Coral Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.