Manic
Retired Moderator
That tube anemone is awesome.
NPS Dedicated Tank - Take 2
- Thread starter Jaco Schoeman
- Start date
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That cerianthid is awesome!!!!
Bump
Sorry dude... Forgot to post the first time round...
Here we go...
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2004/invert.htm
That tube anemone is insane!
Small update:
Okey, not too much to update really - will only be stocking heavily this week... :yeahdude:
But...
I got this Gorgonian about two weeks ago. It had some tissue loss, but I am absolutely blown away at the rate it re-grew the tissue!!! I have never seen this. It literally gew about 1cm tissue per week, and fully extended / grown polyps as well. It is doing extremely well.
One thing I can report about it, is that it has difficulty capturing and consuming cyclop-eeze. I will try and get a video of this, but what happens is that it would capture to pod (cyclop-eeze) and the hold on to it, as if to consume it. Then all of a sudden it just releases it back into the water... Feeding live brine on the other hand has a different effect, as this gorgonian really digs into those live brine nauplii...
Here is a pic:
Also:
I have noted that my Distichopora has not been extending it's tentacles as much as it used to. This is a bit alarming. I have good reason to believe that water chemistry has a bit to do with it, so I am increasing water changes a bit to compensate for high nitrate and phosphate.
Filtration:
Due to the last point, I have upgraded my filtration last week. I have started using NP Reducing Bio Pellets. They are only in for a few days now, so they are not really doing anything for me yet, but I know I will have the results I want after 4weeks or so...
I will do another update after I have received new stock throughout this week...
Okey, not too much to update really - will only be stocking heavily this week... :yeahdude:
But...
I got this Gorgonian about two weeks ago. It had some tissue loss, but I am absolutely blown away at the rate it re-grew the tissue!!! I have never seen this. It literally gew about 1cm tissue per week, and fully extended / grown polyps as well. It is doing extremely well.
One thing I can report about it, is that it has difficulty capturing and consuming cyclop-eeze. I will try and get a video of this, but what happens is that it would capture to pod (cyclop-eeze) and the hold on to it, as if to consume it. Then all of a sudden it just releases it back into the water... Feeding live brine on the other hand has a different effect, as this gorgonian really digs into those live brine nauplii...
Here is a pic:
Also:
I have noted that my Distichopora has not been extending it's tentacles as much as it used to. This is a bit alarming. I have good reason to believe that water chemistry has a bit to do with it, so I am increasing water changes a bit to compensate for high nitrate and phosphate.
Filtration:
Due to the last point, I have upgraded my filtration last week. I have started using NP Reducing Bio Pellets. They are only in for a few days now, so they are not really doing anything for me yet, but I know I will have the results I want after 4weeks or so...
I will do another update after I have received new stock throughout this week...
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Tobes
Retired Moderator
Awesome, great work Jaco. Maybe he just doesn't like cyclop-eeze
VERY VERY EXITING NEWS!!!
I got myself two VERY rare deep water fish yesterday, as well as a yellow whip gorgonian!!!
The first fish is a Yasha White Shrimp Ray Goby (Stonogobiops yasha) - very cute;
Actual Image of mine above...
Here is another image of them:
The second is a Blotchy Highfin Perchlet (Plectranthias sp.) ;
This (perchlet) is obviously not the actual fish - sorry... The actual fish turned belly up whilst acclimatising, so I had to make the call to either lose it in the bag or gamble to just introduce it to the tank... The gamble paid off and the fish is doing very well... Needless to say no time for taking photos in the bag...
The Perchlet is in fact a rare deepwater anthia.
Both of them ate live brine nauplii last night, so all seems fine.
Both are very skittish and I know that when I am able to see them, it would be a great moment, as they will hide mostly.
That said, just knowing I have them in the tank makes it all worth it...
No photo of the Whip Gorgonian yet, so I will take one soon and post...
I got myself two VERY rare deep water fish yesterday, as well as a yellow whip gorgonian!!!
The first fish is a Yasha White Shrimp Ray Goby (Stonogobiops yasha) - very cute;
Actual Image of mine above...
Here is another image of them:
The second is a Blotchy Highfin Perchlet (Plectranthias sp.) ;
This (perchlet) is obviously not the actual fish - sorry... The actual fish turned belly up whilst acclimatising, so I had to make the call to either lose it in the bag or gamble to just introduce it to the tank... The gamble paid off and the fish is doing very well... Needless to say no time for taking photos in the bag...
The Perchlet is in fact a rare deepwater anthia.
Both of them ate live brine nauplii last night, so all seems fine.
Both are very skittish and I know that when I am able to see them, it would be a great moment, as they will hide mostly.
That said, just knowing I have them in the tank makes it all worth it...
No photo of the Whip Gorgonian yet, so I will take one soon and post...
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Tobes
Retired Moderator
Congrats Jaco, I hope they will thrive in your tank - nice fish 
awesome fish very different!!! They require lower than tropical temps to survive? What temps you going to keep them at?
