What did you take home....Propagations.

[Tenner]

Reeferdude,

Thought we could all simply list our corals we took home right here on the board for you. As most of you know we are trying to track the cuttings leaving our propagation meetings. Reeferdude was kind enough to build a database for us to get started. The plan was to document them directly at the meeting, but everyone got caught up in the moment.

I took home....
Two cuttings of Candycane (common name), anyone know the scientific name.
One baby Goniapora
One frag of the SPS (Large) Robert brought, anyone know the name of this coral.


Thanks
Tenner

[anathema]

Green Nepthia
(2) Purple Mushrooms
Colt Coral
Star Polyps
A piece of the Purple/Blue (zooanthids?) Polyps

I also have one piece of the soft coral in the white bucket. I couldn't remember the name, and unfortunately the rock it is on rolled over and squished it on the way home. It was somewhat back to it's normal shape this morning, but one spot looks like it had some of the polyps rubbed off.

Everything else looks like it made the trip well.

I am a little concerned that this may be a lot to add all at once, but I am encouraged by the health of my xenia, which has almost doubled in size over the last two weeks. I'll let you guys know.

[darcitananda]

Green Nepthia chunk(Nepthya?)
Candy cane head (Calaustrea)
Colt coral chunk
Sinularia piece
Purple zoanthid frag

Piece of Acropora unidentifiablia beigeya will go in my boyfriends tank for a week or so, until my new lighting comes.

Thanks again, everyone! Will keep you posted about progress.

[Reefer Dude]

If any of you have access to a digital camera (if you don't e-mail me and I will come out) take some pictures of the frags prospering in your tank, and I will also add that to the datbase. Also give me your tank specs too. Thanks.

[SunfishFun]

I took home...

Purple Zoanthids from Matthew
Green star polyps and Ricordea (on same rock) from Darcy
Pink Colt from Russ
Blue Mushroom from Darcy
Green Nephthea from Matthew
White/grey Caulastrea from Doug
Blue ridge coral (already a little knob, not from big hunk - from ?)
Pulsing Xenia from Matthew
Pale tree softie from Russ - have to find out name still

WHOA! All of the frags look huge and expanded and swaying in the tank - totally different than when lying in the bowls. Very cool! Some of the above fluoresce and it is quite exciting. I am having a hard time not touching these awesome creatures every time I walk by.

Thanks!

p.s. Hypothetically, if a rubber band were nearly severing a small mushroom, should one move the band or leave it alone and not risk further damage?

[Tenner]

Sunfishfun,

Hypothetically, the rubber band will cut through the mushroom. depending on exactly where the cut occurs and which type of mushroom may change your options going forward.

Ricordia don't do so well when cut.
Discomosa (forgive my spelling) will end up creating two seperate mushrooms.

If the cut occurs more on a side and not directly over the foot that holds the mushroom to a rock, the small piece may float away.

Matthew

[darcitananda]

Hi!

I've had good luck using fishing line to tie on a mushroom. ALso with the fine gauge bridal veil. The advantage of fishing line is that it is practically invisible.

Enjoy!

-Darcy

P.S. The blue mushroom wasn't from me....I don't know whose those were. Pretty for sure!

[RustySnail]

Here's what I got...

Blue 'Montipora' (actually this is Order Coenothecalia, Species heliopora sp.)...A 'hard coral' that belongs to the 'Soft Coral' Subclass!

Brown Montipora Sp.
Acropora (Cervicornis ?)
Pink/Brown Pulsing Xenia
Blue and Green Mushrooms


BTW, Candycane coral is Caulastrea Sp.

Other frags from prior propagation meetings in my reef:

Pink Caulastrea Sp.
Green Nepthea (Two 'types')
Metallic green star polyp
Sinularia dura
Devil's Hand
Toadstool Sarcophyton Sp.

Matthew...

Any chance of 'SELLING' those leftover frags to the local stores for a small 'tax deductible' donation to the club?

Russ

[Tenner]

Rustysnail,

That's a great idea. Unfortunately all the SPS frags I made the next day (Friday) died. I had left them in a bucket in the rubbermaid full of salt water. Temp was fine, just think the stagnet water started them down hill. I got about 15 cuttings of the last large piece of SPS Robert had brought.

I still have some star polyps, a soft coral from Philip, and a montipora. We can trade these to the Aquarium in Concord at our December meeting.

