zotzer's 46G bowfront

[zotzer]

Well rats. I go to F&F just to get som RODI water, and do you think I could get out of there without new acquisitions? NO! LOL

 

Anyway, I will soon be posting a pic of "Harry", the new (questionably reef-safe) Potter's Angel, and the new H. Malu I got for the clownfish. That's what they had been hosting in before I got them. Even though this one is more on the tan side, it has a slight purplish tint (they had been hosting in a purple one). I read that the tan H. Malu are easier to keep...similar conditions as are required for a BTA. So, I guess we will see.

 

Kismet has started hosting in the silicone edge of one corner of the tank, so I figured I would give her an anemone to love on. The H. Malu (herein known as "Medusa") looks really purple all shriveled up in the bag, but I expect she'll look more tan again when fully extended.

 

Harry *really* wants out of the bag, but we have a ways to go before that happens. My QT is small, and after listening to Sean's QT/pre-treatment protocol, he suggested that I introduce him directly to the tank. Will get pics over the next few hours.

 

Met a really nice guy named Mark, from Annapolis, who had been visiting Bemmer's earlier in the day. (I think he said he WAMAS handle is "caliente", or something like that) Would have been great to go grab a beer with him at the pub, but I had critters to acclimate. Hopefully next time, Mark!!

 

So much for artful fish-planning. While I've always admired the Potter's Angels, I know they can be iffy in a reef. Sean says to keep him very well-fed, and to give him a call if he's a coral-eater. Oh, and Sean also gave me two zoa heads for free. I really admired them, but they looked like little loose things on the bottom of his prop tank, so he gave them to me. What a LOVE!!!

 

He has some really cute Candy Hog Fish in the shop, if anyone is looking. I hmmm'd and hawww'd, but Harry won out. (gosh, I hope he doesn't kill himself in that bag...he's having fits!)

 

Tracy

 

okay....here are the pics:

 

Medusa

 

Harry acclimating

 

Harry (no flash)

 

Harry (with flash)

Edited September 16, 2007 by zotzer

[jason the filter freak]

Awesome angel! Your tank is comming along very well!

[zotzer]

Thanks, Jason!

 

Medusa, the anemone, has basically taken up the entire "cove" on one side of the tank. I'm surprised that she went back into the rockwork as much as all that, but at least it's still somewhat front and center in the tank. I hope it has the sense to move out a little, if the light isn't sufficient, but will keep an eye out.

 

It's been wild watching her tense up and squish her foot down into the sandbed!!

 

And Harry is really busy, swimming all over, picking at the rocks, but paying no attention to the seaweed on the clip.

 

Tracy

[Connor]

how big is the potters angel?+how big do they get?

[zotzer]

He's small. I'd say 2 1/2 inches. Sean says they get to maybe 4"

 

T

[treesprite]

Tracy, what is you present list of creatures?

[dbartco]

and corals? I said I would donate before, but you may have aquired a few. Also, going to the F&F social I could bring you some and say hello.

[zotzer]

Doug,

Thanks so much!! Sadly, even though it is SOOOO close, I can't go to the F&F social. I will be in Atlanta for my niece's baptism. I'm the godmother, so I can't really miss this one.

 

Forrest, as for critters:

 

pair of true perculas

orange spot blenny

potter's angel

h. malu anemone

snail-only CUC (trochus, cerinth, nassarius, and nerites)

 

 

Corals:

 

one big Kenya tree (capnella) and two small ones

xenia

anthelia

lots of mushrooms

two small zoa frags

tiny fuzzy red pavona frag

tiny yellow curly cup coral frag

bali slimer frag

orange monti digi frag

GSP

 

Think that's everything, although I am not staring at the tank to confirm.

Tracy

Edited September 17, 2007 by zotzer

[zotzer]

And here is a shot of the two little zoas I was admiring, and Sean said he'd throw them in for free. Aren't they adorable? No clue what they are, but the colors are gorgeous and they look beautiful under the actinics.

