Ron Reefman's Rock Flower experience

[Katrina71]

They don't stay little very long My baby is now fat and happy.

 

[NY_Caveman]

They don't stay little very long My baby is now fat and happy.

Your son or your RFA?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Good one NY Caveman!

Katrina, I'm so glad to hear that your baby is doing so well. Congratulations!

Now that I,ve had another round of babies and some of them are in the rocks among the zoas, it will be interesting to see how the RFA's and the zoas deal with each other. My 40g cube has about 60 different zoas and palys and some of them are becoming small colonies now. So in the next 6 to 12 months I may not have much, if any, exposed rock! And I just ordered a handful of new zoas (ones I don't have already) from Cultivated Reef on Black Friday. I wish everybody could see the fluorescence of this tank at 8pm when it's dark outside, and the lights are off in the house except for the blue and violet leds over the tank. It's crazy to look at. From across the room it just glows colors! I have to admit, I'm so happy I downsized from 3 nice tanks to 1 almost overstocked tank. Now I'm occasionally pulling a coral that doesn't fluoresce (there are very few left) and replacing it with one that does. And of course the RFA's all fluoresce like giant zoas!

Of course the camera just can't capture what the eye sees.

 

[mfinn]

So sad to say this but if you have nems as well as a aptasia problem dont go buy a peppermint shrimp.. bought one for 9$, he made short work of all my aptasia but then 3 days later ate one of my 2 rock flowers. So just a word of caution..

@Ron Reefman is this a fluke?

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

@Ron Reefman is this a fluke?

I dont think so. My friend even warned me that itll go for my other nems once the aptasia is gone, he had it happen to him few times before. Only inverts in my tank are hermits snails and a pom pom crab. The shrimp was the newest addition. Since removing him nothings continued to touch my other RFA. So just word of caution.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Salty Reefer, thanks for uploading those photos, they are AWESOME! I've seen a video or two of a RFA 'spitting out' babies, but your stills of the babies right there at the mouth and just around the mother are so cool!

BTW, When I want to do a video here, I upload it to youtube and then just paste the link here. And I'd love to see your video. I've had 3 rounds of babies now and I've never caugth the spawn or the live birth... one of these days I'll get lucky!



A) You are a bit lucky to get a peppermint shrimp that eats aiptasia in the first place. I've had many that wouldn't even approach them let alone eat them!

B) How big was the RFA the peppermint shrimp went after? I could certainly see it take on a baby, and maybe even a young RFA up to about 1/4" or 1/2" in diameter. But I wouldn't think it would try a RFA any bigger than about 1/2".

C) I have baby RFA's, some as small as just 1/8" in diameter and some as big as a quarter. If you'd like a replacement, I'd send one your way for just the cost of shipping?

He was a solid 11/2 to maybe just under 2 inches. I came home and nothing but the foot remained and shredded confetti all around. Thanks for the offer! I may take you up on it. Issue is I work through the week. But I'll just check it up to lesson learned. I never liked the idea of shrimp in my tank anyways tho for that reason.

 

[Salty.Reefer]

So sad to say this but if you have nems as well as a aptasia problem dont go buy a peppermint shrimp.. bought one for 9$, he made short work of all my aptasia but then 3 days later ate one of my 2 rock flowers. So just a word of caution..

I had the same experience. It was my main reason for setting up this new 5 gallon tank. I saw my peppermint shrimp running out and trying to tear tentacles off the flower nems. They took car of my aptasia though.

@Ron Reefman is this a fluke?

I had the same experience.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I had the same experience. It was my main reason for setting up this new 5 gallon tank. I saw my peppermint shrimp running out and trying to tear tentacles off the flower nems. They took car of my aptasia .

Oh yeah, they'll eat the aptasia real quick. But then your other nems to I guess. Thing is I never saw this guy go out and look for food whenever I fed the tank so I kinda wonder if his diet was just 100% nems.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Wow! I've had peppermint shrimp that wouldn't even eat aiptasia! And I've always had other nems in my tank when I've had peppermint shrimp. And I've never read about anybody having issues with peppermint shrimp eating other anemones.

