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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 3, 2014 19:14:10 GMT
Unfortunately, the torch isn't doing quite so well anymore. The polyps and tentacles are still extended, but I've noticed some tissue recession around the edges of two polyps, exposing the septa of the skeleton. They had blobs of "brown jelly", the very protozoan infection that killed my last Euphyllia (The frogspawn coral). I have removed the jelly with a syringe and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's really a shame. I'm getting attached to this coral and it wasn't exactly cheap to start with. If the worst comes to the worst, the entire coral will be consumed by the end of the week.
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Post by chicken2012 on Jul 3, 2014 19:22:35 GMT
So I guess the 'Brown jelly' is a bacteria that has established it's self quite well then in your tank? Do you think it could have come with some of the original live rock Timenova?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 3, 2014 19:41:52 GMT
I think it's quite a common protozoan in tanks. Torches and other Euphyllia have very thin, delicate flesh over hard and sharp skeletons. Small bumps (Either caused by the current or other causes) can cause cuts and then the infection sets in. For some reason, Euphyllia seems to be the most susceptible genus. If the infected heads continue to deteriorate then I may have to remove them to save the rest. I'll keep an eye on it for now...and possibly have a word with the pet shop for advice. This is also why I need to remind myself to get gloves at some point, because there's nasty stuff living in marine tanks that can easily infect a cut.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 22:02:02 GMT
Cool, can we get a picture of the whole set up?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 4, 2014 10:48:05 GMT
Sure. Here's the actual tank and the light: And here's the stuff that goes on underneath: The compartment in the middle is called the refugium, it's pretty much a place where macroalgae can be kept (Which filters out excess nutrients) and acts as a refuge for organisms such as copepods, amphipods and other tiny animals without fear of predation. The container half-filled with a black sludge on the right is the protein skimmer (I need to empty it soon). The skimmer removes all sorts of waste (Mostly organic, I think). You'll notice that the water level in the compartment to the right is lower than in the middle. This indicates to me when it should be topped up, which I will do later today.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 17:33:36 GMT
Sure. Here's the actual tank and the light: And here's the stuff that goes on underneath: The compartment in the middle is called the refugium, it's pretty much a place where macroalgae can be kept (Which filters out excess nutrients) and acts as a refuge for organisms such as copepods, amphipods and other tiny animals without fear of predation. The container half-filled with a black sludge on the right is the protein skimmer (I need to empty it soon). The skimmer removes all sorts of waste (Mostly organic, I think). You'll notice that the water level in the compartment to the right is lower than in the middle. This indicates to me when it should be topped up, which I will do later today. Thanks for the pictures and information Timenova! It's always good to see what goes on behind the scenes if you know what I mean . Your tank isn't nearly as big as your pictures before made me think it was. I also like the clown fish .
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 6, 2014 11:36:25 GMT
The infected torch head is half dissolved now, unfortunately. I tried breaking it off but the calcium skeleton is too thick, and I don't have a saw. Luckily, the other heads are still perfectly healthy. I'm hoping that the brown jelly will leave them. I bought a six-line wrasse yesterday and so far he's been a very nice fish to have. Getting a photo of him is difficult because he moves like greased lightning and hides a lot. Here's the clearest photo I could get: He has a light purple body with six bright orange stripes. His fins and tail are a nice green and his eyes are an intense red. You can't really see it in the photo but they have a blue "false eye" next to their tails which confuses predators. These wrasses are supposed to be bullies if kept with peaceful fish, but all of my species count as semi-aggressive. He gets along with everyone except the damselfish, who chases him off if he wanders too close. Interestingly, the clownfish actually intervene and scare off the damsel if he picks on the wrasse so hopefully everything will soon settle down. Six-line wrasses (Like others in their genus and parrotfish) create mucus cocoons at night which disguises their scent and provides protection. Excellent looking fish, I hope he has a long and healthy life.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 9, 2014 11:35:45 GMT
Two of the four torch heads are now dead, the second one was dissolved completely by the brown jelly in less than twelve hours. In a last ditch effort I sawed the infected heads off. Here's the remaining two...they seem alright for the moment, you can see a little white barnacle on the bottom head. I hope they make a full recovery. Sorry about the unclean glass, it's hard to get all of it with the clownfish trying to savage my hand every time!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 11:50:03 GMT
Sorry to hear about the loss I sure hope the others recover! Also I had no clue Clown fish were nasty, always thought they were nice. That's just in Finding Nemo I guess.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 9, 2014 12:05:45 GMT
Sorry to hear about the loss I sure hope the others recover! Also I had no clue Clown fish were nasty, always thought they were nice. That's just in Finding Nemo I guess. They also didn't mention that when Nemo's mum died, his dad (The dominant male) would become the female and Nemo would become the next dominant male. His dad went to all that trouble so they could repopulate their family. Yes, clownfish have little teeth and the bigger ones can easily draw blood. They are from the Damselfish family which is renowned for being aggressive. They were pretty friendly until they discovered their anemone, but now they feel the urge to protect it from everything! I originally put the "pruned" torch coral near the anemone but they started to violently whack it with their tails so I had to move it away.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 12:16:10 GMT
That's a weird reproduction cycle! So they can be either male or female, like worms? Or is it a trigger that happens when the female dies that makes the male the female? Sorry about the weird question just curious! That's nice to know! Guess it's showing you who the boss is .
