Coral ID 3/5/09
Hello Bob, Anthony and crew!
<Hello Thanassis>
I bought this coral yesterday, but I cannot locate it anywhere and I would appreciated it if you helped me identify it.
<Not real good detail in the pic, but does appear to be a Corallimorph, likely Ricordea yuma.>
Best regards from Greece,
<Cheers from Michigan. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanassis

Identification help? And a whole lot more!, Shroom, and stkg.... FO SW, & coral lighting...   12/02/08
Hi crew again--
<Hello, Mich here.>
For the purpose of trying to get as many questions asked/answered with one email, please bear with me!
<No worries.>
I am attaching a picture of what I believe may be a Ricordea mushroom, but I cannot tell.
<Looks like a Ricordea yuma to me.>
This mushroom hitchhiked in on a piece of live rock. It has "split" once. It does much better under actinic lighting and closer to the lighting than the other mushrooms I have in my tank.
<Ricordea are often found in shallow waters.>
I have also invested in the Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fishes by Scott Michael and the 101 Best Saltwater Fishes by Scott Michael. I also purchased the Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Invertebrates by Dr. Ronald Shimek. My next purchase will be the Conscientious Marine Aquarist.
<All four are excellent books! You are very wise to spend some money on educating yourself. These books are well worth the money and very useful tools. Congrats to you.>
The first three books have helped me immensely on planning the rest of my current 75 gallon tank as well as my preparations to begin setup on a 55 gallon tank and a 30 gallon tank. My 75 gallon will be my reef tank and the 55 gallon will be an aggressive fish only tank. The 30 gallon will be a peaceful fish only tank. Can I ask your suggestions on my list of what I want to put in the 55 gallon? Also what to put in the 30 (below)?
<Sure, though I will defer here to ScottF. as he is more knowledgeable in this subject area.>
I would like to put in the 55 gallon:
<Hi! Scott F. chiming in...>
1 Harlequin Tuskfish (Choerodon fasciatus)
<Yikes! In a 55?>
1 Volitans Lionfish (Pterois volitans)
<Oh my!>
1 Scimitar (Bursa) Triggerfish (Sufflamen bursa)
<Please, no! You're killing me.>
1 eel (I am undecided on a type here) either a Whitemouth Moray (Gymnothorax meleagris) or a Zebra Moray (Gymnomuraena zebra) or possibly a Snowflake Moray (Echidna nebulosa)
<OMG!!!!>
1 Pufferfish (again undecided) either a Blackspotted Puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus) or a Spiny Puffer (Diodon holocanthus)
<Airway...I need an airway!>
#1 is this too big of a bio-load for a 55 gallon? After reading about each of these, I think they should all do fine together, but wanted your suggestions first.
<Um...in a word- YES! I didn't mean to sound too insensitive, but we need to revisit this stocking plan. Not one of these fishes is really even a viable choice for the short run in an aquarium of this size. In addition to reaching sizes that are way too large for this aquarium, these fishes are quite aggressive and incompatible, are messy eaters, and produce copious amounts of metabolic wastes. We need to look at some alternative fishes that will be better suited for this aquarium. Smaller, more peaceful choices would be a better approach. The Harlequin Tusk and the Triggers are simply out of the question for this aquarium. A Lionfish is a possibility, if you are willing to try a different species, such as the "Fu Manchu Lionfish", Dendrochirus biocellatus. This fish is almost as "sexy" as the full-sized guys, yet reaches a more manageable 4 inches or so. It can be a bit shy, but can easily be kept in a 55 gallon aquarium. Like all Lionfish, it is venomous, so do exercise caution when handling this fish. A moray Eel is really not a viable choice for this sized aquarium, either, but you could consider a smaller version, such as the "Golden Dwarf Moray", Gymnothorax melatremus, which is a tiny version of the full-sized species. It reaches a maximum size of about 6-8 inches, and is the diameter of a pen. However, don't let the small size of the fish fool you; these fishes can eat surprisingly large prey items! And, to top it off- they are amazing jumpers. If you do keep one, remember to keep the aquarium tightly covered. They can find the smallest opening and use it to go "carpet surfing"! Oh- and did I mention that they are pretty darned expensive, too! Nonetheless, I think that this would be the only Eel that I would even consider for this sized aquarium. In place of the Harlequin Tusk, consider a smaller wrasse species, such as a Halichoeres species, which generally top off in the 3"-4" range. Better long-term choices for a modest-sized aquarium.>
#2 what order would you add them in? I think the trigger should probably be added last, but not sure.
