Help on Blasto

[mnm]

HEllo there, i am semi new to marine hobby.

Last 2 yrs ago.

Very much one of those people whom does not believe in a chiller ,measure PH, Mag, cal level etc

understand alittle about marine.

Kept 70% of fishes and LPS corals alive after 1 year.

but gave it all to my friend.

But now i am back again i am very keen to learn from the experts in this forum cos i have been reading it for the pass 1 week.

KUDOS to this wedsite.....

My set up is very very simple a 2x1.5x 1.5ft. .

A simple 2 in 1External Fliter ###### Skimmer which seems to be working good thus far.(small size run by pump not air ones).

2 x 24watts T5 Ocean Pro 2x 24 Watts Blue Pro lighting. No sum tank.

I bought 5 cluters of HALF DEAD Blastos (cheap)and decided to try it out to see if i can make the REVIVE THEM.

I promise to take some photos by tonight.

My Plan:I dont mind target feeding 2 days once( is that too much if so how many times a week) ?

i am feed with JBL KORELLFLIUD ( any other recommendations )? :idea:

I am currently using IWARNA TOP UP (ONCE A WEEK WITH DISTILL WATER)

Currently all Blastos are on the sand bed.

Questions: :bow

1: What r the test kits i need to buy? or can i do without?

2:Wat are the perimeters i need to look out for ?PH, Mag, cal etc?whats the level to falling between for LPS ONlY or all the same?

3:IS a chiller really require to keep LPS?

4: Are target feeding the blastos a good solution?

5:Any good brand model extenal skimmer >$200 or mine skimmer is sufficent for a 120 liters tank? Anyway to calculate skimmer to tank size?

6:The lighting okay?

Thk you Sir and mdm.

[ambystoma82]

surprise me tht u nt very ready to go into reefing yet by buying half dead blastos...

how cheap can they be?

when they die on u?

[mnm]

surprise me tht u nt very ready to go into reefing yet by buying half dead blastos...

how cheap can they be?

when they die on u?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi ambystoma82,

U r the one person i was most looking forward to for my reply by reading the forum u seem like an expert on Blasto.

FYI before u judge someone , i was juz asking for help not insults!!!

My wife juz gave birth to a baby boy!!!

So that all i can AFFORD to buy right now Half Dead Blastos,u have a problem with that my friend?

and what makes u think i am not very read to go into reefing.

U mean by buying the best blastos or the most expensive corals or fish means one is ready!!!

I guess u must be one of the typical PERSON mentally where by u

buy the best things in the world so that they are problem free?

I think u r the one that isnt ready to go into reefing!!!!!

i quote ( surprise me tht u nt very ready to go into reefing yet by buying half dead blastos...)

Also if i dont buy them i believe they will be left on the farm to die.

its okay if u arnt keen in helping which i thought U would.

Thk you for yr comment.

[babareef]

Bro I hope by reading this, u might get better understanding about water parameters.More articles available too by Randy Holmes Farley. Happy reading and happy reefing. http:// www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

[prata lover]

chill bro.i dont think he meant tat way.blasto are very easy to care for.if they are injured,it will heal back in time if you feed it n give it tlc.

[kelstorm]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi ambystoma82,

U r the one person i was most looking forward to for my reply by reading the forum u seem like an expert on Blasto.

FYI before u judge someone , i was juz asking for help not insults!!!

My wife juz gave birth to a baby boy!!!

So that all i can AFFORD to buy right now Half Dead Blastos,u have a problem with that my friend?

and what makes u think i am not very read to go into reefing.

U mean by buying the best blastos or the most expensive corals or fish means one is ready!!!

I guess u must be one of the typical PERSON mentally where by u

buy the best things in the world so that they are problem free?

I think u r the one that isnt ready to go into reefing!!!!!

i quote ( surprise me tht u nt very ready to go into reefing yet by buying half dead blastos...)

Also if i dont buy them i believe they will be left on the farm to die.

its okay if u arnt keen in helping which i thought U would.

Thk you for yr comment.

I seriously doubt that is the case from Ambystoma as claimed by u.

lets put it this way, assuming that ur water parameters are all stable, it is still viable to spend a little more to get healthy corals. Having quality equipment does help. Knowing wat sort of parameters and lightings required for the corals does help when u go shopping for them.

