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BigAl2007
03/28/2013, 09:59 AM
(I posted this on my local forum but I thought I'd also post it here to get a wide degree of exposure)

This morning I came into my office and noticed something has "happened" in my tank. It's a NC12 with StevesLED. This tank has been set up for ~5-6 years now. Nothing new has been added in terms of Live Rock for a couple of years and no new animals have been added except a single emerald crab a year ago. If I didn't know better I would swear someone has dumped "Sea Monkey" (aka brine shrimp) eggs into my tank. Here is what's in the tank:


1 True Perc (~5-6 years old)
1 Emerald Crab
Few Hermits
Few Snails
Zoas
Finger Leather
Toadstool
GSP (2 varieties)
Monti cap
Birdsnest
Bryopsis (receding rapidly)
Valonia (about to attack it this weekend)



Below is a picture (somewhat close up) when the pump and powerhead OFF... the eggs settle readily but with any water movement they stay suspended in the water column

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc265/BigAl07_01/2013-03-28095110_zps1e660649.jpg

Here is a picture snapped showing some suspended in the water column (crappy phone pic)..The eggs are the brown round spheres in this picture.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc265/BigAl07_01/2013-03-28095207_zps0c40735b.jpg

Here is a another shot with the pumps ON and you can see they are tangled in some webby material. I don't know if this is part of the eggs or if the eggs are irritating things in the tank which are causing the webby material

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc265/BigAl07_01/2013-03-28101910_zpscbede1f1.jpg

Any idea?

username in use
03/28/2013, 10:33 AM
That's a coral spawning. Looks to be from the star polyps.

BigAl2007
03/28/2013, 12:18 PM
Thanks Josh. I appreciate the input :)

I did get confirmation it is my GSP spawning (yesterday was indeed a FULL moon).

Pachyclavularia violacea to be specific thanks to Albert Thiel.

BigAl2007
03/28/2013, 12:23 PM
Here you can see some of them free floating with my pumps off

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc265/BigAl07_01/12g%20Nano/th_2013-03-28095245_zpsc4431f1f.jpg (http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc265/BigAl07_01/12g%20Nano/2013-03-28095245_zpsc4431f1f.mp4)

biggles
03/28/2013, 01:47 PM
That's very cool, thanks for catching the event and sharing the pics. I've had a coral spawn but the eggs all floated and went straight into the sump.

BigAl2007
03/28/2013, 01:57 PM
My pleasure Andrew.

I would imagine if I had a larger return pump the results would have been more like yours. This is a small NC12 with a maxijet 900 for the return so they stayed in the tank longer than if it were a high turnover tank.

Also I've learned that the GSP put out "web like" material that helps to release the egg/sperm sacks into the water over a period of time sort of a delayed release program.

Allmost
03/28/2013, 02:03 PM
Very cool ! congrats :)

BigAl2007
03/28/2013, 02:05 PM
Thank you. I'm thrilled that this happened in my office tank.