Taylorhardy1

11 hours ago, Mvincent said:

Interested!

Shoot me a message!

I made some acro frags a while ago while I was battling aefw and never managed to sell them. I recently cut up some euphyllia, and popped off my anemones to make more space for sps. 

ora tri color valida xxl frag:$30

500 dollar efflo frags:$20 each

Unknown tri color frag:$10

Unknown tri color 7" tall "colony" on a small rock with mind blowing palys: $20

Wwc splatter hammer frags:$15/head

2x 4-5" Black widow bubble tip anemones: $50 each

More and better pictures coming tomorrow!

I have some 500 dollar efflo.

On 7/12/2018 at 4:03 PM, CuttleFishandCoral said:

 

Is this Millie or frags of it still available?

Your ignition is regulated by the ignition fuse/relay. You will rip your hair out trying to chase issues without finding your baseline. To test continuity you simply pull the fuse/ relay, and place the prongs from the multimeter into the ports the fuse slides into. No outside power needed because all your testing is if it's a complete electrical circuit or not, not for actual power. When you turn the key on, your ignition should be 12v all the time. The first thing I would do is test for power at the distributor. If you turn the key, and press the prongs to the prongs on the connector and you should see 12v. If you see 12v getting to the distributer it's not a wiring problem, but a mechanical issue. That's when you start chasing sensors, and other things. The alarm system could have an immobilizer that wouldn't allow spark, but I wouldn't think it'd be too likely. Typically they shut down the fuel system because raw fuel in cylinders can create numerous issues. First things first, check for power to the distributor, if you have power no need to test continuity and you can rule out a wiring problem within that system. You'll want a multimeter for this because numbers are important. You can test the continuity with the test light, but I prefer a multimeter for everything electrical.

Are you getting power at the distributor? Have you checked for continuity in the fuse location? That fuse links the electrical circuit. So if the circuit is clean and complete you will have continuity, if there's grounds or other components missing then it will not have continuity. This is how myself, and many other mechanics verify and find wiring issues without spending a bunch of unnecessary time looking at what it could be, vs what it actually is. The easiest way to find the number you'll be looking for is turn your multimeter on to the continuity setting, look at the numbers it gives you when the circuit is open and make a mental note of them, then press the prongs together and that's perfect continuity, and that's the number you'll be shooting for. Most multimeters will just spew out random numbers when the circuit is open, then drop and hold steady close to 0 if there's continuity. 

4 hours ago, Krux said:

I couldn't make it to Salem until at least next weekend, but I would be game for your large efflo frag... that one is on my list.

You got it! 

As of right now 1 small efflo frag, the tierra Del fuego, and Millie are pending. Ideally just want someone to just come get all these monti pieces too. They're free! Great to try your hand at ridiculously easy sps.

Recently I decided I was losing the battle with aefw in my display, and decided to setup a qt and get the upperhand on them. Well, it's been about 3 weeks, and I haven't seen any flatworms, or eggs in the last 15 days. I just dipped today, and everything was looking great. Now I'm just looking to get rid of the extra frags I have. Would still always recommend a precautionary dip on anything. 

Ive got 4 of 500 dollar efflo frags to get rid of. Asking $20 for the smaller 2, and $25 for the larger 2 on the 2nd row. 

Next up is a small multi branch Tierra Del fuego frag I accidentally broke off my mini colony. Asking $10

Next up I've got a small sunset Milli frag. Green/gold base tissue, red polyps. Asking $10

Last up for now is a bunch of green cap pieces I broke off my colony while removing acros and rescaping. Take them all and get em out of my display for me. 😊

3 hours ago, ChrisQ said:

Looking for small pieces of different color caps again to rebuild some of my "multi-color cap colony experiments once again. Even Undata.

Sometimes, smaller the better, as different colors tend to grow at different rates.

 

A small chunk of spongodes monti (lower right of last pic)

A small chunk of $500 eflo

 

 

I recently fragged up my ca og $500 efflo while fighting aefw. Ive got 4 extra frags just sitting in qt with the rest of my acros. Ive got pink/orange cap, blue polyp green cap, and a bland green cap as well.

I dropped by yesterday with the intention of getting a purple+ bulb, and maybe a few cheap frags. Walked out with $160 in frags, and didn't even remember to ask about my bulb. So many ridiculously nice corals, and fish in there right now. 

1 hour ago, albertareef said:

Ouch.  That is pretty depressing Taylor.  Glad you supplier is willing/able to help out with a reboot.  Sounds like you have a solid plan in place for the new system.  Good luck!

