280g Reef Images - 2/11/05This evening, I took some pictures. 
This fuzzy Pocillopora was in bad shape for over 6 weeks. The core bleached out, but the branches continued to extend some polyps. Finally I adjusted the output of my return line, and the change in flow immediately helped this coral rebound. Two weeks later it looks far better, as seen above.
I'm not a fan of Bengaii Cardinals, not that I have a good reason. They just aren't my cup of tea. However, there are two in my reef. Some "Mean Green" zoos are quietly growing in the shadow of other corals and a BTA.
The blue torte (A. tortuosa) continues to show good steady growth. A little purple is visible in the new growth.
This is "Digi Island", a rock that I covered with Montipora digitata branches. They were broken off a colony, so I took the time to glue about 6 or more frags on the rock, and a few months later it is encrusting nicely and growing upward. :)
My frogspawn frag continues to do well. One day I'll take a picture when it is closed up so you can see some of the newer branches coming from the base, and see the head where it continues toward eventually splitting into several heads.
I love how this little Clown Goby perches in my Acropora milleopora. Lots of reefers complain about this little fish, but the coral continues to grow well and the splash of color hopping around is nice.
As I watch this Acropora nana each day, I see little bits of new growth. I don't like watching my Yellow Belly Hippo Tang gnawing on the tips though, which happens from time to time. This coral has red bugs on it, but doesn't seem to be bothered since new growth is apparent.
I know people have a tough time believing I have an Orange Mandarin, and frankly it can look closer to green at times. However, with these brown Palyothoa in the backdrop, you can see the color is definitely still in the orange region. Sorry for the blur, but it was moving quickly and the Tunze was moving 3000gph against it. ;)
Remember how I love the pattern of this coral? Well, this is getting hard to see.
With the heavy polyp extension, the base texture is quite hidden. It has really done well in my tank.
This is a different Pavona that I got from Smiller, and it was light yellow a month ago. Now it is far darker, with small bright green centers. I took this picture this evening after feeding the tank, and you can see bits of meaty foods on the coral. It appears to be held in place by the coral, which seems crazy to me.
As you can see, the new phytoplankton recipe is working great. I'm very happy to be able to report that I've been culturing it for over 2 months and it is not trying to crash, fortunately. The newer recipe takes longer to mature. This has been maturing for about 10 days, and I expect it will probably continue for a solid 14 days or more before I'll split it. Baby Brine Shrimp are being hatched on the left.
I don't really believe my skimmer is doing an adequate job, and plan to make some changes in the near future. However, you might as well see what I am getting out of it.
The neck was cleaned 3 days ago, and this is what has accumulated since then.
And this is what the cup has drained in the same amount of time. That is a 1.5g container. So yes, the skimmer is working, but I want it to do a better job and look forward to the modifications I have planned.
This bright green ricordia is actually in bad shape. The one right behind it is what color it was before. I retrieved this rock and three ricordias from a shady spot, and put it in the open. Hopefully they will improve, and this one will recover.
Not a great shot, but those are a bunch of arms from baby brittle starfish. These are all over the place in my tank, but you have to look closely. Many live within the zoanthids, or in the rockwork.
The suncoral woke up a bit early this evening, starting to open before the lights turned off.
The bottom polyp near the left even got some food from the 9pm dinner I offered the fish.
The larger male Mandarin watched me at work.
This beautiful ricordia hides near a cave opening. I only have 3 polyps, but hope they will spread over time.
This is a little tough to see, because the glass needs to be cleaned, but I really believe the female Mandarin is pregnant or carrying eggs. This is the fish that caused me to open up the Mandarin Diner. She was so thin in November, but the daily feedings via the diner have helped her fatten up again. However, her belly is so round underneath that I'm wondering if she and her mate are going to imitate some of my other breeding reeflings.
A couple of ceriths were cleaning the glass together.
My tank must have 40 of these guys, if not more. They lay eggs often, even in the mandarin diner.
Here's one peeking out from behind a coral skeleton.
This is an algae that is plaguing my tank currently. I think it is Bryopsis or Derbasia. I hope to get an accurate ID soon, and then solve the problem. This came in as a hitchhiker on some corals and LR unfortunately, and I'm seeing quite a bit of it. :(
Ugh!
Nibbles watched me as well, but when I tried to take
his picture, he suddenly became camera-shy.
This is my Ghetto Tank shot. As you can see, no woodwork and the pink foam that prevents our blindness is peeling. Two of the MH are off, with the far bulb still shining. I used a flash so you could see some of the corals.
And then the last MH light turned off, leaving the tank glowing under actinics only.
It is nice to see the surreal look of the tank for those 15 minutes before lights out.
That's it! |