 

 

Tracy

[treesprite]

Cute little zoas. The reason I asked is because you have to many ideas for fish and I was wondering how many you already had. Not too many it seems, but I would still hold off on that damsel if you want to keep what you already have, no matter what people say.

 

I need to start adding corals to my tank... actually I will have the nano to add corals to soon too. Been waiting tooooo long.

[zotzer]

I forgot to add the peppermint shrimp to my critter list. I haven't seen them in two days, and found a moult in one of the koralias this morning. Hope they are okay, and re-appear soon.

 

There are lots of fish that I like, but will definitely be careful about the ocellate damsel...thinking long and hard on it. Now I know why people need bigger tanks after just a short time! LOL

 

Tracy

Edited September 18, 2007 by zotzer

[treesprite]

I forgot to add the peppermint shrimp to my critter list. I haven't seen them in two days, and found a moult in one of the koralias this morning. Hope they are okay, and re-appear soon.

 

There are lots of fish that I like, but will definitely be careful about the ocellate damsel...thinking long and hard on it. Now I know why people need bigger tanks after just a short time! LOL

 

Tracy

 

You'll end up doing what I'm doing, which is to set up a tank just for that fish.

[zotzer]

So, Medusa is back out after her disappearing act last night. As you can see by the pics, she is halfway in a cove, which isn't the best situation. Will she move more into the light if she needs to?

 

Also, within the last few hours, my little orange monti digi frag has bleached out and retracted all of his polyps. The two other sps in the tank look good, so I don't know what this is all about. Anything I should be doing, other than watch it?

 

Oh, and I saw one of the peppermints tonight...it emerged from their cave at feeding time. Haven't seen the little one in a few days now. Not sure which one's shell I found in the powerhead, but I hope both are still alive.

 

Okay...here are the pics. Let me know if there is anything I can/should do about the monti. (white globs on the one sps is superglue from where it fell off its original frag plug during transport)

 

medusa:

 

 

 

 

the sad monti (and comparison of other sps)

 

 

 

Tracy

[zotzer]

Well, since I took the pic, posted it, and looked back up at the tank...the monti has already started to color back up. So weird. Guess I shouldn't be such a worry-wart.

 

And this potter's angel, on a side note, is such a trip! He is all over the tank, picking at all the rock. I've been watching him like a hawk, and so far so good with regard to staying away from the corals too. He won't touch the algae on the clip though. I bought some garlic today, maybe that will help. I hope he and the blenny don't compete too much for resources.

 

T

Edited September 19, 2007 by zotzer

[treesprite]

I'm glad the nem came out of hiding. It really is pretty. I wonder if tomato clowns will host in one of those.

[zotzer]

Well, so far I am not having any luck with the percs hosting in it, so I don't know. LOL

 

The people over on RC are telling me it's not an h. malu at all, but m. doreensis (LTA). It doesn't really matter, I don't think, since Sean at F&F seemed to know which anemone Francis had for these clowns, so I think it is the same one (just not the dark purple version). I need to PM Francis with a pic.

 

I think I read that tank-raised clowns are more likely to host in non-typical anemones, if they host at all. Since I know these guys were hosting in one before it was lost in a crash, I am hopeful.

 

No luck yet, though.

 

T

[treesprite]

I hope they decide to do it.

[gioNVA]

Hey Tracy,

 

That looks like the same purple LTA I had. The one I had was a really deep purple color but it could be the photos too. The clowns haven't hosted ever since I lost the anemone a year or so ago. Hopefully they'll host again. Your tank is looking great!

[zotzer]

Thanks, Francis!

I am going away for the weekend, so I guarantee that is the time that they will pick to host in it, and I'll miss it! LOL

 

T

[Caribbean Jake]

nice, good luck

[lanman]

Monti digi's can be very contrary. The mother colony of that orange one is the fastest-growing coral in my tank. I'll try to get some growth comparison pictures - but it's at such a completely different angle in the tank now from what it was new, that it will be hard to see the growth. But it used to cover about 3" x 3" - now it covers more like 10" x 6" - and that's just since February. Loves to encrust. I have one digi that appeared to be completely dying off - but it just ended up with a bunch of 'bare' spots on the branches, and now is trying to spread back over the bare spots.

