copps

Always! As I mention in the thread I've sent this thing everywhere, including Alaska which was pretty neat... Was that pun intentional?

There's an excellent thread I bumped on RC here, and I also found the original for sale thread on RC from almost five years ago here. Kind of a neat read on the history of the most famous montipora that originated from one colony Copps

As if you weren't just out to get some frags... For me, I have two systems... one is a total of about 400 gallons, with a 180 gallon display and a 6' x 2' x 17" 125 gallon frag system, 40 gallon fuge and 90 gallon sump... Here is a now dated picture of feeding time I posted in another thread... Chris has been over to take recent pics but I'll hold off on those for now My other system is about 150 gallons or so, consisting of two 54 gallon corner tanks making a half circle that feature some very rare angelfish that made history spawning for a friend in Hawaii who runs www.rcthawaii.com, and are now retired. I have a thread here on RC talking about them... these tanks are still being worked on but will be display quality hopefully by the tank tour... Look forward to seeing everyone! John

Hey Tony! You dropped that on your live rock alone on your last system!

No problem Inna! Arlo's are wild caught, as Frank has not bred these in a couple of years and when he does he sells them at a young age...

Inna, this fish has a limited distribution in Southern Japan and the extreme Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It's a subtropical Centropyge that is the largest of the genus attaining up to 8 inches... There is no collection in the NWHI, and up until Frank Baensch of RCThawaii.com bred them a few years ago not too much demand. He retailed them for $650 as babies, and since then he's stopped breeding them. The demand for them stayed since captive bred ones were available, and so now wild ones are collected in the Bonin Islands in Southern Japan. They're a fairly common fish there, but the fact that the Bonin Islands are isolated and only accessible by weekly ferry I believe from Tokyo, combined with the fact that Japan is a first world nation with high collection costs for the few fish it provides for the industry. So, the LA wholesalers buy at an expensive price from Japan, then pay shipping and fees, then wholesale them at an already high price. LFS and online stores buy from the wholesalers and double that price, resulting in the rough $1200 estimate per fish. They are relatively hardy if kept at cooler water temperatures. Luckily for me, I've become good friend's with Frank Baensch of RCT, who remains the only person in the world ever to have bred this fish, and I was able to obtain his retired male breeder and other broodstock at a relative bargain as Frank is taking a break for a while... Breeding Centropyge is about as simple as splitting the atom and goes way beyond finding appropriate food for the young...

Congratulations Arlo! First of all, thank you for dropping some money on my corals in the auction for the Waikiki Northwestern Hawaiian Islands exhibit that will feature this species among other things. Keep us updated on your pair. Did you receive them as a pair? How large are each of them? Be sure to keep them below 78 degrees also... For those interested these are regularly being imported wild collected from Japan, but cost some bank! Here's a couple of shots of my male C. interruptus that for those of you who haven't seen is the father of all captive bred interruptus and the retired breeder from Frank Baensch of rcthawaii. This fish is about 7 years old now... The breeding female Frank lost since breeding the species a few years ago. I've got the few articles that Frank has published on spawning Centropyge Arlo if you really are serious about ever attempting to raise fry for these guys. I know what goes into it and there's a reason he's the only one in the world doing it! Check out this thread with more info... Again, sweet score!

Anyone interested in getting a frag of this without waiting until the summer of 2010 through reeffarmers just PM me... Copps

Tony! Welcome back! It's really great to see you in the hobby again... I'll also extend the frag offers... John

Hey Jamal, you're along the right track and getting good advice here. Do yourself a favor and get a Salifert and alk test kit. You could pick these up at Blue Ribbon Koi and when you go bring your refractometer for them to compare to. Also look at RO/DI water under it and it should read an even 1. Ditch the Red Sea test kit for good... With the Salifert test kits test the same sample a few times and see if you get the same results... if you don't then you need to check your testing methods. Plus or minus 25 ppm is okay... Do not add any reef additives unless you know what is in them... many snake oils with fancy names... like "Purple Up" contain buffers, calcium, or other additives that people are adding anyway and so the tank gets overdosed FWIW, through the years myself and many other reefers only test alkalinity regularly and have found that on top of this number being more important, usually if this is in line the calcium is in line. Many people try and keep their calcium unusually high over 400, but as long as mine is 350 that's fine. Alk below 7 dkh however is an issue, so test regularly... The alk test is also more simple and fast also... or now however, test calcium regularly also until you become comfortable... Copps

