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20 Nano in Maplewood
- Thread starter Maplewood20
- Start date
Tell me about it, my tank is overrun. My daughter is coming home in a few weeks and will take some, but she only has a 10 gallon tank, so can't really take enough. I guess after she leaves I may have my first post in the pay it forward page.
John always does that when you get the pre-set packages. If you did a custom one, the count would be much more accurate lol. Ceriths are pretty good cleaners, and if you're looking to get rid of some, let me know! Been having a hard time getting them in from Florida lately lol.
Hey Anthony - sounds like we have the makings of a trade! I have to give first choice to my daughter, but after that, if she leaves any behind, maybe we can work something out. Won't be until the end of August since that is when she is visiting. The ones that I have too many of are the Nerites. They are too big for my small tank. And they are escape artists. I found one on the bottom of the leg of my stand and another one about a foot from my tank crawling along the floor. I guess they are trying to get back to Florida.
Tank update: Nothing. Just a water change today. Oh, I installed a surface skimmer connected to my canister filter. A little bigger than I would have liked, but it is working great and no more scum on the top of the water. I'll see if I get tired of it cluttering the tank or not.
Been thinking of what I want to put in. Definitely an anemone, probably a rose bubble whatever they're called. And some cool mushrooms and zoas. I think I would like to try some SPS corals, but I am not sure if I will need to start dosing - which I really don't want to do. Maybe I can try a small cheap piece and see how it goes.
Tank update: Nothing. Just a water change today. Oh, I installed a surface skimmer connected to my canister filter. A little bigger than I would have liked, but it is working great and no more scum on the top of the water. I'll see if I get tired of it cluttering the tank or not.
Been thinking of what I want to put in. Definitely an anemone, probably a rose bubble whatever they're called. And some cool mushrooms and zoas. I think I would like to try some SPS corals, but I am not sure if I will need to start dosing - which I really don't want to do. Maybe I can try a small cheap piece and see how it goes.
You can always grab a cheap monti frag from mike for 5-10$ to try out SPS. And don't forget to clean your canister filter out every so often. It'll start to trap nitrates inside of it if you don't. What kind of lighting are you running on the tank again? Cause I have some brown palys that spread like crazy that I can frag for you. Under the Chinese Blue/White Leds they turned to a blueish green that looked kind of cool. I have a rock with like 300-400 polyps on it. Let me know! I'd also recommend a cheap frag of Pink n Gold Palys from Mike. They look blandish in the white lights, but when the blue lights are on they really start to shine.
I got back from vacation on Sunday. Tank survived very nicely. Putting the old cover back on made a huge difference with evaporation - I had to add less water after the week then I do on a typical day without a cover.
One thing did pop up - - aiptasia. My daughter spotted the first one, which is about half an inch tall at this point. So I figured, OK one small one on the smallest rock in the tank, I can pull that rock out and let it dry out to kill it. Of course, when I started to really look at the rocks, I spotted about a half dozen tiny ones all over the place. I guess this weekend will be spent searching for a place to buy Aiptasia X and then treating the buggers. I was so looking forward to getting my first corals, but I guess it is best to wait a little longer to try to nip this in the bud.
Any magic suggestions on beating these pests? Any local stores in/near Essex county that have a good stock of remedies like Aiptasia X? I really wish there was someplace nearby that I could frequent for stuff like this instead of always heading for the internet.
So, this is officially my first crisis. Kind of exiting, I guess.
One thing did pop up - - aiptasia. My daughter spotted the first one, which is about half an inch tall at this point. So I figured, OK one small one on the smallest rock in the tank, I can pull that rock out and let it dry out to kill it. Of course, when I started to really look at the rocks, I spotted about a half dozen tiny ones all over the place. I guess this weekend will be spent searching for a place to buy Aiptasia X and then treating the buggers. I was so looking forward to getting my first corals, but I guess it is best to wait a little longer to try to nip this in the bud.
Any magic suggestions on beating these pests? Any local stores in/near Essex county that have a good stock of remedies like Aiptasia X? I really wish there was someplace nearby that I could frequent for stuff like this instead of always heading for the internet.
So, this is officially my first crisis. Kind of exiting, I guess.
In the JBJ 28 I have, I used boiling RO/DI water. I usually use concentrated lemon or lime juice, but was concerned that the amount that I had to kill, I'd end up with a tank of lemon juice. So I went with boiling water. I simply put a coffee cup into the microwave and then used the turkey baster to zap the little SOBs.
You can try kalkwasser powder mixed into a paste. Since there's no corals you don't have to worry about the paste getting on other corals.
The Elos store in Short Hills is probably the closest store to you then Ocean Gallery in Plainfield or Feng's Reef.
The Elos store in Short Hills is probably the closest store to you then Ocean Gallery in Plainfield or Feng's Reef.
I use vinegar in a syringe
Peppermint shrimp ate all my aipstasia over a year ago and haven't seen any since.
Today was a big day. I got my first frags!!!