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 9, 2014 12:26:30 GMT
Hehe, it's not a weird question at all. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites. From what I can understand, they are neither male or female at birth. Depending on their position in the hierarchy they can become a male and then a female.
Females are at the top of the pecking order, you only find one in each colony. Next is the dominant male (Who is smaller) and after him there's the rest of the clownfish. The dominant pair are the only ones that will breed. If the female dies, the dominant male becomes a female and the next clownfish in line takes his place as the dominant male. However, this change is one-way and they can't revert afterwards.
My old ocellaris pair were young when I got them and had to decide among themselves which would be the female. This meant there was a lot of fighting going on and eventually the smaller one submitted himself (The males twitch/vibrate when they do this) and the victor became the female. It's best to get them when they're young because if you accidentally buy two females, they'll kill each other.
Hope that sort of answered your question?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 12:31:58 GMT
Cool kind of like worms and wolves put together in a way. Don't beta fish fight if put together? Don't remember much but I know your not supposed to put two together or they'll kill each other Yes you answered it perfectly thanks a lot!
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Post by TenebrousNova on Jul 12, 2014 18:57:27 GMT
I'm in the mood for photography all of a sudden. I've taken photos of all my corals this evening (Except the torch because it's depressing to look right now) under the blue actinic lights! The green star polyps are still growing quickly. They look the most spectacular under the blue and give off a vibrant green glow: This is a newcomer I bought today for a bargain. It is a Ricordea mushroom, the pet shop would sell them for £20+ usually. Luckily, the man there mistook this one for a hairy mushroom. I snapped it up for a fiver! Pretty much, I was asking if they were willing to sell the very small bits of detached coral in the tanks which no one would really be interested in. Overall I spent £15 for three corals that would be a lot more pricey if they were larger. I hope they grow! The second newcomer, a colony of tiny green zoanthids. I like them because the green in the centre of the polyps makes them look like eyes. Finally, I noticed a tiny rock in the pet shop tank harbouring a trio of yellow polyps which are supposed to grow quickly. They seem to be quite happy (They're the ones that look like little anemones, the feathery "hands" belong to my out of control xenia colonies). The trumpet coral. It's very greedy and eats any meaty food I offer it at night when the feeder tentacles come out. At first I thought it was a regular trumpet (Caulastrea furcata) but further research indicates that it could be Caulastrea echinulata, a more uncommon species. Had to take this one of my large blue legged hermit crab. I swear he gets hairier every time he molts! The sea of polyps that forms the "cap" of my Sarcophyton toadstool: The small pink coral that looks like candyfloss in front of the Sarcophyton is my Kenya tree. It's got a lot bigger since the last photo. To the left there's my brown zoanthids. The blur towards the bottom is the six-line wrasse. One of my originals, a leather coral. I have no idea what species it could be, but it reminds me of a finger leather. I only touch it if absolutely necessary because it leaves a very strong, metallic smell on my hands. Hope you all enjoyed the photos!
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Post by chicken2012 on Jul 12, 2014 19:04:52 GMT
They look so different under a blue light compared to the normal white light. Very good photos there Timenova!
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