 

bob

[zotzer]

Thanks, Jake and thanks, Bob!!

 

The monti is all colored back up, and tonight it's the soft corals who have decided to give me fits.

 

My xenia, and one of the capnella on the WAMAS rock, were balled up tight as a drum. Now the WAMAS capnella has opened back up, and my huge one is closed up. Xenia still closed up (except for one little lone hand waving in the current). I did some tests....(seems like alk and ca are low)

 

SG 1.025

ammonia 0

nitrate 0

nitrite <10 (lowest reading on the test)

pH 8.2

alk 2.5

ca (as close as I can tell when the liquid turns bluish) 375+?

 

All else seems great....anemone, fish, sps, mushrooms. The two new zoas aren't closed up, but they aren't fully open either, now that I take a second look. I didn't do a water change this weekend...maybe I should do one now. Well, probably in the morning, now that I look at the time.

 

Things have been going too well. I guess it's about time this tank gives me some things to fret over. LOL

 

Tracy

[zotzer]

Well, my xenia seems to be biting the dust. Not only has it remained closed up for an entire day, but its little fists have turned white and many look to have whithered away completely. The base still looks strong and deep purple, but no waving hands, and I can't imagine them popping back out any time soon. :(

 

They went from thriving and growing like a weed to shriveled up and dying in one day. I did move their rock a bit this past weekend, so it wasn't reaching up and touching another rock (since it was growing so well), but it was maybe an inch or so away...nothing radical.

 

I understand they are very sensitive to pH, but last night my pH was a solid 8.2 in my tests. Did a water change today, but not sure that it will do anything. All other corals look perfect. Hmmmm Will be a bummer to lose it, but at least I've gotten a taste of how quickly things can change in a reef tank.

 

My big worry now is that I am going away for the weekend, and won't be able to keep an eye on it. Cross your fingers that nothing else goes south.

 

Tracy

Edited September 21, 2007 by zotzer

[lanman]

Well, my xenia seems to be biting the dust. Not only has it remained closed up for an entire day, but its little fists have turned white and many look to have whithered away completely. The base still looks strong and deep purple, but no waving hands, and I can't imagine them popping back out any time soon. :(

 

They went from thriving and growing like a weed to shriveled up and dying in one day. I did move their rock a bit this past weekend, so it wasn't reaching up and touching another rock (since it was growing so well), but it was maybe an inch or so away...nothing radical.

 

I understand they are very sensitive to pH, but last night my pH was a solid 8.2 in my tests. Did a water change today, but not sure that it will do anything. All other corals look perfect. Hmmmm Will be a bummer to lose it, but at least I've gotten a taste of how quickly things can change in a reef tank.

 

My big worry now is that I am going away for the weekend, and won't be able to keep an eye on it. Cross your fingers that nothing else goes south.

 

Tracy

 

You can see my several posts about xenia's - they just up and shrivel away for no apparent reason. Even right now, I'm concerned about the blue xenia that was fat and happy a few days ago - it is much bluer, and the flesh doesn't look as 'fat'. That's one reason I've been trying to put frags of it all over the place. Just in case it pulls the disintegration stunt on me.

 

bob

[zotzer]

You can see my several posts about xenia's - they just up and shrivel away for no apparent reason.

 

It's strange for sure, Bob! Even in the past couple of hours, the bases that looked strong before, are thinning out and drooping. Here I went and moved it so it wouldn't stick to and propogate on the WAMAS rock because it was growing so fast, and now it is nearly gone.

 

To think that it survived a day and a half in stagnant water under a kitchen table light (when I was setting up), only die in near perfect tank conditions. So bizarro.

 

And it's not the Potter. I've been watching him like a hawk and he hasn't gone near it.

 

:( My first loss. Things were going just too perfectly, and I had to learn a lesson, I guess.

 

To make matters worse....Medusa, rather than coming out more into the light, seems to keep going back further into the cove. She still looks fine, but I thought she'd need to be out more in the light.

 

Arghhhhh

 

T