So, I recently started up a 58 gallon prop system. No, there are things about it that are not optimal, but much of the parts were free, and I thought it would give me some good experience doing something along these lines before I had to commit to something larger and more expensive.

Small steps...

Here’s my ultimate goal on what I would llike to accomplish with this system.

Softies (mushrooms and zoanthids) seem to be the easiest corals to cultivate. They are also easier to keep for the average marine aquarium enthusiast due to water and lighting parameter issues, making them more commerically accessible to more people. No, I am not getting into this for money, but if I could at least cover my costs or fund a new tank project, it would be great.

So, I would like to grow 3-4 standard mushroom types and dabble in the ricordea Florida mushrooms as well. Then, I would like to put together some really nice live rocks with multiple species of mushrooms.

My thought is to get 6-12 individual mushrooms growing on reef plugs as my “brood stock.” I can take cuttings from these on a regular basis, leaving the foot and something that will grow back every time. From these cuttings, using the bridal veil method, I can slice and dice, and place these on live rocks. For the ricordea, I can either learn to raise them or find a good supplier, and just buy a batch every so often.

I will also be making some smaller rocks with encrusting flourescent green star polyps, which are really easy to propagate.

I am going to try some zoas too, but that’s not high priority right now for me.

I would love to get comments from anyone experienced with this type of propagation. I have an ideal of what I would like to do, but as I don’t really have any practical experience, I don’t really know how feasable any of this might be. INPUT APPRECIATED!

when fragging zoanthids, in case you didnt already know, you will ALWAYS want to take the frag from the middle of the colony. this makes it easier for the frag AND colony to both heal. you will have the hole in the colony healing on all sides of the cut, rather than just on one side. and the middle of the colony is usually the fastest growing part.

Bobby, I never thought of that, and I have never heard that advice... I will definitely give that a shot.

I saw an earlier post of yours on candy cane corals and I understand that if you feed them they REALLY like to grow. What specifically do you feed yours. I was going to feed the hammer coral cyclopeeze, would that work too, or should I do something bigger?

Should I carefully place a larger food with tweezers? Or would that even work...

i feed a mixture of mysis and cyclopeeze most of the time. it takes a little longer for the mysis to be eaten, but they love it. i just feed every head of the coral with a turkey baster. 3-4 mysis per polyp works well for me. i started with a few frags (maybe 8 heads) about 7-8 months ago (i think) and i am at close to 30 right now.

Wow. I wonder if my candy cane corals are smaller than yours...

this one started with one head ...

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n75/lReef_lKeeper/candycaneTR.jpg

this was 1 head also ...

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n75/lReef_lKeeper/candycane2TR.jpg

this started as 3 heads and is now over 25. you can see the head on top splitting again in this pic (i just took it tonight !!).

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n75/lReef_lKeeper/candycane3TR.jpg

ENJOY !!

Yes... I think the candy coral I have is MUCH smaller. The heads on mine are only 1/4 - 1/3 inch wide.

I just posted a long description of my prop system with a ton of pictures on my local club website. I didn't want to hog a bunch of Rob's bandwith and server space, so I will just post a link for now.

http://www.palouseaquariums.org/showthread.php?t=428

Here are two photos to go with the link...

Wierd, they didn't upload. I'll try again...

Comments And Feedback Apprecated

Nice! I really like the shelf idea.

nice man !! i just sold a 55 gal tank yesterday, so now i have room for my new prop system. i am thinking about a 50gal. a guy in my club has for sale. if i decide i will post the build here also.

Bobby - back to candy cane corals... I fed mine cyclopeeze last night and even though they are small, they really went to town along with the hammer. There was NO DOUBT that they were eating. In fact, one head that I thought was toast was feeding too, so I guess that shows what I know.

But that begs the question - how often can I feed them?

I also think I need to frag off a small branch of the hammer. It really is quite small, but it is just at *that* angle so the food slipped off, never got consumed. Is there any trick to that at all, and what should I use to cut that piece if I don't have bone cutters, or should I *get* some of them before I go fragging.

I also target fed each and every critter in there (except the shrooms) some phyto last night.

just a little cycloreeze goes a loooong way. i only target feed it about 2x a week. you could probably use a pair of side cutters to clip off the piece or is there a way that you can turn it so it faces where you need it to ??

just so you know ... it only takes 1 living cell to bring a whole colony back to life !!

Well I fed it on New Year's Eve... and I can already see a difference. The heads are definitely larger and healthier looking!

I have a question for ya. What type is light are you using in your sump? Does the chaeto grow well under it?

I am thinking about down grading my light on the sump and i would love to go with a clip on but i can decide on a type of bulb.

