My 1.5 ft Reef log

[teebs]

anyone wanna share this with me

don't mind trying.

I am feeding DT phytoplankton every other day atm.

How much is it???

[poomoon]

woke up and found my clams toppled over.

I have inserted a plastic backplate behind the rock to prevent them from shooting themselves off the rock again.

They have been there the last 7 hrs.

Hopefully they will stay there and be happy.

Gonna remove the place only 2 days later.

nooby question ... do they eventually 'stick' on the rock ?

[stewpid]

:bow:

Those clams are to die for!!!

[teebs]

:bow:

Those clams are to die for!!!

Then u have to go CF liao...

[jackywongto]

nooby question ... do they eventually 'stick' on the rock ?

I believe they will unless they really dislike the place.

Even if they have rooted themselves there, should they decide to move one day, they might still will I think.

[jackywongto]

:bow:

Those clams are to die for!!!

They are really much much nicer if you look at it from the top.

[jackywongto]

How much is it???

Dunno. Let me check with AM then come back to you.

Tmr want to go Reborn? Want to go get my cleaner shrimps.

I can meet you there only during lunch time around 11:45. SMS me if ok.

Then u have to go CF liao...

Stewp, dun listen to Peter.

Your pico tank will not be able to sustain.

You prob know this already.

[jackywongto]

Ahem... *cough* Should research before buying, not after. Many of us are guilty of this, including me.

I would love to keep clams some day, but I'm a bit worried on the calcium in-take in a nano tank. Do let us know how frequent you need to supplement to keep your clams happy?

lol.... by the time you complete the research, the nice clams are all gone already. I have seen other clams in nanos so should be ok.

My thoughts are that yeah you need to know roughly certain things before you embark - can clams be kept in a reef tank, what do you feed, what lighting you need, what elements are crucial to them.

Whereas for more detailed stuff like how to tell they are happy, are they growing etc etc, then can learn as you go.

Learning is an ongoing process throughout this hobby anyway.

My concern is usually not whether we are researching IN DETAIL before we buy or after. (like I mention above, you need to know in advance if it is suitable for your tank though)

It is more of whether the buyer is buying on impulse, does he know the consequences or if he is dedicated enough to see that the livestock requirements are met adequately.

In this particular case, whether he knows that he will need to dose liquid food, calcium on a regular basis.

Just sharing my philosophy.

[comycus]

lol.... by the time you complete the research, the nice clams are all gone already. I have seen other clams in nanos so should be ok.

My philosophy is to research what I would like to get in future. This way, when the opportunity comes, I can buy it safely knowing my tank can support it. Of course once in a while there's this exotic looking thing tt comes in and you know nothing of...

tt's where iphone comes in! nowadays with 3g and my trusty iphone, anything is possible

[poomoon]

My philosophy is to research what I would like to get in future. This way, when the opportunity comes, I can buy it safely knowing my tank can support it. Of course once in a while there's this exotic looking thing tt comes in and you know nothing of...

tt's where iphone comes in! nowadays with 3g and my trusty iphone, anything is possible

good point. that's what i'm doing now while camping for my tank. btw, found a solution to post using iphone ?

[comycus]

good point. that's what i'm doing now while camping for my tank. btw, found a solution to post using iphone ?

haha not really... my exquisite flashed for the first time yesterday!!! so happy! electric blue all over his body. damn chio!!! Too bad can't share photos yet...

But Dell just called, delivery will be tmr. Extremely happy with their prompt service

[poomoon]

haha not really... my exquisite flashed for the first time yesterday!!! so happy! electric blue all over his body. damn chio!!! Too bad can't share photos yet...

But Dell just called, delivery will be tmr. Extremely happy with their prompt service

Really ? and you got a pic ?

[jackywongto]

tt's where iphone comes in! nowadays with 3g and my trusty iphone, anything is possible

+1 iphone rocks!!!!!

[comycus]

Really ? and you got a pic ?

Think the pictures came out abit blur coz he was swimming v. quickly. Before we Jacky's thread, maybe both of you can consider keeping one of these wrasses in future when you upgrade tank to 6 footer. V. beautiful and peaceful fish.

