lanman

I just recently started all this, and was told to 'build up' to 9 hours. 12 seems like a lot of light, even if that's what you get near the equator. bob

Don't forget the umbrella leather! (I'd like a small one if you still have them). bob First meeting... Does everyone walk around with coolers? How is the trading/selling handled? Most of the deals made ahead of time? Or are there odds and ends for sale on the spot? Anything else us newcomers should know? bob

Okay - laying it down was one of my first thoughts - especially when I saw a hermit trying to climb it. Laying it down NOW. Thanks, bob

That's purty!! Approximately 78 of them if cut into 1/2"x1/2" frags. So if the 1/2" frags were sold for $200 each, that would be about $15,000 bob

Nah - she loves looking at the fish tanks. You know - everyone does... I've had various people drop by for various reasons - and most of them sit for 20-30 minutes in front of my 24 watching all the 'action'. Snails, hermits, shrimp, crabs, fish, corals - half an hour for 24 gallons. That could stretch into all day for a larger tank. I'll figure out an itinerary and ask for some directions. Thanks! bob

I find a lot of references to fragging fungia - so it must be do-able. But they sure are slow growing. And the frags sometimes have 'odd' shapes years later. bob

I've read that you should remove any algae from them... but not exactly HOW. The gorgonian was free with an order from GARF. It has a lot of polyps showing, and seems healthy - just has hair algae on it. bob

I lied - thought all of my hair algae was gone. It is - EXCEPT on my yellow gorgonian. I'm about to take it out, put it in a bowl of water and clean it up - but the question is: How rough can I be with the gorgonian? I know sandpaper is out of the question, and wire brushes... but can I rub it pretty good with my fingers without hurting it? Run a cloth or sponge over it? Thanks, bob

And if that doesn't do it... PM me, and I'll explain it just like Bemmer did for me. bob

Are you SURE that's cyanobacteria? Real easy to tell - brush it with a finger or a brush - if it powders away, it's cyano. Reason I say - I just recently started growing coraline in my tank; and I thought it was cyano at first - because it was DARK RED, instead of the purple I had expected. And the green - that's exactly what happens to rock just before coraline starts growing. Newbie voice of very recent experience. Also - cyano doesn't stay on rocks... it likes to spread across the sandbed. And it really looks yucky. I've seen it at a local reef store; never had it myself. bob

Sounds like he's having FUN! Consider putting some larger grade sand on top? Garf Grunge? Give him a challenge. bob

Okay... so she SEEMED to be doing better. Either the cat got her, or she died, and the cleaners in the tank completely disposed of the corpus delicti before I got home from work. She's just plain... gone! Not even any bones... I hope the other two get LONELY! bob

Rental fees? My queen conch seems to like hair algae, and occasionally the larger turbinaria eats some. I had what was promising to become an epic infestation - there were little bits growing all over the sides of the tank. But something must have changed, or stabilized - I took out one rock that had a lot of algae on it, scrubbed it down, rinsed it, and put it back in - and shortly thereafter, it all started dying. There are just a couple of little patches left on one rock, and they get smaller every time the snail or queen conch pass through. bob

In other words - if you want to deduct ALL of the costs of your reefkeeping, you have to make it a business, with a reasonable expectation of an eventual profit. If it is a hobby, you can only reduce your income by the cost of engaging in the hobby - you can't take an actual deduction. Examples: My costs for 2006 for my hobby are $3000. I sell corals worth $3500. I must report $500 income. My costs for 2006 for my hobby are $3000. I sell corals worth $2500. I may NOT deduct the other $500. No - I'm not with the IRS; but my dad used to be a tax collector! And oddly enough, he spent many years in Astoria, OR - trying to collect taxes from fishing boat operators. Not an easy job, because most of them only had income for about 2-3 months out of the year. bob

Aha... it's that smart identification lady down the road again! Yeah - that's him! Maybe I should catch him, and put him in the refugium where my hermits and fire shrimp can't get him. Thanks!! bob

I have a new critter in my tank. He acts like a snail - but he looks more like a slug;with a half-shell on his back. Abalone baby? It is about 1/2-inch long. Here with flash Heading SW: Here without flash heading NE: bob

Interesting... I just thought they were sociable by nature. I know that mine came from someone else's tank (returned to store when owner had to move out of town). From day one - if I put my hand in the tank, he is all over me (read separate post about him getting his claws super-glued together). Try putting a little bit of mysis shrimp in the tank to get his attention - and then hand-feeding him more. Mine stops eating when I stop providing - I think he would eat until his tail fell off. But if he does get real friendly - be careful with super-glue! bob

Nature seems to be taking a gentler course,now. The wound is healing nicely, she seems to have made tentative friends with the 2nd smallest one, and doesn't get chased around as much (and the biggest one just can't catch her - she goes round and round her favorite rock, with a narrow opening on one side, and the bigger fish can't squeeze through as fast). I put the whole load of shrimp in pretty much at one time now, and she's become quite adept at getting her share, while the big guy is busy looking for food. bob

By 'hack' - do you mean you sawed it, or just broke it up into pieces? bob

Looks nice! Much better than my 'pile of rocks' aquasculpting technique. bob

Need a ruler in the picture - how big are those ugly things? Are they as slow-moving as they look? They look like dust mites on steroids. bob

Considering it doesnt' often live long in captivity - it is almost certainly taken from the ocean. I hate to encourage stores or producers to take from the ocean corals that are going to die. However - the damage would seem to already be done in this case; so read up, feed it well, and hope it gives you many years of pleasure. Maybe yours will be the one that acclimates well, propagates well, and survives well enough to become 'captive-grown' Goniopora. I'm afraid if you take it back, someone that hasn't a clue will get it - not feed it properly, and it will be gone in a month. Oh - and by the way, I'm new to the hobby, but I love star polyps; I have about 5 different varieties growing. Give me a few months, and I should be able to supply you with some nice frags. One of them (I got from Jacob?) - has fat, fluorescent green 'leaves' that almost glow in the dark (and do glow very brightly under blue light). Unfortunately, so far it is one of the slower growing GSP's. I also like encrusting gorgonians - I have a pink that seems to be growing like crazy. GSP's and encrusting gorgonians need their own rocks, or they will spread over everything bob

I like my TEK. bob

Tell me about wavemakers... I just want something to kind of break up the flow, move more water through some dead spots. Right now I just have a little powerhead on a timer that runs 15 mins on, 30 mins off, pointing in the general area of slow flow. I know there are set-ups that move around - are oscillating pumps like the zoo-med powersweep any good? http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com/powerhe...76199e978b3ffb7 Other suggestions, without getting into 6 powerheads and an electronic controller? I just have a 45-gallon tank, after all. bob

Do you know if that 'local reefer' is a member here? You might suggest it to him We're all going to want to see pictures of it at 60 pounds a year from now... bob