At this link Dustin describes his treatment regimen and dosage. This dosage was originally worked out very carefully with worry about overdosing. Since then however Dustin and many others including myself have found that higher dosages offer a 100% kill rate with no extra side effects... I spoke personally with Dustin at MACNA about this and he confirmed it. I've guided many people through treatment of their systems and recommend a dosage 1.5 to 2 times what Dustin recommends in those original doses. With the original treatment developed years ago, some people would say "my shrimp survived" or "some of my hermits made it", and months later they'd see bugs again. With the double dosage they didn't come back. Do not worry though... you could put ten times the dosage in your system and it would be fine, but shoot for 1.5 to 2 times the dosage... What I do with all new arrivals now is simple... I use an Instant Ocean bucket with a small powerhead and 50 watt heater and leave the new corals in an Interceptor bath for at least seven hours... but longer causes no harm... Also treat for 7 to 8 hours instead of the original 6 recemmended... Any commensal acro crabs you have also you could set aside during the treatment, as they will die if left behind... What Borneman recommends will work, but to me that's undue stress and hassle removing all of the corals... Also, if there is one tiny piece of encrusted Acropora in the system... perhaps a fallen piece that has encrusted out of view, the system will be repopulated with bugs... Let me know the size pills of Interceptor you get and we could help with the dosage... Do not worry... this is the easiest reef parasite to get rid of with no damage... John

Hey Charlie... you'll have to treat your whole system for best results with Interceptor. The only issues are the crabs and shrimp, but aside from that the treatment is painless and even at many many times the dosage there are no ill effects... I dealt with red bugs years ago before Dustin came up with the Interceptor treatment and I tried iodine based dips that were VERY stressful on the sps and only killed the bugs at what nearly killed the coral... In the future you'll need to treat new corals before adding them to your display unless you are 110% sure they are clean... Red bugs are everywhere and most people don't even know it... I've diagnosed so many systems... Many LFSs have them and ignore the simple treatment... One store that is 100% free of them is Blue Ribbon... Thumbs up to John there for listening to me unlike othe stores Don't panic though... the treatment is stressless, and I don't even worry whether or not people have them as I treat everything that comes in and the bugs are killed 10 times over with my treatment... You really cannot blame people because most have no idea what to look for... A couple of weeks ago I was away on business in Connecticut and diagnosed the Mystic Aquarium's display! It's rather simple... unless you've treated with Interceptor... you have red bugs on your Acropora...

The final bid on this guy was $150 and I'll find out from Craig who it was as I auctioned a few of my corals... I have a couple other frags and will make more, as painful as it is with these encrusting montis... Copps

First of all, I want to thank all of you who came out to the auction we had over the weekend to benefit the Waikiki Aquarium's upcoming Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) Exhibit. For more information on the auction see this thread. As I mentioned at the auction over the weekend, I've known Charles Delbeek for a few years now after originally meeting him at the Waikiki Aquarium. He's well known throughout the reefing community not only for literally writing the books on reef aquariums, but also for personally greeting diehard reefkeepers at the Waikiki Aquarium. He often has dropped whatever he was doing, offering a behind the scenes tour with all of the accompanying chatter that we reefkeepers do best! I always told Charles to let me know when and how I could give back, and after many times of asking for nothing he sent this request a few months back. I brought the idea of raising money to the officers of WAMAS and we ran with it. This past weekend myself and other WAMAS members and vendors donated to a raffle with the hopes of raising $500. This amount would gain WAMAS recognition on a donor's wall... Well... we didn't raise $500... we raised nearly $1800! We'll be around $2000 when all is said and done! Anyway, On Sunday I spoke with Charles for over a half hour, and he wanted me to pass on the thanks! Charles also sent me some photos of a model of the exhibit, which will be about 4000 gallons with a front glass pane of 12 feet long... The exhibit will be going along this wall replacing these three tanks... the center one alone is 350 gallons... Way to go WAMAS! Copps

