Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Next up, Gulf coast ecosystems.

All their stuff is excellent. More botyrocladia than I expected. I ordered two batches of it. I think it likely the tank inhabitants will eat it, especially the foxface coming in the future, but for now I put half in the display and half in the refugium. It looks incredible.

I also got 2 each of three types of sponges. I hope I can keep them alive with phyto dosing, but we will see.

I got a purple see fan. Not photosynthetic. Looks great, and same hope for success as with the sponges.

I also got several other macroalgae. One for the display (Laurencia iridescens) and two for the refugium (ulva and gracilaria).

Pics:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Next up, Top Shelf

There stuff arrived in good condition, but wow, tiny corals. I think I’ll be stick to buying larger things from other hobbyists.

The Ora cherry red goniopora looks not especially red (which is probably just my lighting), but it is very small. Quite costly ($80 in the live sale last weekend) for something the size of my pinky nail:

The setosa montipora was a casualty of my own creation. Trying to place it, it fell down between rocks and cannot be found. Hope it survives and reappears some day.

The leptoseris net a similar fate, but I was able to reach it. I expect the face got scraped up and I hope it survives:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The Oregon Tort from top shelf looks good and did not get dropped. I gave it a KCl/tank water dip for 7 min, and in it went:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Full tank pic:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Order online and pick up to save a few bucks usually. I’d grab an extra filter for it as well. You’ll be cleaning and swapping daily for a while.

Thanks. I did the online/ pickup for the discount and it is up and running. :)

 

[rtparty]

Looking good. Definitely need to beef up the CUC IMO

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Another thing that surprised me was the size of the trochus from Top Shelf. I would have ordered a lot more at the delivered size. TS talks about them getting to 2”, maybe 3”. Some of these were 1/2”.

I do need more, and I hope they can survive the predators.

 

[rtparty]

Another thing that surprised me was the size of the trochus from Top Shelf. I would have ordered a lot more at the delivered size. TS talks about them getting to 2”, maybe 3”. Some of these were 1/2”.

I do need more, and I hope they can survive the predators.

Trochus grow quick IME and readily spawn. I put 5 in my 25g and have 50+. I keep pulling small ones out and putting them in the new 100g. Hoping they find enough to eat right now

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Trochus grow quick IME and readily spawn. I put 5 in my 25g and have 50+. I keep pulling small ones out and putting them in the new 100g. Hoping they find enough to eat right now

Do you suggest I get more trochus or something else? Have a preferred vendor?

 

[rtparty]

Do you suggest I get more trochus or something else? Have a preferred vendor?

I’ve had good luck with Reef Cleaners over the years

 

[jonelder68]

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Do you suggest I get more trochus or something else? Have a preferred vendor?

I got mine through reef cleaners. No DOA and all were very good sizes. Packages include free shipping as well. A mix variety seems best. I will avoid Astreas now. They constant tip over and die. Ceriths are another great one. Both the mini’s and regular sizes. Turbos are beast and constantly grazing.

That’s reef cleaners diverse cuc package for 120 gallon.

 

[Mickey]

Just curious if these might help pull particulates out of the water. I too don't use mechanical filtration but see lots of particulates in the water.

If you’re dealing with any of the free-floating strains like ostreo, IMO you need STRONG mechanical filtration (meaning a LOT of flow through a very fine micron filter media) and you need to run it every second that the lights are off. This will drastically reduce the numbers of dinos in your system every night and give your good microorganisms a fighting chance at outcompeting the dinos. I’m also a strong proponent of manual removal via glass scraper and heavy basting of the rocks/problem areas (only while running a powerful water-polishing filter like a DIY DSR “powerfilter” or canister or some other setup that can catch the majority of what you dislodge into the water column). Always a good idea to run some GAC when dealing with Dinos as well!

Thanks but i don't have dinos. I was responding to the earlier posts about sponges.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ok, put in a reef cleaners order for the 100 gallon diverse cuc. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Condylactis Anemone

I think dino toxin has infected my brain. I saw a cute little anemone while at Petco this morning. They had it listed as a Long Tentacle anemone, but that name and their knowledge of it is pretty meaningless.

I thought it might be a small H. Crispa and decided to get it. Unlike all other anemones they had, it was not fully bleached. It is tan with white tips. Half is darker tan than the other half, probably a bit bleached.

In any case, it was not until I got it home that I saw that the foot and the bottom half of the column were orange. I think now it is just a condy. I put it in my refugium for now, since I do not want to risk any fish.

I think I’ll just leave it there unless I become convinced it won’t hurt any fish I have. I recall back in the 1970’s my brother had a condy and it grabbed a hold of his yellow tang. To this day he thinks he did more damage to them both trying to free it than if he ignored it.

 

[rishma]

Condylactis Anemone

I think dino toxin has infected my brain. I saw a cute little anemone while at Petco this morning. They had it listed as a Long Tentacle anemone, but that name and their knowledge of it is pretty meaningless.

I thought it might be a small H. Crispa and decided to get it. Unlike all other anemones they had, it was not fully bleached. It is tan with white tips. Half is darker tan than the other half, probably a bit bleached.

In any case, it was not until I got it home that I saw that the foot and the bottom half of the column were orange. I think now it is just a condy. I put it in my refugium for now, since I do not want to risk any fish.

I think I’ll just leave it there unless I become convinced it won’t hurt any fish I have. I recall back in the 1970’s my brother had a condy and it grabbed a hold of his yellow tang. To this day he thinks he did more damage to them both trying to free it than if he ignored it.

I am not anemone expert but that does not look like a condy to me. I think H Crispa.

 

[Reefering1]

Condylactis Anemone

I think dino toxin has infected my brain. I saw a cute little anemone while at Petco this morning. They had it listed as a Long Tentacle anemone, but that name and their knowledge of it is pretty meaningless.

I thought it might be a small H. Crispa and decided to get it. Unlike all other anemones they had, it was not fully bleached. It is tan with white tips. Half is darker tan than the other half, probably a bit bleached.

In any case, it was not until I got it home that I saw that the foot and the bottom half of the column were orange. I think now it is just a condy. I put it in my refugium for now, since I do not want to risk any fish.

I think I’ll just leave it there unless I become convinced it won’t hurt any fish I have. I recall back in the 1970’s my brother had a condy and it grabbed a hold of his yellow tang. To this day he thinks he did more damage to them both trying to free it than if he ignored it.

I am not anemone expert but that does not look like a condy to me. I think H Crispa.

@OrionN

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am not anemone expert but that does not look like a condy to me. I think H Crispa.

Might you have been exposed to dino toxin too? Lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

This is what its base looks like while in the bag. That’s what made me think condy.

 

[rishma]

This is what its base looks like while in the bag. That’s what made me think condy.

Ok I see. I’d like to change my guess.

I think condy tentacles are longer and more spaced out. I had a long tentacle with a base just like that. I’m now team M doreensis

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ok I see. I’d like to change my guess.

I think condy tentacles are longer and more spaced out. I had a long tentacle with a base just like that. I’m now team M doreensis

I’d be happier with that.