7of9’s 32g Borgcube Biocube

[7of9]

Well, don't tell anyone but I'm fairly certain the RTA Green Bay Packers are actually Radioactive Dragon Eyes based on the mouth. I could be wrong though.

Shhhhhhh.

 

[Reeflix]

Shhhhhhh.

 

[7of9]

It's been crazy here in the borg collective this past week. I had a great weekend, though. I missed out on the Milwaukee reef thing, but I spent the day down in Illinois making some new friends and having some great conversations and then on Sunday I got a hike in, which I think was badly needed.

Riptide shipped the corals to me and I got them today, but I haven't been able to get any decent pictures worth sharing yet. They're angry, but I would be, too, if I flew from Florida into the first snow in Wisconsin. I'm hoping they'll perk up later today. The zoas already are starting to look happy and the clove polyps are already starting to look awful, so we'll see! Zoas love my tank, I guess? My devil's fingers also are looking so happy and my anemone perked up after being moody for a couple of days. Clownfish are getting FAT and Benny the Blenny remains the star of the show.

 

[7of9]

It’s tough to see, but the clove polyps have perked up some and the (sorta) Green Bay Packers look great, but the other two look iffy. I’m hoping they perk up Today.

 

[Reeflix]

It’s tough to see, but the clove polyps have perked up some and the (sorta) Green Bay Packers look great, but the other two look iffy. I’m hoping they perk up Today.

your sandbed looks radioactive lol.

 

[Reeflix]

my sandbed on the other hand...

 

[7of9]

your sandbed looks radioactive lol.

I took that picture with an orange external filter on my iphone and an aquarium filter app. Maybe it just is radioactive?

 

[Reeflix]

I took that picture with an orange external filter on my iphone and an aquarium filter app. Maybe it just is radioactive?

 

[tbrown]

Hello?

 

[7of9]

Hello?

I'm alive, I promise!

Hubby and I are finally filing the paperwork to make our divorce official. He'll have health insurance through his work by January and our youngest will be 18 in February, so it's a lot simpler. The last time I brought things to him in the hospital from his apartment, it was clear things haven't gotten better and probably aren't going to.

We're still friends and I still care about him, but it's like a big weight has been lifted. I can care about him now in a way that has more detatchment and, who knows? Maybe one day I'll find someone to share my life with again. But, either way, it's good to have some closure to this chapter of my life.

And on to more reefing things...

My tank is doing GOOD!!! All my corals from Riptide have perked up and are doing well. This weekend, I plan on glueing them down in their more permanent homes which brings me to a question to the pros here...

How do I get that little nub off of the frag plug so that I can glue them to rocks flat or do I just not worry about it and hope it gets covered by corals eventually? What is the deal with that?

Other than that, everyone is healthy and no one is in the hospital, so it's a really good week!

 

[Reeflix]

How do I get that little nub off of the frag plug so that I can glue them to rocks flat or do I just not worry about it and hope it gets covered by corals eventually?

Hammer, chisel, boom! Just take it out of the tank and, smash! This is how I would do it anyways

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I'm alive, I promise!

Hubby and I are finally filing the paperwork to make our divorce official. He'll have health insurance through his work by January and our youngest will be 18 in February, so it's a lot simpler. The last time I brought things to him in the hospital from his apartment, it was clear things haven't gotten better and probably aren't going to.

We're still friends and I still care about him, but it's like a big weight has been lifted. I can care about him now in a way that has more detatchment and, who knows? Maybe one day I'll find someone to share my life with again. But, either way, it's good to have some closure to this chapter of my life.

And on to more reefing things...

My tank is doing GOOD!!! All my corals from Riptide have perked up and are doing well. This weekend, I plan on glueing them down in their more permanent homes which brings me to a question to the pros here...

How do I get that little nub off of the frag plug so that I can glue them to rocks flat or do I just not worry about it and hope it gets covered by corals eventually? What is the deal with that?

Other than that, everyone is healthy and no one is in the hospital, so it's a really good week!

That's a tough situation but it's seems like you've thought things out and have made a choice that's best for you and your health, plus thought about your kids and husband as well. Not many people can divorce in a gentle way.

Glad your tank is perking up! To get the plug off, sometimes depending on the coral, they can be naturally attached to a small rock and the rock glued to the plug, in this case, you can usually break off the rock from the plug with bone clippers, or sometimes the coral has grown over the plug to and you have to cut the stem from the plug. Either method requires force and good clippers. These are the ones I use but they make them bigger also. Or in a pinch you could use wire cutters. I think bigger ones gives you more leverage and use less force, but I'm cheap and mine are still working.