Hey Charlie, Blue Ribbon should be getting in a bunch of female lyretails this week and if you get there early you could get first pic. The two limiting factors are bioload and space... and they are independant of one another... It's very hard to tell people what their system could handle bioload wise because there are so many factors that go into that. Space wise is much easier... Speaking from experience with lyretails you have the space for the five or six you'd like, assuming you have adequate refuge to break up the territories a little bit. Jamal, Lyretails and many common hardy anthias do fine on two feedings a day, but at one they could ware thin... I feed mine when I get home from work around 6 or 7 and before I hit the sack around 11.

WAY TO GO WAMAS! Thanks to all who came out! I am so excited about the money we raised I'm using three exclamation points in this post!

Hey guys, for those of you who don't know this Saturday we are having an auction to benefit the Waikiki Aquarium... all the information can be found in this thread... I've known Charles Delbeek for a few years now and each time I've met up with at the Waikiki Aquarium he's stopped what he'd been doing to show me around. He does this for countless reefers in the hobby and every time I see him I've asked how I could pay him back. I introduced him for his speech last year at MACNA that was very popular, and the time has come to give back... Among the corals I'll be adding to the auction are these... Rainbow Montipora- This is a limited edition Steve Tyree piece that is available at reeffarmers.com... the catch is that the waiting list is currently backlogged to April 2010 (literally!) for the $105 tiny fragments... LE or not, this is a beautiful truly unique Montipora that shows different colored polyps as shown... The picture I'm posting is of the exact frag you'll receive if you're the highest bidder this Saturday... it's fully encrusted and looking beautiful... Original Superman Montipora- This is a direct decendant of hands down the most infamous Montipora out there... the original Superman... I've had it for years before it was even called "Superman" and have distributed it since then... from Florida to Alaska... and have an encrusted frag up for auction Saturday... again this is a WYSIWYG piece... Apologies for the poor pic, but it's zoomed in... To read an excellent thread on it's history (I'm Copps on RC), Check this out... Idaho Grape Plating Montipora- A beautiful grape color on this fully plating Monti that is another Tyree piece that has a waiting list to 2008. This monti grows well and keeps it color even under VHOs... The piece I auction will be decent sized... I may throw in a few more... I hope this turns out to be a good auction... Copps

I felt the same way when a retailer in Germany was using an image of one of my regal angels on the homepage of their site. Someone contacted me about it, as I'd never have found it. The owner felt bad and sent me a small protein skimmer and some biological product he was pushing. I let them use it and said all they needed to do was contact me and ask... A website in the US contacted me ahead of time and said they'd shoot me some livestock when they got settled... I don't even remember the name of them... It's the same image being used on our WAMAS banner

Looks like I'm getting off the toll road early today to check it out

Excellent information discussed above regarding my regal trio (I'm Copps at RC)... Thanks Rik and Craig. This is a picky species that should be left to those with experience. Many people are keeping them nowadays with success. I've loved this fish since I got my first saltwater tank in middle school over 15 years ago and regals were considered "unkeepable". My original guy can be seen at the top of the WAMAS page in this graphic I just returned from my fourth trip to Guam in Micronesia where regals are found in abundance. Here's a shot of one of the beautiful males I photographed... Also for those interested in regals here is a shot of a xanthic color form collected in the Maldives that usually goes to Japan for big bucks... A friend in Florida that I met at last year's MACNA has a spawning pair with video on his site here... http://www.minireef.esmartweb.com/loveinreef.htm For another excellent MUST have angelfish book, look into Scott Michael's Volume three of Reef Fishes, with an entire section dedicated to regals. Jody, regarding your interest in an achilles tang for your 120 I'd recommend against it, as tangs of the genus Acanthurus (like the achilles) require much more swimming room than others. For 4 foot tanks look into the Zebrasoma (like yellow and purple tangs) or Ctenochaetus genus (like tominis and koles). Achilles tangs in particular have a poorer record than other similarly related Acanthurus species, possibly due to their need for highly oxygenated water on top of requiring room.

Put me down for five boxes... thanks John!

