Dawn's 36g reef

[tibbsy07]

Looks great

[vlangel]

Looks great, and healthy!

Thanks Mark, I am pleased with the tank now. I still have a small amount of algae on the sand bed, especially on the left side but I hopeful the Nualgi will deal with it. Its not a quick fix, but I am definitely seeing results. Hey, the trial sample was free so what did I have to lose?

 

Looks great

Thanks Tibbsy. I'm pretty happy with it.

[vlangel]

Since I opened up a fairly large area in the center of my lefthand rock structure I've been thinking about a RBTA. I love nems but worry about it parking its carcass right under my clam. I saw one for cheap from a tank tear down nearby and I couldn't help myself. I hope I am not sorry but I bought it. Almost any of my coral except the clam can be relocated so here goes. Wish me and my new nem luck!!!

 

I will take a pic soon.

[markalot]

Good luck with the nem.

[vlangel]

Here's the new RBTA. My hubby dubbed him Rosey. Thanks Mark, if Rosey stays in the general area that he's is now we'll be ok. I also picked up some blue clove polyps and included a pic of them too. They are some nice additions to my tank.

[markalot]

Unfortunately that might not be a BTA but rather a long tentacle anemone or something similar. If it buries itself in the sand rather than a rock crevice then you'll know for sure. I could be wrong, of course, but that pic does not look like a BTA.

[vlangel]

Unfortunately that might not be a BTA but rather a long tentacle anemone or something similar. If it buries itself in the sand rather than a rock crevice then you'll know for sure. I could be wrong, of course, but that pic does not look like a BTA.

I'm OK even if it isn't a RBTA, I love all nems as long as I can provide for its needs. My clownfish has buddied with it which is good. I've read nems do better with clowns. So far he has planted his foot in the rock work. From what I read rose bubble tip nems will elongate when searching for food?

[vlangel]

So I noticed something really weird last night. I have had a dead coral skeleton rubble in my tank for years. I use it to plug holes in the rock work, purely for looks. When I reworked the rock I moved it up high and in a high flow area to plug a hole. Well, I think the thing has sprouted!!! It sure looks like live tissue. This is an SPS skeleton and I've never kept SPS. Perhaps I got the skeleton from my son when he lived here but that was at least 4 years ago. Anyhow I am anxious to see what it turns into and I guess time will tell. I'll take a pic when its big enough to really see well.

[ETucc]

Following. Sick tank.

[Oceanus]

Looks good. Those are some nice open brains you have there!

[vlangel]

Looks good. Those are some nice open brains you have there!

Thanks, that brain is one of my favorite corals. My husband bought it for me for valentines day a couple years ago. Most girls want a heart but I was thrilled with a brain! LOL

[markalot]

Pretty good pictures. I have never been able to get a clear pic with just blue lights on. I'll try again.

[vlangel]

Pretty good pictures. I have never been able to get a clear pic with just blue lights on. I'll try again.

One thing I could try is increasing the resolution on the camera. When I first joined a different forum it wouldn't let me download any pics except on the lowest setting and I've never changed it since.

[vlangel]

Yesterday I bought a phosphate reducing media. I've never used one before since I haven't really had much of an algae problem but now I see a tiny bit of hair algae in a couple places. I worry my clam won't continue to thrive if I strip all the phosphate out of the water since my nitrates are undetectable and he is probably utilizing PO4. This product works fast, 2-8 hrs. I guess I'll test to see what the PO4 is to start with, run the media for 2 hrs and then test again. If I reduce the PO4 by half that should be a big improvement.

[Oceanus]

Sounds like a good plan, try to keep a very small amount of phosphates and nitrates for the clam, but it is probably not a huge deal. Clams are still mostly photosynthetic. You can always use just a very small amount of GFO in a media bag if you want to keep some phosphate, but not much.

[vlangel]

Sounds like a good plan, try to keep a very small amount of phosphates and nitrates for the clam, but it is probably not a huge deal. Clams are still mostly photosynthetic. You can always use just a very small amount of GFO in a media bag if you want to keep some phosphate, but not much.

I guess with 6 fish, 2 shrimp, a sea cucumber, a serpent starfish and an army of hermits, (all in a 36g tank) I am not exactly running an ultra low nutrient system! LOL

[vlangel]

Since I am paying more attention to my phosphates, now is perhaps a good time to venture into a few SPS. I have a few spots that I think would work well for some sticks!

[Oceanus]

Sweet! Try out a montipora or birdsnest first, they are relatively easy to keep, and will tolerate some nutrients quite well. Can't wait to see some colored sticks in there!

[vlangel]

Well the PO4 reducing media worked like a charm. My PO4 usually runs pretty high at 1.0ppm but had actually crept up to 2.0. I ran the media 24 hours and its down to .25ppm. I don't want to shock any of my corals so I removed it but am pleased that it was so effective.

[vlangel]

I've been using Nualgi and today I went to their website and imagine my surprise when I saw my tank featured in their testimonials! As part of the free trial I keep a record week to week what changes are taking place in the tank and report to them what is happening with it. It was crazy to see my tank featured as it is kind of ordinary. I am thinking of adding a seahorse tank to the system and sharing the sump. Nualgi feeds the fauna and phytoplankon so I am thinking that would be perfect for photosynthetic gorgonians and maybe even sponges. We don't have AC so I need to use my existing system to use the chiller. I think my corals will be OK with the temperature between 74-76 degrees and if I run the water straight from the chiller into the seahorse tank it may even be a degree or so cooler than that if the temp probe is in the coral DT. So I will be posting pics of the progress. This will not be a fast build since I need to cycle some dried LR I have. I am super excited about it though!

[vlangel]

Rosey, my nem was making my clam very unhappy. The nem parked his carcass right under the clam's rock and had his tentacles all over the clam. I felt very nervous because the clam's mantle was pinched yesterday and all day today. Tonight I felt compelled to gently peel the nem from his happy spot. Needless to say he is no longer happy. I moved him to the opposite rock work and his clown is trying to cheer him up. I hope he's OK.

[vlangel]

Today was a crazy day for my clam and the RBTA. They both looked good when the lights came on. Rosey seems settled in. The clam was open and looking healthy. I was doing a WC and cleaning filters and such, then... crash! I knocked over the whole top of the rock work where the clam was. Amazingly everything including the clam seemed OK after I rebuilt it all. I should just keep my hands out of the tank. LOL

[markalot]

Ouch.

 

I broke most of my montis trying to move one rock just a little to the right. This also caused my anemone to move to where he is now, which required me to break off another chunk of my purple montipora so he would not cut his foot. Anemones are fun, but a little nerve wracking. Glad everything is ok!

[vlangel]

Ouch.

 

I broke most of my montis trying to move one rock just a little to the right. This also caused my anemone to move to where he is now, which required me to break off another chunk of my purple montipora so he would not cut his foot. Anemones are fun, but a little nerve wracking. Glad everything is ok!

It was my nem who started all the trouble too by stressing the clam in the first place. If they just weren't so cute! Ha ha. Today everything looks very good though. So did you frag the pieces that broke? Of course thats a whole new set of issues to do that, not to mention that the shape of your original piece is forever altered.

[vlangel]

I am discovering that even though Rosey looks sweet and innocent he is far from it. Last night when I was feeding I noticed my new pink hammer was totally receded back into its skeleton! Horrified I wondered if I had contaminated the water when I changed some or if a pest was after it? I decided to move it in case Rosey was stinging it even though I never saw that happening. An hour later it was fine so I have to assume under that cute little rose colored tentacled body is a killing machine and anything within reach is at risk!!!