Needed to get Aiptasia X and the only local store is ELOS in Millburn. You have to admit that they really have some incredible stuff there. Anyway, got to talking to them about frags and they actually have some reasonably priced stuff in a big frag tank in the back. The guy was very nice and patient as I told him it was my first frag, and he threw me a few half price deals to boot. Ended up with two Zoa frags, each with about four heads, so kind of small. Also got a bright green mushroom and a green eyed plate-thing. I probably should start bringing a pen to write the names down. Anyway, they are all pretty small, but you have to start with something. Forty bucks for the group, which I thought was an OK deal.
Took care of the aiptasia when I got home. That stuff is great. Kills right away. Hardest part is finding all the little buggers. I guess I will use it weekly until I get 'em all.
Used a dip on the frags, but messed up one of the zoas by trying to pry it off of the little disk. It was on a small piece of rock that was glued to the disk. When I tried prying, the rock shattered. Ended up using gorilla glue to stick them directly to a piece of my rock. So far they are the only ones that have not opened (and I go glue on three of the five heads -uh oh). I guess it is a rookie mistake, but I will be patient with them and see what happens.
I am so happy to see some colors on my rocks!!!
Once everything opens, I will try to snap a few pics.
Exciting times in Maplewood!
Needed to get Aiptasia X and the only local store is ELOS in Millburn. You have to admit that they really have some incredible stuff there. Anyway, got to talking to them about frags and they actually have some reasonably priced stuff in a big frag tank in the back. The guy was very nice and patient as I told him it was my first frag, and he threw me a few half price deals to boot. Ended up with two Zoa frags, each with about four heads, so kind of small. Also got a bright green mushroom and a green eyed plate-thing. I probably should start bringing a pen to write the names down. Anyway, they are all pretty small, but you have to start with something. Forty bucks for the group, which I thought was an OK deal.
Took care of the aiptasia when I got home. That stuff is great. Kills right away. Hardest part is finding all the little buggers. I guess I will use it weekly until I get 'em all.
Used a dip on the frags, but messed up one of the zoas by trying to pry it off of the little disk. It was on a small piece of rock that was glued to the disk. When I tried prying, the rock shattered. Ended up using gorilla glue to stick them directly to a piece of my rock. So far they are the only ones that have not opened (and I go glue on three of the five heads -uh oh). I guess it is a rookie mistake, but I will be patient with them and see what happens.
I am so happy to see some colors on my rocks!!!
Once everything opens, I will try to snap a few pics.
Exciting times in Maplewood!
Back to my zoa problem. The zoas were growing on a small piece of live rock which was then mounted on a frag disk. What is the best way to remove. Guy at the store said to pry with razor blade and it would pop off, but it did not. Things went downhill from there. Figured its a rock - it had been nicely cut into a rectangle with smooth side, so why not a quick twist with pliers. Noticed it chipping right away and stopped. Next was an awl. That was the end as I tried to pry it completely shattered.
How do you pros remove things from disks. I suppose the disk is not the worst thing as they will be grown over, but especially the ones with the little nipple on the bottom are going to be hard to mount on rock.
And the messed up zoa is opening this morning! Oddly, the two heads that I glued are the first to open. Whew!
How do you pros remove things from disks. I suppose the disk is not the worst thing as they will be grown over, but especially the ones with the little nipple on the bottom are going to be hard to mount on rock.
And the messed up zoa is opening this morning! Oddly, the two heads that I glued are the first to open. Whew!
I just cut the stem part of the disk, the coral will cover the rest
So it was a very busy weekend for my little slice of the ocean. I could not contain the excitement from the first frags on Saturday, so on Sunday I visited a new friend, Jose, in Newark (search frags and Newark on craigslist). His location is a bit rough – there are definitely nicer parts of Newark to visit – but he is a super nice guy and his 200 gallon tank is by far the coolest reef I have ever seen in person.
He had a decent sized frag tank in the basement. I picked up a nice orange/green polyp colony with about 20 heads, a nice 2+ inch, branching SPS/birds nest with a orange/brown background and green polyps and a nice green frogspawn and another encrusting thing with green hairy stuff (gotta bring a pen and paper to write this stuff down). And he threw in a big chunk of a rusty button polyp with a green eye.
All of this great stuff for $35. The tank is finally starting to look alive.
So I was just reading about the frog spawn. Apparently it has 6 inch tentacles and can sting anything within reach. Does that mean anything? Or just other frogspawn? In a 20 gallon tank, a six inch circle is a pretty big area of my tank.
He also mentioned that Gorilla glue is a sin and showed me another tube of stuff (N-O or something like that). Is Gorilla glue really bad? I have been attaching my frags to my rocks with a ball of 2-part epoxy that I adhere with a drop or two of glue. Is there a better way?
Sorry for the bunch of questions. Appreciate any input.
Steven
He had a decent sized frag tank in the basement. I picked up a nice orange/green polyp colony with about 20 heads, a nice 2+ inch, branching SPS/birds nest with a orange/brown background and green polyps and a nice green frogspawn and another encrusting thing with green hairy stuff (gotta bring a pen and paper to write this stuff down). And he threw in a big chunk of a rusty button polyp with a green eye.
