Xenia Backgroud?

[Minh Nguyen]

Podman,
There was really nothing I can point to, just the tone. I guess I am just over sensitive. You must sense something when you put the emoticons on it. It was nothing really, and I should not be irritated.

 

[Anonymous]

hey, lets let it be bygones. if you will, i'd like to know what toxins you've heard, or theorize, might be causing this phenomena. would these be speculated to arise from other soft species? or an elemental imbalance? as i stated my xenia does well but i keep it in a sps dominant tank. what did your friend house?

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Podman,
There is no hard feeling on my part.
Both of my friends tank were mix reef high light, about 1/2 SPS.
I also read about a third one, but does not know this reefer personally, here
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/2000/feb/newbie/default.asp
Too bad Aquarium Frontier stop publication after this issue, I did not have the follow-up on this.

Minh

 

[Anonymous]

doesn't the author of that article make regular appearances on advanced reef aquarist mag.?

i remember reading an article on Pratt reef in a magazine somewhere. hope it all turned out alright.

i'm gonna look around some. i'll post what i find.

 

[Anonymous]

sure enough he has articles on the aaolm. i posted a query in the "articles past" forum.

 

[SPC]

Posted by Podman:

yes i read the borneman ...coral husbandry... book. quite good actually. but there are many things in the book i'm not sold on

-Care to give a couple of examples?
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

-Care to give a couple of examples?
Steve

nothing comes to mind off hand, i've lent the book to a friend and its been almost a year since i've read it. i can say that borneman's writings are some of the best out there, but like i statad earlier i've yet to read a book of that magnitude that there wasn't some points of differance between the writer and myself. i've read some other borneman articles and may confuse them with the book but, one item i'm not sold on is that his systems are healthier without a skimmer. i don't believe he's lying, i just have to see it to believe it.i also must add that he didn't recommend that reefers pull their skimmers off.

other than that nugget you'll have to wait until my friends done with the book and i can refresh myself as to its content.

i have to ask, do you sell this book or something?

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Podman,
My system does not have a skimmer either. I know that my corals grow really fast. My fish just don't get sick in my system. The system was setup almost three years ago.
They’re certainly many reefers with skimmer less system. I have the following fishes spawned in my system: Cherub angel, Banggai Cardinals, Royal Gramma, Yellow clown goby, Mandarin Dragonet, Yellow tail damsels. I think Marine Beta and Ocellaris clown will breed in the near future. I even have a baby Banggai grow to full adult in my overflow box (30"X8"X34")
Certainly one can manage nutrients without skimmer, and the tank is much healthier because of the increase in plankton in the system.
Minh

 

[goldenboy]

Were the xenia WC or TR? And if they were TR how many generatons back is the mother collony? I am sure that we all agree that TR corals are much more hardy than WC. I remember back in the day when WC xenia would come in to the lfs completely melted away on a regular basis. It wasn't until a few people started having species pull through and start reproducing in the aquarium that many poeple had any major success with them anyway. I know that GARF almost gave up on xenia because they couldn't keep them alive up until they had one nerely melt away, regrow and then start reproducing. I really think that having well established TR specimens that have a long geniology of captive raised collonies has alliviated this for the most part. Has anyone out there had a well established collony of TR xenia completely crash?

 

[danmhippo]

I think most xenia in trades now are TD (tank divided).

 

[goldenboy]

I think most xenia in trades now are TD (tank divided).

I would have to agree with that but at least in Arizona I see non TD from time to time. Although not at the really good stores. which are few and far between out here.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

Brad Ward in Dallas ship out many Xenia colonies every week. He have a tank that is about 3 feet by 5 feet by 18 inches high 1/2 full of Xenia he have several species of Xenia. He cultures them and ships them out.
Brad has another spectacular SPS tank with 5 flame angels they regularly spawned in his tank. If and when you go to Dallas for the MACNA 14 be sure to come by his house to look at his spectacular tanks.
I supply the LFS here in Corpus Christi with Xenia. I used to suplly most of the Seattle LFS with Xenia.

