Our Tbs - Page 6

lossman · #**126** 09/15/2005, 07:30 AM

From what someone once posted about sponges, they need a nutrient rich environment to thrive. If you aren't having an algae problem, you may not have enough nutrients in your water to support all the sponges. Since we have had one algae bloom after another, I am assuming that's why most of our sponges have done so well.

The only ones that we lost were the dark blue encrusting sponges (although I do still have one spot that is still doing well but it's way under an overhang) and the two tree sponges. Since having the new return pump added, I have not seen as much algae growing on the glass or sand. I'm happy about that!! I was having to scrape the glass every day. Now I'm down to once every three days....and that's just to get the floating detritus off it.

BrianPlankis · #**127** 09/15/2005, 11:44 AM

RBD,

Thanks for your update and the pics

I forgot to add my featherdusters are doing GREAT. I have at least a dozen poking out of my sand in various places and many on the rocks, I keep finding new ones.

I also have that yellow sponge (from other rock, not TBS) and it seems to go in cycles. It will develop a really big colony and then it will implode into almost nothing. Then a new colony takes off. Overall it is spreading though.

Brian

dwculp · #**128** 09/15/2005, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lossman
From what someone once posted about sponges, they need a nutrient rich environment to thrive. If you aren't having an algae problem, you may not have enough nutrients in your water to support all the sponges. Since we have had one algae bloom after another, I am assuming that's why most of our sponges have done so well. The only ones that we lost were the dark blue encrusting sponges (although I do still have one spot that is still doing well but it's way under an overhang) and the two tree sponges. Since having the new return pump added, I have not seen as much algae growing on the glass or sand. I'm happy about that!! I was having to scrape the glass every day. Now I'm down to once every three days....and that's just to get the floating detritus off it.

I know when my algae bloom was at it fullest my tank looked like total crap, but the inhabitants never looked better!!! My sponges brain coral and other filter feeders were open HUGE and never looked better!!

lossman · #**129** 09/15/2005, 01:09 PM

Well, there you go!! You want your inhabitants to thrive then get working on cultivating that algae!!!! LOL

patsan · #**130** 09/15/2005, 01:15 PM

I guess that's why a lot of my stuff died.

I've really tried to keep the water quality up.

Look at this slug I found on the house the other night. I couldn't believe how big it was:

I haven't been getting emails letting me know anyone posted.

patsan · #**131** 09/15/2005, 01:34 PM

Landon, I keep meaning to ask you and forget all the time......do you still use that Tahitian Blend algae from brineshrimpdirect? If not, why, and if so, please explain what it does. Thanks.

bobt2 · #**132** 09/15/2005, 03:11 PM

pat,do you have optonline.net, i havn't gotton one in two days and i usually get 30 a day

ratherbediving · #**133** 09/15/2005, 03:15 PM

I have to say--- I think reefkeeping in general will always be a mystery to me. The more I read, the less I feel I know sometimes. Although I must say I enjoy the challenge

I try to keep my levels pretty low-- PO4 was high for a little while, but using ROWAphos a couple times seemed to help. Otherwise, the Nitrates seem to be around 2, and the PO4 seems to stay pretty close to the low range of the scale.

The thing is though--- unless you were measuring Ocean water near storm water runnoff -- I think the Ocean will pretty much always have a far lower reading of nutrients than we have in our tanks. Areas where sponges, tunicates, all kinds of algae etc are thriving I would think would be very nutrient poor in comparison.

Check out this link for some examples of Ocean water values for things like Nitrates, phosphate etc... out test kits don't measure that low:
Doc Randy's H20 analysis

Maybe it is because our skimmers are pulling out the small microorganisms (microplankton) which would normally thrive in such an environment, and certain sponges, tunicates etc. need those in greater abundance.

It seems counterproductive to overskim to keep nutrients low--- which also pulls out the phytoplankton and other microplankton (maybe?) then have to add the stuff back in using some kind of food/additive/phyto.

I have been using Liquid life Bioplankton, but I think I am going to stop.... hard to say; too many conflicting opinions

dwculp · #**134** 09/15/2005, 03:18 PM

A lot of it isnt that it is nutrient poor, it is that the nutrients are being used as fast as they are being produced in the ecosystems. It isnt that PO4, nitrate etc are not being produced, it is that the system is in balance. This balance if difficult to achieve in our small, artificially controlled tanks.

bobt2 · #**135** 09/15/2005, 03:20 PM

i always turn the skimmer off for 1 1/2 hrs when feeding liquid food

ratherbediving · #**136** 09/15/2005, 07:21 PM

I was trying to say that having tanks with a lot of algae don't necessarily seem like they would support the life we see coming as hitchhikers on our live rock.

If we look at nutrients in two broad categories-- 1 as plankton and other material, and the other as NO3 and PO4 our systems would be deficient in the former, and very 'rich' in the latter. (compared to a real coral reef)

Algae requires some NO3 and PO4 (and light), but doesn't really need plankton. Some of the animals (sponges, some corals like Xenia) can use these directly as well; but most need some kind of plankton or other to survive. The ones that rely the heaviest on plankton are going to be the toughest to keep alive long term.

