Ron Reefman's Rock Flower experience

[tupes]

Here's a FTS. 15 rock flowers and 3 sexy shrimp. I want to add 3 more shrimp and a pair of platinum clowns.

 

[Ron Reefman]

So @tupes, how many RFA's do you have? Looks like somewhere between 12 and 14?

I'm guessing you haven't had any spawning yet since yours don't appear to be quite up to full adult size yet?

Is this tank going to be mostly RFA? If not, what else do you have planned for the tank? I started this tank with the idea of having as much fluorescence under blue leds as I could get. That ended up being mostly zoas and RFA's. Of course having the RFA's reproducing every 6 to 9 months has been fun. It's not easy to get a good count as some of the babies are still quite small and some are hiding in the fields of zoas. But I think I have about 35 now and close to half of them are from the latest spawn and are still only 1/4" to 1/2" in diameter.

 

[tupes]

So @tupes, how many RFA's do you have?

15 currently Looking to have about 25. I really want a full house.

 

[KorD]

Those are different, but bare a very strong resemblance to the Keys RFA's. I'd like to see more photos, especially of them opened up. Heck, I'd like to have a couple! hint, hint!



That's a nice list of local stuff. I wish I could find a list like that for things local to the Florida Keys with names and photos. Very cool!



Are you kidding, that's what this thread is all about. ;Woot Post away.

Maybe this should become a sticky about the RFA? ;Bookworm

I just took a couple new photos yesterday after I cleaned the glass, I should probably post something as well.

A couple could come your way depending on how many I can grab.. this weekend I'm heading down there, but this article I just read could mean I might grab a few extras for a survival tank.

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/natio...-511078951.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_MIBrand

 

[Ron Reefman]

KorD, I'd be happy to do a trade if you'd like a couple of young (small) colorful RFA's. And I appreciate the fact that you would even think of me! BTW, we are going snorkeling in the Keys in a week and I intend to try to collect a few of the less colorful (but still with cool patterns) RFA's. We've found an very small island that has RFA's that wrap about 2/3rds of the way around the island. But they are all in holes in the old coral rock which makes them hard to collect.

 

[KorD]

KorD, I'd be happy to do a trade if you'd like a couple of young (small) colorful RFA's. And I appreciate the fact that you would even think of me! BTW, we are going snorkeling in the Keys in a week and I intend to try to collect a few of the less colorful (but still with cool patterns) RFA's. We've found an very small island that has RFA's that wrap about 2/3rds of the way around the island. But they are all in holes in the old coral rock which makes them hard to collect.

I good with trading, young ones will grow up to be big in a year or so

Let's see what all I can bring back, and then I can get you some good pictures to see if you still want them.

 

[mfrumkin]

Do you dip rfa before adding them to the tank? And can I put mini maxi carpet in the same tank?

 

[KorD]

Do you dip rfa before adding them to the tank? And can I put mini maxi carpet in the same tank?

A mini maxi will live in the sand bed, the RFA will live in the rocks.. neither will bother the other one.

I do not dip my anemones.. I try to release them from the rocks or rubble so I am only adding the anemone to the tank.
However you should drip acclimate them and then float them for 15 min before adding them..

 

[Coralreefer1]

Ca I find and collect Rock anemones and the Ultra RFA north of the Keys. Say West Palm or north, Clearwater Beach area.?

 

[mmw64]

This is one I got at the Orlando RAP awhile back. It's seems to be coloring up more as it starts to grow. It's only about 1.5" in diameter right now. I like it because it appears to look colorful (rainbow) and has the white (kind of blue under blue leds) cut ins that divide it up like a pie that none of my other RFA's have.

This is one of my older kids that was born about a year ago. It's about 2" in diameter.

And this isn't quite a FTS, but it's pretty close. It's 95% of the full width and 75% of the vertical.

I want that tank! Gorgeous!!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Do you dip rfa before adding them to the tank? And can I put mini maxi carpet in the same tank?

A mini maxi will live in the sand bed, the RFA will live in the rocks.. neither will bother the other one.

I do not dip my anemones.. I try to release them from the rocks or rubble so I am only adding the anemone to the tank.
However you should drip acclimate them and then float them for 15 min before adding them..

RFA and mini maxi anemones can both go on rocks, in the sand if they have substrate to set their foot on or better yet, in PVC end caps set in the sand. I've had a RFA and a mini maxi right next to each other and there was no harm to either. I have 35+ RFA's (lots of babies) and 4 mini maxi's as well.