Some plugs are tougher than others, be careful. I just broke an acro the other day trying to get the stem off. It can be tricky but experience will help.




Cut here, the back, for removing the stem. Not all break flush either, but gluing should still be fine. I use a little ball of putty and glue for mine.

 

[Reeflix]

That's a tough situation but it's seems like you've thought things out and have made a choice that's best for you and your health, plus thought about your kids and husband as well. Not many people can divorce in a gentle way.

Glad your tank is perking up! To get the plug off, sometimes depending on the coral, they can be naturally attached to a small rock and the rock glued to the plug, in this case, you can usually break off the rock from the plug with bone clippers, or sometimes the coral has grown over the plug to and you have to cut the stem from the plug. Either method requires force and good clippers. These are the ones I use but they make them bigger also. Or in a pinch you could use wire cutters. I think bigger ones gives you more leverage and use less force, but I'm cheap and mine are still working.

Some plugs are tougher than others, be careful. I just broke an acro the other day trying to get the stem off. It can be tricky but experience will help.




Cut here, the back, for removing the stem. Not all break flush either, but gluing should still be fine. I use a little ball of putty and glue for mine.

Yeah, as you can see I haven’t had to take off the flag plug nub lol

 

[7of9]

That's a tough situation but it's seems like you've thought things out and have made a choice that's best for you and your health, plus thought about your kids and husband as well. Not many people can divorce in a gentle way.

Glad your tank is perking up! To get the plug off, sometimes depending on the coral, they can be naturally attached to a small rock and the rock glued to the plug, in this case, you can usually break off the rock from the plug with bone clippers, or sometimes the coral has grown over the plug to and you have to cut the stem from the plug. Either method requires force and good clippers. These are the ones I use but they make them bigger also. Or in a pinch you could use wire cutters. I think bigger ones gives you more leverage and use less force, but I'm cheap and mine are still working.

Some plugs are tougher than others, be careful. I just broke an acro the other day trying to get the stem off. It can be tricky but experience will help.




Cut here, the back, for removing the stem. Not all break flush either, but gluing should still be fine. I use a little ball of putty and glue for mine.

So, when you're doing this, do you try to keep the coral underwater? I have wire cutters and bolt cutters, so odds are I can handle this. I'm picking up putty and glue this weekend.

Thanks again!

And yeah, divorce is never great, but I think it's a bit easier in this case because we haven't been really together in years. A lot of the emotional process, we've already gone through. I do have a lot of guilt, though, given his health issues. That's complicated and something I need to work through.

But, I feel like getting my own place a couple of years ago really improved my life and that this will also lead to greater happiness and peace. I hope it does for him, too.

 

[fishguy242]

scoring the cut on frag plug w cutters 1st seems to give a cleaner break ...

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I use cheap plastic 4 cup measuring cups for coral dipping and prepping, so when I grab the coral, I'll take as much water as I need to keep it submerged while fiddling around. Then when I'm ready to cut ( or glue) take the coral out, snip snip ( and/or glue) then place back into the water cup. Most coral will start to slime when out of water, so the longer they are exposed the slippery-er it gets. Most coral handles that all fine. Some finkiny ones might close for a while. So I just keep them wet as much as possible. Haven't had a coral die from me directly handling yet.

Although this was last week's fun. But both halves are doing great and the base part is already growing over the break. That happened from breaking the stem off the back. Obviously larger coral pieces can be tricky.

 

[tbrown]

So, when you're doing this, do you try to keep the coral underwater? I have wire cutters and bolt cutters, so odds are I can handle this. I'm picking up putty and glue this weekend.

The corals can be out of water for a time. Anemones should be kept in water as much as possible but hard corals (SPS/LPS) can be removed from the water to work on. Limit the time as much as possible but they can take a couple of minutes.

 

[7of9]

Happy Thursday!

I had to use icky grocery store distilled water last week and it shows, but everyone looks healthy! Looking forward to gluing my frags down Saturday.

 

[tbrown]

Happy Thursday!

I had to use icky grocery store distilled water last week and it shows, but everyone looks healthy! Looking forward to gluing my frags down Saturday.

Most of the time I use icky city supplied tap water...

 

[7of9]

Most of the time I use icky city supplied tap water...

I usually go to the LFS and buy water from them, but this was a week where I was doing good to have rice and beans in the house, so icky Meijer water it was. Life happens! . I figure it's better than NOT topping off and keeping my salinity in a good range. Those copays from my daughter's hospitalizations drained me dry.

But, I'm back to good water and things will clear up!