Dendronephthya & Scleronephthya aquaculture

[TherealplexiG]

@Jomama
I wonder why you didn't try filter rolls and ats for nutrient controls.
As far as you were using carbon as source for housing bacteria, wouldn't it clog by dead bacterial films and reduce its surface considering even if you were backflushing them. Or did you periodically change them. I might have missed it.
I think you have made some silly mistakes where you have lost alot of corals. Like for instance using old broken stuff which ain't reliable. Not talking about your husbandary here (You the man). Just not reliable old stuff that made you square back to zero.
For flow I'll post a link if I could find it.
Circular flow could be achieved in a rectangular aquarium. Ie. You could have a jelly fish aquarium in a rectangular tank.
English not my first language. Sorry if I sound blunt but Im not good with english.

 

[TherealplexiG]

@Jomama
Appreciate what you are doing. Your passion inspires us. You never lose heart, I wish I had that in me.

Need some insights from you.
So if starting a nps tank what corals would you recommend that could thrive well.
Could you make a list?

Thanks for sharing.
Hope you succeed in your endeavours.

 

[TherealplexiG]

Also you could turn an Aircon to chiller.
All you have to do is make or get a titanium coil/tube. Connect the copper tubes to titanium tubes. Place the titanium tube/coil in the sump or an area where water circulates. Fix a a temp probe to aircon for maintaining temp you want.
This would save you alot of troubles of failure, also would ease up the electric consumption. Less time chiller aka Aircon kicks in to cool.
And its more efficient than commercial chillers.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Appreciate your input, it's been a long road. I started in 1983-1990? Just returned 10/2017.
To this point, as regards to equipment, don't go cheap. With trial and error. Determine what equipment is reliable, for reasonable price. Come to the conclusion not much automation needed.

Filter rolls, I went with DE filtration, because it can filter down to .05 microns. No other filter can do that. No moving parts but pump. As to my tank set up. It's not set in stone, that my set up only way. Just a different path to success, one day hopefully. I just finished a thread on different site about dendronephthya study. Only one person had big success 3 years. But,I notice from reading that thread and other threads from different site, and articles too, one key missing to success in raising dendronephthya and hopefully all NPS softies. I think I found it, still in test mode. In 3+ years we'll see if my hypothesis is correct.

I made mistakes along the way, I got sick 1 1/2month, equipment failures. But in the end, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

@Jomama
Appreciate what you are doing. Your passion inspires us. You never lose heart, I wish I had that in me.

Need some insights from you.
So if starting a nps tank what corals would you recommend that could thrive well.
Could you make a list?

Thanks for sharing.
Hope you succeed in your endeavours.

First, because of coral bans, not much variety left.
Alway healthy specimens a must
1. Red cactus chilli corals
2. Sun polyp corals
3. Yellow/Red finger gorgonians
4. NPS sponges?
5. Spider sponge
6. Balanophyllia
7. Dendrophillia
8. NPS gorgonians
9. Tube anemones
That's all that's available now. Unless you have more access? Let us know.

 

[TherealplexiG]

@Jomama
LOL I'm at the banned part of the world. So eyeing what you have been collecting is the only way to pleasure my eyes right now.
Thanks for the quick reply, appreciate it.

How many more varieties of sun corals apart from yellow orange and black?

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

@Jomama
LOL I'm at the banned part of the world. So eyeing what you have been collecting is the only way to pleasure my eyes right now.
Thanks for the quick reply, appreciate it.

How many more varieties of sun corals apart from yellow orange and black?

Sun corals some different black types. Not much.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Checking up on my children of the sea. From 0-10 a 9. 10 is when they propagate.

 

[Katrina71]

I was gonna ask about r2d2. I know you said Sunday...

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I was gonna ask about r2d2. I know you said Sunday...

I have them, on my invention, I called, coral carousel. It's in refugium, hanging ten, upside-down. The stalk and stems looking great, polyp still same(no polyps, ,just purple dot) , just gotta wait it out. The coral carousel turns slow for 35s, off for 1/2 hr then 35s again. It's happy. Sunday pictures coming. Stay tune

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Here some of my Children of the sea
Pretty happy, all polyps open
Tonight's pictures

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I have two favorites. This is one.
The stalk/stems are white like virgin snow, with a high gloss. Snuck up on it.
Still happy

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

My other favorite

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

All children behaving. Surprising
Below Internet photos

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

This got big, about 1 hr ago

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Aquaculture coming

 

[mattzang]

did you get this stuff at petworld?!

 

[ScottR]

Doing a water change with real ocean water about 50% water change. also picked up this nice Sun Coral from Australia looks pretty healthy.

That thing is massive. I love the black sun corals. On my wish list.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

did you get this stuff at petworld?!

Only dendronephthya colonies from there. Others, from a wholesaler, owed me some coral, I've been waiting on, from January.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

That thing is massive. I love the black sun corals. On my wish list.

The larger one is big and really nice.