It's been a depressing few months for sure. I was shocked at how willing they were to help me out. They've already got my replacement frags cut and healing, and are giving me a massive discount on them. It's pretty much the best news I've gotten in the last few months. Lol. The new process for additions should prevent anything getting into my display again. With as much as I've already dumped into the new build I've been planning, I can't afford anymore high end coral losses, and definitely not allowing another catastrophic mistake slip through the cracks. Sorry for the threadjack Brandon!

Ive still got about 20-24 different acros. About 10 of which are encrusted colonies that seem to be resistant to the aefw. Ive actually got a multiple stage quarantine setup im in the midst of acquiring equipment for to be setup after I move. 2 stages dedicated for acro frags to sit in each stage for 60 days at a time, while receiving Bayer dips weekly. 1 additional setup will be used for wild colonies while they de-stress a bit before chopping frags off. I spoke with the person that sold me my ultra high end pack, and they said they would happily help me out with another due to how terrible my situation has ended up. One of many reasons I love dealing with good people off of forums vs a fish store, or vendor. Retail value on the 18 frags I got would have totaled well over 4-5k. I felt like a terrible person watching all of them get eaten like a rare delicacy. The day I get the first stage of my frag tank ready I'll be ordering another identical pack so hopefully I'll be better prepared when those get here. I've started hunting for good vendors for unique and colorful wild/mariculture colonies as well. Would be interested to hear of anywhere you guys recommend for that.

My favorite fish store I've found in Oregon is @CuttleFishandCoral by far. They have a very nice, clean, organized store, full of extremely nice corals and fish at great prices. They're in Portland, so a bit of a drive, but they're worth checking out for sure! 

27 minutes ago, pdxmonkeyboy said:

Obviously you don't have to do this, people do fine without QT or checking levels often.  Do what makes you excited about the hobby but just know that there are not many shortcuts and your excitement may end up with a collection of dead SPS skeletons, each of which could have funded a nice meal out on the town with your GF or wife.

Your entire comment was spot on. But this definitely impacts me the most considering the losses Ive had over the last 6 weeks. There's plenty of "cheap" ($10-20) sps out there to get you into that world a bit. However cheap sps usually means bland, boring colors, and much less interesting growth patterns. I added a lot of cheaper sps. Never qt'd, dip processes varied, and I was quite honestly setting myself up for failure. Then after I had all those cheap pieces growing like weeds, I figured it was time to dive into the really high end stuff, $200+ acro nubs. Lost almost every named piece in my system now. My highest value acros would be tough to sell frags off of for more than $20. If you ever plan on keeping a coral or fish worth more than $30, I'd definitely say quarantine EVERYTHING. It's the most heartbreaking thing in the world to see corals you spent months working towards, and countless hours looking for, just get devoured by a pest. Knowing how little you can actually do to save it. After this whole ordeal I've actually begun building dedicated quarantine systems for my new house. Never ever gonna let another pest get into my main system. 

I hear ya man. I can regularly be caught yelling profanities at the aefw while dipping on Saturday's. Theyve taken out a $2500 frag pack now, Im on the verge of literally setting my tank on fire. I had 2 weeks of not finding a single one, but last week there were tons when I dipped.👿

10 hours ago, lewisriverfisherman said:

That's a hairy lil bugger!😀

Its by far the most pe I've ever seen on any acro. The only way I really see base tissue is while I'm blowing off corals to help try to keep fighting my ongoing aefw battle.

This is currently my favorite piece I have in my tank. The polyp extension is ridiculous, base tissue is very similarly colored to rr orange passion. Polyps appear to be gaining greens and yellows more in the last week. Guess we will see what it turns out to do! 

3 minutes ago, Sharklover said:

They do say that in the saltwater world ask one question to 10 people and you’ll get 12 different answers.


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I'd say it's more like asking 10 people, and getting 30 different answers.😂

As far as the original post goes, when I choose corals I really have a method for it. I go to the lfs, then go straight to their sps, namely acros, if I find one that seems interesting I ask about it, and usually buy it. Why do I go straight to the sps tanks? Because I enjoy the challenges that come with keeping sps, as well as I believe I can grow and color up sps quite well, and most sps corals are ridiculously easy to frag after they growout. From there I go to the meaty lps tanks. Mostly for acans/micromussa. Why? Again because they grow well, and show fantastic colors in my system. Then I give all the softies, and other lps a quick glance. Softies don't do the best in my system, so I tend to just stick with what I know does well. Occasionally I'll pickup a new coral I haven't tried or seen before, but I have a somewhat small space to work with, so I really go after the corals I personally want the most. If I do buy something and decide down the road that I'd rather use that space for something else, Ive rarely had an experience where I wasn't able to make my money back. I truly believe that anyone can keep any type of coral they want if they're willing to invest in the right equipment, and put in the extra few minutes of work. Reef keeping is about the furthest thing in the world from a black and white hobby. Just a whole lot of gray areas written by hobbyists like ourselves.