While u mentioned that if u dun buy them, they will be left to die in the farms. Another qn i posed would be, while it is noble to do that, it takes lot of effort to bring them back to health, something which u might find it tough with the new baby boy. As such, instead of throwing away good money, no matter how much cheaper they may be, i would just get one healthy piece to care instead. Healthy corals will need less care on ur side (provided that ur parameters are stable). Assuming that u bought such half dead blastos at a deal of $5-10 a piece and u got 5 pieces. u would hv forked out almost $50. That, u can get a healthy piece at ard $30-50 depending on the location u get them from. I would say, the LFS that sold u these half dead corals, would be laughing all the way to the cash register coz u would hv "subsidise" his losses. I would say, depending on the condition of the blasto, unless u are very sure u can bring them back to health, it is otherwise a much foregone situation for them.

As mentioned before, blastos are pretty much an easy coral to keep and chances are, the coral might hv been injured during the shipment or attacked by other parasites or non-reef safe fishes. watever it may be, it is still this phase, unless u are confident of bringing it back to health, otherwise, leave it. When u get such corals, rem, it is a huge gamble on ur side. If they survive, it brings much joy. I have tried on several corals before and only succeed once. Most of the time, the corals are pretty stressed up and new environment just compound the situation.

There are ppl who dun use skimmer. They change water religiously. If given a choice, i would dump the external skimmer and go with a sump, reason being that with a sump, u hv more water vol to play with, giving u more margin in terms of errors. U can do the same by changin water regularly.. it should more or less bring ur water parameters to stable. But that is another school altogether.

Having good equipments helps. I'll explain the reason. U can be sure that it will does it job. Granted, cost is a factor and while other alternatives does the same job, it is up to the reefer to decide which suits him best. Based on ur budget of $200, u can get a decent good 2nd hand unit. Just need to look ard.

I equate the filter as stomach and the Skimmer as kidney of our body. The stomach(filter) is to process all the waste and Kidney (Skimmer) removes all the dissolved waste which the filter cannot removed. By hving a sump, u are actually increasing the size of ur stomach and can take in more waste.

U might wanna state ur water parameters to begin with, the test kits to get are;

1. NO3

2. kH

3. Mg

4. Ca

5. SG (use refractometer, more accurate)

I do recommend getting salifert as starters and the 5 test kits will set u back almost $200. Some investments are inevidable if u wanna venture into marine.

Once u know ur water parameters, u can then look into more expensive and exotic corals to keep.

[thedidavid]

HEllo there, i am semi new to marine hobby.

Last 2 yrs ago.

Very much one of those people whom does not believe in a chiller ,measure PH, Mag, cal level etc

understand alittle about marine.

Kept 70% of fishes and LPS corals alive after 1 year.

but gave it all to my friend.

But now i am back again i am very keen to learn from the experts in this forum cos i have been reading it for the pass 1 week.

KUDOS to this wedsite.....

My set up is very very simple a 2x1.5x 1.5ft. .

A simple 2 in 1External Fliter ###### Skimmer which seems to be working good thus far.(small size run by pump not air ones).

2 x 24watts T5 Ocean Pro 2x 24 Watts Blue Pro lighting. No sum tank.

I bought 5 cluters of HALF DEAD Blastos (cheap)and decided to try it out to see if i can make the REVIVE THEM.

I promise to take some photos by tonight.

My Plan:I dont mind target feeding 2 days once( is that too much if so how many times a week) ?

i am feed with JBL KORELLFLIUD ( any other recommendations )? :idea:

I am currently using IWARNA TOP UP (ONCE A WEEK WITH DISTILL WATER)

Currently all Blastos are on the sand bed.

Questions: :bow

1: What r the test kits i need to buy? or can i do without?

2:Wat are the perimeters i need to look out for ?PH, Mag, cal etc?whats the level to falling between for LPS ONlY or all the same?

3:IS a chiller really require to keep LPS?

4: Are target feeding the blastos a good solution?

5:Any good brand model extenal skimmer >$200 or mine skimmer is sufficent for a 120 liters tank? Anyway to calculate skimmer to tank size?