Now I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm sure this happened to you guys. But in 15 years in the hobby this is the first time I'm hearing about it. I guess I'm lucky the only shrimp I have in my tank is a cleaner shrimp!

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Sad thing is it was the first shrimp I ever bought, other then a pistol shrimp and this happens. I dont think I'll go back down the shrimp road again. I'm to the point I'm almost done with hermits because they keep going on snail killing sprees.

Also if you YouTube peppermint shrimp, tons of horror vids of it eating corals pop up not just nems. Sadly I didnt see those till after hes in the tank.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I can vouch for this. I added a “stressed from shipping” BTA to my tank and the Peppermint Shrimp was on him immediately. He sensed weakness, perhaps. It took a few times of shooing Pepper away until he got the message.

The BTA adapted fine. Ironically I believe the anemone may have killed the Peppermint Shrimp more recently.

Oh, and I had zero Aiptasia. He worked excellent for that. I think the trick is to remove the shrimp (sump, friend, LFS) when the Aiptasia are gone.

 

[Cristy17]

Good one NY Caveman!

Katrina, I'm so glad to hear that your baby is doing so well. Congratulations!

Now that I,ve had another round of babies and some of them are in the rocks among the zoas, it will be interesting to see how the RFA's and the zoas deal with each other. My 40g cube has about 60 different zoas and palys and some of them are becoming small colonies now. So in the next 6 to 12 months I may not have much, if any, exposed rock! And I just ordered a handful of new zoas (ones I don't have already) from Cultivated Reef on Black Friday. I wish everybody could see the fluorescence of this tank at 8pm when it's dark outside, and the lights are off in the house except for the blue and violet leds over the tank. It's crazy to look at. From across the room it just glows colors! I have to admit, I'm so happy I downsized from 3 nice tanks to 1 almost overstocked tank. Now I'm occasionally pulling a coral that doesn't fluoresce (there are very few left) and replacing it with one that does. And of course the RFA's all fluoresce like giant zoas!

Of course the camera just can't capture what the eye sees.

Ron your tank looks awesome! I can't even imagine how it glows at night since that is what you set out to do! I have decided to start a RFA garden..I have 3 together and one stubborn one that is in the crevice of a rock and I cannot get it to budge! Believe me, I have tried..I hope one day I will have a spawn..that would be really cool!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Ron your tank looks awesome! I can't even imagine how it glows at night since that is what you set out to do! I have decided to start a RFA garden..I have 3 together and one stubborn one that is in the crevice of a rock and I cannot get it to budge! Believe me, I have tried..I hope one day I will have a spawn..that would be really cool!

Thanks Christy. I only wish I could get a photograph that was capable of showing how awesome the tank looks in the evening. It looks like a 1970's hippie poster under a blacklight!

Since you are semi local, maybe you'd be interested in going. I'm going to call Frank at VIP Reef and find out what his current RFA inventory is, or when he will go out for his next round of collecting, and then schedule a trip over to Miami to buy a couple. Last time I was in his LFS he had hundreds of very nice RFA's to pick from!

 

[Cristy17]

Thanks Christy. I only wish I could get a photograph that was capable of showing how awesome the tank looks in the evening. It looks like a 1970's hippie poster under a blacklight!

Since you are semi local, maybe you'd be interested in going. I'm going to call Frank at VIP Reef and find out what his current RFA inventory is, or when he will go out for his next round of collecting, and then schedule a trip over to Miami to buy a couple. Last time I was in his LFS he had hundreds of very nice RFA's to pick from!

That sounds like an awesome field trip! Count me in! I have a neighbor who is also a reefer. She and I are in contact everyday! Fun to have a reefer so close, literally down the street! If it’s ok, I would like to bring her too, if she can..

