lawchan77

some crabs are sps eaters while other species are scavengers which help to keep sps and tank clean. but there are some which are big enough to cause harm to small fishes and you dont want that when you have expensive fishes eg Helfrich’s Firefish. but generally i try to remove all crabs i see.

a crab this size can easily kill my beloved mandarin fish right?

in the midst of clearing the rocks, found a couple of bristle worms and have you seen such big crap.. i mean CRAB.

busy weekend.. totally took down the rock scape and started fresh. theme is BONSAI!! objective is to create more swimming space for fishes and corals to grow bigger and taller. everything in tubs and plastic containers.. stressful day for fishes and coral, i froze some seawater in ziplock bags the day before and these acted as portable chiller for the sps and fishes. add a couple of pumps and its good for about 4 hours. still its stressful. with an emptyy tank, the rock scaping starts first left and right scape.. still undergoing many changes foundation in... start filling with water...

reserved.

looking to sell radioactive birdnest colony. WYSISYG - $50 collection at upper serangoon road near kovan area. I reserve the right to give priority to the buyer who can collect the soonest. please contact me at 96232880. thank you.

why sps dominated reef cannot keep clarion angel har?

thanks uncle mike! hope to jump start my passion thru hard work!

have some tonga brances. bonsai generally means low issit?

hi, looking to do some rescape and open for rock scapes in exchange to trade for zoas and sps..i have not decided which sps to trim cos will very much dependent on my rescape. but i will bear in mind your preference or i can top up with cash. please post your rockscape and we can work something out.. some examples of scape i am looking for: can contact me at 96232880 to discuss further too. thank you!

looking for rockscape like this.. anybody? is this considered 'bonsai'? taken from http://www.reefphilippines.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15530&sid=abf3631908201c527edede336b6eb9af&start=15

bonsai means mostly frags? cos minimal rocks will mean less space for sps colonies... and i want to concentrate on bigger sps colonies this time.. but i like the bonsai theme.. maybe can dedicate a section to this.. anyone has ready bonsai rockwork to swop? i have zoas or sps to trade. please post pics here.

whats a bonsai rockscape?

this upcoming weekend.. i am planning to do some major rockscaping and convert my tank mostly sps instead. the sps has grown so much most is almost touching each other. any rockscape designs? will greatly appreciate ideas.. thanks!!

congrats bro... a truly inspiring tank. thumbs up!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

have been away for 2 weeks in USA and came back to see one of my mandarin goby dead. socks choked up so water quality not as ideal as i would like it to be. a quick check on water parameters revealed that only PH a little high but other than that, all is well. heng ar... cant seem to figure out what happened to the goby though... i've had her for a year plus. fat and dancing every night with her mate.. no apparent injuries on her body that seem to cause her demise. i will miss her... their nightly dance have added many hours of entertainment. this is a video in memory of her..

wow.. thats nice..! great to glue zoas frags and magnet against the tank wall. save space and zoas get enuf light too. where u stay?

its been sometime I have not updated my thread cos I've been travelling intensively... havent been buying any coral or fishes these couple of months while i contemplated my situation. since i havent been messing with my tank, my hand has been getting better.. still no fingerprints yet, but at least no painful cracks. the flatworm is more or less resolved too. heng ar.... took a couple of encrusted sps to dip and nothing came out. in general, the sps seems to be thriving. but the LPS isnt doing as well as i would like though. i've lost some sps and many zoas in the couple of months battling flatworms and nudis... and the heartpain and frustration really hit the pits. now its 2013 and a new year spells promise of hope and inspiration. Hope that I can achieve greater things in the new year and be inspired by great events and greater people. taken from the movie 'New Years Eve'... "It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt coz that is what new years is all about- getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about what if and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight and it will drop, let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long"

thanks bro.. i think i will have a consult with a dermatologist first before trying anythin else.

i went to see a G.P and there was nothing he could do except ask me put cream to moisturize. i didnt thought that i should see a dermatologist though.. thats a great idea., thanks uncle mike!

my hand is also very sensitive to corals. just last week, i LIFTED a sps (millie) and got stung. started to have swelling and pus. also refrained from touching coral and saltwater from about 4 weeks. started to get better and so i started to clean out the tank. came back to square one at the end of the afternoon. dry and cracked again.

it is unavoidable to lose newly acquired sps but these sps are not new. they have been with me for at least 4 -5 months flourishing.. and suddenly they deteriorate. it is not normal.

my tank is infested with nudis and flatworm. sps doing splendidly suddenly start to deteriorate and eventually die. no change of placement, light or other parameters. a fellow reefer pointed out flatworm and we started the process of soaking and treatment. lost a few sps from the treatment but when i did a dip treatment last weekend, I STILL find flatworms. *depressed* means my problem not solved. zoas not doing well and tore zoas garden apart to sun the rocks. but nudis still came back after 2 weeks.

i also got rubber gloves and surgical gloves etc... good if just touching and placing corals but no good for scaping, handling glue or exposy, very messy!

thank you for your kind words. I'm still very new and have alot to learn. fellow reefers are accomodating and patient lot. AT is like a ich magnet. the white spot is never far away and surfaces at the slightest parameter change. i also tried a few ATs but failed. my current surviving ATs are from fellow reefers who has kept them for at least a year, when they arrive at my new tank, they are already ready to eat pellets and swim around with ease. and i find reefers fishes are more resilient to ich. if kena ich, there are some protocols I use to ensure maximum chances for the fishes. 1. Keep salinity at 1.023 to 1.024 2. give Dr. G parasite food. some fishes dont like, so i like to give this as the first food (fishes are hungry!!) before giving pellet. fishes hungry got eat abit also good. 3. half or an hour later, give pellets soaked with brightwell garlic thoroughly (overnight even). 4. dose vit C 5. becos i dont have sand bed, i will 'vaccum' the floor using water pipe to rid of wastes and keep the tank clean. take this opportunity for about 10% water change every week. 6. Dose 'Its clear'. as long as the fishes are eating, they are mostly fine. and if they are eating during the ich outbreak, i like to feed small amounts frequently.. this is to ensure they are have enough energy and a good immune system to keep the disease at bay. i also put hand cream (even bring the handcream every where i go) but goes back to square one once i touch water. i've been battling this for a few months now. started with my left hand then i changed right hand to handle corals. so now both my hands injured. i have no fingerprints and have trouble taking out namecard or dollars cos my fingers lack friction. i fly frequently and its a problem with immigration everytime.