I guess my point is, when we do tests, we are only testing for NO3 and PO4, but I don't understand how or if high values of those will translate to more "plankton" in our systems (but I do understand how they can cause algae growth to increase)

Bob-- I keep the skimmer turned off for awhile too. Usually at least a few hours, sometimes a day. Sometimes I wonder if we wouldn't see the same results by just turning off the skimmer occasionally and letting the natural populations of microplankton that is already in the tank establish themselves a bit more...

Please excuse my rambling!

bobt2 · #**137** 09/15/2005, 08:20 PM

interesting thought, but i don't think i want to stress the tank if it doesn't work. i have too much invested in time and money and things are going really well. just tonight i looked behind a rock and it is covered in tiny feather dusters. i have no idea where they came from,after 6 months, it's just the tbs magic

bobt2 · #**138** 09/16/2005, 07:38 AM

lossman, i tried to pm you but your box is full

lossman · #**139** 09/16/2005, 08:07 AM

Thanks Bob, I had pm's in there from back in May!!! Cleaned it out and you can pm now.

lossman · #**140** 09/17/2005, 08:28 PM

I had no idea that we had any gorilla crabs left in the tank. Today, I decided to set a trap to get the mithraxs out. I caught one munching out on one of my pretty discosomas. That was the last straw!!! I pulled out our bottle traps and wondered what to bait it with. Seeing as how they like algae so much, I baited the trap with a piece of lettuce and one of nori. Put it in the tank and waited. Nothing happened for a long while, then, after white lights went out, I glanced over at the tank. The trap was full of hermits and then, up at the top of the trap, I saw a crab sneak over then slide in. I ran over to look and saw a white crab with black tipped claws. It was not hairy like the other gorillas we had, but black tipped claws mean death to crab!!! LOL

The trap will stay in tonight in hopes of capturing one of the two mithraxs. Bonus is the gorilla.

Oh....almost forgot.....after all lights out, I turned on the moon lights and saw this tiny fish swimming around. It had to be only 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and just glowed in the moon lights!!! No idea what it was but hope Harley does not see it!! It was cool!!!

Always something new and wonderful in this tank!!

ratherbediving · #**141** 09/18/2005, 12:37 AM

Cool!!! Hope you can take a picture of it someday.

Pat-- that picture of the slug was pretty amazing. I grew up near seattle, and I remember having slugs all over the place... I thought they were huge. Now that I saw your picture, I realize they weren't all that big

How is your chilli coral doing? Mine was NOT looking good for awhile. I never saw it open up, and was worried that it wasn't going to make it. Then a couple days ago, inexplicably, it opened up--- and has been opened up about half the time I have seen it! Very strange, don't know what could have been different after all this time. Here is a picture:

This is with the lights on; even when I first got it, and it opened up-- it never opened up when the lights were on.

patsan · #**142** 09/18/2005, 05:08 PM

The chili coral is doing okay. It doesn't look half as nice as yours does though!

Bob said every morning it's all open, and when he turns the lights on, all the polyps close up.
I honestly haven't seen it open yet because I don't see the tank when the lights come on.

lossman · #**143** 09/18/2005, 05:33 PM

Bob, (and anyone one else interested in TBS rock) if you have not already placed your order, do so asap. Rita is heading for the gulf and by the looks of the radar, there are a number of other potential storms. This hurricane season has been extremely active and is not over yet.!!!!

liverock · #**144** 09/19/2005, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lossman
Bob, (and anyone one else interested in TBS rock) if you have not already placed your order, do so asap. Rita is heading for the gulf and by the looks of the radar, there are a number of other potential storms. This hurricane season has been extremely active and is not over yet.!!!!

Yup, we were going to the Keys today, but now it is already blowing 21 knots at Molasses Reef near our site down there, so we are blown out again. We are getting real tired of all theses hurricanes.....

TBS

bobt2 · #**145** 09/19/2005, 07:55 AM

lossman, i'm getting my keys rock tomorrow. soon i'l have a gulf tank and a keys tank, does it get any better!

dwculp · #**146** 09/19/2005, 07:55 AM

Wow, I am sorry to hear that!

Hopefully by the time I am able to get my 110 gallon long for my classroom you will have plenty of rock!!!

Well, the lights have been out for a week now. I went ahead with the Chemi-Clean treatment yesterday and will change out water tomorrow or wednesday after school. Hopefully this will kill it all!!

lossman · #**147** 09/19/2005, 08:00 AM

Bob, I'm so glad to hear that you will be getting new rock!!!!!! Be sure to post lots of pictures.

bobt2 · #**148** 09/19/2005, 08:15 AM

i never have figured how. every time i try it says the files are to big, guess thats because i'm a free member

bobt2 · #**149** 09/19/2005, 08:25 AM

lossman, did you get your sea fans?

lossman · #**150** 09/19/2005, 08:42 AM

No, we never did get over to TBS on Saturday. We spent most of the day on tank chores and college football.

I have been stirring up the sand bed and changing out filter socks on a daily basis in an attempt to get our nitrates down as low as possible. It's working because last week we were at 15 and yesterday we were around 5.

Under 5 to zero.

Now, if I could only figure out some way to keep the red slime from growing in that corner of the fuge!!! Sheesh!!!!