.Newman. Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 the last picture reminds me of a frag of zoas that my picotope started out with. that exact combination of eagle eyes and green dragon eyes (probably a common zoa combo). You can see how that one frag spread in my tank (its the area on the left front portion of my tank when you look at it) Your corals look good! Link to comment
friar1 Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Thank you sir, but I cannot take credit but thanks anyways Link to comment
racechase Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Awesome candy canes and candy cane/zoa mutant Link to comment
brandon429 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Friar I am SO happy for you, how nice is that. Your duncan is displaying the ideal polyp color and extension, the tank is clean and is already taking on a blue or purple color hue, Im telling ya this is going to turn out really well. Please go install $800 in coral frags by end of week, then update us I want the vette right about now this has a solid start wow Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Please go install $800 in coral frags by end of week, then update us I want the vette right about now :lol: If I had 800 dollars to blow on corals I would have a larger tank (and house) LOL! Here is another view of the CandyCane Zoa hybrid Placement is temporary. Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Candy Cane looking for food! Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Tank's looking wicked! Watch out for the media basket friar, youknow the problems I've been having Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Thanks MD! Yeah, I took out the AC70, I am just using a small HOB filter with a Pura filtration pad. Because this is all I have been using for some time, I am considering just keeping the tank the way it is. However, I really want to get rid of the heater in the display, and an AC70 is the best way to do this. Still not sure what I want to do. By the way, did you reduce the flow of the AC70 either by the flow control or by cutting the impeller? If you have good flow with a power head already, and you have not reduced the flow in the AC70, you might try that route. Some people have purchased the impeller for the AC50 and used that on the AC70 to reduce the flow. Just thinking out loud. If you have the AC70 on full bore, then reducing the flow might be your answer. You get get more flow through another small power head if you need it. Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Thanks MD! Yeah, I took out the AC70, I am just using a small HOB filter with a Pura filtration pad. Because this is all I have been using for some time, I am considering just keeping the tank the way it is. However, I really want to get rid of the heater in the display, and an AC70 is the best way to do this. Still not sure what I want to do.By the way, did you reduce the flow of the AC70 either by the flow control or by cutting the impeller? If you have good flow with a power head already, and you have not reduced the flow in the AC70, you might try that route. Some people have purchased the impeller for the AC50 and used that on the AC70 to reduce the flow. Just thinking out loud. If you have the AC70 on full bore, then reducing the flow might be your answer. You get get more flow through another small power head if you need it. flow is reduced all that we could Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 hmmm. well then that is not the answer! Good thing your dad has access to a nice shop! We will see what happens. God is in control! Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 hmmm. well then that is not the answer! Good thing your dad has access to a nice shop! We will see what happens. God is in control! yeah, yeah ikr, we just changed it to all stock, I used the stock sponge, then CPE then Purigen all in the stock basket, while dad goes and gets that sanding done Amen! Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Caught my Mini Mini trying to munch on a dwarf Cerith. The snail was right in the middle of the nem. The snail won! Link to comment
racechase Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Candy Cane looking for food! adorable Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 New pics! Candy Cane/Zoa Hybrid Duncan Zoa FTS Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 I really like this tank! I have a small HOB filter that came with it, with a Pura filtration pad, as well as a Koralia nano power head. I want to move the heater out, but now my better half wants the tank to stay where it is, so I can't really fit the AC 70 on the back of the tank right now. I have been getting small algae blooms of one kind or another plus diatoms occasionally. The water staying relatively clean plus the cleanup crews seem to be keeping it at bay. I had a stand of bryopsis show up but after a few days it was completely gone. The strange thing to me is the large ceriths, even the dwarf ceriths seem to be eating even long GHA and bryopsis, something I did not see in my other tank. Although, it is possible that the clean water is helping with that. IDK 25 % WC weekly, cleaning the tank sides, feeding animals occasionally, dosing C-Balance, tank feels very stable. I really need to test just to see what the water is doing, but as it stands I am very happy with the progress so far. Obviously, it really helped starting with cured live rock and then using the rock from my 1.5 gallon, both which had very established coraline algae. The new additions are doing great. Have fed the Candy Cane on the left a few times already. I have not had that kind of luck yet with the Candy Cane/Zoa hybrid, it's sweepers haven't come out much yet. But it seems to be doing just fine as it is. All in all a very relaxing tank to care for. Of course it has only been a little over a month so we will see what happens next! lol Link to comment
racechase Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I really like this tank! I really do too youre so lucky your bryopsis didnt escalate.. i forgot to look at my tank for a week (last time it was set up) and bam it took over Link to comment