<I'd add the Lionfish first, and make sure that he's eating before another fish is added. Then I'd go for the GDM, and the wrasse would round out the stocking list.>
Next tank I want to set up is a 30 gallon peaceful. The following are the inhabitants I want to put in:
1 Yellow Shrimp Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)
1 Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
<Some controversy with this fish. Please see here:
http://microcosmaqx.typepad.com/ret_talbot/2008/09/banggai-cardi-2.html
http://en.microcosmaquariumexplorer.com/wiki/Portal:Letters >
1 Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
1 Cherub Angelfish (Centropyge argi)
1 Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)
<Don't mix Centropyge angelfish in this sized aquarium. Choose one or the other. Personally, I'd pass on an angelfish in this sized system. However, if you must have one, the C. argi is the better choice. It can be a bit aggressive, so be careful and observe the system often.>
2 Yellow Clown Gobies (Gobiodon okinawae)
For this group, I would add the Cherub last.
<Absolutely.>
Too big of a bio-load?
<Oh yes, by far. You need to pare down the stocking list quite a bit. I'd consider keeping the Goby, Royal Gramma, and the C. argi. That would be it! Remember, a 30 gallon aquarium holds less than 30 gallons when you take into account the volume consumed by rock and sand. Smaller water volumes are a great challenge to maintain.>
What order to add?
<Goby, Gramma, Angelfish!>
The fish only tanks will get live sand and some live rock, but that is it.
<OK.>
I will be putting a protein skimmer on the 55, but will it be necessary on the 30 gallon?
<I would say yes. In my opinion, a protein skimmer is not an optional piece of equipment in a marine system. I simply would not run a marine system without one. This is my opinion, of course, but I would be remiss if I did not attempt to convince you to utilize protein skimming in your system, regardless of size.>
Could I do more frequent water changes in 30 instead of skimming?
<You could, but I still feel a skimmer is mandatory. There are skimmers available for almost any size of aquarium and budget, so do a little research and you'll find one that works for your system.>
Okay now a quick question on my 75 gallon if I may. You guys have helped me out with other problems with that tank. Needless to say, I did what I assume many beginning aquarists do--I ran out and bought and bought and bought and did not research first. I have learned the hard way that is not the way to do it!
<A terrible lesson, but at least you learned. And the fact that you are sharing your experience with others proves that you have progressed!>
With the money wasted in now dead livestock, I could have purchased some really awesome high dollar fish!
<Like a Golden Dwarf Moray!>
Live and learn I guess! Okay on to the question....
I am planning on purchasing a metal halide/T-5 combo light for my 75 gallon. The following is what I am looking at:
2 X 250 Watt Metal Halide � 15k bulbs included
4 X 54 watt T5 HO Lights included- 4 actinic 03 bulbs
8 lunar moonlights included on fixture � 8 blue 1 watt LED's
Unit has 3 Chords and 3 switches
Is this sufficient lighting for all corals, etc?
<It can be sufficient for a great many corals, and may actually be overkill for some species! It really boils down to what kinds of corals you intend to keep. Personally, I like the flexibility of the Halide/T5 combo, but you could actually get by with exclusively lighting the system with T5 bulbs. They are a remarkably powerful lighting source for a variety of corals. You also may not need 250 watt halides over this sized system. You could do pretty well with two 150 watt DE halides over this sized system, and realize the same flexibility and enjoy energy savings as well!>
The other 2 tanks will have actinic lighting--no metal halides or anything "fancy".
Any help would sure be appreciated! Thank you so much for being there for people!
<You are very welcome! Scott F. signing out!>
Angela