Craig, thank you for getting the wheels going on this. I've been friends with Charles Delbeek and introduced his speech at last year's MACNA. I also had Bruce Carlson over my house a couple of years ago, the ex-director of the Waikiki Aquarium now at the Georgia Aquarium. I always told Charles to let me know any way I could repay the favors he has done. For those of you who don't know, the Waikiki Aquarium is now over 100 years old, the third oldest in the US. I've always said it is an "aquarist's aquarium". There are no flipping dolphins or killer whales, but rather THE best tropical reef aquariums with uber-rare specimens that excite even the most seasoned hobbyists. Many hobbyists who visit Oahu enter the aquarium for $9 and ask for Charles Delbeek, one of the most notable voices and authors in the hobby, and end up getting a behind the scenes tour at no extra charge. Charles often drops whatever he's doing to do this. My last visit we talked for hours walking through every system. I recently again mentioned to him any help I could offer after his years of giving, and he for the first time mentioned something... the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Exhibit. That was all he needed to do, and I pinged on a few people in the club including Craig regarding what we could do to contribute as a club. As Beltway Bandit mentioned above, I too will be contributing at least $100 personally, and am willing to brainstorm ideas to make this a win-win-win situation... win for the Waikiki Aquarium, win for WAMAS, and most of all, a win for the environment as aquariums like these are windows to an underwater world that very few people know about that is in need of protection. On top of education, the Waikiki Aquarium has successfully bred Genicanthus personatus, which will be the feature group of fish in the exhibit. I'll be visiting Oahu again in October and while Charles will not be on the island, I will get some hands-on regarding the exhibit and relay the info back. My thanks in advance to all donors. It will be great for each of us to put a few drops in the bucket, and collectively as WAMAS put a few full cups in the bucket. I've gone back and forth quite a bit recently with Charles regarding this, so let me know if you have any questions... Copps

Wow... and I remember thinking why were you so interested in my comments on South Pacific diving... you need a vacation there Byron... Johnny, if you have a buildup in organics and ammonia in that pond you know who to blame... That three footer was thinking he was the alpha male of that pond... until Byron jumped in! In all seriousness... that is pretty cool Byron (pink goggles and all)... Copps I just realized you're diving Nitrox... too funny... are you Nitrox certified? That will allow you to stay under for about 4 hours instead of an hour and a half at the 6 foot depth in that pond...

Nice link Rik... Dave, this has been done before with the Sea-Swirls... there are threads on RC... I've used both the Sea Swirl for years and now the Wavy-Sea, and I really like the Wavy-Seas... Incidentally, I posted this compasison on RC... the Wavy-Sea is well worth the extra $70... The major differences... 1. Degrees of coverage- I've always been upset with the fact that SS only rotate 90 degrees. The Wavy-Sea can do 1 degree to a full 360 at any spot you want... you set it. This has allowed me to get 180 degrees of coverage on the return to my display as opposed to the old 90 degrees I was getting with my SS. 2. Speed of rotation- The SS has a set speed, but the WS is again adjustable with 6 different rotation speeds. This is again an excellent difference. 3. Maximum flow through- I've always been upset that a SS can only handle 1150 gph in this day and age of our complex sps tanks with pumps running multiples thousands of gallons per hour. The Wavy-sea handles double... 2300 gph. Another huge advantage... 4. Size- One lesser advantage is that the unit itself is smaller and less boxy. It also is much easier to work with and adjust. I've always been paranoid messing with my SS thinking "don't void the warranty" and "how much pressure can I put on this before it breaks" So, it's a rather simple decision. If you want to save $70 and don't mind only having 90 degress of coverage at a fixed speed with less than 1150 gph going in, than go with a Sea-Swirl. They are great devices. But if the above mentioned things are worth $70 to you, go with a Wavy-Sea. To me it's well worth it... Copps

That's funny Rebecca, I was in Ashburn playing hockey and it felt like the roof was going to cave in there with the rain and thunder... I commented to the younger guys on the team "You know you're getting old when you talk about the rain helping your lawn out!" I drove home at 12:30 am ten minutes to Leesburg and found not a drop on the ground...