Esta's Grow Out

[estanoche]

Got my frags in the mail yesterday!! :big_grin: :big_grin:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3571.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3570.jpg

To start out, these must go through my mandatory QT & dipping process - so, after acclimation, they got their quick 10 minute dip in CoralRX :hypnotized:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3577.jpg

One popped off the frag plug, so I decided while I was moving them, to reduce the # of transfers, I'd go ahead and glue each one to some rubble rock now to give them more room to grow out!! Plus, once they graduate to my main tank, my jawfish LOVES to use frag plugs to shore up his hidey hole, he has a little more difficulty with large pieces of rubble rock. :secret2: :secret2:

Here's the plugs
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3578.jpg

And the frags all mounted and hanging out on my frag rack.
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3579.jpg


They will hang out in my quarantine tank for 30-45 days, unless I buy more corals, then the 30-45 day timer resets.

My tank specification -
Quarantine - 25 gallon cube with 2 Par38 LEDs, Tunze 9010 skimmer, HOB fuge, SEIO 1500 for flow
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3400.jpg

Main Display - 80 gallon, 6 bulb T5 in the zoa sector of the tank, 2 MP40s, sump, fuge, lifereef skimmer, calcium reactor (tank thread here: http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members-reefs/estas-not-so-mini-reef-18371/)

They were still opening up last night, so the official polyp count is TBD!! :D

[estanoche]

OK - official counts - and since I am horrible and ID-ing and remembering the IDs of my zoas, I'm numbering mine as follows:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/2011-growout-contestcopy.jpg

So, frag # 1 = 4 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3603.jpg

Frag # 2 = 4 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3594.jpg

Frag # 3 = 4 polyps (got 1 polyp open, i think the others will come around... if not its a HO2 dip for em!)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3612.jpg

Frag # 4 = 4 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3595.jpg

Frag # 5 = 4 polyps (glued these guys down kinda sideways)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3604.jpg

Frag # 6 = 5 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3589.jpg

Frag # 7 = 4 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3598.jpg

Frag # 8 = 6 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3591.jpg

I could be wrong about 7 & 2 - but we will see!! :D haha

[Sir Patrick]

:good_luck:

[estanoche]

Time for an update :) Now that these have all passed QT I will be transferring them over to my main tank tonight, here's some shots of them before the transfer.

So, frag #1 and # 2 decided to melt away and die on me..... although I doubt my urchin helped any! Maybe I will find them in my frag tank sometime down the road :D

RIP Frag #1 & #2

Frag # 3 - 2 polyps made it through
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3878.jpg

Frag # 4 - 4ish polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3870.jpg

Frag # 5 - 4ish polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3866.jpg

Frag # 6 - 6ish polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3874.jpg

Frag # 7 - 4ish polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3867.jpg

Frag # 8 - 4ish polups
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_3862.jpg


aren't ya all glad I'm in this competition - already down 2!! hahaha :D

[estanoche]

Jim was nice enough to remind me I needed to update :stupidme: :stupidme: hahaha

Well - so, things were moving as planned - I decided to put the frags in my main tank to complete the growout :redneck: :redneck: - not more than 24 hours later, every one was closed up - some had even disappeared overnight!!!

Gah!!! These, and a couple of my other colonies of zoas in the tank did the same thing.... :cryin: :cryin:

So, after a month of dipping, cleaning, dipping, cleaning...

Frags #6 and #7 still remain (egg drops and mean greens)

Here they are -
Heres # 6 - 1 polyp
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_01081.jpg

and #7 - 2 polyps
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_01071.jpg

I think I may be setting a new standard here!! hahaha :jester: :jester:

[AJ :)]

You still have a chance. :)

Plus you take way better pics than i do!

You have more mean greens than me!

[jimsflies]

You never know how the contest will turn out...still a lot of time between now and the end. Regardless, I think it is good to hear the successes and failures ...never know with enough data maybe we can figure out something that helps us all grow Z&P's better. What not to do is just as important as what to do....

[thefishgirl]

Hang in there! I started about a month later than everyone else did. I've had a set back here and there...but I'm still moving forward. You just never know... they could just love their new environment so much that they just take off after an acclimation period! GOOD LUCK!!!

[estanoche]

haha - thanks for all the encouragement guys ;)

They must have heard you - looks like the blue ones (i dunno, I call them #5) have come back from the dead, found 1 polyp of them, and I reused one of the pieces of rubble I had one of the red ones on for a new SPS frag I got, and now I'm finding them growing on the "rubble plug" (i'm thinking its #8 in comparing the plugs I had them on)

lol - doh.... Will work on more pics soon - no new polyps that I can see (other than the new +1s lol).. but it looks like ive got 4 colonies!! We're back in the game now!! hahaha

All I've gotta say is zoas must like dwarf angler poop (cuz that is all I have in the QT system they are living in now)

[estanoche]

More horrible photo updates :) I suppose if I was more proud of my growth I'd stop using my iPhone to take all these pics :) (the iPhone does not like the LEDs on this tank, all it pics up is blue!)

So, #6, still 1 polyp (and I little small today, the lights just came on....)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_02021.jpg

#7 - 2 polyps, #5 - 2 polyps (geez this pic is horrible, but I swear they are there under the algae!)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_02011.jpg

And my newly re-discovered #8
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/IMG_02001.jpg

I moved all the rest of my zoa collection to this tank, and they are doing well as well... so I think they will come around and grow great once they get rolling again :)

[estanoche]

Time for another update - although, I think things remain unchanged :) haha - guess they are too scared to grow now after all the death, dips, and destruction! Recently I moved my Powder Brown into this tank cuz he is being a turd, so things might clean up.... maybe that will help them grow??

#6, 1 polyp
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/10d7603d.jpg

and I think I lost #8 again... the rock it was on did some rolling around and my urchin decided to do some redecorating and now I cant find it.... stupid urchin!! haha - The real question is will it turn up agai??

#7 - 3 polyps (+1, yay!)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/6612a600.jpg

#5 - 2 polyps (not that you can see them, they are the round dots right in the center! lol)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/88da3286.jpg

[estanoche]

Well - no new polyp counts - everything is still the same, and i just added 6" of sand to this tank yesterday, so I doubt I will see much growth until everything settles back in.... guess a video update may be more engaging (actual contest frags are at :30 and 1:10)


http://youtu.be/SPLuRSxnXcY

[estanoche]

Looks like this is my last update :) Well after adding more sand into this tank and doing a little re-scaping, the 3 colonies I have left have gotten a little bigger (well the polyps have), and happier - but still no additions to the polyp count dangit!!!

Do I get credit for being first loser??!! lol

Final-ish count - Egg Drops - 1, Mean Greens - 3, Almond Joys - 2

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/cc7b29cb.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/659810d7.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/johontas/1ac5f3ff.jpg

[AJ :)]

Nice video. :) Your tank looks spiff.

You still have more mean greens than me and they are one of the cooler frags from the mix.


AJ

[thefishgirl]

So glad to see you stayed in all the way until the end despite the issues you were having. And you still have something to show for it!! Great job!