My 1.5 ft Reef log

[jackywongto]

Don't expect them to open 24hrs lei... your LED quite strong also.

My rhizo prob only open 16 out of 24hrs. Suns even lesser, prob 12 out of 24hrs.

Mu suns have been opening 24hrs leh for the past few days.

[comycus]

Mu suns have been opening 24hrs leh for the past few days.

They should have been v. healthy when you first got them... so I wouldn't worry too much for now. Tempt them with food over the weekend. Since you just fed them and they might have been stressed after WC, no point trying to feed them now and dirty your water

Chill!

[craftsman]

haha... you love the mini ELOS right ?

hehe me too.

But another tank in the house and I will be kicked out of the house

Very swee man.... Luv it...

[jackywongto]

hey sherman,

Thanks for your hairy mushroom.

Let's head to JM together another one of these days hehe....

Here's a pic

[comycus]

Very swee man.... Luv it...

Actually no need to buy an ELOS tank to get the ELOS look... If you search hard enough, will be able to find a whale shark member's ELOS look alike tank built at a fraction of the price.

[jackywongto]

Pulsating xenia - new addition

abstracts from Reefcorner website:

Care:

Hardiness: Xenia is an interesting family of coral as far as hardiness is concerned. Some hobbyist cannot seem to keep this coral alive and others find it to be a fast growing 'weed' coral. Although there are some guidelines which can be followed to improve the chance of success, no one fully understands what will guarantee success with this coral. Even a colony that has been thriving in a tank for an extended period of time can quickly go into decline and die for no obvious reason.

Lighting: Requires moderate to strong lighting. Usually, brighter is better although some hobbyist appear to have very good success with lower light levels.

Water Current: Xenia require at least moderate water flow. They are one of the few corals that seem content to be right against the strong output of a powerhead. In still waters the pumping usually diminishes and the coral goes into decline.

Temperature: Does well within a range of at least 75º to 83º F. Temperatures around 84º can sometimes appear to cause stress and Xenia appears to be more stable at lower temperatures of 76º - 78º.

Aggressiveness: Low. Xenia does not possess any apparent stinging capability and will not bother other corals, but can tend to grow over and shadow its neighbors. When happy, the coral can reproduce by division at an alarming rate and may require frequent pruning to keep it from crowding out other corals.

Feeding: Xenia is photosynthetic and does not accept any known foods. It is thought that they absorb some of their nutrients directly from the water. In fact, some hobbyist keep large colonies of Xenia as filter beds where the xenia is regularly pruned for nutrient export. It is unclear if this is very effective. Xenia may do better in tanks that are not heavily skimmed.

Supplements: The main supplement normally associated with successfully keeping Xenia is Iodine. Many authors state categorically that iodine supplements are critical to success and lack of iodine supplements will cause xenia to crash. I have keep Xenia with and without iodine supplementation and have observed no difference, so I am more skeptical of the iodine connection. Low Alkalinity levels can cause Xenia pulsing to decrease or cease altogether, so alkalinity levels should be monitored and kept above a minimum of 2.5meq/l.

Tank Positioning: Usually kept high up on the reef for strong water flow and highest possible lighting. Xenia will reproduce in the tank by attaching its stalk against adjacent surfaces it contacts and splitting into two colonies. In this way, Xenia colonies tend to 'walk' in the direction that water movement bends their stocks, so you may want to consider this in your placement. Xenia can usually be coaxed to grow up the back glass of the tank and forms a nice background display.

[craftsman]

Actually no need to buy an ELOS tank to get the ELOS look... If you search hard enough, will be able to find a whale shark member's ELOS look alike tank built at a fraction of the price.

cheem la bro.. who's whale shark? ha ha ha ha

[jackywongto]

Actually no need to buy an ELOS tank to get the ELOS look... If you search hard enough, will be able to find a whale shark member's ELOS look alike tank built at a fraction of the price.

Yah can copy the design. Not sure why they charge so high.

Comments about the ELOS LED :

1) It has more white LED than blue. So it will not have that 20k MH lighting effect.

Probably towards 10k MH.

2) It uses its casing as a heat sink. There is no fin, no cooling fans. touch it and you will burn your fingers.

In an non air con room, I cannot imagine the temperature. This thing is as hot as an MH casing.

3) It has very few LEDs, probably around 12? and the coverage is only about 1 feet. Put anything light demanding coral at the side of the tank and it will not survive. The light is also very direct downwards. No optics used. You have to be very clever with scaping. cause shadows can be cast easily if the scaping is not suitable and light intensity will be greatly diminished towards the bottom half of the tank.

[jackywongto]

a better picture of the yuma bought yesterday.

