Stenopus Hispidus

Hi Mellow, Yes, they spread like wildfire. I have given away 2 fist-size rock full of them and also transfered some to my other tank. Another smaller frag was given to newdamsel. Dunno how is it doing? Yes, they do irritate other corals and inhibit expansion over them. In my case, the monti grew fast enough to overshadow those polyps below it and guess what...killed them all. Now the area below the monti is pitch dark and nothing the green star polyps can do to resume its growth there. To the left are my candy canes and to the left is the lobo both of which have more powerful stings than the star polyps. For the past 10 months, its prolific growth has been checked. Sometimes proper placement of coral type can keep things from getting out of hand. Hi Chris, Good for you. You should get a good big piece in a year. Hmmm....Why do I get this gut wrenching feeling that I know who you are referring to? Telepathic powers? I have the same motto. Sometimes I just wish the corals don't grow so fast so that I don't have to spend so much time to re-scape, frag, tear, destroy just to keep things in order. Acro being the exception.

Hi Onghm, Great shots there. Indeed a different perspective. Nice to have met you in person today and hoping to see some shots taken with your Minolta DC.

More than 2 years old Monti...Well, what can I say...Cool manz. Yup disappeared (or should I say on/off) for some time. Just brought a baby girl into this world and somehow got tied down.

Howdy Robe, Glad you are having success with your Monti too. I've had mine for 1 year 2 months to be precise .......and you?

Hi Phang, Yeah...I remember those pics. Sure brings back a lot of memories from SRC V1 days. Your posting rate was something like a 100 a day! and your infamous fat and juicy Red T.Geoffroyi as Avatar...Wow! Ain't we all. Ain't we all...Take it easy manz...

Sorry again folks...forgot to include the "now" pic of the Montipora... Sighzz...Forgot how to post already.

Sorry folks....1st pic was taken on 9 Oct 2002 not 2003. Here's a pic of my baby hairy green lobophyllia....saved and sound.

Heres the new pic taken on 26 Aug 2003. Treble size I guess I can frag part of the 2nd plate for you now. Long wait huh!

Gee whizz, AT....I forgot but you remembered, ....after something like 10 months down the road! Anyway, here's a pic of how much it has grown. It has tripled its original size now from a fist to bigger than a full palm size. In fact, its starting to make a second plate. You can get some reference point based on some ridges and contours from the old pic as well as using the size of the green star polyps to make a judgement on the size of it in the new pic...and you will definitely get an idea of its growth rate. Poor hairy green lobophyllia below it...overshadowed and lost some of its colours Fortunately, it grew a baby which I promptly transferred to my Nano. Its perpetuity is assured. Below is the old pic taken on 9 Oct 2003. Fist size only.

Yup..."Finally" is the word... Can't have the luxury of saying "I still have 1/3 space left" anymore. Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted A superb tank you have there!

Hi Onghm, Nice rich coloured hammer. Rare to see you post pics or was I out of touch with this forum... You using the "much yearned" Minolta Dimage 7? Hope you have not got that as they (Minolta) have just released a new one.

I paid $55 for mine because it was bigger than the usual ones around. I have no regrets though. Rare being one of the attraction of Ricordeas. The other being the colours of these mushies. Ricordeas can have a myriad of 5++ colours on just a single polyp and that makes it an outstanding piece even if it is by itself. No other mushies can have such a concentration of colours on just a single polyp! Thirdly, the $55 is well invested in the sense that Rics are hardy. It can last you years on end if your water is right. Their requirement is just like most other contemporary mushies, nothing spectacular or too difficult. The time it lives, in a way, pays for itself (defraying of costs over the years) and we have not even begun talking about Rics reproducing in your tank! Enjoy.

Hi Dan, Back to first post for yer. Fortunately for me, I have a 100+ post here and a 100+ post there. Last talked to you was that you had plans on upgrading to a bigger tank. How is it doing so far?

Here's mine. Phang, you started this thread...where's yours?

Happy Birthday to you and may you be blessed with plenty of properous acros...

