Oxy's RSM250

[DianaKay]

Deep Breath is RIGHT Sue! I feel exactly the same way when I have tank chores that aren't fun
And having a bottom sump added to the RSM 250 doesn't ease the chore, there's still the back return compartments & same pumps...then there's the bottom sump vacuuming also.
Just be glad and feel proud when you get done. It's still hard to beat the beautiful looks of our RSM 250's for the size tanks that they are. Going BIGGER might be prettier but my space is perfect for the RSM250.

I glued down some frags (not new ones) that I've been putting off....now WC. Not fun but we can sit back and enjoy the beautiful view the rest of the week. :yehoo:

 

[Oxylebius]

Was on vacation last week and visited the Long Beach Aquarium, they had a tank of spiny lumpsuckers - They are my new favorite fish! Imagine a fish that looks like a golf ball with tiny little fins. That is the spiny lumpsucker.

I came upon their tank at the aquarium and there was a lot of condensation on the glass, so I reached up to rub it off and all of a sudden these golf ball sized fish with ridiculously small fins came out of no where attacking my fingers from the other side of the glass. Some were swimming sideways and others ended up swimming in odd circles before disappearing to the sides and bottom of the tank. I reached up again and they were off chasing my fingers, swimming in odd circles, etc. So cute even if a little ridiculous. This fish can barely swim w/their tiny little fins.

Check out this lumpsucker swimming to a rock and then watch its behavior after. Once it lands it is completely out of breath as it begins to look around. It is cute and funny!

[video=youtube;muq3MQwjK-k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muq3MQwjK-k#t=15[/video]

For more info on why they have the name 'sucker' check this article out: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...he-ocean-couldnt-get-more-lumpy-and-adhesive/. The "sucker" part refers to the fish's modified pelvic fins on its belly, which have evolved into adhesive discs. The fish use these discs to adhere to the substrate or as the article points out, adheres to your fingers.

 

[Wolffman64]

Love that fish!!!!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

+1 ^ great vid - thanks for sharing ! Very cool fish !!!

 

[Wrangy]

OH. MY. GAWD. That thing is possible the most friggin adorable thing I've ever seen hahaha I would love to have seen a tank full of those guys!!!

Also aside from the nutrients the sps would have LOVED having all the poop and gunk in the tank to have a really good feed on

 

[Oxylebius]

Well, if you want a tank of these guys you are looking at a cold water system, and I mean cold! These fish live in Arctic waters. In the Pacific their range is from the northern Asian mainland and northern islands of Japan, Aleutians Islands/Bering Sea, down through British Columbia into Washington State waters. So temperature range is (0.393 - 6.932°C) or (32.707 - 44.478ºF) - BURR! No wonder there was condensation on the glass of their tank. Definitely need a chiller for that tank!

 

[Wolffman64]

Wow, I can already see the Thank You letters you will get from the electricity companies, for showing us this fish.

Imagine the electricity bill for running the chiller 24/7 during the Aussie summer temps of 40C, to keep a tank at 0.5C!!! Or maybe have a marine tank in a converted freezer?? Hmmmm, I wonder if that's been done before....

 

[Oxylebius]

Or maybe have a marine tank in a converted freezer?? Hmmmm, I wonder if that's been done before....

That is a novel idea!

 

[Oxylebius]

Acropora
Pink Sniper (A. selago)
Moonbean (A. yongei)
Limelight green slimer (A. yongei)
Acropora nasuta

Montipora
ORA Greensleeves (M. digitata)
ORA German Blue Polyp (M. digitata)
ORA Orange (M. digitata)
Grape (M. capricornis)
Orangade (M. capricornis)
Purple Smoke (M. capricornis)
Shady Lady (M. capricornis)
Neon green Palawanensis (M. palawanensis)
ORA Spongodes (M. sponogodes)
Tyree Sunset
Purple Haze (M. danae)

Stylophora
ORA Green
Cotton Candy
Tyree Rainbow

Pocillopora
Valentine Damicornis (P. damicornis)

Turbinaria
Yellow Scroll (T. reniformis)

Seriatopora
Pink Lace Birds Nest (S. hystrix)

Echinophyllia
Red Firestone Chalice
Pink Mink Chalice

Gorgonian
Frilly Purple

Duncanopsammia
Giant Green Polyp Duncan (D. axifuga)

Briareum
Green Star Polyps (B. violacea/violaceum)

Fish
Black and white clown (pair) (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Tailspot blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura)
Coral beauty angel (Centropyge bispinosa)
Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus)
Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus)

Mobile Inverts
Scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp (pair)
Peppermint shrimp
Hawaiian dwarf zebra hermit
Cerith snails
Nerite snails
Margarita snails
Nassarius snails
Fighting Conch

Many hitchhikers
Chitons
Collonista snails
Brittle stars
Orange and white ball sponges, and
Red Pseudocorynactis white-tipped anemones

 

[Oxylebius]

So, how long does it take for aquacultured acros to change color in our tanks? I Bought a my first large piece of coral, the acro on the lower left in the photo in the post above. It is the first time not buying a little frag. I bought it online and it is supposed to be blue/purple, but instead it came browned out, which is not the first time I've heard of this happening to people, but I am wondering how long it takes to color up. Or if it will color up? I believe I got it back in June-ish, but I will need to track down the shipping label to give you the correct date. Regardless, it has been in my tank for a good number of months now. Disappointed is not the only word I'd express right now about it, it was quite pricey for that sized Acropora.

