Happy Trumpet, finally.
The stupid Goby.
I like the green one.
The still-recovering Acan.
Zoa rock.
With reclusive 'shroom.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Well the Cyano is gone and the GHA is down to a few little patches that are getting smaller by the day. About half my Coralline is bleached out, but it'll come back soon enough. The corals in general look fine, and while the Acan isn't completely recovered, it's getting there. I also got the mushroom out into the open, so hopefully it'll stay this time! It had actually attached to a big empty hermit crab shell and not a rock, so I just dropped the shell into a little hole in one of the front rocks, where it seems fairly happy.
Random pics:
Random pics:
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Algae Wars
Ever since I added the Trumpet and Acan frags I've started getting outbreaks of Cyano and Green Hair Algae. After lots of reading, I decided to give hydrogen peroxide dosing a try.
First I added 2.5ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide directly into the tank. It pissed off all the corals like I couldn't believe! The Zoas closed up tight, the Trumpet shrunk down to nothing, and the Acan slimed like crazy. I wasn't too thrilled with that, but after about 12 hours the Zoas and Acan were back to normal, and the Trumpet was starting to re-inflate. I could see the algae looking a little unhappy.
I figured since I was due for a water change today, I'd try dipping the rocks while I was at it. I took 3 gallons out of the tank and kept it in a bucket. I put 2 cups of the water into a large bowl, and added 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide. I'd dip each rock for 2-3 minutes, and then put them into the bucket of old tank water. When they were all dipped I re-filled the tank with fresh saltwater and put the rocks back in.
I was completely unable to replicate my 'scape, and am very unimpressed with the way it looks now. I foresee many adjustments in the next day or two. In the meantime, the tank is really cloudy, the corals are again extremely unhappy, and the whole thing just generally looks like crap. I can only hope in a few days everything will be getting back to normal, and the algae will be in full retreat.
What a pain.
First I added 2.5ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide directly into the tank. It pissed off all the corals like I couldn't believe! The Zoas closed up tight, the Trumpet shrunk down to nothing, and the Acan slimed like crazy. I wasn't too thrilled with that, but after about 12 hours the Zoas and Acan were back to normal, and the Trumpet was starting to re-inflate. I could see the algae looking a little unhappy.
I figured since I was due for a water change today, I'd try dipping the rocks while I was at it. I took 3 gallons out of the tank and kept it in a bucket. I put 2 cups of the water into a large bowl, and added 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide. I'd dip each rock for 2-3 minutes, and then put them into the bucket of old tank water. When they were all dipped I re-filled the tank with fresh saltwater and put the rocks back in.
I was completely unable to replicate my 'scape, and am very unimpressed with the way it looks now. I foresee many adjustments in the next day or two. In the meantime, the tank is really cloudy, the corals are again extremely unhappy, and the whole thing just generally looks like crap. I can only hope in a few days everything will be getting back to normal, and the algae will be in full retreat.
What a pain.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Cautiously Optimistic
Ok, I finally have a flow setup that I think will keep everything (Zoas, Trumpet, sand, filter, and me) happy. I flattened out the return nozzle and aimed the Koralia directly at it. That seems to create a pretty circular flow that keeps water moving pretty vigorously around the outside and through the filter, while keeping the middle fairly calm (but not dead). All four of the Trumpet's heads look good, if not great, so I think I'll feed them some mysis and see how they look in the morning.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Blowing the Trumpet
Not sure what to do about the dang Trumpet coral. It apparently really doesn't like the flow that the Koralia 240 puts out. Whichever head was facing the direction the flow was coming from would shrivel and darken. Rotating the coral would cause the affected head to puff back up, and whichever new head was facing that direction would start showing the same symptoms.
I tried turning the Koralia off for two days, and boy did that Trumpet look happy! Heads puffed up to almost double their previous size, color was great, everything.
Only problem with turning the 240 off (besides drastically decreased flow through the system) was that the flow from the return pump excavated a hand-sized hole in the sand, front and center, all the way down to the bottom of the tank.
Tonight I pushed the sand back into position and turned the Koralia back on. All four of the Trumpet's heads immediately darkened and shrunk back to the skeleton. Ugh. I've tried moving it to a few different spots to see if I could find a more sheltered spot, but no joy.
240 off:
On:
I tried turning the Koralia off for two days, and boy did that Trumpet look happy! Heads puffed up to almost double their previous size, color was great, everything.
Only problem with turning the 240 off (besides drastically decreased flow through the system) was that the flow from the return pump excavated a hand-sized hole in the sand, front and center, all the way down to the bottom of the tank.
Tonight I pushed the sand back into position and turned the Koralia back on. All four of the Trumpet's heads immediately darkened and shrunk back to the skeleton. Ugh. I've tried moving it to a few different spots to see if I could find a more sheltered spot, but no joy.
240 off:
On:
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Prodigal 'shroom.
Caught a glimpse of the stupid mushroom today. He's all the way in the back, behind and under the rockwork. I should dig him out, there is zero light back there. Only saw him because I had a flashlight looking into corners trying to figure out where the 3" bristle worm is hanging out 
Also saw a couple of the tiny little white feather dusters, I haven't seen any in months, thought they were all gone. Hopefully they'll make a comeback, they're cool.