Hi Phang, Seems like acros are so unpredictable. Just dunno when they decide to grow taller, when they decide to encrust or when they are stagnating...but I guess that's where the challenge lies.

4-5mm every month?! My frag showed only an increase of abt 5 mm taller over 65 days (dipped a plastic ruler). Which means to say that my growth rate is roughly half of yours? OK, at least now I know where I stand and what's the potential of this coral. Thanks Morgan.

Hi Morgan, Hmmm...I dated the pics. The 2nd pic is what it looks like after 65 days in my tank. The 1st pic was about 10 days after I got the frag from Tanzy.

Hi Wedgee, Yes, the thin layer will encourage crystalisation of calcium on the surface, a process which will export calcium out of your kalkwasser mix thereby lowering your calcium content. Overtime, you will notice your "thin layer" will eventually become thicker. What you can actually is to use vinegar to melt it down. You'll find scrubbing it off easier that way. Of course, clean your utensils throughly after that.

2nd Pic taken on 070303

Hi Tanzy, here is how your frag looks like now. I have referenced some areas on the frag to assist in viewing on the right perspective. No of days since inception : 65 days No of days between pic : 53 days Growth observation: - It has grown taller and is becoming "top heavy" - Bottom have encrusted part of the epoxy with green polyps coming out from there too - Polyps are now richer and striking green in colour. - Purplish tinge on the tips faded during the first 2 weeks and has since made a came back…fortunately. - The mid region of the frag seems to have darken compared to when I first had it. Was the light colour suppose to be normal? Is your parent colony still light in the mid region? (If Morgan had a say in this colour variation, that'll be "shit brown"…Hi, Morgan…) Peculiar habit: Polyps only come out at night when the lights are out. I can only appreciate it either with a torchlight or do a manual overide on my timer. After that, they give me only quarter min to snap the picture before it sucks them back in. Duh…This is one shy acro! I've seen acros that show their polyps throughout the day…but then again they may be of other genus. Finally, relative to your parent colony, would you rate this growth rate as being fast, normal or slow assuming conditions (of your tank and mine) remain constant? First Pic taken on 130103

Hi Catfish, I got mine at Jurong Point, Seagull (Basement 1, next to NTUC). Think it was something like $4+ Anyway, I believe you can get this from most hardware/DIY shops located at most shopping centres. It just another glue to them to join their other wood glue, silicone, 2 part epoxy mix, rubber glue, etc, but to us reefers, its a world of difference..$$$

This is what I'm using. It looks and smells exactly like the Salifert's Coralstick except that the outer layer is whitish (see pic) and of course....its very much cheaper. Interesting, it seems like we all use different brands here. Do feedback if there are any unusual observations occurring in the use of these epoxies. Perhaps this will put an end to another one repackaged product in the list of many other rip-offs tagged to the name of this industry. Some relevant info mentioned in the leaflet: Contains epoxy & Amine resins, Working life 2-5 minutes, Strong bonding in 5-10 minutes. Piero, I have worked using 3 kinds of epoxies to date and IMO, none of them have convinced me that they glue well underwater. Its best to take the job out of the water (if you can) but that does not mean it won't work underwater. I only achieved best results underwater when I use "extra generously" but this can be quite unsightly. To sum up, epoxies can still glue underwater, but its harder (may require several attempts), more wasteful (gotta use a lot) and the bonding may not be as strong (some corals glued purely underwater seemed wobbly to me).

Yeah, I used the same thing Robe uses and I don't see any apparent problems with my tank inhabitants too. I can only assume its OK but as a side note, I do have my Purigen, Cuprisorb, Matrix & Phosgard in my tank together with a running skimmer...if it means anything at all. Previously, I was using the Salifert Coralstick (S$30.00) - Red outside, Green centre. Also noted the fact that Selley's cure faster and IMO...better. Wow! so many smilies...

Alright! Alright! I hereby resign from the world of photography. I have smashed my D.cam, snap my compact flash, cut my USB cable and gave away the fisheye lens to my clown who may need a spare eye just in case he contract some liver disease and have his eye popped.