Thanks
Matthew

[SunfishFun]

Thanks again everyone for sharing corals and teaching me how to put them on mounts. It was great to see Matthew's tank and I look forward to seeing more of yours.

If anyone got a cutting of the whitish/grey Candy Cane coral (Caulastrea) from Doug check this out! Shine a flashlight on it during the night and you will see a cool surprise! It may have a ring of white translucent tentacles at some of the little circular knobs! This may be common knowledge, but this is my first Caulastrea and I just noticed it at 3:00a. :) I haven't tried directly feeding the tentacles yet.

Matthew, if you read this...I am wondering why the zoanthids I got from you look fluorescent orange with green centers. They only look purple/blue at night. Is it due to lighting differences? I have 260W PC - 1/2 8800K and 1/2 actinic.

[RustySnail]

SunfishFun-

The Caulastrea generally will open up nightly and display those feeder tentacles. You don't -have to- feed it, but I noticed that it grows quite a bit faster when I fed regularly. The best way I can suggest doing this is to feed brine with the 'ol turkey baster. Start by netting brine out of the water they are in, and then dip the brine net into the tank. With the net in the tank water, I suck them into the baster. I do this so that the brine are in tank water and you don't shock the coral by squirting it with cold, non-tank water. Just gently squirt a few brine on each polyp.

If you establish a routine of feeding late in the evening, the coral will open up before the lights go out (makes life easier). They can even sense when you put brine in the tank once they get used to eating it. Whenever I feed my fish brine, about 20 minutes later the Caulastraea is open and 'waiting'.

Feed every few days, or more often if you feel the need...

Russ

[Tenner]

SunfishFun,

Not sure on the coloration, but you probably got it right. Just a difference in our lighting setups. In my tank they looked like they had a purple center. Maybe they're "mood" Zooanthids. Ok, I'm old, but not that old.

My wife was heart broken again that I ended up giving up an entire coral, the Zooanthids. At our next propagation meeting would someone be so kind as to bring me a cutting back. Sheeez! The things I do to stay married.

Matthew

[anathema]

I have the last (and I think largest) piece of the zooanthids, so I will bring you some. I'll try to pick up a chisel tomorrow so I can be ready. Unfortunately I am not 100% sure I can make it to the meeting, it depends on some family plans about that time. I will let you know & maybe we can arrange for me to drop them off with someone?

Also:

1 week update!

Green Nepthia- does not appear to have attached. I thought it had, but I think it was in too much current.
(2) Purple Mushrooms- have attached, moved, and reatached.
Colt Coral-split into two pieces, one of which I finally found today. Neither has attached, but they are both still alive. I put them in depressions in rock since they are too small to do anything else with.
Star Polyps-:)
A piece of the Purple/Blue (zooanthids?) Polyps-:) You guys are talking about the purple ones with the pink centers right?:D

[Tenner]

anathema,

No rush on the Zooanthids. In fact, lets simply wait until the next propagation meeting in four months. By then, hopefully everyone's has grown enough to share with all the club again.

Thanks
Matthew

[darcitananda]

I am having problems with my nepthea piece as well. Originally I rubberbanded the base, and it was cutting into the flesh. So then I skewered the base, and attached the toothpick with 2 rubberbands, and the nepthea tore free several days later. Now I have it covered with the really wide mesh stuff, but I can't isolate the base. Any other thoughts? Or should it be okay as is? It's expanded.

[Tenner]

Darci,

Don't worry about isolating the base to attach to the rock. The Nepthya will attach to the rock at whatever point it stays in contact. I've had good success with netting them down.

If this fails, try placing the cutting in between two small rocks, then rubber than the rocks together holding the cutting in the middle. Once the coral attaches to the rocks, you can then expoxy the rocks in place on a larger rock.

Good luck
Matthew

[Reefer Dude]

My nepthia is doing great, I have tried many ways of mounting soft corals, and have only had success with one method time and time again. All you do is push a toothpick through the side of the coral and then rubber band each end loosely to the rock. I know some people don't like the idea of pushing a toothpick trough the side of their corals, but it does not bother the corals in any way. Mine attached within a few days, and I will keep the toothpick and rubber bands on for a few more days as a precaution. Here are some pics, I don't know how clear they will come out because my glass is a little dirty. I will clean the glass and get a better pick later. Let me know. Thanks.


http://members.home.net/justinphillips1/nepthia

http://members.home.net/justinphillips1/nepthia2