6:The lighting okay?

Thk you Sir and mdm.

I learnt the lesson first hand, buying half dead coral or sick coral is one of the worst decision even how cheap they are. If they are dying in the farm just don't buying big chance it will die in our tank also and it will crate chain reaction. Dying coral will rot very fast and it will create havoc on the water parameter. Chance of dying is higher when your tank parameter is not there yet. The smell of rotten coral is yucks.....

[kelstorm]

something to add, while searching for 2nd stuffs in the forum is a good way to acquire and upgrade ur equipment, do pay close attention to who u buy from. There had been a couple of cheating incidents in this forum already. Just need to read up on the issues and u find out who they are. Some of them had been banned or might be on the target list of the mods liao. Such fellas, do avoid them at all cost if u can, even if they are selling cheaply.

[ambystoma82]

waaa i add one comment only so many ppel comment lolx..

must b careful what i type next time...

lolx..

[angelfishlover]

HEllo there, i am semi new to marine hobby.

Last 2 yrs ago.

Very much one of those people whom does not believe in a chiller ,measure PH, Mag, cal level etc

understand alittle about marine.

Kept 70% of fishes and LPS corals alive after 1 year.

but gave it all to my friend.

But now i am back again i am very keen to learn from the experts in this forum cos i have been reading it for the pass 1 week.

KUDOS to this wedsite.....

My set up is very very simple a 2x1.5x 1.5ft. .

A simple 2 in 1External Fliter ###### Skimmer which seems to be working good thus far.(small size run by pump not air ones).

2 x 24watts T5 Ocean Pro 2x 24 Watts Blue Pro lighting. No sum tank.

I bought 5 cluters of HALF DEAD Blastos (cheap)and decided to try it out to see if i can make the REVIVE THEM.

I promise to take some photos by tonight.

My Plan:I dont mind target feeding 2 days once( is that too much if so how many times a week) ?

i am feed with JBL KORELLFLIUD ( any other recommendations )? :idea:

I am currently using IWARNA TOP UP (ONCE A WEEK WITH DISTILL WATER)

Currently all Blastos are on the sand bed.

Questions: :bow

1: What r the test kits i need to buy? or can i do without?

2:Wat are the perimeters i need to look out for ?PH, Mag, cal etc?whats the level to falling between for LPS ONlY or all the same?

3:IS a chiller really require to keep LPS?

4: Are target feeding the blastos a good solution?

5:Any good brand model extenal skimmer >$200 or mine skimmer is sufficent for a 120 liters tank? Anyway to calculate skimmer to tank size?

6:The lighting okay?

Thk you Sir and mdm.

1)You cannot forget about tests!!!!This is the most important even in freshwater tanks.Ph,KH,magnesium,calcium,ammonia,nitrite,nitrate and phosphate

2)LPS dun really suck in a lot of KH and calcium onli SPS and clams sucks in quite a lot.

3)No i dun use chiller but ur tank mus be an open hood tank if u dun wan to buy chiller.

4)Yes bt for now i dun think so.

5)Prizm skimmer is good.Very efficient.Got mine onli at $188 at PETMART.

6)It is okay for a 2ft.

I seriously doubt that is the case from Ambystoma as claimed by u.

lets put it this way, assuming that ur water parameters are all stable, it is still viable to spend a little more to get healthy corals. Having quality equipment does help. Knowing wat sort of parameters and lightings required for the corals does help when u go shopping for them.

While u mentioned that if u dun buy them, they will be left to die in the farms. Another qn i posed would be, while it is noble to do that, it takes lot of effort to bring them back to health, something which u might find it tough with the new baby boy. As such, instead of throwing away good money, no matter how much cheaper they may be, i would just get one healthy piece to care instead. Healthy corals will need less care on ur side (provided that ur parameters are stable). Assuming that u bought such half dead blastos at a deal of $5-10 a piece and u got 5 pieces. u would hv forked out almost $50. That, u can get a healthy piece at ard $30-50 depending on the location u get them from. I would say, the LFS that sold u these half dead corals, would be laughing all the way to the cash register coz u would hv "subsidise" his losses. I would say, depending on the condition of the blasto, unless u are very sure u can bring them back to health, it is otherwise a much foregone situation for them.