 

[Anonymous]

hey minh, did you succesfully rear mandarin fry? is this an occurance that has happened to others?

anyway, i don't doubt that you succesfully keep your tank skimmerless, i have yet to see a tank without one that looks like a low nutrient atmosphere. the info i have obtained states the water on a natural is cleaned quite well by its inhabitants. the skimmerless systems i see always have yellow water, organics piled up on the bottom, and corals that look brown, signaling a possible nutrient buildup.

 

[danmhippo]

Not aggressively advocating going skimmerless, but I have to say I have observed more planktonic life in terms of quantity after switching to skimmerless. However noted, without proper nutrient export mechanism in place first, one should not taken the skimmerless route.

 

[Minh Nguyen]

hey minh, did you succesfully rear mandarin fry? is this an occurance that has happened to others?

.......

I have never try to raise any of the fry because I don't have the space or time. I know a few reefers with Mandarin spawn in their tank. Raising the fry is another matter. Sprung was thought to have raise them to adulthood. Mandarins are very slow grower and it is though that they are not commercially profitable. I only have one Banggai Cardinal grow from baby to full adult in my overflow box. He/she is bigger then his/her father and is the same size as the mother.
You can see picture of my tank in the very first issue of Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine (follow the signiture link) I do try to do a 20% water change every month.
Minh

 

[Anonymous]

yeah i looked your aquarium over a couple times,real nice and beautiful tridacna collection. don't see many like those around here. wish i could post a pic (no means), i'd show you my setup. maybe soon.

i am embarassed to ask but are mandarins egg layers?

 

[danmhippo]

Yes, Mandarins are egglayers.

 

[SPC]

Podman:

i've read some other borneman articles and may confuse them with the book but, one item i'm not sold on is that his systems are healthier without a skimmer. i don't believe he's lying, i just have to see it to believe it.

-You did look at Minh's tank didn't you?

i also must add that he didn't recommend that reefers pull their skimmers off.

-He didn't recommend it because most reefers can't run a successful tank even with a skimmer.

other than that nugget you'll have to wait until my friends done with the book and i can refresh myself as to its content.

-OK

i have to ask, do you sell this book or something?

-No, I was just curious what you disagreed with but I would be glad to sell you my copy if the price is right :wink: .

i have yet to see a tank without one that looks like a low nutrient atmosphere.

-Are you confusing nutrients with organics and waste?

the info i have obtained states the water on a natural is cleaned quite well by its inhabitants.

-A reef is a very high nutrient area. In fact much higher than we could ever expect in our tanks.

the skimmerless systems i see always have yellow water, organics piled up on the bottom, and corals that look brown, signaling a possible nutrient buildup.

-Again, Minh's dosen't look like what you have described, how can this be?
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

You did look at Minh's tank didn't you?

i did.

He didn't recommend it because most reefers can't run a successful tank even with a skimmer.

but i suppose your one of those gifted enough to run one without.

-Are you confusing nutrients with organics and waste?

no, organics are nutrients, nutrients aren't always organics.

A reef is a very high nutrient area. In fact much higher than we could ever expect in our tanks.

agreed, these nutrients are consumed by the reefs inhabitants.

Again, Minh's dosen't look like what you have described, how can this be?

i'm sorry, did you state this earlier? i refuse to answer this because i think your trying to ignite something.

to whom it may concern, i enjoy eric bornemans articles very much.i feel the need to express that under no condition am i putting his methodology on trial, i also am not putting my experience level anywhere even close to the same plane as his. i am in full recognition of his greater knowledge in these biological areas. i will also addthat i have been in the works with attempting a skimmerless FOWLER set up with acceptable results. this has only been up a few months and i've yet to go reef, or even place lights over it (it sits by the window). hopefully others following this post can relate to my constant skepticism when reading reef material, and accept that theres more than one way to succeed at this hobby.

 

[Anonymous]

feel like a jerk, had someone look at thread to see if i was over reacting. guess so he said i likely raed into the situation with which wasn't there. maybe the earlier misunderstanding has left me feeling defensive, or maybe i started that misunderstanding as well.

any way, if this is the case, my deepest apologies to you SPC.