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  #1  
Old 05/12/2005, 12:48 AM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
Cap'n Crunk
 
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Location: Woodstock
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Chili and other non photo's

as posted in the reefkeeping forum, I am working on my 12g. i am making this a nonphotosynthetic tank, and would like to find more corals like the chili, gorgonians and sunpolyps that will thrive with only a few hours light and an abundance of foods in the water(zooplankton, phyto, cyclopeez, etc.) the tank is small unskimmered and has only 13w pc on it so i figure this is the way to go with it. what other corals do you think will fit my bill..... for those of you with 400wMH think of what you wouldn't put under them..

my assumption was that a smaller tank would make it much easier to feed the proper amounts of food to these corals. i have kept the phyto levels high in the tank from the begining, so my biosystem will build with that in mind. and my only problem so far is a hair algea from not enough cleaners and tons of phyto. i will be mixing and adjusting the WC water seperately and changing 1 time a week,
so far after 4 weeks and 1 waterchange my params are:
amon 0
trite 0
trate <5
PH 8.2
temp peaks 79.5day 77.5night
I realize i am trying something less common than what is seen here, but i am hoping it will be just as successful as my last tanks were.
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  #2  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:17 AM
NwG NwG is offline
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I can't tell you for sure about any of the corals, but your idea sounds like fun ... Kind of intresting!!!
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  #3  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:21 AM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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I hope it works out, i like trying something different, the problem here is getting advice and help with something this radical to the board...

the tank currently has a 13w pc 5500k bulb "yuck", that i will change out for an actinic or possibly a 20k if i can find one when the time comes.
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  #4  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:29 AM
Dell'Oro Dell'Oro is offline
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Great concept! Will be keeping an eye on the thread to see how it goes.

Not corals, but how about some interesting feather duster worms? Or possibly try a sponge or two, though long term success may be an issue, it would be interesting to see how they far in a higher nutrient, lower light situation.

Cheers

Paul
  #5  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:44 AM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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Quote:
it would be interesting to see how they far in a higher nutrient, lower light situation.
That's my plan Paul i will keep with the updates.
the tank currently has only 1 indo feather, i am looking for some nicer colors like a red/white i had about 2 years ago. i plan for a chili, gorgonian, sun corals(orange and black), tube anems and whatever else i can find that fits the bill......
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  #6  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:48 AM
NwG NwG is offline
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I like this idea so much I will help you do the research!!! You just have to make sure to keep us updated!!! Just think of it, a pretty reef tank with no big $$$$ lights!!! If this works i may just have to set on up for myself
nate D
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  #7  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:52 AM
NwG NwG is offline
midnight desperado
 
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http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...02/feature.htm

http://www.garf.org/1armci/dendro.html

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/soft.htm

Just a few links a quick search came up with
hope this helps a little...
nate D
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  #8  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:53 AM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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my biggest problem is that this is my only tank at home right now and i have all these gorgeous hard and soft corals at work that i can't bring home makes me sick...
at least i have the work tanks for the good stuff...
i'd appreciate your help obtaining info

chris
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  #9  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:55 AM
NwG NwG is offline
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Occupation: Aquatic Species Relocation Specialist

I think I could help you with that too........
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  #10  
Old 05/12/2005, 01:59 AM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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it's going to have to be tomorrow evening before i can take in anymore advanced aquarist.com, work comes early on the east coast..... i'll catch you kiddies tomorrow.
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  #11  
Old 05/12/2005, 02:11 AM
Dell'Oro Dell'Oro is offline
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Chris,

What do you mean by a 'chili' coral?

Cheers

Paul
  #12  
Old 05/12/2005, 03:17 AM
fewfish fewfish is offline
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Chili Coral - Alcyonium species
Also known as: Chili Sponge, Strawberry Coral, Encrusting Leather Coral
The Chili Coral has a red, yellow color. The Alcyonium species is generally peaceful toward other tankmates.
  #13  
Old 05/12/2005, 08:25 AM
Chihuahua6 Chihuahua6 is offline
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Chris I know many of the non-photosynthetic corals are very difficult to keep but I was told the Chili coral was fairly easy so I purchased one. I only had it for approximately four months but I loved it. I sold it to someone when I moved but perhaps I can contact him and ask how it's doing. I liked this coral so much for the beautiful color and the ease of keeping it healthy that I decided to do a large tank with a substantial area for this coral. This tank is in the planning stages and will be in my new house in September. It may be a gamble on my part since I did not have it for a very long time but for the little bit of reading I have found on it I think it can be a success.
Thanks NwG for posting those articles, very informative. I have been wondering about whether it should be suspended upside down because the piece I had was attached to a rock with a good size orange sponge and it just looked like it should be upside down. The article confirmed my suspicions.
Chris please keep us updated on your tank once you get it underway. I will definitely be doing the same because my tank is going to be out of the ordinary in more ways than one.