Also saw a couple of the tiny little white feather dusters, I haven't seen any in months, thought they were all gone. Hopefully they'll make a comeback, they're cool.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Fighting the good fight.
06/08/2011
I've been hunting aiptasia with a lemon juice filled syringe and fiery rage, and have nailed all the big ones. There are still a LOT of tiny ones waving around though. Off to the LFS for another try with a peppermint shrimp. We'll see how he does. Also re-did my aquascape, I like it a bit better now.
All the livestock is doing quite well; both clowns, the greedy little goby, and all the coral frags.
I need to find something to put on top of the chaeto to keep it from floating into the third chamber and getting sucked into the return pump. I think I've lost at least half of it that way, need some more once I get a barrier rigged up.
No sign of the mushroom, I'm thinking it's history. Will try another, hopefully more firmly rooted, in a few days.
Shrimp:
I've been hunting aiptasia with a lemon juice filled syringe and fiery rage, and have nailed all the big ones. There are still a LOT of tiny ones waving around though. Off to the LFS for another try with a peppermint shrimp. We'll see how he does. Also re-did my aquascape, I like it a bit better now.
All the livestock is doing quite well; both clowns, the greedy little goby, and all the coral frags.
I need to find something to put on top of the chaeto to keep it from floating into the third chamber and getting sucked into the return pump. I think I've lost at least half of it that way, need some more once I get a barrier rigged up.
No sign of the mushroom, I'm thinking it's history. Will try another, hopefully more firmly rooted, in a few days.
Shrimp:
Trumpet coral!
06/05/2011
Took some stuff I no longer needed into the local fish store for credit. Put a bit of it toward a very nice little four head light green trumpet coral. Already on a piece of rock, very healthy looking.
The mushroom is being obtuse. He didn't want to attach to any of my live rock, so I put him in a shot glass on a piece of rubble, hoping that would get him to settle down. He grabbed onto it, and then promptly went floating off as soon as I took him and his rock out of the glass. Ended up on the sand at the back of the tank, we'll see what becomes of him.
Also, the camera is back from getting repaired, I'll be taking some pics and adding them to the posts.
Took some stuff I no longer needed into the local fish store for credit. Put a bit of it toward a very nice little four head light green trumpet coral. Already on a piece of rock, very healthy looking.
Gratuitous Goby photobomb.
The mushroom is being obtuse. He didn't want to attach to any of my live rock, so I put him in a shot glass on a piece of rubble, hoping that would get him to settle down. He grabbed onto it, and then promptly went floating off as soon as I took him and his rock out of the glass. Ended up on the sand at the back of the tank, we'll see what becomes of him.
Also, the camera is back from getting repaired, I'll be taking some pics and adding them to the posts.
First corals!
05/27/2011
Got a 16 pack of very small zoanthid frags. Took a while, but I got them acclimated, off the plugs, and glued to the rocks. Very excited!
Also added a Koralia Nano 240 water circulator, it definitely got things moving, but shouldn't be too strong for the soft and large polyp stony corals I plan on stocking.
I also got a single blue mushroom at the local place, see how he does.
Got a 16 pack of very small zoanthid frags. Took a while, but I got them acclimated, off the plugs, and glued to the rocks. Very excited!
Also added a Koralia Nano 240 water circulator, it definitely got things moving, but shouldn't be too strong for the soft and large polyp stony corals I plan on stocking.
I also got a single blue mushroom at the local place, see how he does.
A tale of two fish.
05/15/2011
Added another clown. This guy is a hair smaller and lighter colored, and has an interesting half band on his tail. They seem to be getting along swimmingly (I couldn't help myself).
Sadly, the peppermint shrimp is no longer with us. I suspect that he tackled an aiptasia far too big for it to handle.
The happy couple, with a metric ton of aiptasia clearly visible:
Added another clown. This guy is a hair smaller and lighter colored, and has an interesting half band on his tail. They seem to be getting along swimmingly (I couldn't help myself).
Sadly, the peppermint shrimp is no longer with us. I suspect that he tackled an aiptasia far too big for it to handle.
The happy couple, with a metric ton of aiptasia clearly visible:
Comedy and Tragedy.
05/06/2011
Comedy comes in the guise of a nasty little clownfish. Very cute, and loads of personality.
The tragedy is that the poor Damsel didn't take too kindly to said clown, and managed to stress itself to death. Sigh. Ah well, that's part of trying to keep a tiny slice of the world's largest ecosystem in one's living room.
Le clown:
I also made some rather extensive modifications to the inner workings of the tank.
First order of business was to re-vamp the back end. I took out the sponges, bio-balls, Ammo-Carb, non-functioning heater, thermometer, and stock pump.
