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Matt's 20L College Reef (Retired)


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i loooooooove that birdsnest... omg. SOOO pretty under those lights!

 

Yeah it's definitely one of my favorite pieces, and one of the brightest corals in the tank.

 

Thanks for checking out the thread :)

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Beautiful update! Those LOTR zoas sound kind of like ones I have! When I bought them they were chalky pink, but have since become a lovely light purple, and even more recently looks like they are developing hints of bright pink around the skirt and mouth :) They're pretty!

 

Also, love your birdsnest! I have one, it is extremely tiny, and thus far kind of unhappy. It isn't dying, but it isn't doing much either. There is still polyp extension but the colour is faded :( I need to buy some test kits to see what needs fixing. I also need another powerhead, I wonder if the flow from the MJ 400 isn't sufficient for it? I plan on getting an MP10 (or do you think this will be too much with the MJ?) but that isn't until August, because my boyfriend's getting it for my birthday :)

 

As always, looking great :)

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Beautiful update! Those LOTR zoas sound kind of like ones I have! When I bought them they were chalky pink, but have since become a lovely light purple, and even more recently looks like they are developing hints of bright pink around the skirt and mouth :) They're pretty!

 

Also, love your birdsnest! I have one, it is extremely tiny, and thus far kind of unhappy. It isn't dying, but it isn't doing much either. There is still polyp extension but the colour is faded :( I need to buy some test kits to see what needs fixing. I also need another powerhead, I wonder if the flow from the MJ 400 isn't sufficient for it? I plan on getting an MP10 (or do you think this will be too much with the MJ?) but that isn't until August, because my boyfriend's getting it for my birthday :)

 

As always, looking great :)

 

Those purple zoas are some of my favorites! They don't stand out much at first glance but they really are beautiful.

 

I wouldn't get discouraged about the birdsnest. Sometimes it takes a few weeks before they settle in and start growing and coloring up. It probably doesn't help that it was so small when you got it. It's a good idea to get those tests, but it doesn't sound like there's a huge issue with your water chemistry. If there is no sign of tissue necrosis (bleaching), the polyps are extending, and the color just seems faded, I am inclined to think your lights are too strong. Did you light acclimate it? Whatever the issue, birdsnest corals seem to be pretty resilient for SPS, so I am sure it will get better.

 

In regards to flow, I think an MJ400 and an MP10 will be plenty. I have a combined 500gph coming out of my filters along with the MP10 set at 75% (which is really strong), and I have pretty good flow in my tank. The good thing about the MP10 is that if you find your flow to be too strong or too weak you can adjust it. I think it's impossible to have too little flow in a 20L with an MP10.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Paigee!

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Sneak peaks?! Whatcha got?! And thanks for the tips about the birdsnest :) I'm getting a little worried, it looks like parts might be bleaching... Which is dangerous because it's so small. I didn't acclimate it but I figured that the lighting was about equal... And if anything it's browner. I might even put it back in the 10 where the system is more mature, the rainbow monti and my acro are still in there and looking great, getting more and more polyp extension on the acro... So maybe I'll put it back. I dunno! Urgh.

 

Stoked for your new additions!

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Sneak peaks?! Whatcha got?! And thanks for the tips about the birdsnest :) I'm getting a little worried, it looks like parts might be bleaching... Which is dangerous because it's so small. I didn't acclimate it but I figured that the lighting was about equal... And if anything it's browner. I might even put it back in the 10 where the system is more mature, the rainbow monti and my acro are still in there and looking great, getting more and more polyp extension on the acro... So maybe I'll put it back. I dunno! Urgh.

 

Stoked for your new additions!

 

Which parts do you think are bleaching? If you see it bleaching at the base, that's always bad. If it's getting more pale at the tips, it could mean it's just growing. When the tips on my pink millepora began turning pale, I got a little worried, but I realized it was just starting to grow fast in those areas. As long as it's not bleaching at the base, then I think the big thing is polyp extension--as long as they're out, I wouldn't really worry about it.

 

If it looks browner in some areas, then that is either a sign of too high nutrients and/or too little flow. Since your 20L is new, I imagine there are some measurable amounts of nitrates and phosphates. If those parameters check out, maybe try directing a little more flow at it.

 

As for moving it back to your 10g, that's a judgement call. If it really starts to whither away, I would consider it. Otherwise I would just leave it in the 20 for now and watch it closely. If I've learned one thing since starting out in this hobby, it's that things usually do better if you leave them alone. I wish I could help out more... a picture and some parameter readings would help if you want to go through all that trouble.

 

 

Corals & inverts are on their way, btw! They'll be here tomorrow morning. I'll post some pictures then!

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That's adorable! Great way to end the photo dump :happy:

 

You have a great looking tank. Very clean and everything healthy!!!!!

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You have a great looking tank. Very clean and everything healthy!!!!!

 

Thanks Gena! Coming from a TOTM winner, that means a lot. :blush:

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My Vivid Aquariums order came in today, and everything looks great! I'm glad I gave these guys another shot a month or two back because they really have some quality stuff. I ordered:

 

  • Blue & Green Acropora Tenuis
  • Blue Blastomussa Wellsi
  • Purple, Green & Pink Aussie Maze Brain
  • 2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

Here are some pictures:

 

Acropora tenuis... really beautiful frag. It hasn't lost much color during shipping, and this picture definitely doesn't do it justice. The polyps were all out after an hour. I'm really glad I got this, since it's been sitting in their WYSIWYG section for a while, and I'm surprised it never sold.

IMG_0550-1.jpg

 

Blue blastomussa... this coral is the reason I went ahead and placed my order so quickly. It was such a gorgeous coral and I knew that being a rare color morph, it would sell very quickly if I didn't grab it first. (this picture looks purple because I turned off the actinics to better capture its color... same with the pic below).