[comycus]

Hint: There are only 2 whale sharks in this forum.

I love xenias! But I might belong to the 1st grp of hobbyist Reefcorner identified... Hope the xenias do well in your tank!

[jackywongto]

luminous Green Star Polyp

This thing will be beautiful when fully opened.

abstract from www.brettsreef.com

One of the most easiest corals to grow and take care of in a saltwater reef aquarium is the green or brown star polyps or if you want to get scientific, Pachyclavularia (genus). These corals are considered a beginners coral, they can be very forgiving when it comes to poor water quality. The star polyps are also very tolerant of both low light and intense light as well and are very tolerant of a wide range of current. These corals should be kept at normal saltwater reef tank parameters.

These corals do not need any additional dosing other then your weekly water change but can be sensitive to to some phosphate removing sponges (the ones that use aluminum oxide). In my experience as with other soft corals they seem to like a little bit of phosphate in the water however so does nuisance algae. You also do not have to directly feed star polyps, they are photosynthetic creatures that do not require additional feeding provided that you have ample lighting.

[jackywongto]

Hint: There are only 2 whale sharks in this forum.

I love xenias! But I might belong to the 1st grp of hobbyist Reefcorner identified... Hope the xenias do well in your tank!

I dun have high hopes. I bought the worst conditioned piece to try.

Coz they are the only small ones on sale there haha...

But keep finger crossed.

[jackywongto]

Some polyps extension on the SPS.

[sherman]

yeah... hmm seemed like the Suns is withering... really closed and the tissue looks wrinkled.

Hope they recover.

Anyone has any idea why ORP reading jumps up when liquid plankton additives is added to the tank?

strange.

That is normal.Everything you add something to the water the ORP will shot up but it will stablise to some lower

value later

[sherman]

hey sherman,

Thanks for your hairy mushroom.

Let's head to JM together another one of these days hehe....

Here's a pic

Low light and low flow can open big big and color and pattern very nice

Sure

[craftsman]

Jacky, can I ask where u got your pumping xenia from?

Pulsating xenia - new addition

abstracts from Reefcorner website:

Care:

Hardiness: Xenia is an interesting family of coral as far as hardiness is concerned. Some hobbyist cannot seem to keep this coral alive and others find it to be a fast growing 'weed' coral. Although there are some guidelines which can be followed to improve the chance of success, no one fully understands what will guarantee success with this coral. Even a colony that has been thriving in a tank for an extended period of time can quickly go into decline and die for no obvious reason.

Lighting: Requires moderate to strong lighting. Usually, brighter is better although some hobbyist appear to have very good success with lower light levels.

Water Current: Xenia require at least moderate water flow. They are one of the few corals that seem content to be right against the strong output of a powerhead. In still waters the pumping usually diminishes and the coral goes into decline.

Temperature: Does well within a range of at least 75º to 83º F. Temperatures around 84º can sometimes appear to cause stress and Xenia appears to be more stable at lower temperatures of 76º - 78º.

Aggressiveness: Low. Xenia does not possess any apparent stinging capability and will not bother other corals, but can tend to grow over and shadow its neighbors. When happy, the coral can reproduce by division at an alarming rate and may require frequent pruning to keep it from crowding out other corals.

Feeding: Xenia is photosynthetic and does not accept any known foods. It is thought that they absorb some of their nutrients directly from the water. In fact, some hobbyist keep large colonies of Xenia as filter beds where the xenia is regularly pruned for nutrient export. It is unclear if this is very effective. Xenia may do better in tanks that are not heavily skimmed.

Supplements: The main supplement normally associated with successfully keeping Xenia is Iodine. Many authors state categorically that iodine supplements are critical to success and lack of iodine supplements will cause xenia to crash. I have keep Xenia with and without iodine supplementation and have observed no difference, so I am more skeptical of the iodine connection. Low Alkalinity levels can cause Xenia pulsing to decrease or cease altogether, so alkalinity levels should be monitored and kept above a minimum of 2.5meq/l.

Tank Positioning: Usually kept high up on the reef for strong water flow and highest possible lighting. Xenia will reproduce in the tank by attaching its stalk against adjacent surfaces it contacts and splitting into two colonies. In this way, Xenia colonies tend to 'walk' in the direction that water movement bends their stocks, so you may want to consider this in your placement. Xenia can usually be coaxed to grow up the back glass of the tank and forms a nice background display.

[jackywongto]

Low light and low flow can open big big and color and pattern very nice

Sure

I cannot find a low flow place.....

hmmmm ..... maybe I can hide it behind a rock... hmmm hide already how I see.... wahahaha

challenge with Nano.

