Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Fish excited by a fresh batch of ulva moved to the display from the refugium:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Magnifica Update

The anemone is creeping down the rock island. I’ll have to monitor it closely to be sure it does not get to a point where it can reach the glass or overflow to move off the rock island.

Hopefully it is just testing its local environment for a best location. :)

The three ocellaris clowns that Dr Reef has raised come next week.

 

[lubeck]

Magnifica Update

The anemone is creeping down the rock island. I’ll have to monitor it closely to be sure it does not get to a point where it can reach the glass or overflow to move off the rock island.

Hopefully it is just testing its local environment for a best location. :)

The three ocellaris clowns that Dr Reef has raised come next week.

Is there a reason you went with three clowns?

I’ve notice my nem, not the same species as yours it likes to have its foot protected from turbulent currents and will shift its foot into a rock wedge while getting plenty of flow in ver the tentacles.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Is there a reason you went with three clowns?

I’ve notice my nem, not the same species as yours it likes to have its foot protected from turbulent currents and will shift its foot into a rock wedge while getting plenty of flow in ver the tentacles.

Yes, the idea is to set up a trio. Can’t be sure it will happen, but that’s the goal.

Magnifica usually travel as high as possible to get as much light as they can, which is why people often try to trap them on a rock island where they cannot reach the glass. Since mine is partly bleached, it may be responding differently to light, but I hope it stays on its island.

 

[Miami Reef]

Beautiful tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Beautiful tank.

Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Magnifica Update

The anemone is doing great. It has moved to the side back of the rock island. Luckily, the side panel of the aquarium is also good viewing. I will have to move the Duncan a bit since it is getting dangerously close to it, but otherwise, it looks like a palace waiting for the clowns to arrive and take possession. lol

So far, it’s turning out to be the sort of centerpiece that I had hoped it would be, and planned the tank around. :)

 

[Miami Reef]

Wow! It’s regaining its zooxanthellae.

 

[Project1004]

It’s nice to see one attached to the rock

 

[X-37B]

Looks to be regaining color. Nice job!
I'm not sure if my old nem was a mag but it looks similar. It was a tank breakdown nem from the lfs. I miss that nem from the move. Pair of breeding false perculas called it home.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Wow! It’s regaining its zooxanthellae.

Yes, I think it is and seeing it in person, I think it may be adding yellow too, not just zoox darkening. Let’s see if I can find two comparable pictures to compare side by side.

Today:

When it arrived:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Looks to be regaining color. Nice job!
I'm not sure if my old nem was a mag but it looks similar. It was a tank breakdown nem from the lfs. I miss that nem from the move. Pair of breeding false perculas called it home.

Nice!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

New coral Ideas?

Anyone have additional recommendations for future coral additions that look good and do well in white light?

I’m a little gun shy about soft corals at the moment since they seem to not do as well as hard corals and anemones. Not sure why, but at some point you stop fighting the trend and go with it.

That said, the goni that was suffering since its arrival is dead. Not sure if I will try another, unless I can get a largish one from a local reefer.

I might even consider trying some new sponges since they seem to be doing well and are often very colorful.

 

[Miami Reef]

You need something that moves. Acros and SPS are fine, but they might as well be fake.

The main soft corals you had issues with were leathers, right? I like Green star polyps, Xenia eloganta? (see figure below. I don't know the exact species), and torch corals. I highly recommend torch corals; they fit the bill perfectly IMO. Frogspawns and hammers are also very nice.

This is the Xenia I'm referring to:

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Great job Randy!! Mags have been my greatest joy…and biggest heart break in this hobby! I recently lost one following the cipro protocol to the “T”. Luckily my grail mag survived the treatment protocol and has been doing great for the past 4 years…
2021

Today

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You need something that moves. Acros and SPS are fine, but they might as well be fake.

The main soft corals you had issues with were leathers, right? I like Green star polyps, Xenia eloganta? (see figure below. I don't know the exact species), and torch corals. I highly recommend torch corals; they fit the bill perfectly IMO. Frogspawns and hammers are also very nice.

This is the Xenia I'm referring to:

Exactly. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Great job Randy!! Mags have been my greatest joy…and biggest heart break in this hobby! I recently lost one following the cipro protocol to the “T”. Luckily my grail mag survived the treatment protocol and has been doing great for the past 4 years…
2021

Today

Thanks. Do you recall how long yours took to take up zoox?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I took some measurements today. Nothing notable except alk was 8.1 dKH (a bit down from a week ago), so I upped the AFR timer dose time from 14 min to 15 min.

I thought I’d write up the actual procedure I used for alk today, and it is here:

My simple diy alk test

I have been surprised that more people do not use this diy alk test, which is far less expensive and likely more accurate than most any home alk kits. So I thought I’d show here how easy it is. I had previously bought 2.0N sulfuric acid from Amazon, but any acid with well established...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[LegalReefer]

New coral Ideas?

Anyone have additional recommendations for future coral additions that look good and do well in white light?

I’m a little gun shy about soft corals at the moment since they seem to not do as well as hard corals and anemones. Not sure why, but at some point you stop fighting the trend and go with it.

That said, the goni that was suffering since its arrival is dead. Not sure if I will try another, unless I can get a largish one from a local reefer.

I might even consider trying some new sponges since they seem to be doing well and are often very colorful.

Any ideas as to why softies are giving you trouble? What’re your iodine levels? Not much looks better under whites than some colorful gorgonians, nepthea, and toadstools, in my opinion. Maybe a Fiji yellow leather if you can figure out your softy problem? Alternatively, a green nepthea or a pulsing sinularia could be cool, as could classic GSP, some zoas or shrooms, or blue ridge coral

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Thanks. Do you recall how long yours took to take up zoox?

It took several weeks for me to notice zoox to start showing up in the tentacles. keep an eye for small specks of color to appear. I have the progress of the coloring up the mag somewhere in my posting history.