Previously Going, Now Went Marine

[rabbut]

Work uses manual removal for nudis as corals are added to the display, but once they are in the tank, you are usualy struggling. They are hard to erraditace completely if they get a foot-hold

Just keep checking the corals and remove the nudis as and when they appear. Zoo eating nudis carry a toxin on them, so be shure to be careful whan handling them, wear gloves, as injesting the poison is very bad.... As is geting the toxin into your eyes/nose and/or cuts...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[seffieuk]

Your nitrates seem a tad high - maybe a large water change is in order

Seffie x



PS, you asked about the pink coral - I hope it's not a dendro, could be a scleronephthya which is a bit like a dendro, has the same food requirements - it's difficult to tell but more likely it's a Sinularia (pussy coral) - they can sulk for days and days

 

[Straydum]

thanks guys!

yes there has been a lot of manual removal of them. larger ones are surprisingly resistant to freshwater dips though the dips do make them come up and thus more visible for removal. the previous colony that i posted wasn't doing well is almost fully opened now but i found nudibranches on the fourth (previously unaffected) colony. on the same note i did find one nudibranch that was surviving on sponges.

i'm going to start wearing gloves for now

thanks seffie. i'm holding back on a water change at the moment to see how effective the cheato is in removing nitrates. though i'd definitely be doing a change after that.

a search on dendros and scleronephthya lead me to ID the pink coral as a nephtheid. some guy had the same one, except bigger.

either way still non photosynthetic and is said to be impossible to keep in captivity

 

[SkiFletch]

Repeated aggressive treatments with flatworm exit and iodine dips can eradicate zoa eating nudibranchs. As rabbut said though it's hard.

 

[Straydum]

can't get my hands on iodine around here so it'd just be constant dippings and siphoning. hopefully it goes well

just a question, i'm getting a hammer from another reefer and it's going to be more than an hour drive this time (compared to my other fifteen minute trips). any tips on transportation? i'm thinking of using containers since it is the four head hammer and i'm afraid that bagging it would risk breaking the branches. should i bring along a battery air pump? or will the hammer do with just still water in a container.

same goes for a 1" clown too

 

[rabbut]

Pack them in double bags and then wack them into a polly box or cooler. This will keep them warm for the trip and part-guard against leaks. Lack of flow won't be too much of an issue, and airating the bag will keep the pH high. Not a good idea of there's ammonia in the bag (quite possible due to living animals being in said bag) and the higher the pH the more toxic the ammonia. If you have plenty of air in the bag, oxygen won't be an issue. After you get home, simply drip acclimate if possible Restricting the space the coral is in will reduce the risk of damage. If it moves arround in a container, it's more likely to break it's skelaton than if it is fairly tightly packed in a bag

All the best
Rabbut

 

[seffieuk]

I transported my hammer for over an hour, just make sure it is in as much water as possible - get them to use a large fish bag, put something round it to insulate, like a poly box but I used a jacket

Will be fine - the branches are not that fragile

Seffie x

 

[Straydum]

that clears things up. bagging it would be thanks for the inputs guys, helpful as ever. i'd get up some pictures as soon as the corals come in.

and just a little update on the tank, the lone clown (that was previously thought to be in bad shape) is eating. phew. it took two live brine shrimps this morning which is puzzling cause he chose that particular two out of the tens i put in, ignoring the rest. but at least he's feeding

 

[Straydum]

got two things today preceding the hammer tomorrow, first is what i think to be a green star mat

and something else which needs an ID :lol

 

[rabbut]

Pass on the second photo, but the first is definately some polyps of some form. Looks a bit large for Xinea/star polyps to me, but could be something like buttons e.t.c when it opens out. Time will tell

 

[Straydum]

opening a little just now. yeap green star polyps. i can't wait for the whole bunch to open up

the bubble decided to make me faint again because he wasn't very successful on the previous attempt, and started expelling the brown strings again which was quickly eaten by my yellow tail. here's a picture

anyone has any idea on the red coral?

 

[Straydum]

turns out it is not a coral but a red sponge and so its now back at the shop

 

[Straydum]

brought back a branching hammer and a false clown today (which is yellower than i thought it would be ). re-arranged the rocks and that where the problem started.

there's this piece of rock that is almost fully (on the surface) covered with aiptasia so i took it out, and poured boiling water down the surface. rinsed it in freshwater and then there was this putrid smell. the sea smell, except rotten. i thought it was just my imagination so i placed in back in the main set up for around a minute and decided not to risk anything and placed it in a bucket with tank water. ammonia is zero when i tested that bucket after the rock has been in there for around ten minutes.

anything i can do to get rid of the smell?

 

[ben1987]

Most clowns are yellowy-orange when young. They grow up and become a rewally burnt orange colour as they mature

 

[Straydum]

my other clown, which is smaller, makes my new clown look even more yellow but i guess the colours would change over time

the smelly rock doesn't seem as smell this morning. hopefully i can put it back in the tank soon

EDIT: pictures,