rossco

I hate to say this Beachy but the stages of algae you are going through are the stages of algae ya gotta go through...as much as we might try to skip or speed up a stage or two...! Now how much fun would it have been to skip all our adolescent experiences and got straight into the advanced stuff...? :-?

Yup, the clowns most definitely deliberately feed the anemones. Usually at fish feeding time the clown will grab the biggest bit for its anemone. And poke it at it until it puts its tentacles around the food. Clowns don't get stung because clowns are covered in 'slime' that seems to make the tentacles safe for it. They have a VERY symbiotic relationship - you almost wonder if the anemone would turn its sting off for the clown if it could. Of course anemones don't think...I think... :-?

...'tis early days...

$50 on me - but who's going to remember in 2-3 years time?

Are they distributed here or do we have to order on-line?

It takes me ages to unwrap the nori off the left over rolls...the fish like a little bit of rice...

Send a message to the importer - he might have a spare one in the cupboard.

How go the PBTs out there? Mine isn't all that fussed on flake food - 'Paul' is a meat and vege fish. And would eat nori till it burst. Probably a waste of time to try to feed them by way of algae on rock cause it needs a s*#t load of green rock to give them a feed. Due to my less than ideal tank conditions I had a wee bit of hair algae over the back of my rocks (a wheelbarrow load or two), within a day of the sailfin going in the majority of it had disappeared! (and reappeared a few hours later when he had his first decent c#$p )

I have a 300l 'above tank' sump. Works very well for nurturing the greeblies. Does have a few difficulties/drawbacks: - the outlet hole has to be quite big to ensure enough flow (gravity fed) gets through tank and still have a margin of error so overflow doesn't end up on floor. In hindsight would have put outlet hole much further down from top of tank to enable a better 'head pressure' if required. - being basically an overflow you can end up putting 'skim' back into your main tank - reduced pump performance the greater the head height from main tank to sump

The ol phantom leather eater! They might be skinny but they can pack a lot of food into all that length! Mine only ever pokes its head out late at night well after the lights are off.

I'll give him a couple if our one has babies... I have a friend who loves looking at our tank. I am trying to encourage him in to the 'hobby' as well. His reply: "Oh, its a lot easier coming around to your place and looking at your tank". I think the same is true for PBTs...! :-?

Just to clarify - I added a 'vitamin & amino acid supplement'. Food wouldn't hang around long enough in my tank to feed them! I made the mistake of bringing the hydnophora too close to my MH, too soon. Started to get recession and polyps not out very much. They probably prefer the light more 'indirect'.

I think I would be far more productive putting my money on the crap tables down at the casino ! (I'm still trying to grow the weeds right first). Guess its back to the take a punt response... Funny thing fish tanks...Brianemone gave me some SPS frags which are doing really well but I can't seem to get caulastrea to thrive... A friend came around yesterday after I threw some supplement in the tank and commented how everything looked 'bigger'. Threw some more in today and a lot of tentacles are out especially the hydnophora. Might try using more of it...

Paul is fine. He's in a tank all by himself looking at his own reflection most of the day. He has a few pieces of rock to talk to though... He's building up his karma...

Thats the other dude...

I have a couple of 'helpful friends' in the form of cleaner shrimps that interfere whenever I put my hands in the tank. Even have to feed them a morsel to keep them happy while trying to grab the bristleworm - so trying to leave 'exposed' bait doesn't work. They were my whitespot secret weapon I even tried a cannister with holes in it with scallop/whitebait inside but to no avail. Not even nibbled. Probably take up Steve's worm trap offer, then try banded shrimp, then try shotgun... Its bad enough having some nice leathers chomped but I also have a few things in tank like anemones and elegance corals which don't need bristleworms eating their toes!

Yup, coral banded shrimps are reported to deal with bristleworms but also known on occasions to open up corals/anemones for a feed. Anyone experience this? How would they get along with my cleaner shrimps?? Changing one bit of our tank always seem to upset another.....

Me no see the Ghost picture either... Musta fallen off coming over the Bombays. Can't post a picture of my PBT yet cause taking pictures steals it karma and it needs to keep all it can get for the next month...or two..!

Joes Juice is for Aipstasia?? or Bristleworms as well?? Wouldn't be nice in their eyes... Bristleworms probably did have plenty to eat in early stages of tank but am working to reduce waste. Maybe to the extent its 'forcing' them on to the live stuff?? They are hard critters to catch...through glass, in water, with tweezers in the dim light of a red torch... :oops:

I have been plagued by a bristleworm taking chunks out of my leathers overnight. Enough to make them sulk and for the small ones, die. Last night I spotted it again having a midnight feast but failed to grab the critter (with tweezers). Only the front portion comes out of the rockwork! Its probably too late to attack the big one I have now but what are your experiences of adding something like a 6-line wrasse to the tank to control the population and keep their heads down? Yup, I know bristleworms are good scavengers but I would prefer they stay in the dump not come into the kitchen... And then adding a wrasse is going to cause 'headaches' for my mandarin and cleaner shrimps???

C'mon Pies - splash out a bit. You can have a 2m bow front as long as you have $1k for the front pane of glass alone!

We gotta bow front and will now have no other! You get far bigger fish for the same money Don't think many of Greg's tanks would leak, bow front or otherwise...

Youse guys are probably too busy looking between your tanks and computer screens but if you get a mo find a copy of 'Sunday' in the Sunday Star Times and you will see an article called 'How Bizarre'. About 'truly weird and wonderful pastimes'. And one of them is reefing! How can they say that. (Haven't they ever been on to this forum ) And there is a picture of a reef in front of a reef!