I added an inTank media basket with filter floss (pillow stuffing from Wal-Mart, another great tip I learned on Nano-Reef!), Purigen, and Chemi-Pure Elite in the first chamber. Removed some backing from the second chamber, rigged a home-made light box on the back (also read about it on N-R), and put some chaeto in there. Replaced the heater and thermometer in the third chamber, and upgraded the pump to a MaxiJet 900. I also gutted a damaged Marineland LED light fixture I got in trade and modded it into the hood behind the stock PCs. Hooked the lights up to a timer, currently 10 hours with the main lights on and the 'fuge lightbox on opposite them. I may change it so the LEDs come on on hour before the PCs, and then turn off an hour after for a ghetto sunrise/sunset cycle. Worth a try.
After all the new hardware was in, I got a few more snails and hermit crabs to replace the ones lost over the last several months, along with a peppermint shrimp to help get my Aiptasia infestation under control (hitchhiked on the LR, didn't know better than to let them do their thing).
Mod pics:
Comedy comes in the guise of a nasty little clownfish. Very cute, and loads of personality.
The tragedy is that the poor Damsel didn't take too kindly to said clown, and managed to stress itself to death. Sigh. Ah well, that's part of trying to keep a tiny slice of the world's largest ecosystem in one's living room.
Le clown:
I also made some rather extensive modifications to the inner workings of the tank.
First order of business was to re-vamp the back end. I took out the sponges, bio-balls, Ammo-Carb, non-functioning heater, thermometer, and stock pump.
I added an inTank media basket with filter floss (pillow stuffing from Wal-Mart, another great tip I learned on Nano-Reef!), Purigen, and Chemi-Pure Elite in the first chamber. Removed some backing from the second chamber, rigged a home-made light box on the back (also read about it on N-R), and put some chaeto in there. Replaced the heater and thermometer in the third chamber, and upgraded the pump to a MaxiJet 900. I also gutted a damaged Marineland LED light fixture I got in trade and modded it into the hood behind the stock PCs. Hooked the lights up to a timer, currently 10 hours with the main lights on and the 'fuge lightbox on opposite them. I may change it so the LEDs come on on hour before the PCs, and then turn off an hour after for a ghetto sunrise/sunset cycle. Worth a try.
After all the new hardware was in, I got a few more snails and hermit crabs to replace the ones lost over the last several months, along with a peppermint shrimp to help get my Aiptasia infestation under control (hitchhiked on the LR, didn't know better than to let them do their thing).
Mod pics:
Sunday, June 5, 2011
A brief introduction.
05/01/2011
A quick history of my fish-keeping career:
All my life I've been fascinated by aquatic creatures. My two favorite places to visit as a kid were NASA and any of the decent sized aquariums. My first attempt to actually keep fish myself ended in disaster. I had just graduated high school and moved away from home, so I thought my first apartment would be a perfect place to try setting up a fish tank. I got one of the 29 gallon kits from Petsmart, did no research whatsoever, and killed everything I tried to put in it for several weeks. Discouraged, I gave up for several years.
While living at my last apartment I actually started working in the fish department at Petsmart, and after a while decided I had a good grasp of the basics, and would try a small freshwater tank. It did very well, and when I moved into my house I set up a 56 gallon cichlid tank, which has been running perfectly for a few years now. I'd always heard how much harder/more expensive/time-consuming saltwater was to keep than freshwater, but when I saw the Nano-Cube for sale for under $50, I figured it was time to give it a try.
I did a bit of reading, put 15lbs of sand and about 10-12lbs of live rock in, mixed up some salt water (with conditioned tap water), put in a Marineland Stealth Pro heater, thermometer, a bag of Ammo-Carb, and let it sit for a month. Did a 50% water change, headed to the LFS and got a half dozen each hermit crabs and assorted snails.
Waited another month and 2 25% water changes, and got a Yellow-tail Blue Damsel. Aside from semi-regular water changes, that's how it's been sitting for the past 8-9 months.
I've since found some very good sources of information that have inspired me to get this thing going again.
A quick history of my fish-keeping career:
All my life I've been fascinated by aquatic creatures. My two favorite places to visit as a kid were NASA and any of the decent sized aquariums. My first attempt to actually keep fish myself ended in disaster. I had just graduated high school and moved away from home, so I thought my first apartment would be a perfect place to try setting up a fish tank. I got one of the 29 gallon kits from Petsmart, did no research whatsoever, and killed everything I tried to put in it for several weeks. Discouraged, I gave up for several years.
While living at my last apartment I actually started working in the fish department at Petsmart, and after a while decided I had a good grasp of the basics, and would try a small freshwater tank. It did very well, and when I moved into my house I set up a 56 gallon cichlid tank, which has been running perfectly for a few years now. I'd always heard how much harder/more expensive/time-consuming saltwater was to keep than freshwater, but when I saw the Nano-Cube for sale for under $50, I figured it was time to give it a try.
I did a bit of reading, put 15lbs of sand and about 10-12lbs of live rock in, mixed up some salt water (with conditioned tap water), put in a Marineland Stealth Pro heater, thermometer, a bag of Ammo-Carb, and let it sit for a month. Did a 50% water change, headed to the LFS and got a half dozen each hermit crabs and assorted snails.
Waited another month and 2 25% water changes, and got a Yellow-tail Blue Damsel. Aside from semi-regular water changes, that's how it's been sitting for the past 8-9 months.
I've since found some very good sources of information that have inspired me to get this thing going again.
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