Ca I find and collect Rock anemones and the Ultra RFA north of the Keys. Say West Palm or north, Clearwater Beach area.?

I don't have an absolute answer to that question, but here is my best guess. North of West Palm, 20% chance of success (and that's probably being generous). At the Clearwater Beach area, 1% chance. I've never seen any around Naples, Ft Myers Beach or Sanibel. Sorry. I'd love to hear that somebody has.

BTW, the Ultra RFA's come from deeper water, like 30' or deeper. The shallow water ones are still interesting and some may have some color and cool patterns in off white, brown and black.

I want that tank! Gorgeous!!

Thanks, it only took 2 years to make and grow out... Oh, and 15 years of experience in the hobby! But in reality, it wouldn't be hard to duplicate. And as cool as you think it looks in the photo, It's WAY cooler at night (no light in from the windows) with the house lights out and just the blue leds on! Some say it lights up like a 1960 hippi poster under a black light. If that's before your time, others say it look like the jungle on Pandora (the movie Avatar) when K. Reeves was running around lighting everything up! I just keep looking for corals that fluoresce well under blue leds.

 

[mfrumkin]

I just got a yellow filter for my camera and took a FTS and a close up of my breeding size RFA's under all blue led light.

WOW!!!

 

[mmw64]

RFA and mini maxi anemones can both go on rocks, in the sand if they have substrate to set their foot on or better yet, in PVC end caps set in the sand. I've had a RFA and a mini maxi right next to each other and there was no harm to either. I have 35+ RFA's (lots of babies) and 4 mini maxi's as well.



I don't have an absolute answer to that question, but here is my best guess. North of West Palm, 20% chance of success (and that's probably being generous). At the Clearwater Beach area, 1% chance. I've never seen any around Naples, Ft Myers Beach or Sanibel. Sorry. I'd love to hear that somebody has.

BTW, the Ultra RFA's come from deeper water, like 30' or deeper. The shallow water ones are still interesting and some may have some color and cool patterns in off white, brown and black.



Thanks, it only took 2 years to make and grow out... Oh, and 15 years of experience in the hobby! But in reality, it wouldn't be hard to duplicate. And as cool as you think it looks in the photo, It's WAY cooler at night (no light in from the windows) with the house lights out and just the blue leds on! Some say it lights up like a 1960 hippi poster under a black light. If that's before your time, others say it look like the jungle on Pandora (the movie Avatar) when K. Reeves was running around lighting everything up! I just keep looking for corals that fluoresce well under blue leds.

Oh no, the hippie poster is definitely my time. I will try to have patience and hope my tank can look like yours in a couple of years. I have had trouble with a few rock flowers disappearing into my tank, never to be seen again.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Oh no, the hippie poster is definitely my time. I will try to have patience and hope my tank can look like yours in a couple of years. I have had trouble with a few rock flowers disappearing into my tank, never to be seen again.

I had that issue as well back when I first started buying RFA's. They weren't really big to start with and they didn't like just sitting on my rocks. I didn't feed them much as I had a couple of the not so colorful RFA's and they seemed to do just fine without being feed any more than all the corals that get leftover food from feeding the fish.

I found RFA's love holes in the rocks and at one of my favorite snorkel spots in the Florida Keys, the RFA's seems to love being in 1" to 3" of sand with a hard substrate under it that has holes. They attach their foot in that hole and when bothered (by me or anything else) they would pull under the sand. I'd blow away the sand and they'd be all the way down into the hole in the rock. So a friend and I started putting them in PVC end caps and they seem to love it. It also mean they can take up space in the sand rather than in my rocks where I would rather have corals. And that they are easy to move if I need room or end up selling one.

I also found the colorful ones that come from deeper water where they get less light (30' to 50' deep). Now I'm no marine biologist, but my bet is that they do not have the zooxanthellae that do photosynthesis as well as the less colorful RFA's that live in shallow water. So I started feeding mine more mysis shrimp by spot feeding with a turkey baster and they all seemed to start doing much better. Now, once every week on average, I turn off all my pumps, feed the fish and spot feed the RFA's until they all fold up with captured food. In 10 to 15 minutes they are opened up again and I turn the pumps back on.

I don't know if that helps, but it's what worked for me. Good luck.

 

[mfrumkin]

I had that issue as well back when I first started buying RFA's. They weren't really big to start with and they didn't like just sitting on my rocks. I didn't feed them much as I had a couple of the not so colorful RFA's and they seemed to do just fine without being feed any more than all the corals that get leftover food from feeding the fish.

