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LCDRDATA

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Posts posted by LCDRDATA

    Reef Reproduction

    in General Discussion

    I had just started feeding my tank this evening (full lights, all pumps off) when I noticed my short-spined urchin pumping out sperm (at least, I think that's what it was, since you really couldn't make out any individual particles). Hopefully you can tell in the pictures, as the "best" had dispersed before I could get my camera, but the "haze" around the urchin isn't spooge on the glass but gametes in the water column. I'd seen my snails do this before, but this is a "first" for an urchin in my experience. With no ladyfriend their obviously won't be the pitter-patter of extra-tiny tube feet in the tank, but all the filter feeders got the main course AND dessert tonight :biggrin: !

     

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    Bulb replacement advice

    in General Discussion

    If you want to risk information overload, there's a thread on Reef Central that is dedicated to T-5 lighting and currently runs 415(!) pages. You can probably find custom recommendations for a 6-bulb setup for just about any combination of corals you want. Here's a link to a page near the end: The T5 Q&A Thread. I've been happy with the advice I've gotten there.

     

    Also, I don't know where you are getting your bulbs, but in addition to WAMAS' sponsors, two sites I'd recommend are Reef Geek and Hellolights. The links will take you directly to the 39W T-5 pages.

    Vacation feeding

    in General Discussion

    You could do that but it usually floats under a rock and rots or a big fish eats the entire thing

     

    ... or the whole cube drifts straight to the overflow and it all goes into your sump. :mellow:

    Trinity Christian School Tank

    in Education Forum

    I posted this yesterday in the members' For Sale/WTB/Free forum at SPS & softies for sale or trade - but given this is a school I'd be happy to donate whatever you were interested in. I case you can't see the thread, here's the list (I've removed the prices from this version)

     

    I have the following frags available:

     

    - 1 x montipora digitata, red/brown

    - 1 x pocillipora, deep pink/red

    - 1 x kenya tree (~2")

    - 2 x green & white striped paly (~8 polyps per frag)

    - 2 x yellow polyps (~ a dozen polyps per frag)

     

    For "just-in-time" inventory, I have

     

    - a large rock covered in green & white discoma mushrooms that need to be thinned; I can remove some at your request.

    - large group of pale green & orange zoas; I can frag that (probably 6-12 polyps per frag) on request.

    - several frags of green-star polyp.

     

    I can probably also spare some dragon's breath macro algae, and I may be able to frag a small piece of "purple nurple" encrusting montipora.

    Tanks for Sale getting out of hobby

    in General Discussion

    $500 - What a great deal!! Sadly, even if I had the money, I don't have the space :sad: . When I first started (not quite three years ago), I looked at a beautiful established setup (90 or 120 gal, I don't remember which) that someone was selling for $1500. Of course, I didn't want to spend that much. So now three years later I have a fairly nice 75 gallon tank, and I don't think I've spent more than about $3000 (!). Maybe someone's tax refund will come in and help them decide to buy - good luck!

    changing MH/T5 bulbs

    in General Discussion

    My T-5 unit has eight bulbs in two banks. I alternate switching out one bank every six months, which means I replace individual bulbs on an annual basis. I had planned to switch banks at 9 months, but that became too hard to track :blink: . It seems to be working, most everybody in the tank appears to be healthy, happy, and growing appropriately.

    "DIY" LED moonlight - How bright is too bright?

    in Do It Yourself

    I decided to experiment with adding moonlighting to my 75-gallon reef setup. To minimize the cost I bought a $15 blue LED rope light (package states 9 watts) at Wal-Mart and just laid it around the inside perimeter of the glass top on my tank. There is a lot of wasted light (since the lights aren't directional), and the LEDs aren't optimized for this use, but with LEDs every inch and a half I figured quantity would make up the difference. I certainly seems to have; definitely lots of POP! from my corals. :clap:

     

    However, my wife pointed out that this might be too bright, especially if I left it on all night. :sad: I know a number of the corals/zoas were significantly more open under this lighting than they were in the dark (I periodically watch my tank at night with a dim red light to not disturb nocturnal activity). While it looked cool, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. So, can anyone help me out on this? How bright is too bright? :unsure: If I were to put this and my 'fuge light on a separate timer opposite my main unit (right now my 'fuge is on the same cycle), would this be a good idea or a bad one? Thanks!

     

    P.S. - I put this same question out on Reef Central earlier this morning; nothing back so far.