Amanda
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  #14  
Old 05/12/2005, 09:45 PM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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i have the chili coral at work already... it has been in the 200g pond with a single 150w mh, in a darker area for about 2 months now, and it's always been puffy and extended when i turn on the lights in the morning. "it will be mine"
i also have an orange sun coral arriving at work tomorrow that i will be able to keep a close eye on untill it is time to transfer to my home tank.

my main goal with this tank is to create an environment "appropriate" for these types of coral, which is out of the ordinary for most reef keepers who strive to keep photosynthetic corals. i would like to be able to keep these corals in an environment so that they do not require direct feeding, and my "educated guess" tells me that the smaller tank is the best suited to do so. eventually i hope to move this into a 40br or a 50g, but that is in time.
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  #15  
Old 05/12/2005, 10:11 PM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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Anthony C here is a link to another thread where i am discussing this with anthony caralfo. He gave props to the chili and sun corals for hardiness in the aquaria, as we know what to feed them, but says no to the gorgonians.

According to Randy Holmes-Farley i will experience low PH levels do to the lack of real lighting, and he says i should keep my Alk on the high end to help with coraline growth, etc...
any opinions or ideas on how to gear up a drip or something to maintain PH in a 12gallon close top system..... i haven't even topped it off in 13 days because i have evaporated nothing, so the drip may not do me so well......
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  #16  
Old 05/12/2005, 10:20 PM
wahwoo wahwoo is offline
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Have you tried Carnation Corals? Dendronepthia?

If you can successfully keep them, a lot of people will want to know. They are beautifully intense but need the high nutrient loads trhat our sps tanks can have.
  #17  
Old 05/12/2005, 10:27 PM
Jpizzle Jpizzle is offline
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I was also going to mention carnations.

Have you considered running skimmerless? I'm not sure if the pros outweigh the cons in this situation.. but it might be something to consider.

I'm not so sure a smaller system would be beneficial though.. I would assume the food for the corals can/would "dirty" up the system to the point where your water levels might be compromised.

I would also strongly recommend going fishless. No fish= more microfauna = more natural food for the corals

I think you should post some pics when you get your system up and running
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  #18  
Old 05/12/2005, 10:54 PM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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i am definately runningn skimmerless.... i want the high levels of nutrients in this tank..
i am also considering the carnation. i have attempted them before, and had no luck. this tank will be well, well established before i buy another carnation coral.

the tank is up and running, cycled with 14lbs LR and 20lbs LS right now i do have 2 firefish in the tank, it just needs somehting in it while it sits...
here is a pic of it where it currently sits, it will be moved into my bedroom where it will get less light during the day. (my roomate keeps house lights on ALWAYS)

a pic of the Indo feather i have in it now, and if you see the orange hole to the right of it, that is one of the firefish's hiding spots.

and the head on.

you can see the algea growth i am currently dealing with from the high phyto levels, look at the rock on the right..... that's some good eatin for my new crabbies tomorrow.
How can you tell if a reefer is a bachelor? his tank pics include bags from arby's and empty pizza boxes.....
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Last edited by swims withthe fishes; 05/12/2005 at 11:20 PM.
  #19  
Old 05/12/2005, 11:29 PM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
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...
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  #20  
Old 05/13/2005, 10:56 PM
swims withthe fishes swims withthe fishes is offline
Cap'n Crunk
 
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I like the idea in the garf link about the 9 chamber filter that can be shifted to release dirtitus..... that is pretty wild. i am curious, now i have been reading about reef snow. is there a company packaging reef snow? or is it somehow collected by aquarists in their own tanks. this appears to be somehting that will play a large role with my setup.
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  #21  
Old 05/14/2005, 08:27 AM
wahwoo wahwoo is offline
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Reef Snow is a naural occurance of diatoms and phyto around a reef. Its a general name given because of the appearance of snow when diving. I dont know if anyone actually collects it for aguarium use.

Reef Snow is also a brand name for one of the better dead phyto supplements.
 

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