brandon429 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 friar are you dosing this tank or is it wc only Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 I really do too youre so lucky your bryopsis didnt escalate.. i forgot to look at my tank for a week (last time it was set up) and bam it took over Thanks racechase I like that the small blooms seem to be dealt with quite nicely by the water changes and/or CUC. Feels very balanced, like the Tetra ended up being. For instance, there is a GHA bloom on my large Astrea snail and I am going to wacth and see if it disappears or if the snails eat it. Last time a couple weeks ago, the snails took care of it. And it was Very long, it was surprising to watch the snails eat such long GHA. Used to seeing them ignore the long stuff. Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 friar are you dosing this tank or is it wc only Hi brandon, yes I am dosing C-Balance. Coralline is growing on my rocks, I have watched some bare spots on the rocks and seen the purple take over. About 5mls each part daily. I know it's a lot, but that is where I am seeing healthy coralline growth. Plus I have a number of LPS and all the snails. I skip a couple days dosing during the week, so it isn't every day. 25% water changes once a week. That's only one gallon. so I keep mixed water in my Distilled water jugs. So I always have a gallon of saltwater and a gallon jug of distilled water for my top offs. Lots of Evap on this tank, which I don't like. I change out the Pura pad once a week. Occasional feedings, no set schedule, mostly spot feeding rotating with with freeze dried mysis, freeze dried cyclopeeze, Zooplex, and sometimes a tiny amount in the tank of Phytoplex for the small animals. I need to test the water, since I am seeing blooms. Mostly it is after I add new coral, but I suspect there might be some extra nutrients floating around. If all comes up zero, I will be thinking that the tank is fairly balanced, at least as much as a young tank can be. The rock that I am using is certainly helping to keep the tank fairly stable. We will see how that holds out in the next few months. By the way, thanks again for your advice. The Pico Vase is still my inspiration. I want to see how close these corals will grow, what the warfare will be like as the various colonies grow out. (One of the Candy Cane colonies has Very long sweeper tentacles.) Link to comment
racechase Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 would you say C-balance is key to coralline growth? Link to comment
friar1 Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 I really don't know racechase. I only have what little experience I have had with my other tank, the 1.5 Gallon Tetra. In that tank, it wasn't until I started dosing about 2.5 mls each part of C-Balance daily that I experienced Coralline growth. That does not mean it was the C-Balance. I have read numerous threads about Coralline growth and what can inhibit it's growth or jump start it. It seems there is a magnesium component in the growth of Coralline. I don't remember all the scientific arguments, but I suspect that just dosing C-balance is not the only answer. It seems to be working on my end, but with out testing for mag and alk (which I can't do ATM) I can't really say what is going on. I have seen more than one tank here whose owner does not dose at all, but sees massive coralline growth anyway. I figure there is a lot in the various rocks and sand that we use that could have a large impact on the growth of this purple stuff. By the way, for those following, anyone know of some good stickies out there on the subject of Coralline Algae and how to grow it? I would like to stop with the guesswork. I know the recommendations are to keep you calcium and alk at the proper levels, but I have read quite a few threads from persons who do that and yet have no growth. Feel free to highjack this thread to discuss this issue! And yes critics are welcome! Link to comment
brandon429 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I see coralline growth in tanks that are water change only, the stickied thread up top is one. in my opinion its just a booster and it causes coralline growth in every situation Ive ever seen it used in, literally hundreds of different tanks kept up with via pms across forums and emails. Not everyone using water change only grows coralline, but every tank that uses c balance does within a few months depending on the seeding. Friar we learn from each others setups Im glad to see your designs. Im sure my friend Kathryn has seen this thread if not I'll refer it to her for supporting ideas in a similar sized tank about c balance dosing. my use of c balance is only in tiny reefs but I have many friends using it in three gallon tanks. There are many two part additives, c balance isn't necessarily better. the only reason I recommend it is because its easy to know how to dose it in any pico reef, sight unseen, within 90% accuracy without having to test the water for calcium and alk. It comes from using it for ten years and getting constant feedback from others about the water levels after use. its predictable in what it does to calcium and alk. This is against the normal method that says to test tediously, there's just a different way to go about it now that we know certain volume constants and the right time of the day to add c balance. its simple to use but Im sure if someone took the time to tune any other two part doser amount it would work as well. the next thing Im doing is going back to read what kind of lights you are using. that diversity in feeding will certain deck out the tank with sponges and tubeworms as the months pass by, ought to be able to keep just about anything in it. Link to comment
racechase Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 i've never had any fast coralline growth and i've never dosed 2 part. seeing as my rocks are bleach white right now i think i want to try it. thanks for the info guys! Link to comment
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