The Actinodiscus Mushrooms . They were previously in a genus called Discosoma. These invertebrates display a wide variety of colors, textures, and patterns. The red specimens can vary from a light pinkish purple to a vivid red.
They are hardy and easy to maintain. They need a medium light level and should be placed lower in the aquarium. The Actinodiscus Mushrooms prefer a low water flow.
An Act. Mushrooom gets its nutritional requirements through the photosynthesis of the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae which it hosts.
Duncan colonies form via long, tubular corallites with stunning neon green oral discs.
Tentacles that retract when disturbed, but otherwise remain out. They were imports of Australian corals shipped to the United States, but now raised here.
Duncan tentacles
This coral prefers to attach to solid objects in soft, sandy areas. In the aquarium, place in low current areas with low to moderate light.
This coral is peaceful and does well with other non-aggressive corals and invertebrates, They feed by photosynthesis via the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae that thrive on the colony, but they love meaty marine foods.
It is very hardy and requires minimal care in a well-established system. These small hermit crabs have an appetite for detritus and algae. The hermit crabs are very peaceful towards their tankmates.
AKA names: Blue Leg cousin
Like other hermit crabs, an ample supply of empty shells should be available for the Red Tip Hermit Crab to move into as they molt and grow.
Ever been at the LFS (Local Fish Store), seen a coral or cool saltwater fish and watched it wondering what the details of it are? By chance wished you had grabbed that field guide book at home before you left (see above video link in photo). Well this app works pretty nice to help out. Aquarium ID:
For many moons people in the home aquarium field have fought hard to get colors out of SPS corals, keep Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphorus and Phosphates low and if able feed fish heavily. The trade had great successes after the invention of the protein skimmer but we still fell short, then comes the all mighty and powerful carbon dosing method. We are talking zeovit, vodkas, vinegars, sugars, biopellets and in some case live bacteria in production products for our tanks. We know its very hard to get a handle on this all in one step but some people have put some very good info link out there. Overview one is very good and the vodka one pretty good. We think the jury is still out on biopellets and zeovit but they exist with followers also, check them all out and make the best choices for your setups.
Looking for the camera, well any high-end DLSR Nikon, Cannon and/or Sony will work. We use a Sony alpha 65 with great success here for videos and still pics. But when lens are involved ones needs to consider more than the Cannon, Nikon and Sonys out there, look into Tamron, that is what we use, we like it and think you will too.
What forums are we on? people are asking us. Easy we are on Reefcollege.com or Reef2Reef.com. We also are on Facebook, Youtube and Google +. Easy for everyone to get to us, just use the links at the bottom of the page for chatting with us.
The forums are a great place to see and work with other fellow reefers, but hey if that is too reef junkie style for you feel free to post comments and questions on our facebook site.
Come on over and see what we are talking about lately. Today we have coral pictures via New York Steelo, few posted pics via the Reef2Reef form and of course numerous posts of things happen in the reef world in the last few weeks.
Got a Reef or saltwater aquarium question….post it on the our Facebook page and we will help get you some answers and opinions.
We have put together our thoughts on Kalkwasser for those that dose it. We use this on our own tanks and you’re welcome to try it on yours. Kalkwasser historical dosage (from Marine Aquariums by Jeffery Kurtz): 1-tablespoon of powdered Kalk per 1-gallon RO DI H20. Below then is our recipe with added vinegar and why. We also produced a video on this topic and I have put that at the end of the post here for people to see.
In my case the dose is 2 tablespoons kalkwasser to 2 gallons of H20.
Vinegar Dosing for my 2-gallon Kalkwasser mix (by Ryan Speltz, DVM): 1-teaspoon kalk per 15mL clear vinegar.
In my case that is 2-tablespoons kalk to 90mL (1/3cup) clear vinegar; add to 2 gallons of H20 after dissolving the kalk in the vinegar.
This method allows for:
1. Calcium ion (Ca++) higher concentration because you dissolved it in acid vs water and achieve free Calcium ions.
2. Vinegar binds C02 and hence no loss of Calcium to calcium carbonate precipitating out.
3. Makes for faster and easier dissolving of good lab grade Kalk like BRS product. This helps keep it in solution better and keeps the tank clear of calcium carbonate issues.
4. Using only clear 5% vinegar is cheap and safe for the reef at the above dosage and does not affect pH.
This is simple chemistry folks and can be explained in more depth if one likes, but really this is a simple chemical reaction. I have been using this along with others in my field and although it is not done commonly around the MN area I think the reason is due to lack of chemistry knowledge and fear. To reduce your fear you can start out with less vinegar and watch your tank for issues. Always check your Calcium, Magnesium, pH and specific gravity values and see how you do, I am sure you’ll like it.
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