IMG_0568.jpg

 

Purple, Green & Pink Maze Brain. I saw a green and brown one at my LFS and fell in love with it, but I already have plenty of green in the tank so I looked for a more interesting color morph and found this. The pink doesn't really come through in this picture.

IMG_0565.jpg

 

Shrimp #1 (they don't have names yet)

IMG_0563.jpg

 

Shrimp #2

IMG_0553.jpg

 

In the process of moving stuff around to accommodate the new corals, I accidently fragged both my ORA birdsnest and my green slimer. :angry: I'm really pissed about that, especially since the slimer wasn't that big to begin with. Also, I decided I'm going to get rid of my tri-color acropora humilis and my purple & green montipora sp. In such a small tank, coral selection is extremely limited--this is especially true for SPS since they have the largest effect on water chemistry. The humilis was a freebie that I didn't ask for, and there's just no room for extra SPS in my tank. As for the montipora, I got it in a frag pack, and I've never really liked it all that much. I'm going to give all of them to my LFS unless someone on NR is willing to pick them up.

IMG_0554.jpg

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This tank is going to look great when all the zoas and everything else grow

 

Yeah I'm excited to see how everything progresses. Thanks for checking out the thread!

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I love watching my clownfish interact with the torch coral. They're so quirky. Nala (my girlfriend named them after the Lion King characters) gently nibbles on the ends of the tentacles. She's also been using her tail to dig out a little hole around it. The torch doesn't seem to mind all the attention so I'm pretty happy with the whole setup right now.

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It's looking like we're going to convert the 5.5g quarantine tank to a macro/soft coral tank after all! My girlfriend is going take charge on this project since I do most of the stuff with the 20g. It's still in the planning phase at the moment.

 

I think we're going to give it a thorough cleaning this week, and add some sand and rock. I'm going to pull out the GSP rock in the 20L and move it to the smaller tank to make more room for SPS. Then we'll order a CUC and maybe 1-2 macros from reefcleaners. After that, the tank is going to sit for a couple months with the few corals that are still in there. Once our hectic summer schedules quiet down she's going to start stocking it more actively. I'll make sure she starts a build thread on NR :happy:

 

The rough stocking plan for this tank includes mostly soft corals (her favorites!), a couple nice macros, some inverts, and a small fish or two. Before adding any of her planned fish, it will still be a quarantine for the pink-streaked wrasse we plan to add to the 20g.

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Wow!!!!! Vivid really sends some decent sized frags!!!!!!

 

I'm excited about your 5.5g!!!!!! You and she are going to love having a macro/softy tank :happy:

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Wow!!!!! Vivid really sends some decent sized frags!!!!!!

 

I'm excited about your 5.5g!!!!!! You and she are going to love having a macro/softy tank :happy:

 

Yes they do! In fact, I would hardly call a 3" coral a frag anymore haha.They're a little pricey compared to some other stores but I think it's worth it. They have such an amazing selection of corals and the quality of the frags they have sent me is, at least in my experience, second to none. Have you been to their walk-in store?

 

And yes we're both pretty excited! She loves the 20g but I know she really enjoys soft corals more than others. Having the 5.5g will allow us to keep whatever softies she wants in there (that will fit of course :P ).

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Yeah...they don't look like frags at all!!!!! I have been in the store. I never really noticed the size of their SPS though. I was always more interested in their softy collection.

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Yeah...they don't look like frags at all!!!!! I have been in the store. I never really noticed the size of their SPS though. I was always more interested in their softy collection.

 

Jealous! I'd love to see their 800 gallon show tank. I think I'll squeeze in a little side trip to Vivid next time I'm down in SoCal.

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Ohhhh another tank! Haha exciting stuff, it's great that your girlfriend is interested! My boyfriend is rather impartial.

 

Do you know when you're getting your pink streaked wrasse?! Watch, you'll probably get yours before I get mine. Hmph. :angry:

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Ohhhh another tank! Haha exciting stuff, it's great that your girlfriend is interested! My boyfriend is rather impartial.

 

Do you know when you're getting your pink streaked wrasse?! Watch, you'll probably get yours before I get mine. Hmph. :angry:

 

Yeah we're excited! I know she's going to create a wonderful tank. Between the two of us we should have all the bases covered--SPS, LPS, softies, and macros. I'm looking forward to it! :happy:

 

As for the pink-streaked wrasse, I really have no idea. Ideally I'd like to get it around late July, but since it's such a rare fish, I'll probably just jump at the next one I see as long as I can afford it. I have an email notification set up for when Liveaquaria has them back in stock... they've been out of stock for about a month now. I'll probably ask around a few LFS as well. Either way, I hope we all get them in good time! And then we can start the PSW club! B)

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I woke up this morning to a Liveaquaria notification for the wrasse. How weird is that! Too bad the timing sucks right now. I really want to get the 5.5g up and running in good condition before getting another fish.

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I've decided to make room for one more SPS in this tank (albeit at least 1-2 months down the road). I want a really special piece--not that my others are just run of the mill. They're all beautiful, but I want something with real collector value (if that's the right phrase). So far I've narrowed it down to two acroporas:

 

Acropora microclados (Strawberry Shortcake)

liveaquaria-desktop-6.jpg

 

Acropora tortuosa (Oregon Tort)

ReefBum_OregonTort.jpg

 

This one is going to be a tough choice... two of the most beautiful corals!

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Oh...that's a tough choice!!!!! They are both gorgeous!!!!!

 

Funny that you got the in stock notice on the wrasse. I'm still a good ways out from being able to get one.

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I'd go with the one that would stand out most in your tank... looks like the strawberry shortcake might add a new color? They're both beautiful though... why not both? :P

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