It's a full spectrum flourescent bulb you can buy at Home Depot. I found the details on Melev's Reef, but there has been a lot of discussion about using this bulb for fuges.

Personally, I wish I could afford something nicer. :) But yeah, it works fine.

hey jeff looks really cool! hows the css working?

ohh and does the overflow make a lot of noise? cause i and still unsure if i need to do a durso or not

I have a question for ya. What type is light are you using in your sump? Does the chaeto grow well under it?

I am thinking about down grading my light on the sump and i would love to go with a clip on but i can decide on a type of bulb.

i am using the clip on lights that you can get at Home Depot, with a screw in type flourescent bulb. it works great and has a 6500K rating, so it is great for growth.

yeah, those are called lights of america lights.. and they are perfect for refugiums

heres a link
Flood Light Product Category Page (http://www.lightsofamerica.com/floods.htm)

Well nearly a year later, I have upgraded my system. I went from having a 29 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump to having two 29 gallon prop/display tanks and one 55 gallon sump/fuge. It's been a dramatic change and quite an undertaking for me.

My main reason for doing this was because my softies/lps have such different light and flow requirements than my sps critters... Now one tank will be under MH lighting with considerably more flow, and the other will be under PCs with less flow.

My only question now is that my drains are REALLY loud (water going straight down 1" PVC. How can I get this to quiet down? I have heard of a durso but don't know much else. As in, how to MAKE one. Or, is this what I even NEED to quiet the system down.

Pictures forthcoming...

God bless Google. The guy who invented the thing?

dursostandpipes.com (http://www.dursostandpipes.com)

With instructions?

Build Your Own Durso Standpipe (http://www.dursostandpipes.com/BuildYourOwn/tabid/54/Default.aspx)

And this... Stockman Reef Technologies (http://home.nc.rr.com/stockmanreef/)

I am going to try making a durso first, seeing as I have pretty much everything I already need, or access to it....

Jeff, how big are the candy canes now ?? i have slacked on feeding mine, but they are still growing ... just a lot slower than they use to.

I fragged off most of my good corals to pay for the new system.

Regarding the water level when using the Durso... does anyone know where on the standpipe can I expect the water level to be?

My guess is that the water level should be right at the top of the 1¼ PVC Street-'L'. But with PVC being as expensive as it is, I wanted to check before I cut any more 1¼ pipe.

Click here for detail: Build Your Own Durso Standpipe (http://www.dursostandpipes.com/BuildYourOwn/tabid/54/Default.aspx)

Amazing noise reduction, and the stupid thing isn't even finished. Happy to say I won't suddenly need to pee every time I walk downstairs. :)

Question #2, regarding circulation... breaking up the surface is important for many reasons. But HOW MUCH do I have to break it up? For the last year I keep the stream about an inch off the waters surface. But, it generates extra noise. Can I bring that down to water level and get the same benefit? I am using locline and a flare nozzle... 700 GPH in one 500 in the other.

God bless Google. The guy who invented the thing?

dursostandpipes.com (http://www.dursostandpipes.com)

With instructions?

Build Your Own Durso Standpipe (http://www.dursostandpipes.com/BuildYourOwn/tabid/54/Default.aspx)

I love it. A couple of years ago one of our exchange students needed to know how to tie a tie and my husband wasn't home. Google to the rescue!

I figured it all out. Simple, amazing, sssh... quiet!

Now I actually hear water dripping from my RO/DI unit. I don't hear my tanks at all. The sump and the pumps are the loudest part. I wonder how the hell guys like this figure crap like this out.

I have slacked on feeding mine, but they are still growing ... just a lot slower than they use to.

Once I get everything set up and the system stabilized, I plan on adding a calcium reactor. There's a package from Marine Depot with a Korralin reactor and everything needed, I understand this is one of the best out there. I don't think it comes with the pH controller, but I will add that as well.

I have very little left to go for this "project." Either I make it fly or I sell it all. I think my knowledge and experience is to the point I am really ready to do this.

One tank will be for higher flow, higher light critters, and the other for lower light, lower flow. The more things come along, the more excited I am about this project. It's really looking cool so far. That and everything actually seems to work, too - which is an added bonus. :)

I only have one thing left to do, and that's to put the live rock in the bottom of the softie tank (which unfortunately means I have to relocate all of my softies for a few minutes. I am also tying in my fluval to the system for now just to run carbon. Eventually I will probably run carbon with a phosban reactor, but for now I own the fluval and it's an easy solution.

how about some pics of this setup buddy ??

You mean no more Niagara?

Pics coming soon, need to tidy up a bit this weekend.

No niagra... no NOTHING! Kinda freaks me out... I'm used to the constant gurgle and flush!