Sorry for the long hiatus

[MixedFruitBasket]

Hi, sorry for being gone so long. I saw some old messages people sent me that I'm just replying to. I've been really busy with work etc.
And of course, farming my stereonepthya. I have finally gotten to harvest some spawned frags and trimmed some of my larger colonies. So right now I'm babying those while they decide which rock they want to spend the rest of their lives on (that's a very big decision so it can take a while). I'll post photos when I get a chance. I need to do a new full tank shot, the colonies I have had grown nicely. And I've been having a lot of fun with my new microscope and looking at all the corals under it and learning to ID different things.
My first stereonephthya experiment was a total bust, however my second one has produced some babies (the ones I've harvested). I am slowly learning how to get these corals to reproduce on their own (well sorta on their own). I promise some full tank shots in the morning Hopefully all the corals will be awake, but the stereos seem to do their own thing and nape at the most inconvenient times, thus resemble deflated balloons.

 

[danieyella]

Hi, sorry for being gone so long. I saw some old messages people sent me that I'm just replying to. I've been really busy with work etc.
And of course, farming my stereonepthya. I have finally gotten to harvest some spawned frags and trimmed some of my larger colonies. So right now I'm babying those while they decide which rock they want to spend the rest of their lives on (that's a very big decision so it can take a while). I'll post photos when I get a chance. I need to do a new full tank shot, the colonies I have had grown nicely. And I've been having a lot of fun with my new microscope and looking at all the corals under it and learning to ID different things.
My first stereonephthya experiment was a total bust, however my second one has produced some babies (the ones I've harvested). I am slowly learning how to get these corals to reproduce on their own (well sorta on their own). I promise some full tank shots in the morning Hopefully all the corals will be awake, but the stereos seem to do their own thing and nape at the most inconvenient times, thus resemble deflated balloons.

Welcome back! Look forward to your updates!

 

[MixedFruitBasket]

Here is an overhead shot. My tank is 4x2 and 14 deep. One thing I have learned about these corals is they really seem to prefer shallow water. Some enough that they spawn babies that are almost out of the water. Two photos show a baby colony that will be above the surface at time when my wave maker is going

 

[shred5]

Really interested, one of my favorite soft corals.
With less and less corals coming in from the wild and more shutdowns and these being such a small portion of what they bring in they may completely dry up and be near impossible to get. These corals also need to be spread around through a few capable people incase someone looses one and it is not lost forever.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Beautiful! What's your secret to their success?

 

[MixedFruitBasket]

Beautiful! What's your secret to their success?

Honestly? Luck.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Lol.
Welcome back
D

 

[MixedFruitBasket]

Here are new baby cuttings and some collected spawned babies (they tend to be super tiny when I collect them I worry they’ll detach and float away). Some are already growing “roots” just a couple days after being cut. The tank collected ones are also
Reattaching to rock.

 

[Skremk]

Awesome frags!

 

[danieyella]

Here is an overhead shot. My tank is 4x2 and 14 deep. One thing I have learned about these corals is they really seem to prefer shallow water. Some enough that they spawn babies that are almost out of the water. Two photos show a baby colony that will be above the surface at time when my wave maker is going

I'd still love to get some from you when you hit that point again

 

[shred5]

So did you see them spawn? You have a thread on it or pictures? Was it gametes or eggs and spremies.
Was their male and female corals or was one coral both male and female. Was there multiple spawns or just one?
Any idea what triggered it? Any moon lighting? was it stress induced? Did it happen with a change in flow?

 

[MixedFruitBasket]

So did you see them spawn? You have a thread on it or pictures? Was it gametes or eggs and spremies.
Was their male and female corals or was one coral both male and female. Was there multiple spawns or just one?
Any idea what triggered it? Any moon lighting? was it stress induced? Did it happen with a change in flow?

No I never saw them spawn. Just realized one day I had gone growing in my overflow and on any frag plugs or frag racks. Teeny tiny things. Ive watched them get bigger for about a year now. Some are mini colonies. As for the mode of reproduction I don’t have a way to determine if they are polymorphs or if they produce sexually or asexually. I spoke to a biologist who studies octocorallia and he thinks it was most likely spawning. However on occasion I have had a frag disintegrate and then find babies of the same color later on. Some colors seem more likely to spawn than others and some colors seem to start reproducing after they get a few limbs on them. They are painfully slow to grow though and notorious for jumping off their plugs and venturing off to find a better location. I used to see babies on my rocks but I think the green crabs maybe picking them off and eating them. I caught one eating a ricordia a couple months back so it’s not completely impossible. I think the biggest factor, going by where they pop up is that they like shelter yet want to have back and forth flow over the top, bottom, or both. They also seem to prefer substrate rock or small gravel to larger rock.

 

[shred5]

No I never saw them spawn. Just realized one day I had gone growing in my overflow and on any frag plugs or frag racks. Teeny tiny things. Ive watched them get bigger for about a year now. Some are mini colonies. As for the mode of reproduction I don’t have a way to determine if they are polymorphs or if they produce sexually or asexually. I spoke to a biologist who studies octocorallia and he thinks it was most likely spawning. However on occasion I have had a frag disintegrate and then find babies of the same color later on. Some colors seem more likely to spawn than others and some colors seem to start reproducing after they get a few limbs on them. They are painfully slow to grow though and notorious for jumping off their plugs and venturing off to find a better location. I used to see babies on my rocks but I think the green crabs maybe picking them off and eating them. I caught one eating a ricordia a couple months back so it’s not completely impossible. I think the biggest factor, going by where they pop up is that they like shelter yet want to have back and forth flow over the top, bottom, or both. They also seem to prefer substrate rock or small gravel to larger rock.

Still really cool and congrats.