    Donations to Schools

    in Education Forum

    I'll send this to your email as well, but I'm not sure which you'll see first.

     

    I have a current thread in the For Sale/WTB/Free forum with most of what I have available - as this is for school and given the distance, I'd be happy to donate whatever you'd like (with the exception of the "large" mushroom frag, which is on hold). The thread is Softies Looking for a Soft Landing. Perhaps the best way to do this would be for you to go to that thread, look it over (I actually updated and posted new pics yesterday) and decide what you would like. Then look at the things I'd originally posted and decide if there is anything on that list you want that isn't in the "Softies..." thread. Finally, just let me know what you'd like, and we'll set up a time for you to come and pick it up.

     

     

    Jim ("LCDRDATA")

    What salt do you use?

    in General Discussion

    I started with IO, but was always dosing calcium & magnesium. I tried Oceanic, but it was leaving some kind of precipitate on my equipment. I've been using Reef Crystals for about a year and a half and am very happy with the results, and they're only 5-10% more than regular IO, which seems to be worth it.

    Snail eggs?

    in General Discussion

    I've watched ceriths and turbos lay eggs in my tank, and both types left long, coiled strings of tiny, tiny eggs. My guess is that those are a group of babies, either limpets or stomatella (hard to say).

     

    I also remember reading about pyramid snails - white, and about the size & shape of rice grains, if memory serves - that parasitize and kill clams. Judging from the discoma next to them, these aren't even that big, but if you have one or more clams and can't make a positive ID that they're harmless, I'd suggest getting rid of them just to be safe.

    Donations to Schools

    in Education Forum

    Here's where I am in terms of things available for donation:

     

    - I have around a half dozen green & white discoma mushrooms looking for a new home. At the moment, they're jumping off the mother colony faster than I can sell/give them away - it's like the old Doritos commercial ("crunch all you want...we'll make more). :bb:

    - I need to prune back my colony of green palys (radial stripes of lighter green to almost white), so while I don't have them fragged at the moment, I just need a couple days' notice to get them on frag plugs.

    - I can also do a frag of the pale green and orange zoas (also radial striping) at any time.

    - I can do multiple frags of green star polyps at any time also.

    - I could do a small frag of deep pink pocillipora and possibly of a red-orange monti digi as well, but my wife has informed me the monti cap I mentioned previously as a possibility is off limits. :blush:

    - Turning to non-corals, with a bit of notice I could catch and set aside a few of my numerous stomatella - while they started as hitchhikers they've done well enough to spawn in my tank. :laugh:

    - I could probably spare a couple of hermits as well.

    - Finally, I can also spare some live rock (a couple pieces from roughly fist size to perhaps half that) and probably 15-20 pounds of previously live but currently dry base rock - I can't put an island name to it ("Fiji", "Tonga" etc.) but its fairly porous.

     

    If you're interested, just let me know when we can do a transfer.

    The Coral Nursery

    in Education Forum

    I'm cross-posting this on a couple forums because it is such an awesome article. I'd suggest going to the original (hyperlinked) - the text and links are below but don't do it justice.

     

    I just received my copy of the Autumn Nature Conservancy magazine, and the cover article is on efforts to bring back Caribbean coral reefs propagating coral frags. The URL is http://www.nature.or...82.html?src=sp3 and I

    Halloween Doughnut SALE!!

    in Blue Ribbon Koi

    I recevied a nice Aussie shipment this week and will be posting pictures soon of the colonies to see if anyone wants to spend the bucks on any of the full colonies before I frag them. BUT there is one exception that I need to get out there right away, oh and by the way in the future the people that get first crack at this stuff will be on our mailing list, so if you havent signed up yet you need to, its right in the center of our home page.

     

    OK Enough BS Below is a Aussie Scoly that is the perfect Halloween coral!! First $199 gets it! PM me, email me what ever, but whoever commits first gets it. IF you paypal the funds right after I confirm you got it I will toss in a BRK LE coral to boot!

     

    All I can say is WOW! I know it's gone, but maybe someday I'll be able to afford something like that :cry:

     

    On a more realistic note, what do you have in the way of peppermint shrimp? I've run out of Aiptasia X and have a couple I can't reach that seem like they're the size of your scoly...

     

    Also, do you have any sea hares? I know both of these are listed on your stock list (I checked), but it's dated last week. Thanks!

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