Do you collect your skeletons?

[ZiBiReef]

Was curious if people keep their skeletons? And if so do you remember what they were?

Setting up a reef after 7 years out of the hobby and I saved my rock. Came across these skeletons and I could picture every single one of them. These are some of the big ones

 

[Cerberusfish]

Was curious if people keep their skeletons? And if so do you remember what they were?

Setting up a reef after 7 years out of the hobby and I saved my rock. Came across these skeletons and I could picture every single one of them. These are some of the big onesView attachment 1668734View attachment 1668735

I've kept mine because I think they're cool, as well as a reminder to stay on top of my tank lest the collection grow further. Plus I've always thought maybe in the future if I have a calcium reactor I could use them as free media possibly. Let their death feed the next generation of my corals so to speak.

 

[andrewkw]

I painted a bunch near the start of the pandemic. Still have quite a few more I want to eventually turn into something. In 2007 or so I had a really bad crash plus a couple of minor ones through the years.

 

[ZiBiReef]

I painted a bunch near the start of the pandemic. Still have quite a few more I want to eventually turn into something. In 2007 or so I had a really bad crash plus a couple of minor ones through the years.

View attachment 1668762

What a great idea! Sorry to hear about the crashes.. My skeletons were from skipping a couple weekly waterchanges due to neglect in a 10g system. Things went south fast and once stuff started dying, I lost more motivation

 

[ZiBiReef]

I've kept mine because I think they're cool, as well as a reminder to stay on top of my tank lest the collection grow further. Plus I've always thought maybe in the future if I have a calcium reactor I could use them as free media possibly. Let their death feed the next generation of my corals so to speak.

I think my reason was because after spending so much money, I want at least something to keep haha. Also its fascinating that calcium from the water column can be collected and used to build a complex structure

 

[Cerberusfish]

I think my reason was because after spending so much money, I want at least something to keep haha. Also its fascinating that calcium from the water column can be collected and used to build a complex structure

I totally agree. Right now I've actually only got a small hammer frag, but it's super interesting to look at its structure and know it was alive and growing

 

[wphan]

Nope, it's just a painful reminder of all the money I have sunken into this hobby.

 

[ReefHomieJon]

I like to keep them and throw them into my sump. They’ll get covered with nitrifying bacteria and continue to be a part of the tanks success and have a purpose in the system

 

[fishguy242]

100% agree sump rock,calcium,porous for pods!! love the paint job too ,really cool

 

[RobB'z Reef]

do family members count?

 

[Ike]

Yep, though some just go in the trash. This is only a portion of the carnage after my move and then a regrow and then aefw. Some will become reactor media, some might become decor... Unfortunately, I can tell you what most of those were and a few were original RRC colonies grown from tiny frags... Don't ever allow you're self to do the math on this stuff.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Thank God you don't own any cats lol

 

[Ike]

Thank God you don't own any cats lol

Those are tougher to put into a reactor to grow more of...

 

[ZiBiReef]

View attachment 1668900
Yep, though some just go in the trash. This is only a portion of the carnage after my move and then a regrow and then aefw. Some will become reactor media, some might become decor... Unfortunately, I can tell you what most of those were and a few were original RRC colonies grown from tiny frags... Don't ever allow you're self to do the math on this stuff.

O my....

 

[Waters]

Skeletons? What skeletons? Every coral I have ever kept has lived forever !

 

[thatsruff]

My wife was part of the team that re-built the New England Aquarium Great Ocean Tank. They cast coral replicas mostly directly from coral skeletons:

Since then we would always keep skeletons or collect them by digging through live rock bins at LFS:

We have a few castings in the house still:

 

[ZiBiReef]

My wife was part of the team that re-built the New England Aquarium Great Ocean Tank. They cast coral replicas mostly directly from coral skeletons:

View attachment 1669047

Since then we would always keep skeletons or collect them by digging through live rock bins at LFS:

View attachment 1669050

We have a few castings in the house still:

View attachment 1669051
View attachment 1669052

Great Idea! Like taxidermy, they live on forever

 

[NashobaTek]

View attachment 1668900
Yep, though some just go in the trash. This is only a portion of the carnage after my move and then a regrow and then aefw. Some will become reactor media, some might become decor... Unfortunately, I can tell you what most of those were and a few were original RRC colonies grown from tiny frags... Don't ever allow you're self to do the math on this stuff.

I have purchased the skeletons from a place in Florida because I like the look of the skeletons and back in the day, it was pretty much the closest thing to a natural look.

If any one ever has skeletons for sell let me know, I am looking for more for the second tank.

 

[Ike]

I have purchased the skeletons from a place in Florida because I like the look of the skeletons and back in the day, it was pretty much the closest thing to a natural look.

If any one ever has skeletons for sell let me know, I am looking for more for the second tank.View attachment 1669555

If you see anything you like... There's a RR colony in there that I estimated at 200 x 2" branches, a 1" frag still goes for $100-150. So, value potentially $20,000 alive, I'll give you an amazing discount for it dead

 

[McPuff]

I have kept a couple very large colonies that died during a bacterial bloom. But now I just chop them up, let them dry, and use them as media in my calcium reactor. Heck, I even do that with corals I trim, especially stags... can't find enough people to buy/take them half the time.