Thanks.
@ Archie... Yes, from what I have read is they do thrive better at lower temperatures. I aim to have the tempeterature of the tank around 20 - 22 degrees... I know that Tubastrea Micrantha also preffer lower temperatures. Also, lower temps hold better oxygen.
That said, the tanks is running at around 24 deg at the moment, and I do not have a chiller. With winter coming, I will just adjust the heater to rather stay on the lower temps...
By next summer I hope to have a chiller, as it would just make life easier...
@ Archie... Yes, from what I have read is they do thrive better at lower temperatures. I aim to have the tempeterature of the tank around 20 - 22 degrees... I know that Tubastrea Micrantha also preffer lower temperatures. Also, lower temps hold better oxygen.
That said, the tanks is running at around 24 deg at the moment, and I do not have a chiller. With winter coming, I will just adjust the heater to rather stay on the lower temps...
By next summer I hope to have a chiller, as it would just make life easier...
Another quick question....where on earth do you find all your NPS and now these fish? Its not like you walk into the local LFS and simply choose your specimen....
You bringing them in your self?
You bringing them in your self?
Nice work there Jaco, quite an improvement on the last attempt and it seems u have more of the kinks worked out.
A NPS tank is something I have thought about myself in the past, but I know it takes a lot of dedication and time consuming effort, something I dont know if I want to get into. Keeping 2 suncoral colonies for nearing 2 years is hard enough.
Ps. My Suncoral also spawned a while back, cant find most of the babies, just see 3 or 4 near the main colony...it is quite cool though. I must be doing something right with mine as well
A NPS tank is something I have thought about myself in the past, but I know it takes a lot of dedication and time consuming effort, something I dont know if I want to get into. Keeping 2 suncoral colonies for nearing 2 years is hard enough.
Ps. My Suncoral also spawned a while back, cant find most of the babies, just see 3 or 4 near the main colony...it is quite cool though. I must be doing something right with mine as well
@ Archie... I do in fact just walk into a LFS and get the stuff... hehehehe... I just know what to look for... But, to that I must add this... Most Petshops know me by now, and what I look for, so I do ask them to bring stuff in for me, but they can never really ship in anything specific as the divers do not know what they will find in the depths.
Then, I also know exactly when shipment comes in so I collect the day the stuff lands...
@ Kunhardt:
Once you are into it, it really is not so much effort... I find this less of an effort than a normal tank, hence the fact that I went back this route. It is more effort to feed a mixed reef with two suncorals, than it is just to column feed a NPS tank.
I must admit though that smaller NPS tanks are easier work with than larger ones, as the cost can be very heavy on large ones...
I will probably never go back to a mixed reef - the colour and variety in NPS is just too nice, and the "no light" routine makes fighting GHA so much easier - lol!!!!
Then, I also know exactly when shipment comes in so I collect the day the stuff lands...
@ Kunhardt:
Once you are into it, it really is not so much effort... I find this less of an effort than a normal tank, hence the fact that I went back this route. It is more effort to feed a mixed reef with two suncorals, than it is just to column feed a NPS tank.
I must admit though that smaller NPS tanks are easier work with than larger ones, as the cost can be very heavy on large ones...
I will probably never go back to a mixed reef - the colour and variety in NPS is just too nice, and the "no light" routine makes fighting GHA so much easier - lol!!!!
Thats a different way of putting it! and makes so much sense, I will think of this when Im more experienced.
Glad to see the stock is doing well Jaco
I am after some other funky things for you today! the deep water diver is actuall under water as we speak
I am after some other funky things for you today! the deep water diver is actuall under water as we speak
Glad to see the stock is doing well Jaco
I am after some other funky things for you today! the deep water diver is actuall under water as we speak
Jip... I am however a bit worried about the perchlet. I have not seen him at all yesterday...
The Yasha Goby is still doing very well, and is actually leaving his burrow to feed, so I see him often.
I will keep the faith and hope that the perchlet is still alive though...
Other than that, get those NPS stuff coming!!! Still some space left
... But soon it will be full, then I will HAVE to upgrade to a larger tank ... hehehehe!!!
@Jaco Schoeman
How is your Blotchy Highfin Perchlet (Plectranthias sp.) doing? I saw two of these at Exotics.....they flippen tiny!
How is your Blotchy Highfin Perchlet (Plectranthias sp.) doing? I saw two of these at Exotics.....they flippen tiny!
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Well, I actually have no idea. I have not seen it since...
I know they are VERY scarce to view even in the tank, so to be honest I do not know whether or not it is still there, or dead maybe.
Will have to see him when I see him. I can however confirm the Yasha Goby is doing great, and comes out every time live brine hits the water. Other than that he just hides in his cave all day...
I know they are VERY scarce to view even in the tank, so to be honest I do not know whether or not it is still there, or dead maybe.
Will have to see him when I see him. I can however confirm the Yasha Goby is doing great, and comes out every time live brine hits the water. Other than that he just hides in his cave all day...