Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation

SALLY JO'S PICTURES OF THE WEEK 9/14/99

REEF PICTURES SPONSORED BY REEF JANITORSTM

OUR FIRST CORAL ORDER FORM
XENIA BED FILTER- CORAL RACK DIAGRAM

XENIA BED FILTER RESEARCH REPORT NUMBER TWO

The new Xenia bed filter is working very well. We are measuring the total amount of bio-mass that the Xenia in this filter produce. We are able to export nutrients each time we cut the Xenia that are growing on the Reef Plugstm.

The first picture shows some of the Xenia brood stock that we are growing in LeRoy's sps coral reef. You can see many of the colors that we are growing. These Xenia are cut each month to keep them from shading the sps corals.

 XENIA BED FILTER

This group of Xenia is changing form every month. This is the place that we glued many of the new Xenia that we started propagating several years ago. We wanted to see if the different colors of Xenia would keep their color if they were all grown on the same Aragocretetm arch. As the Xenia grew they did keep their colors, and we learned that all of different Xenia could grow together without hurting each other. As this group grows the polyps blend together into a multicolored tapestry.


MANY OF THE XENIA HAVE STARTED TO GROW ON THE PLASTIC RACKS

 XENIA BED FILTER

As the Xenia spreads onto the racks we will be able place clean Reef Plugstm in the holes in racks, and they will soon be covered with new Xenia. Many of the Xenia that fell to the bottom of this filter have started to grow. We have put some Reef Plugstm next to these corals and soon we will be able to remove them with the Xenia that has grown on them.


THIS PICTURE SHOWS THE RACKS THAT WE USE TO GROW THE XENIA

 XENIA BED FILTER

Many of the plugs have more than on type of xenia growing them. We have been making cuttings of these filter Xenia by removing the plugs from the racks. We hold the coral upside down so we can slip the scissors in between the heads. We remove all but one of the heads by cutting the stalks as close to the heads as we can. We have found that the coral grows a new head faster if we leave as much stalk as possible.


THIS DRAWING SHOWS HOW WE BUILD THE RACKS TO HOLD THE XENIA PLUGS

 XENIA BED FILTER

We use 3/8" plastic so the racks do not bend when we put the plugs in them. The size of the holes that you drill will be determined by the size of the plugs you use. We make the legs from the same plastic that we use for the tops. We now drill holes in the legs so that there is more water flow under the racks. We have made solid legs and they restrict the water flow.

The very best drill bit for making the holes is a Forstner bit. We have a small drill press and we can drill a hole in about 30 seconds. It is important to keep your bit sharp so it cuts a clean hole. We use a scraper to remove all of the sharp edges.



THESE PLUGS ARE READY TO BE CUT FOR THE NEXT BATCH OF XENIA

Much of our Xenia that we are using for propagation now come from this filter.

 XENIA BED FILTER

THIS IS A CLOSE UP OF THE GROUP IN LEROY'S 150 GALLON REEF

You can see many of the great colors these corals have. We are collecting more types each month. If you have any strains of Xenia that you wish to trade for some of our rare SPS corals or any other species we have please call us at 800-600-6163. If you wish to purchase any corals please fill in the form below and we will call you. OUR FIRST CORAL ORDER FORM

 XENIA BED FILTER


FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO PURCHASE, TRADE, AND SAVE AS MANY TYPES OF CORALS AS WE CAN.


IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE SOME OF SALLY JO'S GREAT NEW CUTTINGS PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO ENTER YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER

We are having a special on all of the coral cuttings. WHEN YOU PURCHASE 5 AT THE REGULAR PRICE OF $100 WE WILL GIVE YOU TWO FREE CORALS!. If you have any questions please use this form to ask them. WE WILL PHONE YOU AND HELP YOU PICK THE BEST CORALS FOR YOUR REEF AQUARIUM.

We will continue to provide the most current data on reef farming for both education and profit.

Please enter the types of corals you are purchasing.
Please let us know if you have any questions about our research.
WE WILL CALL YOU AND TELL YOU ABOUT THE MANY RARE CORALS THAT ARE READY THIS WEEK - YOU WILL RECEIVE 7 CAPTIVE GROWN CORALS FOR THE PRICE OF 5!
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