Still looking for a simplicity 240dc, or 320dc skimmer, or other similar internal pump skimmer with a compact footprint. May just buy new if I can't find anything here. 

16 minutes ago, goldenbasketreef said:

A lot of us usually miss the void space between the base of the acropora and rock or frag plug, it is the most likely area where eggs deposited and out of sight.

If you see worm/s flying out from a colony make sure you cut at the base and dip.

Clean and scrap the spot it was on before placing back the colony with new epoxy and glue.

I haven't seen any with my now 2x weekly basting/blasting sessions for the last 5 or so times. When the issue first arose I chopped up the infected colony as I had thought it was rtn. The first time I found eggs I feel like I scraped of thousands, then it seemed to kind of cripple their populations. Only found a few small egg clusters the next week during dipping. The first cluster I found was on the base of a frag after I cut up and dipped the colony. Seems to be getting under control now though. The biggest thing I feel I've learned from this experience is ALWAYS qt any new additions. Gonna have a dedicated acro qt after I move next month. Thinking about doing a sort of multi stage quarantine like Jason fox does to guarantee pest removal. 

30 minutes ago, albertareef said:

Wow - that is some crazy PE.  Hope it colors up nicely for you (not that it looks bad now)

The pe on that piece is absolutely nuts. I wish my phone would capture the actual colors of it. Had it for a little over a month now, and it's almost an entirely different, nicer piece. Base tissue is very yellow green, with hints of blues coming in on the corallites, the tips are a very nice bright blue, with the corallites being yellow/orange. Polyps are faint in color still, some are beginning to turn orange/yellow, others are a pale blue/green. Im currently running 4 zoomed coral blue t5s(my favorite blue bulb BTW) with a radion g2 on a heavily adjusted sps ab+ setting. it's currently sitting at 550 par, and seems to love it. I started it out at 350 par, and moved it to here over the last month. Seems to show the best pe in this spot, and colors are coming in like crazy. Guess we will see what cool things it decides to do! 

As far as wrasses go Im thinking about getting a melanarus, a mystery, and either a Radiant wrasse, or a bluespot leopard. 

Last year I became a stick addict, I very rarely leave a fish store without a new acro frag these days. This has been really tough knowing anything I add might get gnawed to bits by these terrible little monsters. So for a compromise I've been keeping my eyes peeled for anything with potential in the $30 or less price range just to feed the addiction. Recently I got this sweet tenius that seems to be more and more colorful everytime I look at it. Ive nicknamed it "the fuzz"

My phone camera does a terrible job at capturing colors, though the base tissue is beginning to resemble rr orange passion in my opinion. Some polyps have begun to show orange/yellow colors too. Hopefully it will color up more and make the OP look like the Hw makes a wd look.🤞A man can dream right? 😉

What other wrasses would you guys recommend for pest control? I have a sandbed so really open to anything with a generally peaceful tempermant. Already have a yellow corris, and a possum, and I'm currently trying to find a Radiant wrasse. Would like to add another 1-2 for a total of 3-4 wrasses.

Spent 3 hours dipping, rinsing, and inspecting acros this weekend. Wasn't able to find any eggs, and after diluting the dips to as clear as possible I was surprised to find so little in them. The acros that got bitten the most appear to be healing now. Color and polyp extension seems to be coming back on most everything. Haven't seen any tissue loss recently either. Gonna keep up the current attack methods. Moving into the new place June 23, so a quarantine will be setup waiting for all my acros before the day I move the tank. Will do a 75 day quarantine just to be safe. Then rededicate the qt for any and all new corals.

8 minutes ago, jonas503 said:

 

 

What shrooms are these? Got a piece of rubble with some blue discos a few weeks ago, and there's a baby shroom with very very similar coloration to these. 

I've always heard that mushrooms are quite resilient to fragging. I've been told multiple times that when fragging shrooms, if you tear the foot, the leftover flesh will grow into a baby shroom in ideal conditions. Not so sure with rics and yumas though. My first ric I ever tried was the only mushroom I've ever had die on me, so maybe they're a bit more fragile. But I've seen people frag loose mushrooms by just cutting it down the middle, and throwing the pieces into a bin of rubble. 9 times out of 10 when I see a bounce in a store it's a 1/4 cut off a nice mother.