As mentioned before, blastos are pretty much an easy coral to keep and chances are, the coral might hv been injured during the shipment or attacked by other parasites or non-reef safe fishes. watever it may be, it is still this phase, unless u are confident of bringing it back to health, otherwise, leave it. When u get such corals, rem, it is a huge gamble on ur side. If they survive, it brings much joy. I have tried on several corals before and only succeed once. Most of the time, the corals are pretty stressed up and new environment just compound the situation.

There are ppl who dun use skimmer. They change water religiously. If given a choice, i would dump the external skimmer and go with a sump, reason being that with a sump, u hv more water vol to play with, giving u more margin in terms of errors. U can do the same by changin water regularly.. it should more or less bring ur water parameters to stable. But that is another school altogether.

Having good equipments helps. I'll explain the reason. U can be sure that it will does it job. Granted, cost is a factor and while other alternatives does the same job, it is up to the reefer to decide which suits him best. Based on ur budget of $200, u can get a decent good 2nd hand unit. Just need to look ard.

I equate the filter as stomach and the Skimmer as kidney of our body. The stomach(filter) is to process all the waste and Kidney (Skimmer) removes all the dissolved waste which the filter cannot removed. By hving a sump, u are actually increasing the size of ur stomach and can take in more waste.

U might wanna state ur water parameters to begin with, the test kits to get are;

1. NO3

2. kH

3. Mg

4. Ca

5. SG (use refractometer, more accurate)

I do recommend getting salifert as starters and the 5 test kits will set u back almost $200. Some investments are inevidable if u wanna venture into marine.

Once u know ur water parameters, u can then look into more expensive and exotic corals to keep.

Wow it could fetch a price like that.If u want a good deal go to PETMART they got 20% off on their salifert test kit.I am not advertising for them.If you want a better alternative use floationg hydrometer.Dun use swing arm they are a worthless piece of crap.

I learnt the lesson first hand, buying half dead coral or sick coral is one of the worst decision even how cheap they are. If they are dying in the farm just don't buying big chance it will die in our tank also and it will crate chain reaction. Dying coral will rot very fast and it will create havoc on the water parameter. Chance of dying is higher when your tank parameter is not there yet. The smell of rotten coral is yucks.....

Ya LPS coral dies stnks.Acro coral when alive stinks like crazy and when they are dead no smell.I also got a bad case of recovery of corals.I bought a brown long tentacle plate which is dying .

[ambystoma82]

actually i quite interested in recovering corals leh.. lolx..

if u all dun mind i recover for u all

but not too big size corals....

at least still have 70% flesh still can save..

if bleaching cfm can save one loh..

[ambystoma82]

RELAC ARH bro.... no offences...

i just dun wan u to follow my footsteps when i 1st started this hobby...

once again no offences...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi ambystoma82,

U r the one person i was most looking forward to for my reply by reading the forum u seem like an expert on Blasto.

FYI before u judge someone , i was juz asking for help not insults!!!

My wife juz gave birth to a baby boy!!!

So that all i can AFFORD to buy right now Half Dead Blastos,u have a problem with that my friend?

and what makes u think i am not very read to go into reefing.

U mean by buying the best blastos or the most expensive corals or fish means one is ready!!!

I guess u must be one of the typical PERSON mentally where by u

buy the best things in the world so that they are problem free?

I think u r the one that isnt ready to go into reefing!!!!!

i quote ( surprise me tht u nt very ready to go into reefing yet by buying half dead blastos...)

Also if i dont buy them i believe they will be left on the farm to die.

its okay if u arnt keen in helping which i thought U would.

Thk you for yr comment.

[mnm]

Bro I hope by reading this, u might get better understanding about water parameters.More articles available too by Randy Holmes Farley. Happy reading and happy reefing. http:// www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

Thk you BABAREEF :thanks:

[mnm]

chill bro.i dont think he meant tat way.blasto are very easy to care for.if they are injured,it will heal back in time if you feed it n give it tlc.