[jackywongto]

Jacky, can I ask where u got your pumping xenia from?

I got it at JM. Jireh.

erhhh lots of other LFS should have it as well.

pretty common coral.

[sherman]

Pulsating xenia - new addition

abstracts from Reefcorner website:

Care:

Hardiness: Xenia is an interesting family of coral as far as hardiness is concerned. Some hobbyist cannot seem to keep this coral alive and others find it to be a fast growing 'weed' coral. Although there are some guidelines which can be followed to improve the chance of success, no one fully understands what will guarantee success with this coral. Even a colony that has been thriving in a tank for an extended period of time can quickly go into decline and die for no obvious reason.

Lighting: Requires moderate to strong lighting. Usually, brighter is better although some hobbyist appear to have very good success with lower light levels.

Water Current: Xenia require at least moderate water flow. They are one of the few corals that seem content to be right against the strong output of a powerhead. In still waters the pumping usually diminishes and the coral goes into decline.

Temperature: Does well within a range of at least 75º to 83º F. Temperatures around 84º can sometimes appear to cause stress and Xenia appears to be more stable at lower temperatures of 76º - 78º.

Aggressiveness: Low. Xenia does not possess any apparent stinging capability and will not bother other corals, but can tend to grow over and shadow its neighbors. When happy, the coral can reproduce by division at an alarming rate and may require frequent pruning to keep it from crowding out other corals.

Feeding: Xenia is photosynthetic and does not accept any known foods. It is thought that they absorb some of their nutrients directly from the water. In fact, some hobbyist keep large colonies of Xenia as filter beds where the xenia is regularly pruned for nutrient export. It is unclear if this is very effective. Xenia may do better in tanks that are not heavily skimmed.

Supplements: The main supplement normally associated with successfully keeping Xenia is Iodine. Many authors state categorically that iodine supplements are critical to success and lack of iodine supplements will cause xenia to crash. I have keep Xenia with and without iodine supplementation and have observed no difference, so I am more skeptical of the iodine connection. Low Alkalinity levels can cause Xenia pulsing to decrease or cease altogether, so alkalinity levels should be monitored and kept above a minimum of 2.5meq/l.

Tank Positioning: Usually kept high up on the reef for strong water flow and highest possible lighting. Xenia will reproduce in the tank by attaching its stalk against adjacent surfaces it contacts and splitting into two colonies. In this way, Xenia colonies tend to 'walk' in the direction that water movement bends their stocks, so you may want to consider this in your placement. Xenia can usually be coaxed to grow up the back glass of the tank and forms a nice background display.

Great info, Jacky.

I break mine into 3 smaller pieces and remove 98 of the rock that come with it.

Will take some picture of the 3 pieces later in the nite

[jackywongto]

Great info, Jacky.

I break mine into 3 smaller pieces and remove 98 of the rock that come with it.

Will take some picture of the 3 pieces later in the nite

Envy... can get big pieces ones.....

[sherman]

luminous Green Star Polyp

This thing will be beautiful when fully opened.

abstract from www.brettsreef.com

One of the most easiest corals to grow and take care of in a saltwater reef aquarium is the green or brown star polyps or if you want to get scientific, Pachyclavularia (genus). These corals are considered a beginners coral, they can be very forgiving when it comes to poor water quality. The star polyps are also very tolerant of both low light and intense light as well and are very tolerant of a wide range of current. These corals should be kept at normal saltwater reef tank parameters.

These corals do not need any additional dosing other then your weekly water change but can be sensitive to to some phosphate removing sponges (the ones that use aluminum oxide). In my experience as with other soft corals they seem to like a little bit of phosphate in the water however so does nuisance algae. You also do not have to directly feed star polyps, they are photosynthetic creatures that do not require additional feeding provided that you have ample lighting.

This is very hardly.This survive when my SG go up to 1.29.Almost the whole tank wipe out

After everything stablise it growth and spread very fast.

[sherman]

Some polyps extension on the SPS.

Great to see the polyps extend.

With the right flow and light it will color up

[craftsman]

I got it at JM. Jireh.

erhhh lots of other LFS should have it as well.

pretty common coral.

Saw it at GO, but not pulsing leh...

[jackywongto]

Saw it at GO, but not pulsing leh...

JM still has some but not very nice ones. * more brownish I think.

Wait for thursday lor.

A lot of the LFS bring in shipment on Thurs/ Fri in prep for the weekend .... hehe

[teebs]

JM still has some but not very nice ones. * more brownish I think.

Wait for thursday lor.

A lot of the LFS bring in shipment on Thurs/ Fri in prep for the weekend .... hehe

Wah...super stocking ur tank huh???

tomorrow go kim sotong???