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Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef


Nano sapiens

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Nano sapiens

Sorry to hear that mate, how long did you have him?

 

Only about 3 weeks...

 

Sorry about the loss, he was cool. RIP :(

 

Thanks. It was a great addition to the tank.

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Nano sapiens

Nice! You dont seem to have a problem mixing yuma and florida, I might start getting some yumas.

 

What have you been feeding them?

 

I've never had any issues mixing both species. They do try to 'one-up' each other for more light, but that's about it. Many of these Rics get to be nearly 5" across before they split.

 

Flakes, pellets, Rod's Food. But here's the trick, when feeding flakes or pellets I feed the fish with some whole pieces, but I also mash some of the food in the water between my fingers which makes a very fine paste. This type of feeding 3x/day is causing all corals to grow, expand and color up to the point that they I may need to back off as I'm running out of room.. But, regular detritus removal is mandatory with broadcast feeding to prevent PO4 buildup and the related problems.

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Nano sapiens

I can't keep floridas, yumas like my tank.

 

 

That is so strange since I know you feed a good amount of food. I spot-feed my Yumas (but never my Floridas) to try and spur their growth. Floridas grow like weeds when there's some dissolved food in the water.

 

I also have one left over Discosoma calgreni which hadn't grown in 3 years, but within the last two months it has nearly doubled in size :)

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I've never had any issues mixing both species. They do try to 'one-up' each other for more light, but that's about it. Many of these Rics get to be nearly 5" across before they split.

 

Flakes, pellets, Rod's Food. But here's the trick, when feeding flakes or pellets I feed the fish with some whole pieces, but I also mash some of the food in the water between my fingers which makes a very fine paste. This type of feeding 3x/day is causing all corals to grow, expand and color up to the point that they I may need to back off as I'm running out of room.. But, regular detritus removal is mandatory with broadcast feeding to prevent PO4 buildup and the related problems.

Cool trick, I havent bee feeding anything but the fishes lately, I am finally winning the battle with the turf algae and am scared that if I start feeding it will start to take over again. And yea I have some rics that are easily 4-5 inches in diameter when fully extended.

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Nano sapiens

Cool trick, I havent bee feeding anything but the fishes lately, I am finally winning the battle with the turf algae and am scared that if I start feeding it will start to take over again. And yea I have some rics that are easily 4-5 inches in diameter when fully extended.

 

Finding the right balance between PO4 control, feeding and the right type and amount of herbivores to keep the algae mowed properly is part of the fun/challenge. A bit more difficult in a Nano since we are limited in what types of algae eaters we can keep in the tank.

 

Along with weekly SB vacuuming, I have a crew of three blue-leg hermits. They crop just about any type of algae I may have growing and my legion of Collunista micro-snails graze the diatoms and bio-films. Add in a couple dozen bristleworms to sift the SB and it's a relatively happy little pile of rocks in glass box.

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Finding the right balance between PO4 control, feeding and the right type and amount of herbivores to keep the algae mowed properly is part of the fun/challenge. A bit more difficult in a Nano since we are limited in what types of algae eaters we can keep in the tank.

 

Along with weekly SB vacuuming, I have a crew of three blue-leg hermits. They crop just about any type of algae I may have growing and my legion of Collunista micro-snails graze the diatoms and bio-films. Add in a couple dozen bristleworms to sift the SB and it's a relatively happy little pile of rocks in glass box.

We have a similar clean up crew except I have a little more snails. The hermits do the most "observable" work but I have noticed that they go crazy when I feed the clowns, they have developed quite the appetite for pellets.

 

I agree its a balance that is not easy to find, I have yet to find the sweet spot but I am close. The biggest challenge for me is sucking up detritus without sucking up all the sand. :rolleyes:

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Nano sapiens

I use the standard 'Gravel Vac', but I added a plastic valve from the hardware store which I spliced into the tubing. This allows for great control of the siphon flow so very little, if any, sand is removed.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Nano sapiens

Due to my Black Misbar Ocellaris hanging on the back wall of the tank all the time I decided to get him/her a buddy:

 

BlackampRegularOscellaris2052013_zpsa2d5

 

The LFS was listing it as a 'Fancy' something or other, but its a fairly normal colored and barred Ocellaris. It won't sit still, so this is the clearest pic I could get of the two.

 

And here it is being 'frenetic':

 

BlackampRegularOscellaris1052013_zps8312

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Nano sapiens

That actually a pretty good pic considering its a clown.

 

The second pic is quite strange. The orange clown kind of looked 'angelic' (for lack of a better word).

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Nano sapiens

Happy Clownfish Update:

 

Looks like the addition of the second Clownfish was a really good move. I had read many accounts of potential aggression issues when adding a second Clownfish of similar size when the original one had already been in the tank for an extended period, but luckily the two I have seem to be quite content together. For the first week I was concerned that the newcomer wasn't going to make it due to being quite thin and spitting out most food, but now he is eating like a champ and packing on the weight due to 4-5 feedings a day. In a few short months I hope he'll be as fat and sassy just like his tankmate.

 

On a side note, I've been saving a lower light, quiet spot for one of my favorite LPSs (give me a 'B', give me a 'L', give me an 'A'...) that died out on me during the 'Brown Jelly & Amphipods'' catastrophe a few years ago. Picking up a nice two polyp specimen tomorrow, pics to come...

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