Ron Reefman's Rock Flower experience

[hllb]

The one that disappeared this morning showed back up and after a couple more tries, I have him settled in an ok place, between some zoas.

All of these are fairly small - up to 1.5” across.

I’m not sure why they don’t seem to like the light. Here’s a picture now that my lights are ramping up. You can see two in th pvc caps are retreating now the lights are on. And the one under the rock seems happy he’s not getting light. My lights are not turned up that high.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Most are doing very well. 2 can't seem to get comfortable and end up moving most of the time. I had to turn back on some flow because of the two that won't get settled. I typically find the two in very uncompromising situations when I inspect the tank every morning. (like upside down in the pictures)

I place mine in end caps and then keep them in very still water for several days. I do 2 water changes a day when they are in the small bowl of water. Mine almost never move.

In regards to gestation time, is it possible the RFA's you guys have witnessed gestating at 37 days were actually already pregnant from a previous spawn a month or two prior? How is this ruled out?

Mine had been in the breeding tank for 2 months before the first spawn. It's not impossible we missed a spawn. But the tank gets very cloudy even when just one male spawns and the tank is in clear view from the living room, dining room and kitchen. My almost never misses even small changes in the tank.

I need some help figuring out where to put my RFAs. I initially bought 2 and one mysteriously disappeared. The other is very happy and firmly planted. Then I bought 6 more and put them in pvc caps in the sand, near the happy one. Of the 6, 3 bailed on the pvc caps after a week. Two of those attached to a rock almost on top of each other. The smaller, weaker one has since disappeared. The other seems happy there so far. One thing I’ve noticed is that all of them are more expanded when the lights are off and they tend to retract when the lights are on. They are at the bottom of my biocube. They don’t seem to like any flow either - one I keep finding released and swirling in the current by my powerhead. Well, now he’s missing. Ugh.
Here are some tank shots and the RFAs are in the lower right. Any suggestions?

For me, end caps have been my go to choice. Otherwise they always seem to find the edge of a rock at the sand. I'm contemplating pulling some from their end caps and setting them in shallow black sand in the RFA breeding tank and seeing if they move. There are no rocks in that tank.

 

[Lisavet2000]

So my RFA are supposed to arrive today. They are already late. I hope they still make it in by today.

 

[hllb]

Mine still won't settle in. Two more bailed on the PVC caps and keep floating around the tank. I can't seem to find a place they like. My water parameters are almost at my target, so any ideas would be great:

Salinity: 1.026
ph: 8.3
Alk: 8.8 (this does swing over the course of hte week, usually between 7.7 and 8.3, I dosed a little too high this week)
Nitrate 5
Cal 425
mg 1500 (always higher than I'd like, but should be fine at this level)
po4: .083 (I aim for .05 but this will fluctuate between .04 and .09)
temp: 78 (though raises to about 80 as a peak then comes back down over night)

 

[Lisavet2000]

Mine still won't settle in. Two more bailed on the PVC caps and keep floating around the tank. I can't see to find a place they like. My water parameters are almost at my target, so any ideas would be great:

Salinity: 1.026
ph: 8.3
Alk: 8.8 (this does swing over the course of hte week, usually between 7.7 and 8.3, I dosed a little too high this week)
Nitrate 5
Cal 425
mg 1500 (always higher than I'd like, but should be fine at this level)
po4: .083 (I aim for .05 but this will fluctuate between .04 and .09)
temp: 78 (though raises to about 80 as a peak then comes back down over night)

I have mine next to a rock on the sand bed. I just make a little hole in the sand next to the rock, place the RFA in the hole and turn off the flow for about 30 minutes. They have all stayed in place except for one who wanted to be near the glass on the sand.

 

[hllb]

I have mine next to a rock on the sand bed. I just make a little hole in the sand next to the rock, place the RFA in the hole and turn off the flow for about 30 minutes. They have all stayed in place except for one who wanted to be near the glass on the sand.

I didn't make a hole in the sand, I'll try that next time they detach LOL. I've only left the pumps off 10 minutes too, because that's the length of hte feed mode. I'll do 30 next time and see if it helps.

 

[Schnizzle]

Mine still won't settle in. Two more bailed on the PVC caps and keep floating around the tank. I can't seem to find a place they like. My water parameters are almost at my target, so any ideas would be great:

Salinity: 1.026
ph: 8.3
Alk: 8.8 (this does swing over the course of hte week, usually between 7.7 and 8.3, I dosed a little too high this week)
Nitrate 5
Cal 425
mg 1500 (always higher than I'd like, but should be fine at this level)
po4: .083 (I aim for .05 but this will fluctuate between .04 and .09)
temp: 78 (though raises to about 80 as a peak then comes back down over night)

My parameters are far worse than yours. Save for alk, I manage to keep that around 7. My three have stayed put (one moved three inches). The only difference is mine are on rock.

