Tank Journal Archive
Had a much better day today. Donna, Myself & my 4yo Hayley headed down to Melbourne for the day.
First we dropped my damaged tank off to Lee at Australian Aquariums, he's wholesale only but does repairs. He was great. He saw where I was at & for the same quoted price of a hundred bucks, he's replacing the front panel, redoing all the old silicon with new stuff over the top, building & fitting the weir for me and putting a new brace on to reinforce the tank. Plus new trim along the top front.
Then we went to Highett Aquarium but nothing grabbed me there. He has a shipment due next week.
We meant to go to Reeflections next but literally couldn't get across the peak hour traffic to turn in there so we kept on going to Mentone Aquarium where my wife made her first intentional livestock purchase of a very pretty white leather plus a Royal Dottyback. They had a bargain bin thing going and I picked up 3 corals for $18 plus another three for $16. They need some TLC but are still in okay condition. If we save only one from each pack I'll be slightly ahead, I'm hoping to save them all.
:worship
Pack 1 $16: Is a red sponge that looks good but isn't fixed to anything. Sponges are difficult but I'll research it and do my best, it's about 10cm high and 4cm across at it's widest branch. A purplish mushroom? about the size of a 20c coin, it's still expanding and could even turn out to be a fluffy or a ric. Last in this pack was a small branching rock with bright green zoas on one branch (under normal light) and a different colour on the other branch. Might be purple but have to wait until they come out as the tank had been stirred up just before we saw it. Someone else making a purchase from the tank.
Pack 2 $18: What the guy thought was a species of Gionopora (similar to below but in fluro yellow/green) about tennis ball size, it's receding but I'm home all day to look after it. Also something bright orange that I cannot even guess at plus what I think is a doughnut coral. Because the tank was stirred up it was hard to be sure but at that price....
Pics when they settle into the seed tank and start to come out. I'll give them all a feed of ReefRoids tonight.
After Mentone we headed to Fishworld in Keysborough but they were closed (tuesdays). The we went to another nearby marine but they had little in stock and more expensive than I've seen anywhere else so no live purchases there, just some odds and ends.
The two feather duster/coco worms we got from Axela are excellent. About 30cm long each (the tubes) one is vivid orange & white, the other pink & white, they're out feeding nearly all the time.
Tank should be ready for pickup mid next week.
First we dropped my damaged tank off to Lee at Australian Aquariums, he's wholesale only but does repairs. He was great. He saw where I was at & for the same quoted price of a hundred bucks, he's replacing the front panel, redoing all the old silicon with new stuff over the top, building & fitting the weir for me and putting a new brace on to reinforce the tank. Plus new trim along the top front.
Then we went to Highett Aquarium but nothing grabbed me there. He has a shipment due next week.
We meant to go to Reeflections next but literally couldn't get across the peak hour traffic to turn in there so we kept on going to Mentone Aquarium where my wife made her first intentional livestock purchase of a very pretty white leather plus a Royal Dottyback. They had a bargain bin thing going and I picked up 3 corals for $18 plus another three for $16. They need some TLC but are still in okay condition. If we save only one from each pack I'll be slightly ahead, I'm hoping to save them all.
:worship
Pack 1 $16: Is a red sponge that looks good but isn't fixed to anything. Sponges are difficult but I'll research it and do my best, it's about 10cm high and 4cm across at it's widest branch. A purplish mushroom? about the size of a 20c coin, it's still expanding and could even turn out to be a fluffy or a ric. Last in this pack was a small branching rock with bright green zoas on one branch (under normal light) and a different colour on the other branch. Might be purple but have to wait until they come out as the tank had been stirred up just before we saw it. Someone else making a purchase from the tank.
Pack 2 $18: What the guy thought was a species of Gionopora (similar to below but in fluro yellow/green) about tennis ball size, it's receding but I'm home all day to look after it. Also something bright orange that I cannot even guess at plus what I think is a doughnut coral. Because the tank was stirred up it was hard to be sure but at that price....
Pics when they settle into the seed tank and start to come out. I'll give them all a feed of ReefRoids tonight.
After Mentone we headed to Fishworld in Keysborough but they were closed (tuesdays). The we went to another nearby marine but they had little in stock and more expensive than I've seen anywhere else so no live purchases there, just some odds and ends.
The two feather duster/coco worms we got from Axela are excellent. About 30cm long each (the tubes) one is vivid orange & white, the other pink & white, they're out feeding nearly all the time.
Tank should be ready for pickup mid next week.
You have to love Mentone's bargain 'lots' - a bunch of half dead corals for $15-20 ... but I have grabbed a few bargains that way myself. I was interested to see them selling 'frags' of a flouro leather last weekend too, little baby heads for $10. Would have got one but it was busy and couldn't be bothered waiting for someone to serve us!
Yeah I saw those little leathers too but by the time we finally got served I'd forgotten about them. Service there has never been great.
I asked one of the guys what species a coral was & he had no clue, he asked someone else who had no clue & then they got the boss who replied "wouldn't know-I don't go by names".:confused:
On the upside it's good to see frags for sale, bargain bins too.
Her or the tank?
Just this second got back from Melb. Will do a wet test later then drain it as I want to get an acrylic cover cut for the weir. Wet by xmas day (my birthday) is the plan.
I've just arranged to acquire some Chaetomorpha macro algae (Chaetomorpha crassa), or what the yanks commonly use & refer to spaghetti algae. If I can propogate this successfully I'll be offering it to Reefuge members for the cost of the express bag. I'm hoping those interested will pass it forward as I hate seeing the prices this sells for. I also plan to send freebies to a couple of the aquaculturists..
Vaultboy will have first dibs, partly returning his good deed.
Note: I'm not buying it from that person on the other forum that charges up to $50 for half a small half handfull.:mad:
Vaultboy will have first dibs, partly returning his good deed.
Note: I'm not buying it from that person on the other forum that charges up to $50 for half a small half handfull.:mad:
