Andy's 29 Gallon Reef

[Cassette87]

Thanks everyone the mushroom in the bottom left is just a frilly lookin mushroom, got it a little while back, but just moved it to the left I'll take a better pic in a bit.

I've read and been told by a few people that the brown montis will do okay under pc's if they're in direct light with at least 4w/gallon so i guess we'll see. If it starts to look unhealthy, i'm goin to take it back to the LFS though, I don't want to kill it! I was really excited about the changes, becase the small changes like this seem to set off the tank

Originally Posted by goldenmean

Andy your tank is looking really good.
I really like the big shroom discovery zone.

your hair algae is missing.
Is that a fungia or plate coral over by the lower left corner?

Thanks! hah i like it too but they're taking over! I have to get rid of some i think!

[goldenmean]

Hey Andi Looking at your new zoanthids some of what I see I think are just sir bubbles but the polyp on the far right looks like it has snail or nudibranch eggs on it. See the white specs in a comma.circular pattern?

Check out the nudibranch pics on this site ZoaID.com! :: The definitive repository for named Zoanthids!

A fresh water dip would kill any nudis but not the eggs.

[Cassette87]

ahhh! you're right! i just scraped the little egg "sac" off with a razor into the bathroom sink and did a quick 10 second dip into fresh water I don't know if i should do anthing else... Should i be worried?? dangit now i'm all freaked out.

[goldenmean]

I didn't want to freak you out.
I always do a fresh water dip on all new zoanthids vbefore they go intop my tank. I make sure the temp of the fresh water is the same as my tank then I put them in the fresh water for 3-4 minutes. It will not hurt the zoas.
It will kill any nudis. It will not kill sundial snails. Those have to be manually removed.

The nudis can be hard to see as they often turn the color of the zoas they are munching on. I would do a longer fresh water dip than the one you did and if you scraped all the eggs off you should be okay. Just keep a close eye on them for the next 10 days or so. I think that is the hatching period for nudi eggs after they are laid.

[Cassette87]

Alright, I'll do what you said, But i just moved the monti again cause looking closer at it.. i don't know if there are more eggs or what by i was placing it and handling a lot so there was plenty of time for some to fall off if there were eggs on thta too maann.. see what i get for buying something new.. heres a pic of the monti..

[goldenmean]

Im not too familiar with montis.
That doesnt look like eggs to me tho.
It could just be that he is a bit unhappy from the move.
Dentoid wiould probably know.

[Cassette87]

*sigh* well I glued it back in place. I visually inspected the zoas once more, and didn't see either more eggs or a nudi.. although I can't say ive seen a nudi in real life, so i'm not quite sure how small they can be. at any rate, I put the pieces in my tank once more. I figure, I've purchased so much live rock and other pieces, and never inspected for eggs.. and everything's been fine this far. If i happen to see them i will pull them out, i suppose that's all i can really do at this point. From what I can see though, the new zoas will add a nice splash of color to the tank

[caitrina]

yooo hoooo, Dr. S, calling Dr. S...Andy needs ya, pssst over here.

Andy, I think it will be ok, just keep an eye on things in there. Is there anything that eats the nudi babies that he can get, just in case?

BTW, Andy get those gloves on..... gonna send the glove police after you!!!

[Craig Manoukian]

Looks good Andy, good luck with the Monti Cap, one of my favorites. What lights are you running, and when are you getting a bigger tank (for the Montipora of course)?

[caitrina]

So how is everything looking today? I think Dentoid took a break yesterday because he wasn't on long if at all. He has beautiful Monti's , and guess what Andy yours are going to grow and get bigger and BIGGER and then you will have to frag them and sell a piece to me, that is if they do well under those Pc's. I actually plan on having better lights eventually. I also plan on having a tank that looks as good as JFKs, have you seen his. Go look at his chronicle when you get a chance, if you haven't already.

Speaking of looking good, Andy, your tank looks pretty darn good. I went back to the first few pictures and it sure has come a LONG way. Keep up the good work.

[Cassette87]

Originally Posted by Craig Manoukian

Looks good Andy, good luck with the Monti Cap, one of my favorites. What lights are you running, and when are you getting a bigger tank (for the Montipora of course)?

Thanks Craig! I'm running a 130w PC fixture + 2 3/4w lunar leds. I know it's not always the right way to judge the lighting, but this comes out to about 4 1/2 watts per gallon. The monti's little polyps are popping out today! so hopefully this is a good sign!

Originally Posted by caitrina

So how is everything looking today? I think Dentoid took a break yesterday because he wasn't on long if at all. He has beautiful Monti's , and guess what Andy yours are going to grow and get bigger and BIGGER and then you will have to frag them and sell a piece to me, that is if they do well under those Pc's. I actually plan on having better lights eventually. I also plan on having a tank that looks as good as JFKs, have you seen his. Go look at his chronicle when you get a chance, if you haven't already.

Speaking of looking good, Andy, your tank looks pretty darn good. I went back to the first few pictures and it sure has come a LONG way. Keep up the good work.

Hey Cat! Everything is looking good! Most of the new zoas are open as are the monti's polyps. Hah, I hope it does well! Hah, I'll send a piece your way when the time comes! What sorts of lights are you thinking about? I actually sent Jack an email asking about the solaris fixtures... they're pretty interesting, although very expensive. I think that over the long haul though, it'd be a worthwhile investment, no heat / no bulb replacements / and amazing "customization" for day/lunar cycles Don't i sound like a tv commercial... lol I don't think I've read through JFK's entire chronicle, but I do know he has an absolutely BEAUTIFUL reef! Thanks for the compliments! I'm trying to get it as nice as possible, although, as i said, i think I want to change or add to my aquascape. I'm just scared of messing things up

[Craig Manoukian]

Yes that is a good sign, now you just need a bigger tank so it can really grow!

[caitrina]

Glad things are looking good. Just got your pm about the solaris....MAN, those are expensive, but you know in the long run I guess they are worth it. I want to get MH for my 65, but yet the heat issue and I have a 90 that was given to me that I am not ready to set up or know what I am going to do with it yet soooooall of that is on hold in my brain anyway. Sent you a PM BTW concerning the korallias.

[Cassette87]

Originally Posted by caitrina

Glad things are looking good. Just got your pm about the solaris....MAN, those are expensive, but you know in the long run I guess they are worth it. I want to get MH for my 65, but yet the heat issue and I have a 90 that was given to me that I am not ready to set up or know what I am going to do with it yet soooooall of that is on hold in my brain anyway. Sent you a PM BTW concerning the korallias.

Me too Thanks! They are expensive, But If you really think about it, They use MUCH less electricity than MH fixtures, you won't be purchasing bulbs that are ridiculously expensive, and you get amazing amount of control over the color spectrum not to mention no heat issues = no need for chiller. So, I'm not sure yet, I'm waiting to see what the damage would be to my wallet and we'll see from there. Only worry is getting a 24" model... if i ever get a larger tank, i suppose it could still be used.. Anywhoo.. as far as the korrallias, I posted for two, read a lot of good things about them, so i guess we'll see.. even though i really shouldn't be spending any more money.. lol this hobby is evil!!

[caitrina]

you are funny Andy...I just posted for 2 Korallias, but shouldn't be spending any more money but I am thinking about the Solaris....Sorry, it just sounds like me at times...