Our Tbs

[patsan]

Originally posted by phil519
Pat - those are beautiful. What are they and where did you get them?

They're just button polyps. (zoanthids) I got them at Pets Warehouse in Copaigue. I like the neon green in the center. Now I'd like to get more with more vibrant colors on the polyps themselves, rather than the plain brown.

Dennis....most of the urchins seem to be black, but then you can see the purplish spines afterwards.

[bobt2]

pat, your pretty good. i go there every week and i don 't know anyones name.

[phil519]

it's been a good 3 months plus since I visited pw. A hour drive each way does that I guess. Lately I've been visiting one in queens called fishtown...mainly because my inlaws are near there and when I visit them - I can usually drop the wife and kid off and say - be right back!

You guys probably think i'm awful. I really like my in-laws...

Misc snail comments.

The cortez cerith snails that I purchased from TFP - all fine but on a rare occasion I find one upside down unable to right itself on the coarse TBS sand. I read that they need finer sand to bury themselves. I see a few of them buried in my tbs sand (which btw is mixed with finer grain sand) but the sand bed is one area I wonder if the TBS sand was worth it or not. The microfauna is fantastic but the coarseness doesn't seem right for the type of snails/cukes on the market - just my opinion.

My astrea snails appear healthy and growing except...i've recently noticed small growths on their shells...I think that a vermetid snail is growing on the shell. Anyone ever see that? It's weird as heck. I'll take a pic to show later on.

Oh and the nerites snail (also from tfp) are doing fine. Laying those crazy sesame seed eggs all over - on the astreas, ceriths, glass, rocks. Next I'll see it on the fish and the shrimp!!!

[drk70]

Phil, How are you liking your AquaC skimmer?

[bobt2]

i set up the orignal s/w tanks in fishtown usa back in 1970

[patsan]

Fishtown is supposed to be a good place Phil. At least that's what a lot of people from LIRA say.

Bob, I only know Brad's name, and that was because of the last time I went there to get the Kent salt, and they don't stock it. Then he said he'd order it for me, and the price was crazy. I told him it was online for $44.95, so that's what he sold it to me for. He told me to call the next time I wanted it, so they could order it and have it there for me when I came. He told me to call and just ask for Brad....so that's how I know.

I see the other thing I bought is starting to open up. Not sure if it needs to be in a high or low flow area. I'll take a picture and post it in a few minutes.

[bobt2]

pat, i'm not sure of the flow for the green star polyp but i have it in a high flow area

[patsan]

This is what it looked like when I got up this morning. And then what it looked like when I got home a little while ago.
It still doesn't look as full as it did in the store, unless I need to turn it around or something. It was totally bushy in the store, and I can see the place didn't have flow on it.

[bobt2]

pat, are all the lights on. mine is closed till all the lights are on

[patsan]

Originally posted by bobt2
pat, are all the lights on. mine is closed till all the lights are on

Well, the set of lights I would keep on during the day are on. I'd really like to just use those 4 lights for now, being I am seeing brown on the rock and sand. I only have the urchins in there plus 2 snails I took from Bob's tank, so I really don't have a cleanup crew in there. I think more lighting might not be the best thing for an algae bloom at this point.

[krajacich]

I wouldn't worry about it Pat. I've heard of some people whose GSP didn't open fully for up to 2 weeks after they got it. Mine are like Bob's, they don't open until the lights come on. I have mine in a fairly high flow area but GSP are supposed to be really tolerant of different types lighting & flow.

[phil519]

Originally posted by drk70
Phil, How are you liking your AquaC skimmer?

observations:
1) when doing my water changes I need to tune down the valve because it goes nuts as soon as the new water goes in.
2) the neck and cup get disgustingly dirty if I don't clean it twice a month (at least). It's almost like MUD if I do not clean it. I'm a little bit of a clean freak so when I see that stuff - it gives me the same "itchy" feelings as when I see a cirolanid isopod (thank goodness I only seemed to have two of those and NO babies.)