[poomoon]

Think the pictures came out abit blur coz he was swimming v. quickly. Before we Jacky's threadt, maybe both of you can consider keeping one of these wrasses in future when you upgrade tank to 6 footer. V. beautiful and peaceful fish.

haven't even strated cycling my nano, think of upgrade already

lol. when settle down and move to new house next year, maybe ... so have to start filing documents i guess (ROM ... then TAC (Tank Ownership Certificate), LOA (Thanks to Ray), LSOLC (Live Stock Open Line Credit), HON (Hobby Overtime Notice) ...

[jackywongto]

haven't even strated cycling my nano, think of upgrade already

lol. when settle down and move to new house next year, maybe ... so have to start filing documents i guess (ROM ... then TAC (Tank Ownership Certificate), LOA (Thanks to Ray), LSOLC (Live Stock Open Line Credit), HON (Hobby Overtime Notice) ...

i really think you can start looking at 2 ft cube very soon.

[poomoon]

i really think you can start looking at 2 ft cube very soon.

[jackywongto]

To pulse or not to pulse - from reeefkeeping website

Soft corals of the family Xeniidae, also known as "Pulse corals," have enjoyed favor and popularity among aquarists since their introduction to the hobby. The sensitive nature of shipping specimens, and the subsequent challenge of procuring healthy colonies, has only enhanced their allure. Above all, however, it is the living fireworks of pumping polyps that makes some of these soft corals so exciting to keep and grow (see a short video here). The reason(s) why species or individuals pulse their polyps is not entirely clear, but some possible explanations will be explored here. The propensity for many in this family towards pulsatory function is an endearing, if not hypnotic, attribute. Yet, even the non-pulsing specimens have a distinguished appeal for their vigor and rhythmic motion with proper water flow. There is a wide range of appealing Xeniids to be found, from the common "waving hands" to the rare and most unusual species not yet established in the hobby. And while the commonplace and so-called nuisance growth of some colonies might seem to take a little of the shine off of their allure, there are, nonetheless, few soft corals so individually beautiful or fascinating to keep.

The Who's Who of Xeniidae

Let's first address some of the familiar members of this family, and a couple of others that we hope to see become established in the hobby. Aquarists will recognize the genera Xenia and Anthelia as the two most common (or commonly cited) imports. Xenia (Lamarck 1816) species are hallmark "Pulse corals" that are usually stalked, and sometimes branching, with polyps restricted to the cap/crown (capitulum). Xenia polyps may be long, will often pulse, but are never retractile; their polyps will contract (shrink), but never actually retract into the cap/crown. The morphology and color of Xenia species (and those still unproven specimens that we call by a given species name) is variable, but popular "types" include: Xenia elongata (the common, brown "Fast-pulse" Xenia), Xenia umbellata (white "Pom-pom" Xenia), and an iridescent blue-green species that strongly resembles X. elongata (AKA "Silver-tip Xenia"). Hobbyists hold many more varieties in collections, from nappy, yellow, Red Sea clusters to red-hued Indonesian colonies, and numerous other members of the genus found in colors ranging from cream to green and through to dark brown. With perhaps more than 60 species in this genus, Xenia are widely distributed from the east coast of Africa through to the central Pacific. They are generally found in clear, bright, shallow waters with moderate to strong water flow. Although most Xenia are not common from turbid or dirty waters, they will colonize early upon stressed or damaged reef areas resulting from pollution and natural disaster. A closer look at their physiology reveals that Xenia have weakly developed structures for organismal feeding; nutrient uptake of dissolved matter is conducted in this heavily photosynthetic genus. Target feeding of Xeniids is not required (if it's even practical or possible) to cultivate them successfully in aquaria when there is an adequate supply of nutrients available otherwise (bio-load of fishes and other invertebrates, etc.).

Once acclimatized, most Xeniids are fast growing and may even be considered invasive under certain circumstances. It stands to reason that such successful species are readily consumed by dedicated corallivores and casual browsers of cnidarian tissue. Typically "reef-safe" fishes like tangs will often nibble Xeniids… and dubious characters like angelfishes will often make a beeline straight for a new colony placed in the tank! It's a good idea to establish Xeniids separately, as in refugia, up to several weeks in advance for their safety before introducing them to the main display. Since they do not feed significantly on large solid matter/plankters, they are quite safe to keep in a (coral) food-producing refugium with little burden to the functional benefits of the vessel. In fact, Xeniids are sometimes used as "animal filters" much like macroalgae with "vegetable filters" for nutrient export because of their fast growth, salability at harvest, and for their negligible imposition on most other desirable life forms in refugia.

