasn't sure about the imitation crab; it was listed with sodium pyrophosphate, cooked and treated with sugars, so I removed them all. (I couldn't find the seafood combo I bought last time and I forgot to even read the ingredients with this one.)
2) In small batches, place enough Seafood Combo in Cuisinart food processor.
3) Add a handful of Bay Scallops.
4) Sprinkle on some Freeze Dried Cyclop-eeze® until you're about to sneeze.
5) Process on lowest settings until chunks are small enough to fit in your pets' mouths.
6) Using a large, 1 gallon Zip-Loc bag, combine all batches (I processed about 3 batches).
7) Press down and evenly distribute the food.
8) Place on a support and freeze overnight, preferably in a frost freezer.

Don't overfill! Sprinkle Cyclop-eeze® in the processor. That'll get them sinkin'!

Place all batch mixes into 1 gallon Zip-Loc bag. I picked up this trick watching an old episode of Reefcast.

Nice and squared for the little OCD in you. After freezing, you can break off stamp-sized chunks for thawing and feeding.

Full Tank Shot (FTS)

2008-10-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here's my attempt at an FTS dated 9/20/2008.

At least you get a full perspective on what I'm managing (to keep alive).

Click for an in-depth display

Sump Cooling Fan DIY

2008-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to modifying the egg crate that was holding a fan on top of my sump. The fan was being controlled by the RKE to help cool down the water instead of using a chiller. When temperatures got really high, the chiller would then take over. I'm not sure how effective the fan was at this point, but when the RKE allows for data download, I may analyze it in the future.

I cut the egg crate down to the exact size that would fit on top of the sump by using wire cutters.

Then, black plastic mounting ties were used to fasten an extra piece to prevent the egg crate from sliding out of position and falling into the sump water.

Here's the open top of the LifeReef sump.

And, now it has the modified egg crate with a simple cooling fan on top. The air blows downward to help chill the water by evaporation.

Pre-Halloween 2008

2008-10-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Spiders are starting to spin their webs at our place.

This spider is attached to a pulley. I'd like to drop it down on visitors, but it'd be a lot of work being on standby!

This one spun a web under the pergola. It's waiting for its next meal to come for a visit.

How many fish and corals does this tomb represent?

Aye, scurvy dogs, we're going hunting for corals!!

RKE v1.07 - Graphing

2008-10-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

After updating the firmware to v1.07 for the 3 different types of modules in the RKE system, I wasn't able to reset graphs. I even tried the "work around" solution with no success. Finally, as I navigated around the menu items, I tried out the "factory reset" option. Was that there before? I had to re-enter the few settings that I keep (two fans, some heaters, custom display). Then, wait for the data to come in.

This seems to have emptied out the memory successfully as I now can see new data appearing. And, the graphs are appearing properly.

Here's what happens to the temperature (with temp. probe measuring in the sump) during the day. I had sharper peaks yesterday since it was much hotter than today. The drop in peak shows the activity of the 1/5 horse power chiller.

Here is what happens to the pH (with probe measuring in the sump) over the day. In the morning, the pH starts around 8.0 and works up to 8.2 after the lighting intensifies.

Here you can see the pH fluctuation for several days. There's a small trend toward a lower pH which seems to level off near the end. I can't remember when I added a little Marine Buffer to help minimize the pH swing. I doubt that I'll be able to flatten this data with more buffer, but it's good to see that it's within acceptable range (pH 8.0 to 8.3).

I guess I can give the RKE v1.07 at least one thumb up for finally delivering (or bringing back) what was initially promised. Another thumb up will go after I move over my main pump, skimmer pump, more heaters and chiller control over to the RKE without failures.

Berghia Nudibranch Rock Test II

2008-10-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

It was only a day later that I captured this wandering, daytime Nudi devouring the Aiptasia on the acrylic wall of the refugium.

I've noticed that small Aiptasia on the sand bed have also disappeared. Most of the adult Nudis remain hidden, away from the light. So, I've turned off the light in the refugium to encourage them to crawl about at night time.

