New tank, new web site, coral ID

Hey folks,

I've finally gotten around to updating my web site to show the new reef
tank that I started last fall. If anyone is interested, take a look at:
http://reef.geddis.org/
It's got a 192 gallon display, with roughly 250g of total water. I also
partitioned off a section of the display tank for seahorses.

I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification for
this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/
It was slowly dying off in my old 55g tank (after I lost my MH lights), but
now in the new tank seems to be growing back (under metal halides, of course).

Thanks,

-- Don

(P.S. Wayne should be happier: I compressed the photos down this time, so even
dial-up folks ought to be able to see them.)
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Blow ye winds, like the trumpet blows; but without that noise.
-- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

Nice Pictures.

And yep, they didn't take so long to load :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Don Geddis wrote on 7/1/2006 9:57 PM:
Hey folks,

I've finally gotten around to updating my web site to show the new reef
tank that I started last fall. If anyone is interested, take a look at:
http://reef.geddis.org/
It's got a 192 gallon display, with roughly 250g of total water. I also
partitioned off a section of the display tank for seahorses.

I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification for
this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/
It was slowly dying off in my old 55g tank (after I lost my MH lights), but
now in the new tank seems to be growing back (under metal halides, of course).

Thanks,

-- Don

(P.S. Wayne should be happier: I compressed the photos down this time, so even
dial-up folks ought to be able to see them.)
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Blow ye winds, like the trumpet blows; but without that noise.
-- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

Don Geddis wrote:
Hey folks,

I've finally gotten around to updating my web site to show the new reef
tank that I started last fall. If anyone is interested, take a look at:
http://reef.geddis.org/
It's got a 192 gallon display, with roughly 250g of total water. I also
partitioned off a section of the display tank for seahorses.

I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification for
this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/
It was slowly dying off in my old 55g tank (after I lost my MH lights), but
now in the new tank seems to be growing back (under metal halides, of course).

Thanks,

-- Don

(P.S. Wayne should be happier: I compressed the photos down this time, so even
dial-up folks ought to be able to see them.)
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Blow ye winds, like the trumpet blows; but without that noise.
-- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey
Looks a lot like a hydnophora sp. coral, one of the common names is a
horn coral.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_...ry.php?cat=504

Kim

I wrote:
I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification
for this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/

kim gross wrote on Sat, 01 Jul 2006:
Looks a lot like a hydnophora sp. coral, one of the common names is a horn
coral.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_...ry.php?cat=504

Hmm. That's possible. Not one of the ones that make 3D structures
(H. bonsai, H. pilosa, H. rigida, H. grandis). But possibly one of the
flat encrusting ones (H. exesa, H. microconos). My references suggest that
it should be cream, dull green, or dull brown -- and mine is blue, which is
a bit odd.

But you've made a reasonable guess, thanks.

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Sex between a man and a woman can be wonderful, provided you get between
the right man and the right woman... -- Woody Allen

Don Geddis wrote:
I wrote:

I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification
for this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/


kim gross wrote on Sat, 01 Jul 2006:

Looks a lot like a hydnophora sp. coral, one of the common names is a horn
coral.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_...ry.php?cat=504


Hmm. That's possible. Not one of the ones that make 3D structures
(H. bonsai, H. pilosa, H. rigida, H. grandis). But possibly one of the
flat encrusting ones (H. exesa, H. microconos). My references suggest that
it should be cream, dull green, or dull brown -- and mine is blue, which is
a bit odd.

But you've made a reasonable guess, thanks.

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Sex between a man and a woman can be wonderful, provided you get between
the right man and the right woman... -- Woody Allen

It is the shape of the polyps and general shape of the coral that tells
me it is hydnophora. As to the exact species I don't know and it can be
very difficult to tell in captive corals. Blue is strange, but I have
seen them from Bright Bright green to a slight bluish green, so blue
could be possible.

Kim

A horn coral frag will usualy encrust before it starts
branching.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Don Geddis wrote on 7/2/2006 5:09 PM:
I wrote:
I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification
for this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/

kim gross wrote on Sat, 01 Jul 2006:
Looks a lot like a hydnophora sp. coral, one of the common names is a horn
coral.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_...ry.php?cat=504

Hmm. That's possible. Not one of the ones that make 3D structures
(H. bonsai, H. pilosa, H. rigida, H. grandis). But possibly one of the
flat encrusting ones (H. exesa, H. microconos). My references suggest that
it should be cream, dull green, or dull brown -- and mine is blue, which is
a bit odd.

But you've made a reasonable guess, thanks.

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Sex between a man and a woman can be wonderful, provided you get between
the right man and the right woman... -- Woody Allen

Hi Don: I beleive the hitchhiker pic you have is a bubble algea that will
overtake your tank and is not a good thing. I could be wrong but thats just
my 2 cents other then that its cool tank. Bill
"Don Geddis" wrote in message
...
Hey folks,

I've finally gotten around to updating my web site to show the new reef
tank that I started last fall. If anyone is interested, take a look at:
http://reef.geddis.org/
It's got a 192 gallon display, with roughly 250g of total water. I also
partitioned off a section of the display tank for seahorses.

I could also use help with a species (or even common-name) identification
for
this blue encrusting coral:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Blue%20Encrusting%20Coral/
It was slowly dying off in my old 55g tank (after I lost my MH lights),
but
now in the new tank seems to be growing back (under metal halides, of
course).

Thanks,

-- Don

(P.S. Wayne should be happier: I compressed the photos down this time, so
even
dial-up folks ought to be able to see them.)
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis
http://reef.geddis.org/
Blow ye winds, like the trumpet blows; but without that noise.
-- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

"William Marsh" wrote on Sun, 02 Jul 2006:
Hi Don: I beleive the hitchhiker pic you have is a bubble algea that will
overtake your tank and is not a good thing.

Yes, quite right, these hitchhikers:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Hitchhikers/p/dsc05384.jpg
definitely are Valonia, aka Bubble Algae.

(I haven't finished my web site yet, so I didn't yet get around to adding
the ID for those.)

And yes, in some sense they already have taken over my tank. I'm "slowly"
dealing with them. Some my manual removal. I've also added four small
emerald crabs. And a handful of Queen Conchs, which I was told might help too.

Hard to tell. They aren't really dangerous, but they do grow everywhere and
get in the way sometimes. Still, not too tough to remove the worst ones by
hand.

Although look at my seahorse section:
http://reef.geddis.org/a/Tank%20-%20...p/dsc05516.jpg
There are two artifical orange corals that I put in the center, and the back
right. They're almost completely covered with valonia, as are the live rocks
on that side. But it doesn't really hurt, and the seahorses just use the
valonia themselves as hitching posts, instead of the artificial coral.

Mostly an aesthetic thing. I agree it would be more pretty with less bubble
algae.

I could be wrong but thats just
my 2 cents other then that its cool tank.

Thanks!

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Sometimes it's hard to tell if something is actually a memory, or you just
dreamed it. So I asked my boss if I called him a lying, stinking thief, or if
I just dreamed it, and he said I just dreamed it. Whew, that was close.
-- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey [1999]