[raydiative]

lol.... by the time you complete the research, the nice clams are all gone already. I have seen other clams in nanos so should be ok.

[jackywongto]

you ready to run havoc this weekend Ray?

[raydiative]

haven't even strated cycling my nano, think of upgrade already

lol. when settle down and move to new house next year, maybe ... so have to start filing documents i guess (ROM ... then TAC (Tank Ownership Certificate), LOA (Thanks to Ray), LSOLC (Live Stock Open Line Credit), HON (Hobby Overtime Notice) ...

hahah.. nowadays the paperwork required damn siong... lol

[jackywongto]

Xeniid Behavior

Courtesy of Joseph Weatherson.

As mentioned, not all Xeniids exhibit pulsatory function. But even the subtle, twisting motion of the tentacles or the furling and unfurling of pinnules on less active species is a matter of great fascination for aquarists. Even for the seemingly inactive species, the simple execution of normal polyp cycles (expansion and retraction or contraction) is inevitably a perceived measure of health. As an aside, it is instead primarily influenced by water flow for many corals at large. And pulsatory function in performing Xeniids is not a reliable measure of health, if it is any measure at all. To be clear, we can all agree that the activity is a biological expense to the animal. Can we then fairly surmise that the net benefit gained from the activity exceeds the debt? And regardless… why do they do it? Most information we have on the matter is purely anecdotal, although not wholly insignificant for the sheer number of colonies kept and observed by aquarists at large. It seems that more conclusions have been drawn illuminating why Xeniids do not pulse or fully express their polyps instead.

Some of the most pervasive theories for this activity have revolved around light theories. Some suggest that pulsatory function is a means to temper excessive light. Others believe, on the contrary, that it is a means of improving exposure on the limited surface area of slender tentacles and pinnules, in contrast to their better-exposed and pigmented base, stalk and branches. It's been reported that the tentacles and pinnules of Xeniids on average can have ~ 100X less zooxanthellae than other tissues on the animal (Janes, 2003). Some hobbyists have interpreted this, erroneously perhaps, in support of a correlation between light and pulsatory function. Xeniids are also some of the most successful cnidarians in symbiosis with zooxanthellae and seem to derive the overwhelming majority of their "nutrition" from the products of photosynthesis (thriving in controlled culture systems without feeding of any solid matter). That is to say, they do not feed like "hungrier" corals, lacking developed digestive structures to do so.

One of the most amazing things about most Xeniids is their remarkable range of reproductive strategies.

A new colony can be formed from fragments as small as a single pinnule! Infected Xenia with necrotic

stalks and captitulums ("crowns") can still be salvaged by snipping off tentacles, and even the feathery

pinnules, to start new colonies elsewhere. Photo courtesy of Amy Larsan (Tippytoex).

Still, the optimal cultivation of zooxanthellae supported by the pulsing of polyps does seem at least plausible to some folks, even if untrue. We could also consider and compare the high density of zooxanthellae in Xeniid tissues overall with that of other familiar corals; they share similar densities with the likes of Poritids and Faviids, and they have greater densities than the Pocilloporids and most Acroporids! This is certainly very telling about their strong autotrophic tendencies. Their response to photoperiods reflects this nature in kind. They are highly adaptable to a wide range of light. You will notice that Xeniids placed at depth or under weak illumination will often stretch to spread out their tissues and subsequently their zooxanthellae for better opportunity to catch dim light. Conversely, over-illuminated Xeniids (barring actual light shock or photoinhibition) will contract early in the day to shield their tissues. In such cases, it is tempting to say that pulsatory function has stopped directly because of excess light, but the truth here may be that the cessation is merely a symptom of multiplicity - a more complex dynamic at hand. But pulsatory cessation is only one response by the coral to an excess of light and is not directly correlative, nor will it necessarily happen every time or to the same extent. This is underscored by the fact that Xeniids often pulse, and also cease to pulse, during nocturnal periods of time. For some colonies, such activities are equally conducted both day and night. To laymen like myself, it begs the question why a Xeniid would endure the biological expense of pulsing at night if it is driven by light (which I do not believe it is, personally)? I certainly do not know the answer to this question but hope at least to spur contemplation of the phenomenon in others with these lines of exploration and anecdotes of aquarium husbandry.

