Livestock received and getting acclimated

I've received my full shipment from LiveAquaria and ReefCorner and placed them into the tank. They are in the process of getting acclimated and I'll be moving them to their spots throughout the week so as to minimize the shock to the corals that require intense lighting but cannot be immediately placed in such bright light. The ones that I placed in are looking much happier than the ones I placed in a few hours ago, as to be expected. I'm surprised at how small some of them are (namely, the Tree coral and the Asterospicularia Coral). They look SO much bigger in the images on their site. I'm worried that the Tree Coral will end up getting detached from its base and eaten by the filter or the powerhead.

Acclimating new livestock

Acclimating new livestock (front view)

I'm unsure how the Feather Duster is doing; it hasn't moved from it's casing. It has either moved somewhere else and I haven't found it, it's moved somewhere else and has dropped it's crown, is still in it's case and is just not happy coming out yet, is in it's case and dropped its crown or it's dead. I'm going to wait a week or so to see if I can see any changes. If it seems dead, I'll have to contact LA for a replacement.

I've always wondered what that swirly looking thing at the bottom of the Leptastrea was as I did not remember seeing it when I first got it. But since it never moved from there, I figured it was just something I had overlooked. Today, I happened to bump the glass when looking at it and saw a piece of it recoil so I knew it had to be a creature. Doing some digging, I believe it to be a Vermetid Snail as it fits the description perfectly. And, in doing more research, I discovered they are not good for corals. This may explain why the Leptastrea has changed it's color and didn't look as happy as it should. I shall be removing it from the reef shortly by super gluing the entrance hole shut.

So far so good and I'm excited for what the future holds!

~ Keep on Swimming! ~

ReefCorner - First Impressions

Coral packaging from Reef Corner

I just received my shipment from ReefCorner and the Feather Duster from LiveAquaria and I have to say that I am really impressed by ReefCorner's packaging. The coral all came attached to a foam block so they don't have their bodies touching the bottom of the bag (which stresses them out even more). The bags are sealed instead of using zip ties, rubber bands, etc. I also received a bottle of Coral glue so I can glue the new coral to a rock base which is a very simple yet nice touch. They even sent me a pen. Sure, it doesn't retract after the first use, but the gesture is nice :)
It's crazy how much such simple changes can make a such a difference. I currently have the coral in a bucket of water warming up to temperature before transferring them to the tank. So far, I'm extremely happy with my purchases from ReefCorner




While doing all this I happened to snap a picture of the Hermit Crab hitching a ride on one of the snails. He must have been on him for awhile because there is no way the hermit could get on the snail at that height with no climbing surface. I just hope he isn't trying to kill him to steal his shell...

Hermit hitching a ride

Hopefully I'll be setting the coral in the next couple hours and they are happy with their new home ^.^

~ Keep on Swimming! ~

Livestock update

Unfortunately, there was another mix-up with LiveAquaria. I received 2 calls this morning; back-to-to-back. The first stating that my order got shipped to the wrong address and was being re-routed back to LA. This would cause the specimens to be placed on hold once they reached LA again so they could re acclimate to be ready for shipping again. Bummer.

I then received another call as I was attempting to call them back stating that my order had NOT been shipped but my order got mixed up with another. Another customer had placed an order and cancelled it but he still received the order. My order was apparently set as the "cancelled" order and was still at the facility. Hopefully, none of my items were re-listed for sale and grabbed by another customer >.<

But on a happier note, I received a shipment notification from ReefCorner (and an image!) of the coral I purchased. They look GORGEOUS! I really hope they do well in the nano and look forward to getting them today!

Coral shipment from ReefCorner

~ Keep on Swimming! ~

How to make a Murderer

Was on hold with LiveAquaria for 2 hours and the call got dropped due to some system error on their end. Attempted calling back for ~20 minutes but only got a busy tone. On hold for another hour and call dropped once again. Fury rising by this point.

After the second dropped called I got a call directly from them within a couple minutes. Apparently they were having system issues and when the phone system died again their email system came back up and they were able to respond to my email inquiry. We were able to get the payment issue hashed out. Unfortunately, the order will not ship today because of the time but I should get it on Wednesday.

The lady ended up thanking me for my patience and understanding as I wasn't being an a**hat to her. I can only imagine some of the people they have to deal with in these sort of circumstances. I'm sure if I was to be angry with her or rude I could have gotten a credit or something but it's not their fault. I would hate to be berated by someone when something is out of my control. People needed to remember that these are people as well and just because you are frustrated with their system that it doesn't give you the right to treat them as anything less.

</rant>

Anyway, here's to Wednesday!

~ Keep on Swimming ~

"Lt. Dan, you gots new legs!"

The Pom Pom Crab came out today during feeding and he's gotten a bit bigger. He's also split his anemone so he now has one in each hand! It's neat to see him thriving; especially since I cut back to feeding the tank (aside from Gumball) to once a week. I've decided to name the Crab "Lieutenant Dan" because he's got new legs! He must have grown one back after his molt :) I love watching him move and sway with the current while he's feeding.

He's actually quite pretty

Lt. Dan sporting his new Anemone

I'm currently on hold with LiveAquaria (after 1+hour) because there was apparently an issue with the order (again). It seems that LA doesn't process PayPal orders very well even though it is an option on their site? I don't know but I really hope I get off hold soon so my order gets processed and shipped out today! 

 ~ Keep on Swimming ~

Placing a new Livestock order

So much for waiting a couple weeks to get more livestock after the move...

I've gone ahead and placed an order at LiveAquaria and ReefCorner for some more coral. ReefCorner is all WYSIWYG and their coral is gorgeous. It's going to be my first order from them so I hope it goes well!

I've spent a little more than I wanted to but ReefCorner has a minumim purchase price of $99. Their stock is generally cheaper than LiveAquaria though and you know exactly what you're getting from the photos they provide. LA can be a bit of a gamble outside their Divers Den so I hope I get good stuff. 

I ordered a bunch of SPS Corals and I'm really hoping I am able to sustain them properly. I believe my lighting and water parameters are perfect for them but I'm a little worried. Apparently, the demands of SPS coral are generally harder to meet than LPS coral. Oh well, with no risk there is no reward!

Here is what I ordered (along with corresponding images for WYSIWYG items):

ReefCorner

Maroon and Green Blastomussa wellsi

Red and Green Blastomussa wellsi

 

 

Green Candy Cane Caulastrea furcata

Green Alien War Favia

 

 

Thick Pink Birdsnest Seriatopora caliendrum

Pink and Green Stylophora subseriata

 

 

LiveAquaria

Orange Guttatus Birdsnest Coral

Taylor's Purple Tree Coral

Purple Polyp Green Birdsnest Coral

Asterospicularia Coral (Branching)

Yellow Dwarf Colored Feather Duster

Australian Big Polyp Purple and Green Blastomussa Coral

Hammer Coral

 

 

Kiwi Abyss Acropora Coral

 

 

I should be receiving both shipments on Tuesday. 

~Keep on Swimming!~

Tank is stable

Coming in after the move and it seems the tank is stable. I may have lost the Leptastrea as only the skeleton is visible but it still has color. Everything else seems to be thriving and the water parameters are golden. I'm really happy with how smoothly everything went; it was quite a stressful process to prepare for since I had little-to-no warning as to when I could perform the move.

With the move done and over, I plan to monitor the tank closely for the next couple weeks. Aftwerwards. if everything is good an happy, I wish to begin to add some additional coral :)

~Keep on Swimming~