OUsnakebyte

I've been using the Bayer method for over 1.5 years now - and I've been contributing to that thread on RC for some time now. I have been using 4mls per liter of tank water per treatment. DO NOT use it as an in-tank treatment. That would be very bad. I dip at 4 mls per liter for 15 minutes with an air stone, then I rinse the coral in a fresh bath of tank water, then place back in the tank. This dip will kill off red bugs and AEFW (I have confirmed this) and will probably knock off monti nudis (but I have no experience with this). Anything else on the coral or rock that gets placed in the dip (hermit crab, snail, small sea stars, bristle works, etc., etc.) will be a gonner too. The ONLY coral that I have found that does not take well to this dip - and I have dipped dozens and dozens of species - is Leishman's red table, A. hyacinthus. The tissue sloughs off right after treatment. For that coral, I use Ivermectin at 2 mls per 10 Liters for 6 hours. This will also kill red bugs, but I don't know about AEFW or monti nudis. For both of these treatments, I dip once for three or four consecutive weeks before calling a coral "clean." For an in-tank treatment, interceptor is still your only method at this point, but I'm almost convinced that I am now seeing Interceptor-resistant red bugs. They made it through several treatments before I got them with Ivermectin. Cheers Mike

And by slow, he means REAL SSSSSSSLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW.............

I should clarify... that's a 10-day LIVEABOARD dive trip in Raja Ampat. Yeah... I'm going diving.

That's a 10-day diving trip to Raja Ampat... I'd rather go diving...

So, do you want filamentous algae, like Bryopsis? Cheers Mike

Don't quote me on this, but I think what you've got there is a Netted Flatworm, Pseudoceros texarus. Did you recently get in a shipment of snails? If it is P. texarus, these guys are snail predators. I caught one once going through my astrea snails. Cheers Mike

Hmmm... sounds about like other fish (angles being "reef safe" for example) - no guarantees.... Okay, thanks all for the input. I'll think about it, but for now... I'll just keep manually slaughtering them. Cheers Mike

I hate aptasia. Yes, I nuke them with Kalk paste and Aptasia X whenever I see them, but there are always some that I can't reach. My stupid wrasses eat nudibranchs. Peppermint shrimp get so well fed that they refuse to hunt anymore. Plus, the wrasses do a number on them too. My concern is not corals - don't have too many of those left these days - but my anemones (Magnifica, haddoni carpet and two rock/flower anemones) and two clams. Has anyone tried these fish for aptasia control? My magnifica is my favorite piece - really don't want anything to harm it (there are no resident clowns to defend it). The blue haddoni carpet can take care of itself - more afraid the filefish will get eaten if anything. And yes, I'm also attached to my two tridacnas. Thoughts? Cheers Mike

To answer your question - yes, night is the best time to feed, as this is typically when those corals will extend their polyps to match the daily plankton migrations. I would also think that reducing the current to some extent - i.e. going into night mode - would also be favorable to allow gentle flow by the polyp but you don't want to reduce it too much. You'd like to keep the food suspended as long as possible. Cheers Mike

IME, this has always been fatal. Isolating it so it is not further harassed is a good idea. Mike

And if those fish (or most damsels really....) were as big as sharks.... I wouldn't get in the ocean......

Do they stick on the side and then let go, swim around and then stick again, with tentacles outstretched? I believe they are hydroids. Pretty cool.

All good thoughts everyone - thanks for the feedback! - I originally wanted to make this out of 3" clear pvc but couldn't find a local source (didn't want to pay shipping for a single length of pvc). - I also thought about turning it vertical but I wanted it to be an easy installation. I figure a verticle setup would be "more involved." It certainly wouldn't be "impossible" just more materials. If I could somehow mount the unit (on the wall or the aquarium) that would keep the weight off the 3/4" connectors, this might be an easy change. - I considered not using the rubber couplings (fernco couplings) and instead using 3" unions, but that significantly increases the cost (~$35 per union). I could still do that though - it would be an easy switch, as would swapping out for 3" clear pvc if I come across a length. - I also thought about lining the inside of the fernco couplings with a layer of aquarium silicone - though... I'm not so sure that's a great solution. But... now that I think of it... I have definitley seen these rubber couplings before connecting bulkhead-to-bulkhead. But, I've never really thought about them leeching materials.... How would I even test the effectiveness of this anyway? I suppose I could measure my tank's dissolved organic carbon and then measure the DOC coming from the output of the filter? Cheers Mike

