Our Tbs - Page 5

patsan · #**101** 06/14/2005, 07:27 PM

Thanks for the info Landon.

I'm purposly not posting, so I don't have 2/3 of the posts. I need some of you to get close to me.
But when I don't post, it gets so darn slow.

I just try and keep the thread alive so it doesn't die out like most of them do.

I agree with Danielle...show us some more pictures.
You cab show me pictures of corals I can get that are easy to keep. (labeled of course, so I know the name of them)

H2OLUVSME · #**102** 06/14/2005, 07:28 PM

well if thats the case.....

heres a couple more of the pics i took of my buddies tank (rpierce)

krajacich · #**103** 06/14/2005, 07:34 PM

How old is his tank, Landon? It looks amazing. Great job on the pictures too.

H2OLUVSME · #**104** 06/14/2005, 08:02 PM

its been up since the beginning of the year. he had a lot of it in his 75 before though. he's the one that i bought my 75 and stand from. the 4 foot tank wouldnt fit in his new house

lucky me. he just upgraded to a 120 (moved again {good for him

}) and is curing some LR before h moves this 65 over.

Nirol · #**105** 06/14/2005, 08:49 PM

Guess what I found tonight... A dead gorilla about the size of a quarter. He was upside down out in the open. I have a mantis still I think ... maybe a pistol as I can't see him, but he is still clicking. If the two were fighting would the mantis/pistol kill the gorilla? I have one maybe two big porcelains also...would they have fought the gorilla?

drk70 · #**106** 06/14/2005, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nirol
Guess what I found tonight... A dead gorilla about the size of a quarter. He was upside down out in the open. I have a mantis still I think ... maybe a pistol as I can't see him, but he is still clicking. If the two were fighting would the mantis/pistol kill the gorilla? I have one maybe two big porcelains also...would they have fought the gorilla?

Are you sure its a dead one and not just the empty shell from it growing. I have seen many of them in my tank but it is just the outer shell from it shedding the shell. They are empty.

Nirol · #**107** 06/14/2005, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drk70
Are you sure its a dead one and not just the empty shell from it growing. I have seen many of them in my tank but it is just the outer shell from it shedding the shell. They are empty.

No it was dead. Soft tissue included.

drk70 · #**108** 06/14/2005, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nirol
No it was dead. Soft tissue included.

Sweet. I wish that would happen to some of mine. The only ones I can see now are too small to get in the claw.

Nirol · #**109** 06/14/2005, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drk70
Sweet. I wish that would happen to some of mine. The only ones I can see now are too small to get in the claw.

I'm not complaining! When you asked if it was just a shell I went back to be sure...It woud be awful to think that big dude was getting even bigger! Now what happened any ideas?

drk70 · #**110** 06/14/2005, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nirol
I'm not complaining! When you asked if it was just a shell I went back to be sure...It woud be awful to think that big dude was getting even bigger! Now what happened any ideas?

Was it completely intack? or were there pieces missing or broken?

Nirol · #**111** 06/14/2005, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drk70
Was it completely intack? or were there pieces missing or broken?

Kinda like someone was eating at Red loster, but got full and left the rest.

drk70 · #**112** 06/14/2005, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nirol
Kinda like someone was eating at Red loster, but got full and left the rest.

Since you don't have part 2 yet my first guess would be a mantis. But what do I know.

Do you have anything in there that would have eaten part of it if it would have just died?

H2OLUVSME · #**113** 06/15/2005, 07:37 AM

Nirol, i would guess it would take a mantis to kill a gorilla, but wierder things have happend before

i know my pistol shrimps are fierce little buggers, but i doubt they could take on any crabs.

the porcelain crabs claws are just a deterant. their big mean looking claws are paper thin and not worth anything in a fight. i would rule this option out totally.

a comprable sized mithrax may be able to get the better side of a gorilla. i kow thise suckers are strong. i see them flipping over rocks in my fuge every now and then. rocks that are at least a pund or so sometimes

you havent added a coral banded shrimp have you? they are specialized crab killers, IME.

patsan · #**114** 06/15/2005, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by H2OLUVSME
you havent added a coral banded shrimp have you? they are specialized crab killers, IME.

You mean if I get one of these, they'll take out all the gorillas in the tank?

bobt2 · #**115** 06/15/2005, 08:06 AM

off topic a little, has anyone heard of odyssea lights? 48" fixture with 2 150w metal halides and 2X96 pc's for under $300! i wonder if it's some kind of jap crap?

patsan · #**116** 06/15/2005, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bobt2
off topic a little, has anyone heard of odyssea lights? 48" fixture with 2 150w metal halides and 2X96 pc's for under $300! i wonder if it's some kind of jap crap?