Berghia Nudibranch Rock Test

2008-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

This Aiptasia took a chance and established itself on the front wall of the refugium and an inch from the bottom of the sand bed. The spots next to it look like snail egg sacs. Upon closer inspection, they are found to be "baby anemones" or basal cells most likely being placed by the larger anemone.

I always worry that the Pipefish might injure themselves with the stinging nematocysts of the anemone. Do they instinctively know to stay away?

Now, I've placed the Berghia Nudibranch Rock in close proximity to the Aiptasia. The Nudibranch adults have been hiding underneath this rock which was placed on eggcrate, high up in the refugium. When I moved the rock, I saw a few nudibranchs underneath. Some of the egg strands have disappeared. Hatched? I also saw about 4 adults still in the grid of the eggcrate. So, I placed a recovering plate coral on top for shelter.

The Rock has been losing a lot of Aiptasia since I placed Nudis there 4 days ago. The largest one in the back has disappeared and was probably clobbered by a pack of Nudis sometime during the night. There are a few tiny ones on top, exposed to light. Are they saving them for the baby Nudis?

How many days until they decide to invite this anemone family over for a late night dine in? We shall see.

"They mostly come out at night.....mostly." -Ripley.

RKE 1.07 Firmware Update

2008-09-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

With new firmware released yesterday, I worked on updating my Reef Keeper Elite (RKE). I had skipped updating other releases up to this point because Digital Aquatics wasn't providing a fix for the graphing feature. I'll have to wait several hours before I can see if graphing has indeed been fixed.

I should have broken out a notepad to record all the steps that I had to take to finally reach the goal of SUCCESSFUL UPDATE. It would have been hilarious to bore you with the details in order for you to "join me", Lord of the Rings-esque style, on my quest. I'll just bring up a few salient points that have seared themselves into my memory.

First of all, I used to consider myself technically savvy (at least back in 2002), but now I find myself going through stuff I thought I heard about years ago and already forgot. Like the following:

1) Using USB memory keys in Windows 98 usually requires a driver of some sort. So, using that Win98 laptop to do the updates was not an option. But, wait, I could burn the firmware software to a CDROM and transfer it that way.

2) MSI installation file from the CDROM was not understood by Win98. So, go get the other WinVista laptop from upstairs because the old laptop ain't gonna work. During this time, I was also trying to install Firefox after getting the wireless card configured on Win98 laptop, but it was taking too long to download.

3) When someone (or something) installs WinZip onto a Vista computer, the trial ends after 45 days and it doesn't unzip the program from Digital Aquatics. Then, after you uninstall WinZip, WinVista dosen't know how to open zip compressed files. It originally was supposed to do it, though. (and if you associate zip files with IE, you get stuck in a software loop! Delete the file to cut the crap!) I finally tracked down a simple Registry fix.

This sort of troubleshooting can really use up the buzz off of your morning coffee.

I had left my own winXP laptop at work. Things would have been simpler if I wasn't sandwiched between Win98 and WinVista laptops today. The Vista computer finally was able to get the firmware software installed. Now, it was time to update the modules.

When it came time to update the never-before-updated module called the GC1 or "head unit", I had to figure out how to unplug the line.

The data line is buried in the unit with only the flushed precision that a design engineer would be proud of. Unfortunately, I bit off my finger nails the day before, so I had to look for some other sharp instrument to lower the dongle in order to release the line. I found myself having to do this several times while updating because.....

...the updates were not successful on the first attempts. For the GC1, there's a drop down menu for Advanced, but I didn't see any mention of it in Digital Aquatics' instructions. Of course, their instructional PDF is currently named with "v105", so someone is overlooking something somewhere out there. So, I just ran the Advanced option not knowing what I was really doing.

But, what else can you do when the modules don't even power up after your first attempt?

Just keep trying and praying to Poseidon (or Neptune, one of their competitors).

YES, I PLUGGED THE PROPER WIRE INTO THE PROPER DEVICE WITH THE POWER OFF AND OTHER MODULES UNPLUGGED!