All of this great stuff for $35. The tank is finally starting to look alive.
So I was just reading about the frog spawn. Apparently it has 6 inch tentacles and can sting anything within reach. Does that mean anything? Or just other frogspawn? In a 20 gallon tank, a six inch circle is a pretty big area of my tank.
He also mentioned that Gorilla glue is a sin and showed me another tube of stuff (N-O or something like that). Is Gorilla glue really bad? I have been attaching my frags to my rocks with a ball of 2-part epoxy that I adhere with a drop or two of glue. Is there a better way?
Sorry for the bunch of questions. Appreciate any input.
Steven
Frogspawn is part of the Euphyllia family, also hammers etc. You can put them close to each other. You don't want them in contact with SPS for sure and they can fight with other LPS also. You maybe somewhat surprised at how far their sweeper tentacles can reach. You want Cyanoacrylate based glues(gel version works best) ... you can also use reef safe epoxy...and yes can mix the two. Sounds like you got a nice set of starter corals just keep the frogspawn away from the SPS.
Today was a good day. I sat on my glasses so had to go get them fixed. Happens that the optician is only a few doors down from the Elos store in Millburn. I have to say that I am warming up to the store. Once you get the guys chatting, they are very friendly and helpful and if you spend enough time looking, there are some reasonably priced items. Of course, they have some beauties that quickly go into the hundreds of dollars (they showed me a $2,000 fish!!), but today I was able to pick up a cool orange riccordia and a yuma for 10 and 25 bucks. Still a bit more than my 5 dollar target, but these are pretty cool things that I have not been seeing elsewhere.
Anyway, I was talking with them and they suggested zooplankton (their product is called Elos SVP). Anyone have any experience? He seemed pretty sure that feeding the supplement was a good idea. So, was it a sales pitch or is this really a good idea? I am hoping to get some good growth on my expanding coral collection, and he seems to think this is the way to go.
What do my fellow NJ reefers think?
Oh, some sad news to report. One of my two clowns tried to find his way back to the ocean on Friday night. Woke up to find him dried up on the floor. Fred was a good fish and will be missed by his tankmate Ethel and my family. This leads to yet another question: I liked having two clowns. Can I add another or do they have to be bought and added in pairs?
Anyway, I was talking with them and they suggested zooplankton (their product is called Elos SVP). Anyone have any experience? He seemed pretty sure that feeding the supplement was a good idea. So, was it a sales pitch or is this really a good idea? I am hoping to get some good growth on my expanding coral collection, and he seems to think this is the way to go.
What do my fellow NJ reefers think?
Oh, some sad news to report. One of my two clowns tried to find his way back to the ocean on Friday night. Woke up to find him dried up on the floor. Fred was a good fish and will be missed by his tankmate Ethel and my family. This leads to yet another question: I liked having two clowns. Can I add another or do they have to be bought and added in pairs?
The food you feed your fish will feed the coral (extra food and fish poop), I would not add extra to a young tank. Also you can add just one clown, just make sure the addition is smaller than the current.
Target feeding will definitely increase the growth rate of the coral. However, it can also pollute the tank. As it establishes more and more, it'll be okay to do small spot feedings. Unless the coral is Non Photosynthetic, feedings aren't really needed.
You can buy another clown....if the jumper was the smaller one make sure you buy a small one. The main thing you want to do is not have two females. The larger fish will turn into a female and be the dominate one. Pretty neat stuff would suggest reading up on it. But generally not hard to do...when in doubt buy a little one you will have some aggression during the acclimation period but then all should be OK.
Been some time since my last post. Nothing very exciting. As I noted in another thread, my riccordia floated away, but seems to be settled in for now. Just been keeping up wiht the water changes and waiting for things to grow. I guess that is good news - they are not dying! BUT - - they don't seem to be growing either. I have the same 4 and 6 heads of zoas that I bought and it is going on about 6 weeks. I would have thought something would have sprouted by now! I guess this is where a test of my patience is the best solution.
Turns out the zooplankton that I bought from Elos was out of date, so I returned it last weekend. They were very nice and actually a bit shocked since they just got about 40 boxes from their vendor and all were the same out-of-date lot. So now the advice I got here seems to lean towards not feeding the coral directly, but at the same time, I am not seeing any growth. I guess the answer for now is patience, unless I get better advice here.
I will try to post some pictures, but I can only do that when I post from my phone. I am sure my kids can show me a better way, but this old guy is happy to have gotten that far!!!
Happy Reefing
Turns out the zooplankton that I bought from Elos was out of date, so I returned it last weekend. They were very nice and actually a bit shocked since they just got about 40 boxes from their vendor and all were the same out-of-date lot. So now the advice I got here seems to lean towards not feeding the coral directly, but at the same time, I am not seeing any growth. I guess the answer for now is patience, unless I get better advice here.
I will try to post some pictures, but I can only do that when I post from my phone. I am sure my kids can show me a better way, but this old guy is happy to have gotten that far!!!
Happy Reefing