 

[Wrangy]

So, how long does it take for aquacultured acros to change color in our tanks? I Bought a my first large piece of coral, the acro on the lower left in the photo in the post above. It is the first time not buying a little frag. I bought it online and it is supposed to be blue/purple, but instead it came browned out, which is not the first time I've heard of this happening to people, but I am wondering how long it takes to color up. Or if it will color up? I believe I got it back in June-ish, but I will need to track down the shipping label to give you the correct date. Regardless, it has been in my tank for a good number of months now. Disappointed is not the only word I'd express right now about it, it was quite pricey for that sized Acropora.

That's the worse bit about acro's when they want to be temperamental haha I have an acro that was NOT happy after summer (January for the Aussie's) and it's still not showing colour!! Growing rather well but refused to colour haha It'll get there though. I had acro's (expensive ones too!) that took 2-3 months to colour and 7 months later and still not at full colour/proper colour although they're getting there Just be patient as these guys like to take their sweet ass time sometimes!! Maybe try moving it up a little and see how that goes?? It might be a light issue or it could just still be adjusting Don't worry too much though, some TLC and it'll be a beauty again. They just ship poorly sometimes!

EDIT: Just seen some more pics and that it's encrusted, make a little frag and see if you can find the sweet spot

 

[Wrangy]

Tank looks fantastic by the way!!

 

[Oxylebius]

We were thinking alike. After my post yesterday I went at the coral with cutters. Now I have 6 frags and have placed them all over the tank in different light and current levels. I also moved the larger coral (and its rock) to the other side of the tank where it will get direct afternoon light from the window. I've brought other unhappy corals back to life using direct sunlight, so perhaps this will help. Right now the tank is getting about an hour to 1.5 hrs of direct afternoon light.

The little acro crab who came in the coral wasn't too happy w/the fragging episode, but now I can see it a little easier :smirk:

I will have to upload some new photos after the water change today

 

[newo11]

I've got to say - you have me researching different Monti digitata's after your post!

Tank looks amazing

 

[Oxylebius]

Thanks! I've been trying to add more blues & purples to the colors in the tank and the latest acro was supposed to help do that. But, it is still browned out. Next spring my plan is to make an in person visit to Dr Macs and grab a blue/purple clam or two.

There is one more digitata I have my eyes on, but haven't purchased yet. A purple colored one. I already have the orange (that at times turns a little reddish), green and light blue. The purple digis I've seen online look fabulous.

But, before any new coral purchases, I need to get the Kamoer set up and dosing dialed in. Still manually dosing. And going into winter I won't be purchasing any new corals anyway, too difficult with shipping and winter storms dropping temps into freezing. So I've got maybe a month left to decide to purchase the purple digi before winter sets in.

 

[Wrangy]

We were thinking alike. After my post yesterday I went at the coral with cutters. Now I have 6 frags and have placed them all over the tank in different light and current levels. I also moved the larger coral (and its rock) to the other side of the tank where it will get direct afternoon light from the window. I've brought other unhappy corals back to life using direct sunlight, so perhaps this will help. Right now the tank is getting about an hour to 1.5 hrs of direct afternoon light.

The little acro crab who came in the coral wasn't too happy w/the fragging episode, but now I can see it a little easier :smirk:

I will have to upload some new photos after the water change today

Excellent I'm sure you'll find the sweet spot in no time at all now!! It's probably just a really picky acro

I'm sure he would have been none to pleased about having his home terrorized Can't wait to see some shots of you ever lovely tank

PS: Why stop at two clams You should definitely get clams though!!

 

[Oxylebius]

I'm sure it is a picky acro, but the acro is also putting up with a tank that is still in fluctuation. I'm still manually dosing and not finding the time to test daily, so not keeping the alk/ca/mg in perfect balance. I do have the kamoer, but it is still in the box. I may not have the time until a couple weeks from now to set it up, too busy... unfortunately, I'm too busy....

Well, my tank will be three years old in October! The original corals and clowns were added the following March, so really I plan on posting a big "3" year post for the tank this coming March.... but for now though I will post some photos of the critters that were transferred from my 40g to the RSM 3 years ago, amazing how long some of the critters live - nassarius snails! These snails have been w/me for a long time! They were the first ones I bought when I set up my 40g ~6 yrs ago. I have two different species of nassarius. All the other inverts that were transferred from my 40g to my rsm have passed over the course of the last 3 years. Well, not counting the hitchhikers that is, the sponges, anemones, tunicates, etc.

Ah yes, the clams...
At ~$100 each, I'm probably gonna start out with one at first. We are planning a fall trip and a spring trip out to the Maryland coast. If I am successful with the first one, then I will go back for a couple more next year. The way my rock-scape is set up, I can get one clam at each end of the tank and one in the center. I dream of aquas and sapphire blues...

 

[Oxylebius]

Corals fusing together - two Monti digis (one green and the other a blue) with a pinkish monti cap

 

[Oxylebius]

Some recent pics:

 

[Wrangy]

Tank looks awesome!! I love the way that your tank gets the morning sun! How are the little brown acro frags going?? Getting any colours yet?