G.D............F!

In addition to having to install the firmware a few times with the head unit, I had to install it a few times with the SL1. I wonder if there was some sort of specific order I was to follow? In the end, my method of re-installing-the-firmware-until-it-works worked.

Now, I'll give it time to show me what it can do. Once I verify graphs are working, I'll try to move over more devices to the RKE's control. Then, someday I may give it my stamp of approval.

Berghia Nudibranch Egg Mass

2008-09-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

You done lay me a whole mess a eggs!

It hasn't been a full 24 hours after acclimation and already a few Nudis have decide to launch a full assault on the Aiptasia infested rock by laying egg strands. Now, I have to go research what the best time would be for me to move this rock to the main tank. Okay, Berghia.net says 6 to 8 weeks after hatching.

Berghia Nudibranchs

2008-09-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've decided on a "biological" approach (go ahead and roll your eyes and say, "there he goes again! Let's see how well this is gonna work.") to address another pest problem commonly encountered in the reef tank: the Aiptasia anemone. Aiptasia normally can be found as a hitchhiker on live rock. In small numbers, it doesn't pose much of a threat. But, if your reef tank is overfed or high in nutrients, you can potentially increase the numbers of these pests. They pack a powerful sting and can migrate, so you also put your corals and fish in danger. If you try to manually remove one, it will leave behind basal cells which will result in more anemones! I've already tried the chemical approach (Aiptasia-X...cool name, cool concept, cool video...doesn't work in my hands).

Here are a dozen Nudibranchs I ordered and received today from Berghia.net. (Saltyunderground's website was down at the time....soooo.....yeah.....).

Acclimating the animals to the proper temp and chemistry of your system is a process best done with a few beers on location. Unfortunately, I wasn't stocked! I decided to start them off in the refugium before I move them to the main tank.

I had to shake the bag to get them loose before I used the wide bore pipet to transfer them to this Aiptasia infested rock. I disturbed the rock so that the Aiptasia retracted their tentacles a bit. In this way, I was hoping to avoid getting a Nudi mistakenly eaten. (yes, this can happen! I don't think they'd be able to save themselves by eating the anemone from the inside out!).

You can barely make out where they are located on this rock. These creatures are nocturnal, so this might be the last time I see them hagin' out. Once the Aiptasia is eradicated in the refugium, my plan is to move this rock to the main tank very close to other Aiptasia so that the Nudis hiding underneath or within the rock will move on to their next meal.

And, who knows? Maybe there will be some egg layin' in the future?

It's sad to say that once the Aiptasia population is lowered or eradicated, it will be difficult for these creatures to sustain themselves (BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY EAT: AIPTASIA; NOTHING ELSE! Earth's biology truly is odd and seemingly, irrational at times. Did they choose to only eat Aiptasia or were they born that way?! Haw!). I'm at least glad that they were tank raised instead of pulled directly from the ocean since their last stop will be in my reef tank. If I can, and after they've served their purpose, I may be able to collect some and pass them on to fellow reefers.

Pipefish

2008-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

I purchased these pipefish 3 weeks ago at Vets Pets in El Cajon. I was originally seeking a pair of Dragon Face Pipefish as a biological solution for controlling my acropora red bug infestation. After a week under quarantine, I moved the pair to the refugium. But, I just couldn't bring myself to dump them into the main tank where they would face the dangers of 3 VorTech pumps, Jabba the very hungry Scolymia, Queen Amygdala the Flame Angel, various shimps and crabs and who knows what else?

They'll have a permanent home in my refugium. Consequently, I've effectively downgraded my refugium's function to biological scrubber (macro algae aiding in the removal of nitrogenous waste and phosphates). The pipefish will probably keep the 'pod population from migrating to the main tank. A certain Scooter Blenny is unhappy about that, but in exchange, he demands extra servings of Ocean Nutrition pellets delivered right up to his face.

These guys are very difficult to photograph as they have long bodies and are very small. For now, here's a pic of one of the pair.