Note: My observations on the skimmer are with the salinity at 1.025 measured with a refractometer and temp at 78~80. Also I cut down the amount of water flowing into the sump and went with a slower flow. I think I could use a mag 7 but I'm using some wimpy pump which I forget how much gph it does.

[patsan]

What are these, and are they easy to keep? I got them from Landon's photobucket pictures.

[krajacich]

I think they're called Hammer corals. But I don't know anything about how hard they are to keep.

Here's a link you can check out:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caryophyllids.htm

[BrianPlankis]

Originally posted by Csubseball
Snapping turtles huh?? I'm used to bears, mountain lions and man eating racoons here in CO. I think I would run and hide if I saw one of those turtles.....

I went fishing in Missouri with my Dad and his friend when I was 8 or 9, looking to catch bluegill or largemouth bass. It was a lazy relaxing day on the boat until my Dad snagged his hook on a log on the bottom. My Dad started getting frustrated after 15 mins of tugging. Finally the hook came loose, but obviously holding onto a large piece of the log as it was difficult to reel in.

My Dad was getting ready to reach into the water to remove the hook when his lead weight broke the surface. He quickly pulled back when the alligator snapping turtle broke the surface I am not exaggerating here, this thing was the size of a garbage can lid. Not the little kitchen garbage cans, the big 55 gal ones you put out on the curb. The hook was caught on the upper jaw, the turtle remained at the surface for a little while. My Dad's friend, which confirmed the rumors he was INSANE, wanted to bring it into the boat. Discussion ended when the turtle took a deep breath, yawned and snapped down on the hook, biting THROUGH the hook and returned to rest on the bottom. I never went swimming in that river again.

B.

[dood68]

Originally posted by patsan
What are these, and are they easy to keep? I got them from Landon's photobucket pictures.

the first one is a frogspawn and the second one is a hammer. imo easy to keep, they need to eat (mysis or so) i recently got one of each, i love them.

[bkelley02]

I'm with Dood68. Frogspawn are my favorite too!!

[Nirol]

Anyone hear from TBS lately? I hope they weathered the storm!

[bkelley02]

I got a call from Mark on Saturday saying he was hoping to be out diving on Tuesday and Wednesday. But checking that link under the Weather topic in the TBS forum, it seems like it never changes! Always afternoon showers/thunderstorms.

[ratherbediving]

Originally posted by krajacich
...

Danielle--- I hope you don't mind me grabbing one of your pictures--- but that snail is exactly like a hitchhiker I found on my rock (and your picture is a lot better than mine!). I was wondering if I need to worry about it. I couldn't get an ID so it is in the QT tank awaiting its fate...

Thanks!

Mike

[phil519]

here are some more pics of the unknown hitcher. On closer inspection - it seems unusual if it is an anemone that it doesn't appear to bother the xenia stalk. This is a macro pic of the hitcher...above it is the xenia stalk. It is I'd guess 1/4 of an inch in length. Greyish center with a reddish skirt. It is in a clear box so the white things on the bottom are actually specs of sand.

[jnb]

hammer - I have a nice one - I USED TO HAVE IT THREE INCHES FROM THE TOP WITH using 6 lights and on the new tank I have it 8 inches down and using 4 lights and boot up the last two lights for the last few hrs of the day - I have never seen my hammer so open and I attribute it to lower light - these t-5s are brighter than most people think
I have never intentionally fed mine, they do not like harsh current and I like to position it so the current sort of gently makes it wave. I have never seen mine use sweepers. They are easy. Mine is a wall hammer as opposed to a branching hammer. It closes up at night for just a little while like its replenishing the water inside. jmtheory this picture is its former self when too close to the light in my opinion

[JBOD77]

ok, after reading this entire thread...long...but never dissapointing....i would love to check out tbs but can't find them could someone please post the web address

[phil519]

www.tampabaysaltwater.com

There's also a separate forum here here

[greenbean36191]

but that snail is exactly like a hitchhiker I found on my rock (and your picture is a lot better than mine!). I was wondering if I need to worry about it.

It looks like one of the most spectacularly sculpted species of Astraea, but still harmless.

here are some more pics of the unknown hitcher.

I think that one really is a zoa.