Other influences, to varying degrees, on Xeniid health and polyp activities, have been recorded in the annals of reef husbandry: control of water temperatures and water quality (oxygen, pH and buffering ability). Temperature is a very straightforward issue with this family; they are more sensitive to high water temperatures than most common corals: a reality all too tragic and "fragrantly" familiar to importers forced to contend with rotting masses of mishandled Xeniids. Although they may tolerate a slow climb from comfortable tropical temperatures in the 70's F to the low 80's F, a sudden spike of more than 3 or 4 degrees F, particularly into the mid 80's or higher, can often prove to be fatal. There are several serious aspects to this. The first and most obvious concern is the decrease in dissolved oxygen at higher temps. Beyond stress to the system and other animals at large, corals suffer by the thickening of the anoxic microlayer that surrounds their body, by virtue of the nature of fluid dynamics (a relationship that is underestimated too commonly in reef aquaria with poor water flow). A coral can "suffocate" from such increases in the anoxic microlayer of water that surrounds them. The most common example of this is illustrated by the poor rates of survival for this family in shipping. In shipping bags, with no water movement aside from the rough handling of boxes in transit, the dynamic of decreasing oxygen levels and an increasing microlayer around the coral is amplified. The stress causes mucus to build and the mucus affords the proliferation of bacteria. The bacteria at first may not necessarily be pathogenic, but rather become so as they proliferate and mucus continues to increase. Note: when a sick, injured or stressed Xeniid succumbs to an infection, it is often fast progressing and highly infectious to other healthy Xeniids in the system and some other corals too. These afflictions are sometimes nicknamed a "meltdown" or "brown jelly" infection. This suffrage is mitigated by the fact that Xeniids have so very little skeletal mass or tissue by weight. Thus, a seemingly minor stress or injury can quickly become morbid or even fatal for the lack of dense and resistant tissues. The spread of an infection can be fast and thorough in aquaria. Hobbyists foolish enough to add fresh Xeniids without a proper quarantine have often suffered severe losses in their systems for the transgression and underestimating the highly infectious potential of newly acquired specimens.

There is also the common belief that Xeniid polyp pulsatility is influenced by stable and properly elevated pH and alkalinity/mineral hardness of the water. It may simply be that, like the lighting theories described above, the cessation of pulsatory activity is complex and not directly correlative: a function of multiplicity, merely influenced in part by depressions in pH or mineral hardness, for example. Nonetheless, aquarists have observed with consistency time and time again that established and vigorously pulsing Xeniid colonies will often cease pulsing suddenly and en masse when a certain threshold for pH or alkalinity is crossed. I personally have observed the phenomenon many dozens of times over the course of a decade with large colonies of Xenia elongata in my propagation facilities. With digital pH meters on growout systems, I could watch entire pools with hundreds of mature colonies abruptly stop pulsing when the pH dropped below ~ 8.3, as per the calibration of my instrument(s). When I would dose calcium with caustic calcium hydroxide later, thereby raising the pH, they would resume pulsatory function promptly. Now even if this phenomenon proves not to be directly correlative, a proper alkalinity of 8-12 dKH and a stable pH in the range of 8.3-8.6 would seem to be more conducive to the health of captive reef invertebrates living in an already compromised environment overall. And the sensitivity of this family of corals demands stable water quality beyond issues of specific polyps expressions addressed here. Nonetheless, it is interesting food for thought and fodder for more disciplined aquatic scientists to consider and explore with hopes of answering these questions for us.

At any rate, enjoy those lovely pulse corals. Click here for fill article.

[raydiative]

you ready to run havoc this weekend Ray?

thinking of starting now.. hahaha... sick of studying already... on exam leave today... felt like sleeping in till 2pm... haha

[jackywongto]

thinking of starting now.. hahaha... sick of studying already... on exam leave today... felt like sleeping in till 2pm... haha

your paper tonight?

[raydiative]

your paper tonight?

yup!