 

[Cristy17]

Thanks Christy. I only wish I could get a photograph that was capable of showing how awesome the tank looks in the evening. It looks like a 1970's hippie poster under a blacklight!

Since you are semi local, maybe you'd be interested in going. I'm going to call Frank at VIP Reef and find out what his current RFA inventory is, or when he will go out for his next round of collecting, and then schedule a trip over to Miami to buy a couple. Last time I was in his LFS he had hundreds of very nice RFA's to pick from!

Oh, another thing, if you have those reef glasses, hold them in front of the camera and take a picture of you hippie tank I have found that works pretty well. Just an idea!

 

[mta_morrow]

Oh, another thing, if you have those reef glasses, hold them in front of the camera and take a picture of you hippie tank I have found that works pretty well. Just an idea!

FWIW, the aquarium cam app does a pretty good job too!

 

[Cristy17]

FWIW, the aquarium cam app does a pretty good job too!

Thanks for the info! I just looked. There are several, which one do you recommend?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Oh, another thing, if you have those reef glasses, hold them in front of the camera and take a picture of you hippie tank I have found that works pretty well. Just an idea!

A) any friend of yours is welcome to come along... but that means I don't drive since I have a 2 passenger car!!!
B) what 'reef glasses' are you using?

I can get good photos of individuals using our Olympus Tough One camera and using it underwater in the tank. But even it isn't good for FTS under blue leds and through the green glass.

BTW, have you ever heard of the Road Scholars? It is the group we did the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta trip with and they did a wonderful job. So now I'm marketing their Fiji Snorkel trip to Elaine. She is slowly coming around to it... but it's a BIG adventure for her and that always makes her nervous.
https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an...-blue-waters-snorkeling-and-exploring-in-fiji

Ron

 

[Cristy17]

A) any friend of yours is welcome to come along... but that means I don't drive since I have a 2 passenger car!!!
B) what 'reef glasses' are you using?

I can get good photos of individuals using our Olympus Tough One camera and using it underwater in the tank. But even it isn't good for FTS under blue leds and through the green glass.

BTW, have you ever heard of the Road Scholars? It is the group we did the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta trip with and they did a wonderful job. So now I'm marketing their Fiji Snorkel trip to Elaine. She is slowly coming around to it... but it's a BIG adventure for her and that always makes her nervous.
https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an...-blue-waters-snorkeling-and-exploring-in-fiji

Ron

A) Thank you! Maybe she will drive! Lol!
B) These that they have at the frag fests and some reef stores sell and give thwm away with purchases.

Figi! Wow! That is on my bucket list! I first heard of Figi after watching The Blue Lagoon growing up. Amazing water! That would be the trip of a lifetime! I also love Bora Bora. I dream of staying in one of those huts over the water. Waking up, stepping outside, and snorkling! I better start playing the lottery! Your wife is one lucky gal!

 

[Cristy17]

A) Thank you! Maybe she will drive! Lol!
B) These that they have at the frag fests and some reef stores sell and give thwm away with purchases.

Figi! Wow! That is on my bucket list! I first heard of Figi after watching The Blue Lagoon growing up. Amazing water! That would be the trip of a lifetime! I also love Bora Bora. I dream of staying in one of those huts over the water. Waking up, stepping outside, and snorkling! I better start playing the lottery! Your wife is one lucky gal!

A) any friend of yours is welcome to come along... but that means I don't drive since I have a 2 passenger car!!!
B) what 'reef glasses' are you using?

I can get good photos of individuals using our Olympus Tough One camera and using it underwater in the tank. But even it isn't good for FTS under blue leds and through the green glass.

BTW, have you ever heard of the Road Scholars? It is the group we did the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta trip with and they did a wonderful job. So now I'm marketing their Fiji Snorkel trip to Elaine. She is slowly coming around to it... but it's a BIG adventure for her and that always makes her nervous.
https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an...-blue-waters-snorkeling-and-exploring-in-fiji

Ron

Forgot to add the picture...