Dragon Face Pipefish

Oh, yeah: as an impulse buy, I also got a pair of Banded Pipefish. These fish spend more time hovering in the water column while the Dragon Face spend their time slithering on the bottom. One of the Banded had a split tail when it first arrived, but it has healed since then.

Banded Pipefish

The concern is that these fish will eat up all the available critters in the refugium. So, I've entered into a new stage of reefkeeping: growing Sea-Monkeys®. Every Monday, I start up a hatchery of Brine Shrimp (San Francisco Bay Brand). A few days later, they are harvested and kept in the refrigerator where they remain viable for 4 days or so.

VorTech Maintenance

2008-09-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

The VorTech pumps were getting a little slimy and covered in coralline. I decided to soak the nozzles in white vinegar diluted 1:1 with warm water. While that was soaking, I scrubbed up the acrylic walls of the main tank.

The vinegar water turned red as the coralline dissolved. A toothbrush came in handy to speed up the cleaning process. The propellers had to be scrubbed well as they seemed to attract a thick coat of slimy algae.

I also did a little rearranging of the corals. I always break a few because I'm too high on coffee in the mornings. This coral is not too pleased. Now that I look back on it, I saw a similar "bite" mark a few months ago and didn't realize the unknown critter was me!. Not to worry, it'll recover.

PIF Corals

2008-09-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

These are some of the corals that I've taken from the main tank. They're up for "Pay It Forward" or the deep freeze.

The Kenya Tree Coral was situated too close to the Vortech pumps in the main tank and subsequently threw off all sorts of frags. I was worried that they might take over the tank! It's a great beginner coral choice which requires moderate lighting.

These yellow zoanthids have taken over a large portion of one of my live rocks. This is the original frag plug which seeded the mother colony in the main tank.

The Pulsing Xenia is growing rapidly in the main tank. This was my first attempt to mount a frag. I just plopped it down on this frag plug and placed it in the low-flow refugium where it took a foot hold. I had to remove 4 colonies from the main tank as it encroached upon my bottle brush Acropora and helped kill it. The attempt at fragging that Acropora was a total failure.

Dragonfly

2008-09-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

More on the Arthropoda series...

This red dragon fly (Sympetrum illotum the Cardinal Meadowhawk?) and its mate frequently visit the ponds in the backyard for a quick bite and egg laying. I've seen the female skipping along the surface and simultaneously ejecting fertilized eggs into the pond. The insect larvae are able to survive on mosquito larvae and probably offer some protection over this viral vector.

Artsy Fartsy Shot

3 Month SPS Coral Growth

2008-08-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

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!

Acans

2008-07-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

The latest coral hype has to do with Acanthastrea lordhowensis. Prices seem to be driven by artificial hype and, of course, demand in this hobby. How this is truly controlled or deemed fair in the coral market, no one can be sure. A great article describing the Acan phenomenon can be found in Reef Keeping magazine.

After lurking on the San Diego boards, I finally took the plunge and ordered up four headed frags of 5 color types and was just in time for the bonus frag offer at Fish n'Frags. This local San Diego startup knows how to post up the eye candy on their website. After placing my order, I was a little skeptical of what I would actually receive because their posted images were so colorful, vivid and crisp. Would it be genuinely "WYSIWYG"?

So far, I am not disappointed. Even my amateur shots are capable of recording the colors of these babies! Okay, so someone at the SDMAS meeting mentioned that the colors are vivid now because the polyps are contracted. (...and my bubble goes, "POP!") He went on to explain that when the polyps expand, they may lose color because pigments will space out. I doubt that they will look any less interesting when I get to that point, though.

I currently have them on a black frag rack that I purchased from a fellow on SDMAS. The magnets holding the black egg crate rack have been dipped in a resin which protects from salt water corrosion. The white egg crate is there temporarily because I had them situated in the refugium for a while.

You can see the exposed skeleton underneath where the frags were cut (with some sorta precision jigsaw tool?!) from the mother colony. That's what builds a reef!