So, last weekend I decided to take off my UV sterilizer, as I really don't see a difference with it on or off the system. I decided to build and replace it with a larger carbon filter, different than what I have used in the past. The idea was inspired by my RO filter I use to make fresh water with. It looks like this: It has a 3/4" inlet and outlet with true union valves. The main chamber that is filled with carbon is 3" pvc with rubber reducer couplings to 2", then 2" to 3/4" reducer bushings that fit in the rubber couplings. True union valves are on either side so I can isolate the chamber when it is time to change the carbon. The chamber is packed full of carbon, and I cut circular pieces of filter padding to place on either side of the carbon, so it's not going anywhere. Living in a 1-bedroom apartment, my biggest fear is that I am going to spring a leak on something that will drain to my neighbors below (that happened when I was in college). Sooooo.... what am I missing? Do you think I am at risk of one of the hose clamps failing if pressure builds up in the chamber if it gets clogged? I think (hope) that water will just go the other way if that happens - I should mention this is plumbed into the return manifold of my main system pump (only pump on the system, actually). So, water has 5 ways to go when it leaves the pump. Think this system will even work? Cheers Mike

Fish get in the way when I'm trying to photograph corals, anemones and other inverts...

This is all taking place post fertilization - all eggs have been fertilized, and IIRC, they are working with 12-hr embryos (we also froze stem cells at 18 hours post fertilization). You are correct that unfertilized eggs will not develop further, and they just basically melt away. This happens all the time when we get poor fertilization rates - usually from poor sperm motility but could also be from improper sperm concentration. But.... since there is reproductive plasticity.... in some corals unfertilized eggs can develop into larvae, in a process called parthenogenesis (which is really just a form of asexual reproduction). But, that is not what was taking place here. They are working with fertilized eggs. Cheers Mike

Nice. Where did you end up getting it from? Is that in a separate tank from you current gig, in QT? Cheers Mike

Hi all - I was with Mary (the scientist I have teamed up with at the zoo the past few coral spawning seasons) in Australia for the coral spawn last November working at AIMS (Australia Institute for marine Science). We were doing our own cryopreservation studies and looking at sperm motility over time, but I was able to see what others were working on as well. I met the two authors of this study below and sat in on a few of their experiments: Coral Sex Just Got a Little More Interesting The two Andrews - or Negs and Smiley, as there are affectionately called - are not only fantastic scientists but also genuinely awesome people. I really enjoyed speaking with them, as they were as friendly as they could be. This study demonstrates the totipotency in larval coral cells and really drives home the potential for Mary's current work - cryopreserving these larval stem cells of the coral larvae as frozen banks for the future. I'm bummed they did not post their video of them chruning up their coral larvae and breaking them apart, creating the "Mini-Me's" - it's REALLY funny. I have that video, but I don't think I'm supposed to post it. Anyway, enjoy the article. Cheers Mike

Yup, just cut the bottom off. I also use 2 and 3 liter coke bottles. Cheers Mike

As others have said, it's just brutal to watch it all happen and despite your best efforts not be able to stop the slide. Ugh... I feel for you. It's heartbreaking. :( I know you know how to repair things, and if you can muster the strength to stick with it, I'm confident you can eventually have things up and running again. Take care, Mike

Where are you going to get that second blue gigantea from...? I'm in the market for a green one if you want to share shipping. Looks great. Cheers Mike

Ugh... my home tank is largely devoid of corals (pretty much anemones and clams these days for inverts), and I'm sorry to say that I don't have any of those. :( But, I do like to see that you are coming back! Mike

But it's only taken the last 50 years or so see the accumulation of plastic that is there now. Out in the middle-of-nowhere Indonesia, I managed to see this floating by on one of my dives and took its photo: Mike

The second picture, I'm actually holding the magnet; it was not staying snug in the "base plate/housing" like in the first pic (the one that is still working). Yeah, I'm thinking a spare wet side is a nice backup. Cheers Mike

Yup, if it's sticking on a smooth surface, use your fingernail or a credit card to get under the foot. Go slowly, and once it starts to release, it should peel up easily. Can you snap a pic? Cheers Mike