IDEA ALERT: getting zoas, xenia and gsp to grow on glass

kilofey

Member

Hmm.... yes snake is very knowledgeable.....what if you glue the suction cup?
I was trying to avoid glueing anything on my tank walls so I ended up just glueing the frag on my return pipe :-/ I alao used an old suction cup though so who knows maybe a bigger and new one would work.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
I have mushroom corals growing on a mag float that migrate to the glass all the time. that may be your best bet.
 

willie

Member
3 months ago I glued a piece of gsp that was the size of a penny to my overflow. It is now the size of a pancake and every time I dose kalk it gets bigger. It is mostly growing up toward the overflow due to the current. I am going to put a couple more gsp frags on there and hope that it will eventually cover my entire overflow. I have seen pics of this and it looks pretty awesome. My overflow and back window are both black and totally covered with coraline anyway so I don't mind gluing on them. My next tank is going to have the back foamed and rocked so I should be able to grow some pretty sweet stuff on that.
 

kilofey

Member
Awesome, looks good willie! My zoas seem to grow quicker than my gsp so I used them on my return pipe instead (but I would prefer gsp). I have no idea why my gsp grow so slowly, ive always heard they grow like wild fire. And its not like my water quality is bad. After a month of having my frogspawn, ive already fragged off and sold 3 heads and my birdsnest and duncan are doing wonderful. In 6 months, ive only gotten new growth the size of a nickel, maybe a quarter. Ive moved it around a bit and ive been able to get growth in the spot its in now so I know it likes that spot best. Is there anything else I can do to help it grow better?
 

willie

Member
I dose kalk every sunday and by wednesday I always see growth in my gsp. I use mrs wages pickling lime mixed with a little white vinegar and some ro water. I crafted a diy doser out of some airline tubing and an orangejuice bottle. Search mrs wages on this forum and you will see lots of info on it. Works great and way cheaper than kalkwasser.
I also keep my water a little dirty. By that I mean I dont rinse my frozen, my corals really like the protein juice that they are frozen in. I have duncans, birdsnests a few kinds of star polyps and several species of button polyps and zoas.
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilofey http:///t/390920/idea-alert-getting-zoas-xenia-and-gsp-to-grow-on-glass/20#post_3469543
What does kaulkwasser do? I dont rinse my frozen food either, but because of laziness lol
Kalkwasser is also called "limewater" It's calcium hydroxide (at least 50% pure... read the label) You use 1 to 2 tsp per gallon of water - stir it in slightly and wait about 2 hours to overnight until the solution separates into the chalky sludge at the bottom and the hard film at the top. You keep the mixture covered and do not break the hard surface if you can keep from it. Insert an airline tube into it and drip the clear middle into your tank slowly - by trying to match your evaporation rate. I like to drip my kalk in six days a week and then use a pH/alkalinity buffer on the seventh day to keep alkalinity from dropping/keeping it stable.
Kalkwasser adds calcium and alkalinity to the tank in equal parts.
Instead of using the 500g for $25 stuff at the live fish store, I've always used 1lb of pickling lime from the grocery store for $2.50-3.50. Even on the pickling lime it says "guaranteed 50% pure." Why spend the extra cash??
 
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