Yes, Heslinga's facility was at the Energy Lab. I wanted to tour it, but he would never allow anyone to visit. In fact, the fence around it was covered with shade cloth to prevent visual inspections.
I have come a long way since losing everything I added to my tank last year. I now run uv, ozone, use nsw regularly and feed fresh food. My gobies have been spawning regularly and I noticed last night that my banded coral shrimp is laden with eggs! I feel like things are definitely coming around since I started using these methods and hoping for continued success!
I collect nsw at a beach right down the hill from my house. It's the one on the right side of the photo.
And every year when the sargassum comes through I collect hundreds of tiny shrimp to feed the tank! The fish are always extra happy at that time of year.
I collect nsw at a beach right down the hill from my house. It's the one on the right side of the photo.
You are more than kind with your words. Thank you.
And every year when the sargassum comes through I collect hundreds of tiny shrimp to feed the tank! The fish are always extra happy at that time of year.[/QUOTE
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargassum
[When I first started the hobby, it was a Galveston Bay bio theme. No LFS for Marine hobbiest. I collected on an incoming high tide and fished on outgoing tide. Instead of feeding reef critters with live food from Sargassum mat, I collected two predators from the seaweed. One was the Leaf Fish and the other was the Sea Robin.]
https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-robin
Sea robin, also called gurnard, any of the slim bottom-dwelling fish of the family Triglidae, found in warm and temperate seas of the world. Sea robins are elongated fish with armoured bony heads and two dorsal fins. Their pectoral fins are fan-shaped, with the bottom few rays each forming separate feelers. These feelers are used by the fishes in “walking” on the bottom and in sensing mollusks, crustaceans, and other bottom-dwelling prey.
Sea robins are usually brightly coloured, and some have ornately patterned pectoral fins. The tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucernus) of Europe, for example, is a reddish fish with pectoral fins brightly edged and spotted with blue and green. Sea robins are also vocal and can produce audible sounds with their swim bladders and certain attached muscles. Along the American Atlantic, the common sea robin (Prionotus carolinus) is noted for its sound production. The largest species of sea robins grow about 70 cm (28 inches) long.
Some sea robins are scaly; the bodies of others are covered with bony plates. The armoured species are sometimes placed in a separate family, Peristediidae. They are flattened deepwater fish but are otherwise similar to the scaly sea robins.
This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty, Editor.
I purchased 50 pounds of uncured live rock from an operation in the Keys. While the rock cured for about a month, I did not light the tank. I'm now using an old BuildMyLED 'Solar Max' strip light for lighting until I get the new tank up and going. Surprisingly, corals not only survived but didn't bleach (there's a photoadaptation project for some ambitious aquarist!) I threw some Caulerpa and Chaeto in the tank as well after cycling. Coralline algae growths exploded after adding the light - there must be at least half a dozen species (purples, pinks, reds) - beautiful rock!
From my days working/ researching Tree pest and disease management I have both a dissecting and compound microscopes.
Here's a photo of the Keys live rock. The white rock is dead rock I threw in to cure. A live encrusting coral (tan in color) is visible under the power cord at the 3 o'clock position.
That is awesome, good for you. I am jealous. I have no real need for one but have been egging my wife on for years to get one. Nothing fancy just a compound. I am actually closer to getting a 3d printer.