I found RFA's love holes in the rocks and at one of my favorite snorkel spots in the Florida Keys, the RFA's seems to love being in 1" to 3" of sand with a hard substrate under it that has holes. They attach their foot in that hole and when bothered (by me or anything else) they would pull under the sand. I'd blow away the sand and they'd be all the way down into the hole in the rock. So a friend and I started putting them in PVC end caps and they seem to love it. It also mean they can take up space in the sand rather than in my rocks where I would rather have corals. And that they are easy to move if I need room or end up selling one.

I also found the colorful ones that come from deeper water where they get less light (30' to 50' deep). Now I'm no marine biologist, but my bet is that they do not have the zooxanthellae that do photosynthesis as well as the less colorful RFA's that live in shallow water. So I started feeding mine more mysis shrimp by spot feeding with a turkey baster and they all seemed to start doing much better. Now, once every week on average, I turn off all my pumps, feed the fish and spot feed the RFA's until they all fold up with captured food. In 10 to 15 minutes they are opened up again and I turn the pumps back on.

I don't know if that helps, but it's what worked for me. Good luck.

I'm going to order some 1 inch end caps from Amazon. Do you think that will work or should I order some smaller ones also? Do you put any sand or rubble in your end caps?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'm going to order some 1 inch end caps from Amazon. Do you think that will work or should I order some smaller ones also? Do you put any sand or rubble in your end caps?

I think 1" is a good size unless your RFA is full grown and then you might go for 1.5" caps. They are so inexpensive at the hardware store (I'm there fairly often) that I bought some of several sizes.

After I know that the RFA is well attached in the end cap (I can hold it upside down and they stay attached) I push the end cap down in the sand so the rim just barely shows or is even just under the surface. I'm sure sand gets in them and I'm also sure the anemone doesn't mind (I'm a RFA whisperer).

 

[mmw64]

I had that issue as well back when I first started buying RFA's. They weren't really big to start with and they didn't like just sitting on my rocks. I didn't feed them much as I had a couple of the not so colorful RFA's and they seemed to do just fine without being feed any more than all the corals that get leftover food from feeding the fish.

I found RFA's love holes in the rocks and at one of my favorite snorkel spots in the Florida Keys, the RFA's seems to love being in 1" to 3" of sand with a hard substrate under it that has holes. They attach their foot in that hole and when bothered (by me or anything else) they would pull under the sand. I'd blow away the sand and they'd be all the way down into the hole in the rock. So a friend and I started putting them in PVC end caps and they seem to love it. It also mean they can take up space in the sand rather than in my rocks where I would rather have corals. And that they are easy to move if I need room or end up selling one.

I also found the colorful ones that come from deeper water where they get less light (30' to 50' deep). Now I'm no marine biologist, but my bet is that they do not have the zooxanthellae that do photosynthesis as well as the less colorful RFA's that live in shallow water. So I started feeding mine more mysis shrimp by spot feeding with a turkey baster and they all seemed to start doing much better. Now, once every week on average, I turn off all my pumps, feed the fish and spot feed the RFA's until they all fold up with captured food. In 10 to 15 minutes they are opened up again and I turn the pumps back on.

I don't know if that helps, but it's what worked for me. Good luck.

Thank you Ron. I will give your suggestions a shot.

 

[Judi M]

I read somewhere about rfa's killing or eating small fish in tank. Anyone ever experience this?
I have a 32g biocube with 9 rfa"s, a dozen other coral frags, and 2 clowns. I want to add a couple fish and leaning towards a goby or blenny. But the tiny clown goby makes me nervous after hearing about potential rfa snacks/attacks?

 

[KorD]

I read somewhere about rfa's killing or eating small fish in tank. Anyone ever experience this?
I have a 32g biocube with 9 rfa"s, a dozen other coral frags, and 2 clowns. I want to add a couple fish and leaning towards a goby or blenny. But the tiny clown goby makes me nervous after hearing about potential rfa snacks?

They will only eat a fish if it can fit into their mouth. I ha e never had an issue with a blenny in the tank with the RFA's.
I would be more worried if you are trying to raise Mysis shrimp or phyto in the same tank with them

 

[Judi M]

They will only eat a fish if it can fit into their mouth. I ha e never had an issue with a blenny in the tank with the RFA's.
I would be more worried if you are trying to raise Mysis shrimp or phyto in the same tank with them

What is the deal with phyto? Just if trying to culture it? (I ask, because I add phyto regularly)