Thk you Prata lover. :thanks:

[mnm]

I seriously doubt that is the case from Ambystoma as claimed by u.

lets put it this way, assuming that ur water parameters are all stable, it is still viable to spend a little more to get healthy corals. Having quality equipment does help. Knowing wat sort of parameters and lightings required for the corals does help when u go shopping for them.

While u mentioned that if u dun buy them, they will be left to die in the farms. Another qn i posed would be, while it is noble to do that, it takes lot of effort to bring them back to health, something which u might find it tough with the new baby boy. As such, instead of throwing away good money, no matter how much cheaper they may be, i would just get one healthy piece to care instead. Healthy corals will need less care on ur side (provided that ur parameters are stable). Assuming that u bought such half dead blastos at a deal of $5-10 a piece and u got 5 pieces. u would hv forked out almost $50. That, u can get a healthy piece at ard $30-50 depending on the location u get them from. I would say, the LFS that sold u these half dead corals, would be laughing all the way to the cash register coz u would hv "subsidise" his losses. I would say, depending on the condition of the blasto, unless u are very sure u can bring them back to health, it is otherwise a much foregone situation for them.

As mentioned before, blastos are pretty much an easy coral to keep and chances are, the coral might hv been injured during the shipment or attacked by other parasites or non-reef safe fishes. watever it may be, it is still this phase, unless u are confident of bringing it back to health, otherwise, leave it. When u get such corals, rem, it is a huge gamble on ur side. If they survive, it brings much joy. I have tried on several corals before and only succeed once. Most of the time, the corals are pretty stressed up and new environment just compound the situation.

There are ppl who dun use skimmer. They change water religiously. If given a choice, i would dump the external skimmer and go with a sump, reason being that with a sump, u hv more water vol to play with, giving u more margin in terms of errors. U can do the same by changin water regularly.. it should more or less bring ur water parameters to stable. But that is another school altogether.

Having good equipments helps. I'll explain the reason. U can be sure that it will does it job. Granted, cost is a factor and while other alternatives does the same job, it is up to the reefer to decide which suits him best. Based on ur budget of $200, u can get a decent good 2nd hand unit. Just need to look ard.

I equate the filter as stomach and the Skimmer as kidney of our body. The stomach(filter) is to process all the waste and Kidney (Skimmer) removes all the dissolved waste which the filter cannot removed. By hving a sump, u are actually increasing the size of ur stomach and can take in more waste.

U might wanna state ur water parameters to begin with, the test kits to get are;

1. NO3

2. kH

3. Mg

4. Ca

5. SG (use refractometer, more accurate)

I do recommend getting salifert as starters and the 5 test kits will set u back almost $200. Some investments are inevidable if u wanna venture into marine.

Once u know ur water parameters, u can then look into more expensive and exotic corals to keep.

WHat can i say Kelstorm ,

U wrote so much.to help a simple reefer person like me .yr knowledge is off the chat

Thk you sir :bow: :thanks:

[mnm]

1)You cannot forget about tests!!!!This is the most important even in freshwater tanks.Ph,KH,magnesium,calcium,ammonia,nitrite,nitrate and phosphate

2)LPS dun really suck in a lot of KH and calcium onli SPS and clams sucks in quite a lot.

3)No i dun use chiller but ur tank mus be an open hood tank if u dun wan to buy chiller.

4)Yes bt for now i dun think so.

5)Prizm skimmer is good.Very efficient.Got mine onli at $188 at PETMART.

6)It is okay for a 2ft.

Wow it could fetch a price like that.If u want a good deal go to PETMART they got 20% off on their salifert test kit.I am not advertising for them.If you want a better alternative use floationg hydrometer.Dun use swing arm they are a worthless piece of crap.

Ya LPS coral dies stnks.Acro coral when alive stinks like crazy and when they are dead no smell.I also got a bad case of recovery of corals.I bought a brown long tentacle plate which is dying .

Thk you angelfishlover.

I will head down to pet mart this sat. :bow: :thanks:

Thk you for yr advise

[mnm]

actually i quite interested in recovering corals leh.. lolx..

if u all dun mind i recover for u all

but not too big size corals....

at least still have 70% flesh still can save..

if bleaching cfm can save one loh..

Hi ambystoma82,

Thk you for yr reply. Hope to hear more from u.