 

[hllb]

My parameters are far worse than yours. Save for alk, I manage to keep that around 7. My three have stayed put (one moved three inches). The only difference is mine are on rock.

What size are yours? i wonder if its because mine are pretty small. The largest one, I've had the longest (3 weeks or so), and hasn't moved after the first day or two. Firmly planted in a crevice in a rock.

 

[Cell]

I don't think the size matters all that much. Are you placing them in your tank too quickly after transferring to PVC? Make sure they are attached to the PVC before putting in your tank or turning up flow.

 

[hllb]

I don't think the size matters all that much. Are you placing them in your tank too quickly after transferring to PVC? Make sure they are attached to the PVC before putting in your tank or turning up flow.

Maybe the PVC caps were too small. I got small ones intending them to be big enough for the foot so I only used 1/2" ones.

 

[hllb]

Maybe the PVC caps were too small. I got small ones intending them to be big enough for the foot so I only used 1/2" ones.

I think I'll pick up some bigger ones and keep handy to try.

 

[Cell]

They grow into them pretty quick.

 

[Schnizzle]

What size are yours? i wonder if its because mine are pretty small. The largest one, I've had the longest (3 weeks or so), and hasn't moved after the first day or two. Firmly planted in a crevice in a rock.

The crab in the top right one is an inch or a little more wide.

 

[Cell]

Given how unsettled they have been, I would wait to put any sand in the cup too until the nem has been attached and comfortable for a couple days. They don't seem to like the process of adding sand to the cup very much.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I put my RFA in the end cap and put it in a small tub, bowl or large glass of tank water. No flow. They usually attach in less than a day. I only change the water in the outside container in the morning and evening. I just put it back in the tank and take out new. It's not like they have fowled the water. It's just doing a switch to get good oxygenated water for them in the small container.

 

[homer1475]

So you leave them out of the DT for like a day, and just in a large container full of water with the endcaps? How do you keep the water warm?

Curious about the end caps, and I know I've read in the past you use them, do they crawl out eventually once in the DT? Do you just leave the endcaps burried in the sandbed? I have always just dug a small hole in the sand next to the edge of a rock, and they pretty much stay put. Although I have had a couple not settle and crawl around, but they all eventually settle.

 

[hllb]

I put my RFA in the end cap and put it in a small tub, bowl or large glass of tank water. No flow. They usually attach in less than a day. I only change the water in the outside container in the morning and evening. I just put it back in the tank and take out new. It's not like they have fowled the water. It's just doing a switch to get good oxygenated water for them in the small container.

I had mine in a breeder box in my DT for several hours the first day and they were all attached to the PVC. They stayed attached for multiple days and started traveling after that. They just weren't happy where they were I guess.

 

[homer1475]

Ok truth be told, I suck at photography and these are just from my S8....

Here's 2 of the new 4 I got from AAF(gave the other 2 to a friend I'm mentoring).

 

[Ron Reefman]

So you leave them out of the DT for like a day, and just in a large container full of water with the endcaps? How do you keep the water warm?

Curious about the end caps, and I know I've read in the past you use them, do they crawl out eventually once in the DT? Do you just leave the endcaps burried in the sandbed? I have always just dug a small hole in the sand next to the edge of a rock, and they pretty much stay put. Although I have had a couple not settle and crawl around, but they all eventually settle.

That's right, I use a 1 quart tuperware container. How do I keep the water warm? ;Hilarious;Hilarious;Hilarious Have you ever been to SW Florida? Our house is 78 to 80 F all day every day for like 9 months! Right now it's 92 outside and the A/C runs almost full time! Actually, they are hardy and do just fine in water down to 70F.

 

[Cell]

All my rfa's attached within 30 min or so. I fill the end cap with tank water just deep enough to cover the nem so that its inclined to flatten down away from the air, not sure if this helps or not. I set it outside the tank and every 20 min or so give it a little swirl or nudge with a plastic pipette to see if its attached. Once it does, I'll set it on top on the sand for a few hrs or overnight. Once I feel like its settled completely, I bury the end cap, carefully keeping the sand out. Then over the course of a week, I'll slowly add sand into the end cap, each time adding just a bit and letting the nem re-settle before adding more. Smaller the nem, slower I go with the sand. I've never had a nem walk from an end cap. Credit goes to Ron Reefman for the PVC end cap method.