Electrokate

Hi, Time to set the cultures back up, hoping someone wants to sell me some starts so I don't have to order everything. Am in Portland, planning on making the next meeting. Thanks, Kate

August 2010 pictures: and one of his mates: Been having cyano troubles but started rinsing all frozen food a couple weeks ago before feeding, and there is noticable improvment. Also got a Seachem phosphate test which showed phosphate in the tap water and double that in newly made Instant Ocean. Switching to ESV 3 part salt, added phosphate remover to the 120. Reduced algae in the 55 which has no phosphate remover makes me thing the rinsing is what is helping. Kate

I will come. Have space in my car for 3 people, anyone want to carpool? I live near Foster and I205.

USPS priority to adjacent states has always been fine for me, arrives in under 48 hours. I do follow USPS regs RE insulated box, labeling and packing with absorbent materials. In heat or with delicate shipments I go to a major office IE downtown or airport. Kate

I can also use some, let me know what is not taken. Thanks, Kate

Thanks I will check Fish first, prefer local stock if I can get it. I already hatch brine shrimp so that's no problem, but man don't let cyano get in their tank. It loves the brine shrimp's waste and grows right on the seahorses. Thanks again, Kate

Thanks all, I will check with Nick... I know they are not reef safe, but I keep mine with certain coral that I either want gone or that I have enough to gamble with, and they don't kill it. So far (: They make the monti digitata grow more dense in skeleton with recessed polyps, like it appears when wild grown. Smaller polyps.

How long ago did you get them? Any problems? I was hoping to avoid wild caught as I read about them being likely parasitized, but then the last time I got local dwarf seahorses they were not in good health anyways. Thanks, Kate

Looking for captive bred dwarf seahorses for myself and two friends, is anyone working with this species locally? Thank you, Kate

Got 2 females, hoping to pair them up. If you have one or see one in a shop let me know, I don't want to order. Here is a picture of a pair, male on top. The bottom fin you see with white dots in the male, solid color in females. Color can change in a moment but pattern or lack thereof remains: http://www.paulreds.it/lima1.html I know there are serious ethical concerns with this fish. I feed mine 4-5 times a day with mainly homemade food, and they likely need a worming when newly imported. If you want to talk about keeping them am willing to do so off list. Definitely not a fish for everyone, maybe the captive bred ones will be easier to keep, but I doubt it. Seems they have rather small stomachs. Thanks, Kate

Don't know how true this is, as I caught some bad info as well, but at a facility in Hawaii they claimed Pocilloporids have a rather short natural lifespan. Less than 10 years. So that might be something to look into: what is the natural lifespan of a birdsnest, and if you frag a softball size specimen down does each frag start it's lifespan over or is this fixed from the egg? This is something I have pondered over the years as I stare at the lovely birdsnest skeleton my friend was going to toss. She could not stand the shame as it glared at her waving that little sign that said "FAIL". Apparently you are not the only one afflicted with the ability to commune with dead coral. I say it's a testament to what is possible. Not long ago nobody could keep one of these alive long enough to grow it that large. Guess I better go downstairs and move my birdsnests just in case... and reup the carbon. Kate

Thanks for the tip, would love to talk to him. I could use a start of rotifers too. Here is a fish that some people won't like seeing... I have two of them. That one is Eliza, the smart one. Jack is also a girl unfortunately. Jack only has half a file and is more lucky than smart. Anyone know what book I got their names from? I am looking for a couple males if anyone sees them in a shop. Don't want to order them, might end up with more females and Jack is kinda crabby about sharing the food as it is. So far I have had 3 out of 3 of these take food. Lost the first one to ich a few years ago. To get them eating you have to feed a lot-like 6 or 7 times a day. After that you can cut back to only 4 or 5 feedings a day. (:

Thanks! They have mates too, and do spawn. Some day I will figure out why nobody breeds wrasses, the hard way. I have a long standing tradition of taking on projects that resemble banging my head on the wall, breeding marine fish can't be that much different.

Great link! I just got some of Mr S's disks myself. I use rubble a lot because I got a bunch free. Eventually someone has rock to give away if you hang around long enough. Also sometimes use oyster shells, they are great. And free from restaurants. Actually I don't care what it is on as long as it's aquacultured! Hardly any reason anymore to use wild harvested coral, which is a great change. Kate

Not the greatest picture but I like his expression Better: Gotta work on better pics of these:

Few more:

Thanks! It's not that clean though. Cyano everywhere (: I don't worry about it too much, seems inevitable. Doing 20% weekly water change, siphon it out, hope when the tank is more established it burns out.

Upgraded to a 120, special thanks to Corvica and when he gets back I hope to have frags for him! He sold me his tank. Here are a few pics:

Not the same Octopus but read this... or if you get bored, skip to the conclusion and maybe a couple paragraphs above it. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature Here is the first article, the conclusion was basically they all are performing about the same, while cost varies quite a bit. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/aafeature2/ But not all skimmers are the same size, and durability of some brands is questionable at best. I use the one that rated worst in that article of course (: Kate

Hi I live right down the street from you and if we are on the same water you don't need an RO unit... at least I don't. Been using Portland tap water in two locations for a few years now and have had success with soft and hard corals. Algae no worse than when I used RO. For freshwater it's a little sketchy, sometimes the Ph drops ridiculously low. I have lots of free time, so if you need any help let me know. I can set you up with a few frags too, depending on what you are trying to do. Birdsnest frags in particular, they are all over the place. I have a lot of killifish too, those are really popular with teachers. They are the African ones that hatch out during rainy seasons and then die as the water dries up. And garter snakes, which some students might enjoy. Others not so much (: Kate

Thanks everyone for the clarification on this, I have been shocked by tanks many times. I will be buying the 30 buck tester, seems like the best place to start with this. I've been shocked many many times by many tanks in stores, doing maintenance and by my own gear. Been lucky enough to only suffer medical repercussions once so I was lucky. I could use a licensed fish oriented electrician to install a safer outlet in back of my reef in SE Portland OR, if you are such a person and interested in a pretty small job let me know. Probably should put a couple better outlets in for the freshwater tanks too. Thanks, Kate

World of Wet Pets can order one but it won't be cheap, I think I heard over 50, but they actually would get it for you. You don't really need the one on the bottom as much as the one on top (for structural integrity) so if you are missing a cross brace or have a crack just swap em out. Good luck. I hate redoing tanks myself... Kate B

as a cheap alternative you can get a Marina (Hagen) digital thermometer with built in alarm that you set to go off when the tank gets too warm or cool. Downside... they are cheap. I have two and they are 2 degrees apart! So have to be calibrated against something more reliable. Still better than nothing, if you are not ready to buy a controller.

I did break some pieces off the birdsnests when I moved them into the new tank so when they are a little more settled in will definitely hook you up and should have more gorgonians by then too. I have 3 frags established but would cut a larger piece to be able to offer something with branches. Thanks, Kate

Yup... got 2 birdsnests hanging there. First was an experiment in growth rate and direction, and to get it close to the light, and because this 55 was supposed to be a "temporary" thing but it ended up being together years. Read about doing this in the Calfo propagation book, it was fun. Growth phenomenal. Probably will crack them in half tomorrow and attach to rocks though. Kate PS would anticipate the accidental production of "frags" after cracking these in half...