[mnm]

Hi all,

My blasto have became quite think again with the flow of the slight wave from my wavemaker.

Tank been with me for 3 weeks now. all corals in there r either badly injuried of chuck on side.

but that what i love doing, i am a sucker for helping the dying corals.hahaha

TLC yes a very good advise,

I tried taking pic with my SONy t-50 but i dont think its working very well!!!!

As i promise in my first posting.

The pictures.

I have heed all yr advise and will put in the nessary $ to but test kits and buy some2nd hand stuff.

1 simple question, can i buy a normal 2 feet tank to act as a sum tank for the skimmer?

i guess i will have to do the nessary pipping.

[mnm]

HI all more pics.

but pls forgive me for blue colour . too blinding... :bow:

[mnm]

HI last of the pic.

will definately update more.

LPS all the way...

[kelstorm]

from the looks of it, only a couple of heads are gone.. never mind lah.. if ur water conditions are ok, they will heal and small heads will grow out again.

[kelstorm]

I have heed all yr advise and will put in the nessary $ to but test kits and buy some2nd hand stuff.

1 simple question, can i buy a normal 2 feet tank to act as a sum tank for the skimmer?

i guess i will have to do the nessary pipping.

as mentioned earlier, do keep a lookout for good deals when ppl decom etc. I think there is someone giving out a sump tank. u can take it and perhaps pay the person a token sum if u like. a sump hv several compartments and while a normal 2 ft tank can be used, it is too much of a hassle to partition it. Yes, u need definitely need to do some piping works.. since u do not have an overflow, u would most likely need a external overflow box.

also, do watch out for cheats in this forums..

[ambystoma82]

from my experience... all ur blastos polyp will bloom less ur purple n green centre ones..

duno y this species colour only bloom till certain xtend if u wan them bigger they will go at a relatively slower rate compare to its bi colour bros..

wait till ur blasto poylps r fleshy then u start to feed them..

e way i c ur blastos those tht not showing skeleton will do fine

those tht show 30% or less skeleton will only survive if e flow is rite...

how to determine e flow is rite a nt...

1st- e flow must nt b big enuff to cus e injure blasto flesh to receed further...

2nd-e flow cannot b 2 slow to grow algae (thts where ur lightning power n phospate level comes in) its generally impossible to reduce phosphate to zero n its nt recommended to do tht,as some gd chemical have phosphate properties bind to them for fish n coral health

its kinda of tiring to always monitor the corals when their health is bad..but thts e only way a reefer can gain his experience

nt saying tht even any pro reefer will repeat his same old mistakes... experience is e thing tht cannot b taught..

general rule..

1) no overfeeding of ur tank stocks !!!!

2) do NOT PLACE UR CORALS IN a dead spot of e tank!!

every tank have a dead spot where e debris will always settle in.. u can find it when a fish food pellet always sink n land same area...

3) no touchy touchy shifting or coral whenever u like to suit ur view...

4)no suddenly changing of lightning on/off timing.. u dun like pple come inside ur bedroom on ur light c c look look rite?

5)b consistent on ur salt brand..

6)no changing of ur outlet point or wave maker direction (meaning u do not increase or decrease e flow against e blasto anyhow)

7)remb nt every1 advice works,corals r complicated but they do have some symtoms for falling sick however their allowance to b neglect is quite short...

do not dose calcium or KH carbonate when u have stress corals!!!! if u neglect this,no1 can save ur corals....

[ambystoma82]

something else to tell u also

dun tink alot of pple bother abt this but this is really very impt..

if one day u never feed or dose xtra nutrient or chemicals to ur tank

then ur skimmer still can skim alot of xtra things out..

try find what is tht thing dying... n dun let it affect e rest...

e only thing pple normally care abt e skimmer is how much it can skimmed

to them skimmed more waste = more gd

but its not e true... e whatever get skimmed comes from whatever u put in e tank..

if ur skimmer over power,no matter how much trace element or chemical u dose

they r only workin at 50%

slowly u will learn...thru experience... alot of stuff to learn in reefing..

but rite now i still very pekcek y i cannot post pics... haiz...

[prata lover]

after looking at the pics,you dont have to worry.they will be ok.