Now I just need to head over to Home Depot and purchase some special glue and figure out where the heck I'll be placing these in my main tank. I'm having a hard time figuring out which ones I like the best; it affects their strategic placement in the tank.

SDMAS July 2008 Meeting

2008-07-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

Even though they weren't promised any raffles this time, the SDMAS members & friends in our area showed up enforce to about a headcount of 25. The chicken mole, lemon bars and chocolate mousse cake were big hits. And, my tank didn't crash or do anything out of the ordinary right before the meeting. The fish behaved well. Even my Midas Blenny decided to put on bright yellow colors from his, lately, moody dark brown.

Salt water devotees in the backyard

We decided to setup the screen projector and have the Reef Nutrition lecture outside. The jacuzzi wasn't heated up. Maybe next time?

Randy giving his lecture in perfect San Diego early dusk

A captive audience

Salt water chit chat

Thanks to all those who attended! See you at the next meeting event!

Aquaillumination LED: Back from the Dead

2008-07-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Back from the Dead

The 5' Aquaillumination LED is back. In case you're wondering about shipping a 5' box to the Midwest, just be prepared to shell out more than $250 for packing, insurance and S&H. Unfortunately, when they mention "modular design", that doesn't mean you can take it apart and stack 1' units in a simple box. Threatening to delay the entire process, this exchange was happening after the Midwest flooding and right before July 4th holiday.

My corals were placed under PC lighting. The Acropora were not pleased; they lost color and turned brown. The fish and softies could have cared less. In fact, some of the softies seemed to be responding more to the PC lighting!

After struggling with the legs, the unit is now situated on top of wooden spacers inside the canopy. I can slide it front to back when I'm doing tank maintenance. None of the LEDs on the sides are being blocked.

More "vital information" concerning the operation of this device:

VITAL INFORMATION #2

Cool down the adaptors with a fan as now suggested by Aquaillumination.

After getting my refurbished unit, I started to increase output of the blue and white LEDs at a rate of 5% per day. When I reached 55%, the unit shut itself down. It turns out that the adaptors will shut down the entire unit when a specific, high temperature is reached. To avoid this, one should install a fan to disperse the heat. So far, I've managed to avoid another shut down albeit with a faulty RKE (high tech these days....:rolls eyes:) controlling the fan. I'm up to 95% blue and 95% white.

VITAL INFORMATION #3

Attach the unit to a QUALITY power surge device. Apparently, my initial situation didn't provide enough surge protection. The small battery backup shown here is mainly being used for its power surge capabilities. This is a temporary solution until I can get a newer batter backup model.

Otherwise, I'm sittin' back and relaxing while the corals bring back their colors and the dialed-in calcium reactor doses my tank! Looks like we're back in the game with only one possible loss.

RKE v1.0.3

2008-07-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

RKE: almost recommended

The new firmware update is only aimed toward the PC4 outlets. The software that applies the firmware has been edited with a check box dialog which makes sure you've taken the appropriate steps before proceeding with firmware updating.
Now, I just sit and wait to see if the "Red Dot of Death" appears on my PC4 controlling the two fans. I'm not sure if I'll wait a few days or the entire week. When I'm satisfied that it's not going to randomly shut off, I'll try adding the main return pump and the protein skimmer to the controller. Then, the chiller will be added.
I get plenty of time to come up with a programming scheme for the new items. For instance, the skimmer pump should shut off when the main pump is shut off. Also, there should be a delay in turning the skimmer on when the main pump powers on or there will be a little flooding in the skimmer. I'd also like to set up the main pump for a 20 minute standby while I'm feeding the tank mates.
I'm currently controlling these options with a Red Sea WaveMaster Pro. And, there's an UltraLife float switch in the sump controlling the protein skimmer.

The graphing capabilities are still troublesome. The old data doesn't get removed from memory even though you've waited more than 20 minutes to reactivate data logging. Now I've noticed that the y-axis doesn't change resolution at all.
So, there goes the summer months as far as trying to tweak the system by using the data graphs to clue you in on what's going on 24/7. That is, of course, unless Digital Aquatics releases any new updates to address this specific issue.