Updated video of coral feeding in 1 gallon pico vase

brandon429 · 05/21/2009, 09:38 AM

This glass vase is about 39 months old and houses tiny frags of:

acan echinata x2 variants
caulastrea x3
dendrophyllia
anthelia
clavularia
galaxea
blastomussa (both merletti and wells)
several zoanthids including blue monsters and orange sunburst
montipora
hydnophora
frogspawn
palythoa
ricordea
favites

I posted an update video of the feeding regimen which I changed drastically from previous designs that were meant to stave off water changes and place the bowl more inline with larger setup maintenance frequencies. I feed often and change often so the vase can keep progressively tougher corals. If I'm going to be out of town I just skip the feeding and they wait a week, then it's no hurry to change the water but the crabs will have picked the corals down bad if they go that long!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsbsebZHh4M

Rek84 · 05/21/2009, 11:13 AM

That is absolutely amazing; one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen!! Congratulations on creating a complete living world inside a tiny bowl!!

What do you use for lighting? Do you have a website that tells or shows how you do this?

Once again, I'm amazed; I didn't know something like that was possible.

brandon429 · 05/21/2009, 11:41 AM

hey thanks for stopping in. I forgot to zoom out a little more in the picture or it would have shown this is a vase from wal mart, just a glass vase which I'm hoping doesn't get weaker with UV bombardment as the months go by

this is a glass vase with live sand, rock and corals and a coralife 9 watt pc fixture, off to the side is a 13 watt 50 50 bulb. Also, it is completely driven by airstone. whether or not someone likes microbubbles is irrelevent to the effect on the system, they aren't harmful I'm sure but I like them because it looks like a waterfall splash in the middle.

for corals like galaxea and frogspawn, there are very mild currents from the upward flow that, when positioned correctly, will keep sweeper polyps apart. of course, sometimes stings happen and if it doesn't wipe out a whole colony I let it proceed. about the only thing I redirect commonly is the boxer crab, lybbia tesellata. it is doing it's normal thing, but it can tear polyps when hungry.

The reason it doesn't need skimming is because water changes just after a feeding remove most of the food and leave only that which is inside a polyp, I think the feed heavy, change heavy approach is what's keeping it going for so long.

B

Rek84 · 05/21/2009, 12:27 PM

I didn't think anything like that would even be possible. Pretty amazing stuff you have accomplished there, man!!

05/21/2009, 09:38 AM	#1
brandon429 Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,460	Updated video of coral feeding in 1 gallon pico vase This glass vase is about 39 months old and houses tiny frags of: acan echinata x2 variants caulastrea x3 dendrophyllia anthelia clavularia galaxea blastomussa (both merletti and wells) several zoanthids including blue monsters and orange sunburst montipora hydnophora frogspawn palythoa ricordea favites I posted an update video of the feeding regimen which I changed drastically from previous designs that were meant to stave off water changes and place the bowl more inline with larger setup maintenance frequencies. I feed often and change often so the vase can keep progressively tougher corals. If I'm going to be out of town I just skip the feeding and they wait a week, then it's no hurry to change the water but the crabs will have picked the corals down bad if they go that long! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsbsebZHh4M Last edited by brandon429; 05/21/2009 at 09:47 AM.

05/21/2009, 11:41 AM	#3
brandon429 Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,460	-- hey thanks for stopping in. I forgot to zoom out a little more in the picture or it would have shown this is a vase from wal mart, just a glass vase which I'm hoping doesn't get weaker with UV bombardment as the months go by this is a glass vase with live sand, rock and corals and a coralife 9 watt pc fixture, off to the side is a 13 watt 50 50 bulb. Also, it is completely driven by airstone. whether or not someone likes microbubbles is irrelevent to the effect on the system, they aren't harmful I'm sure but I like them because it looks like a waterfall splash in the middle. for corals like galaxea and frogspawn, there are very mild currents from the upward flow that, when positioned correctly, will keep sweeper polyps apart. of course, sometimes stings happen and if it doesn't wipe out a whole colony I let it proceed. about the only thing I redirect commonly is the boxer crab, lybbia tesellata. it is doing it's normal thing, but it can tear polyps when hungry. The reason it doesn't need skimming is because water changes just after a feeding remove most of the food and leave only that which is inside a polyp, I think the feed heavy, change heavy approach is what's keeping it going for so long. B Last edited by brandon429; 05/21/2009 at 12:00 PM.

05/21/2009, 11:13 AM	#2
Rek84 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Laurel, MS Posts: 103	That is absolutely amazing; one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen!! Congratulations on creating a complete living world inside a tiny bowl!! What do you use for lighting? Do you have a website that tells or shows how you do this? Once again, I'm amazed; I didn't know something like that was possible.

05/21/2009, 12:27 PM	#4
Rek84 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Laurel, MS Posts: 103	I didn't think anything like that would even be possible. Pretty amazing stuff you have accomplished there, man!!