Reefmack's RSM 130

[Sapphire]

that's a ghreat video and cool pictures! I wish my clowns would pair but I don't think they will. It must be great to watch that process - have you evefr thought of trying to raise the fry?

 

[Reefmack]

that's a ghreat video and cool pictures! I wish my clowns would pair but I don't think they will. It must be great to watch that process - have you evefr thought of trying to raise the fry?

I've thought of it every time I look in the tank, since there are almost always eggs in process. I'd thought about putting a piece of tile in that corner, and if the eggs were deposited on it I could possibly pull them out and into another tank. But no idea if that would work in keeping the eggs alive, plus no room for another tank. I think the fry have to be fed things like rotifers at the start, as well as having a sponge type filter to keep the fry from being sucked out. Just too much to mess with for me. But, I do think about it. Woodstock does a great job raising Picasso clowns!

 

[Sapphire]

It would be cool but also alot of work - there a couple of people doing it here in NZ, and also some rasing bangaii cardinals too

 

[Clownfish518]

Very cool Terry.

 

[RaysReef]

Very nice Terry having the clowns laying eggs, it's a shame you can't raise them. They must be very comfortable in their environment. I'd love a breeding pair...Couldn't ask for more..

Best wishes for your last day at work and retirement, from all of us :hug1:

 

[Reefmack]

Yep - I feel bad for the clowns, and wish they'd take a break! One more work day! It'll be strange not having to go back to work after about 45 years, but I'm looking forward to it!

 

[RaysReef]

So are you bored with your retirement yet? Only joking, I know you've got plenty to do..but I suppose it will take a while for your 'body clock' to adjust to not getting up that early...

Did you ever have any nasty hitchhikers in your reef?

 

[Reefmack]

Bored - heck no! I was up at 7am - I rarely sleep past 6 or 7 even on a weekend - that's still a couple hours later than what I was doing on a weekday. Up at 7am, had my morning coffee out on the nice cool patio (64F), with the fountain trickling, and the birds & hummingbirds keeping us company. What could be better!

The only nasty hitchhikers I had, I still have - darn Majano anemones. I do have bristleworms, but only consider them nasty when I get stuck by one. Now I got the smart and wear gloves if I'll be touching any rock. If I have any others they've managed to stay of of sight for about 2 and 1/2 years. I did have a couple black crabs in the bottom of the containers that my rock came in, but have yet to see one in the tank in all that time.

 

[RaysReef]

"Morning coffee out on the nice cool patio, with the fountain trickling, and the birds & hummingbirds keeping us company...."
That sounds bliss. Do you really get hummingbirds in your garden?

The Majano anemones, i forgot about them, Of course i've got a couple I'll have to remove too...

 

[Reefmack]

There's barely a time I can go out in the summer and not see hummingbirds at my sugar water feeder or on flowers. Other than rare sightings we only have one species on the Eastern US - Ruby Throated Humingbird. They're pretty territorial and one or a pair "claims" my feeder as theirs, and chases away any others that come near. It's nothing for me to see 3-5 at a time, usually one or a pair chasing away "intruders" LOL! For the first time today I saw the hummer that calls my feeder his - chasing away larger finches and chicadees from my seed feeder 15 feet away! I think he considers my whole back yard his now! By October they're gone in my area - the little things migrate as far down as Central America (some all the way from southern Canada), with many flying non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico - a truly amazing feat for a bird so tiny!

No hummingbirds in Scotland?

 

[RaysReef]

That's so nice terry. I'm very close to birds and I hand feed. I stay in a woodland area and I get daily visits from some of the biggest like buzzards to the smallest like chicadees (coal tit they are called here). They're my favourite. I don't get hummingbirds though. That's another hobby altogether as you'll know. These things make my life complete, but then there's the butterflies and the bees lol

You'll only really find hummingbirds near water here in scotland, to my knowledge. I've never seen one in real life yet.

 

[Reefmack]

That's super - I wish I could get to hand feed mine, but in a well populated area they stay pretty timid. I think I'm up to about 50 species or more that I've seen in my backyard (I have a strip of woods behind my house), with some just coming through on migrations. I used to take a lot of pics but lost most in a hard drive crash, except for some I had copied onto a CD. Here's an old one of a female or juvenile Rubythroat (no red throat):

I was just out back a minute ago and had the hummers chasing each other as usual, and had one staring me down about a foot from my face. I guess I'm also an intruder!

 

[RaysReef]

Ahh, excellent.. so is that just straight water (maybe RO?) and sugar? Similar with butterflies etc. Very nice pic, thanks for taking the time.

Being the slight extremist that I am, I grow waxworms and mealworms, that's how I can handfeed... don't know how I've got time to fit it all in lol. Can't wait till I'm retired

 

[Reefmack]

I cup sugar in 3 cups tap water - boil to dissolve and cool in the fridge till needed. No coloring needed. I used to order live mealworms when my son had lizards to feed. I once dropped a newly arrived bag with 1000 in it on the carpeting - that was a royal PITA trying to pick those slippery things up while they were trying to dig into the pile of the carpet. Not a fun day!

 

[RaysReef]

lol, i know that well, I've dropped many (even all over/in my car) ...I think we are on the wrong forum ... just out of curiosity do you visit any other 'wildlife' forums?

 

[Reefmack]

Nope - I belong to a few SW forums (gave up the FW ones), but really just hang out here now. I used to "haunt" a parrot forum but can't even remember which one it was anymore!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Nice pic hummer Terry...

we have six bird feeders & two hummer feeders... fun to watch, we get tons of birds, one reason I got my dslr was the zoom lens I bought with it to capture some pics of the backyard animals, we also enjoy bird watching, and feed about 300 pounds of black striped sunflower seeds to the cardinals a year, when they can beat out all the squirrels

 

[Reefmack]

Glenn - Good to see another birder! I know what you mean about the black sunflower seeds - I buy them at Lowes in 20 or 30 lb. bags. It seems like everything eats them, unlike the small seeds. I do have a niger seed feeder for the gold finches - a beautiful bird! I have baffles on all except the niger seed feeder - if it wasn't the squirrels it was the racoons wiping out my seed. The raccoons don't even flinch when I go out at night - very brave & a bit disconcerting since they can be rabies carriers. I even had to put a small baffle on my hummer feeder - at least one squirrel used to get on that, tip it, and drink the sugar water! It's a constant battle! I also have deer that eat some of my bushes and garden plants. As long as I don't see a bear out back I can live with the rest.

 

[RaysReef]

That's great Glenn, a lot of feeders - I had to cut down a bit because the neighbours were giving me funny looks lol. I get lots of finches - bullfinches and goldfinches the most, but they dont seem keen on the niger seed. I've not seen a cardinal yet, they pass here on migration though.

lol @ the bear but of course in america you get everthing. A racoon too wow, I stay in the wrong country. The squirrel sussed out the baffles so I've got heavy duty cages around the feeders now (droll yankees, imported from usa). I'm saving a fortune now but tried growing my own sunflowers but scotland is renowed for its awful weather year round.

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I've been thinking back about my flame angel and remember it would only nip at the LPS corals - the bright green ones like the open brain and elegance. I'm going to have a look at fish this weekend, but might (must) leave my wallet at home!

 

[Reefmack]

I once saw 5 raccoons under my seed feeder at night - ridiculous! And they flip up the lids and must go through every trash can in the neighborhood at night, and at times can leave a mess outside. I've even hooked up an elastic bungee type cord to secure the lid, but they still get in and out. To me they're just a big rat, but not as ugly.

I agree - best leave your wallet at home when going to the LFS - but that's no fun!