A few people from a Yahoo group called Saltwater Fish and Reef Aquariums have gotten them recently. They said they're great for the price. 2 of them re-wired the set. They got them from Aquatraders.com. One had a bad ballast and was sent a replacement immediately. The other 2 had no problems, and said they were really decent for the price. That's all I know about them.

bobt2 · #**117** 06/15/2005, 08:22 AM

very tempting. i really do plan on a new tank. the price is good till the end of june.

lossman · #**118** 06/15/2005, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drk70
Since you don't have part 2 yet my first guess would be a mantis. But what do I know. Do you have anything in there that would have eaten part of it if it would have just died?

We noticed a nice decline in the gorillas with all the mantis we had in the tank. We have since removed 3 mantis but still have more in there. My educated guess is 3 more mantis. I attempted to get one this morning who had gone into one of the small rocks I am actually able to remove from the tank, but the bugger must have shot out sometime between me seeing him go in it and me opening the canopy and removing the rock.

We still have a few more gorillas to get rid of but those are all small ones and, with any luck, the mantis' in the tank will eat them before we trap the mantis.

On a side note, I caught a really good look of our pistol. He's BIG!! Our largest mantis in the tank is about 2-2.5 inches. This pistol is easily 3 inches....and fat! He must be eating good.

patsan · #**119** 06/15/2005, 08:39 AM

Bob, here are a few links to check out.
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...ODYSSEA+lights
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=602856&highlight=ODYSSEA+lights
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=610674&highlight=ODYSSEA+lights

H2OLUVSME · #**120** 06/15/2005, 08:52 AM

Pat, i had a mated pair of CBS. when the female got preganant (every 2 weeks) the male would go on a killing spree defending his tank. he killed at least 5 differnt mithrax crabs (the last 2 being almost 3" across!!), all my porcelain crabs

, and a full size arrow crab. he would rip their limbs off like nothing.

Bob, i think that looks like a sweet deal. the 150w DE halides are almost as intense as the SE 250s burning a lot less electricity and creating a lot less heat. i would see if they have something with VHO or T-5 actinics personally.

mhe · #**121** 06/15/2005, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bobt2
off topic a little, has anyone heard of odyssea lights? 48" fixture with 2 150w metal halides and 2X96 pc's for under $300! i wonder if it's some kind of jap crap?

I got this setup for my 90 gal, and they're fine. Not great, the two fans in the side make way too much noise, but I'm swapping them out. As a newbie I'm somewhat worried that they're not "really" putting out the light they're advertised for, but how would you know?

For the price they're fine - and I couldn't afford the $800+ it would have taken for the "name brand" lights. So I'm pleased, I have enough light to get some reef stuff going at a price I can afford.

My lights arrived intact. I only wish the cord from the lights to the ballast was longer - they hum when on (I've been told they all do). Also, the unit comes with three switches, but you can't put them on seperate timers. So the moon lights are never used as I had to put the whole setup on one timer.

Again, they seem functional, if not super-snazzy, but that what a low price gets you!

- Michael

bobt2 · #**122** 06/15/2005, 09:15 AM

pat,i did some checking. i read too many bad things. i don't need those kind of problems.

patsan · #**123** 06/15/2005, 09:18 AM

I just wanted you to know it could be hit or miss with that company.

Look....you like to buy toys, so just buy a good one that you most probably won't have to worry about whether it's good or bad. You got the big bucks!

bobt2 · #**124** 06/15/2005, 09:54 AM

pat, it's just that the lighting is way overpriced! i hate being ripped off.

H2OLUVSME · #**125** 06/15/2005, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by patsan
You cab show me pictures of corals I can get that are easy to keep. (labeled of course, so I know the name of them)

IDK how i missed this last night. ill post a few

i think any softies would be the best start....shrooms, zoas, ricordeas, leathers and such.

i think you guys have seen all of my zoa and shroom pics. i dont have many of my other sifties though. i dont really have many other softies. the xenia that Phil showed is a good beginner coral. they are pretty cheap and usually prolific. in some tank they just dont live though, so dont be discouraged if you try some xenia and it doesnt last long.

heres a small old pic of my kenya tree. this was my first non-shroom coral, just because it came as a hitcher on a shroom rock.

after softies (and after your tank has matured for a few months) you can give some moe hardy LPS a try.
the ones shown on the previos pages are good starters, but i would try some candy canes forst. they are the most forgiving of the LPS, IMO.

the reason they call em candy canes

green CC

some blue-ish centers

to be continued.....