CKS

Status of the tank as of 14-Mar 2016 The C.Prolifera in the display tank got wipe out again, something is feeding on them and they are not growing fast enough to sustain. However, the Ochtodes and the hitch-hiker brown algae exploded in size. The changes can be quite dramatic. It is also fast becoming aiptasia heaven due to how much i've been feeding. Please let me know if you have peppermint shrimp to let go Also new is the rose petal algae acquired from T95 long ago which i've been incubating in the sump. It was just a little red 'leaf' when i gotten it.

Thank you

THanks Sharan Guna! It also helps when they're farm bred and feed on easily available frozen mysis

Hi Harlequinmania, I believe those are the Blue Ochtodes. It has been a like riding on a rollarcoaster growing them, there were reduced to just one palm sized a while ago, glad they made it back Gotten them from Henry/MarineLife sometimes in mid-2015

hahaha thank you The aim is for this setup to be as fuss free and maintenance free as possible. Here are some photos of the fishes & inverts the system is currently supporting

Hi Angel Keeper, I didnt have any heatsink on it even if it is running 24/7. Would u recommend it? Also don't remember needing to solder or i simply forgotten if i did it, lots of things from the ATO to light setup and 'hood' were DIY-ed

Thanks PCW! Angel Keeper: i dont have proper photos of the LED in the makeshift rainproof enclosure if that is what you mean? I've gotten them from http://www.ebay.com/itm/221923629116 It is the same red LED used by some of the reefers here for ATS

Finally took the time to clean-up the coralline covering the front of the tank and now i've a clearer FTS of the 40g salad platter The Ochtodes are back! They received the most flow and are attached firmly to the rocks. I've also gone without skimmer for about 3 months. It occupied too much space in the sump, and i prefer to grow more macros with that space. The ATS is on the right side. Powering the sump is 18W 660nm LED. It is typically positioned so that the ATS receives 50% of the energy.

Finally having better luck re-planting the Ochtodes and C.Prolifera into the display tank. The C.Prolifera usually got wipe out within 2-3 days, and have been in the DT for over 3 weeks now. A cluster of them in the high-flow zone sitting high up on the rockwork. Thank you Henry (MarineLife) for the seed supply of C.Prolifera Also shown in this photo is a brown hitch-hiker macroalgae (Lobophora?) Another cluster of the C.Prolifera are on the sandbed protected by eggcrate, they've started to take root too Photo of the Ochtodes taken on 10-Jan-2016. They were congesting the overflow Half of them were transferred to the display tank now. The FTS to come maybe in a week time when the C.Prolifera are more established. Ending this post with a photo of hitch hiker banded marine worm

Found an article on how to induce stress to 'encourage' breeding in brittlestar http://www.marinebreeder.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=1184

1 lot of brittlestars still available

Sure bro, i've gotten them from MarineLife. These are Gracilaria Hayi I think which i mistakenly identified as dragon's breath (Halymenia)

the Iron is from MarineLife and the other 2 is from PolyArt. Iodine is harder to find i think due to lower demand. That seachem product is meant for freshwater planted and im using that to maintain the NO3 [emoji16] Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Thank you Patrick So far i've had success with Caulerpa Serrulata (razor) which will root itself onto sandbed and my regal tang left it alone so far. Caulerpa Prolifera would look nicer (smoother looking) and look very nice on sandbed. I've tried planting them onto the sand but it got wiped out and i did not managed to witness what ate/destroyed it. They are very suitable for sandbed since they will root well and i'll try again when i've more steady supply of Prolifera. I'm growing them in the sump now. Also, these are what i have been dosing weekly

Might have more luck posting in the Buy/Sell section? i've seen quite a number of post related to chaeto over there

Thanks bro! Hopefully can generate enough interest locally so that one day we can have more people trading macroalgae for decorative purposes

Here are some photos taken today 17-Dec-2015 of new additions, new weeds i've just gotten from MarineLife today. The skimmer has been turned off for 2 months already and i've still been dosing KNO3 to maintain NO3 at 10-20ppm. PO4 reads about 0.025 on the low range test kit. I've also started dosing Iodine on-top of Iron as i've read from multiple sources that the brown and red algae requires Iodine. Close up of the new additions. Dictoya (i think?) Galaxaura Spaghetti Weed - Liagora (i think?) And an update of the back-up strain in the sump The Ochtodes are growing really well in the overflow! I never had luck with the grapes as the regal tang has taken a liking for this algae. However, i've discovered that by planting it where the strong return-pump current is, the tang would leave it alone These are one of the fastest growing algae in the sump too, so the tang does get some algae treat from time to time. Lastly, a photo of our little garden where the tank sits

Thanks for sharing. Those are good points, i might try to 'stress' them soon to breed more of it

I have been waiting for that to happen in my main tank but it never did, i even turned off the skimmer anticipating the spawning.. you are lucky!

Btw, does those 'blood' resemble the one shown in the photo here https://secure2.pbase.com/imagine/image/145917342

wahahhaa those are actually robots designed to infiltrate and destroy unsuspecting owner's tank I have witnessed that happened once only and it happened outside the tank under stress i think. Please keep us updated on the status of the stars

omg.. lol they are really useful as clean-up crew too, can get into tight spot to grab the left over food

Selling these brittle starfishes in lots of 5. $10 per lot. Most of them measures about 4 inches from end to end. And a long spine urchin for $5, or $3 if purchased together with the starfishes. Self collect only in Clementi, plz PM to deal.

its more fuss-free i think, cheaper and definitely more sustainable

Recently, I experienced massive die-out of the Caulerpa Serrulata. Fortunately, there are still some small healthy strain in the sump. The now emptier space on the sand gives the dragon breath more space to flow freely and grow. Here is the tank on 22 Nov 2015. A small piece of Ochtodes planted itself at the overflow seems to be growing well, maybe it prefers to be semi-submerged with good flow, it gets alot of direct sunlight too. The Caulerpa polifera & the Ochtodes are growing well in the sump, i'm planning to populate the sandbed of the display tank with these polifera. Also replaced the lighting setup with something much easier to replace, just 2 pieces of 5mm acrylic sheets. These are 40W of LED light for viewing at night. It is also much easier to change the lighting pattern now