Mark's Nanobox Powered 40B -retired-

[markalot]

Pink Birdsnest looks pretty cool- your pictures are looking good. Are your Monti's safe now from the nudi's?

 

They seem to be. I inspect any white dot that looks like a nudi and so far nothing. I was pretty careful to pull only montis that showed no damage and then I dipped in a 10X solution of flatworm exit (stuns but does not kill the nudis) and then scrubbed the undersides and edges, and then super glues over areas i thought might be a good hiding place. I'm not convinced it was good enough but hopeful.

 

Still going. Everything is happy except for the red acan. It may not like the near 0 phosphates I'm keeping in here to try and tackle the algae problem. I have been running the Razor very dim and yet things seem to be growing well.

 

FTS

 

 

 

I guess this IS a pink bird. I thought it bleached out but it's staying a very consistent pink. I wonder if the higher phosphates in the 150 kept this brown? I've stripped the water in here of all measurable phosphates to try and tackle the algae problem.

 

This is all that's left of the spongodes. Doing well, encrusting slowly.

 

This monti, one of my favorites, really likes it in here. Looks like I'm going to have to pull the caulerpa again.

 

Purple stylo does look better under LED.

 

Page quote.

[vlangel]

This tank just gets prettier all the time.

[markalot]

This tank just gets prettier all the time.

 

Thanks Dawn.

[markalot]

Took a few pics now that the Montis are gone. Yes, MEN made it into here even though I scrubbed and dipped.

 

 

These were dark brown shrooms that came from some random frag. They are turning out to be quite nice and they reproduce rapidly.

 

Haven't used the porthole on this tank yet, so here are some top downs. Looks at all that bubble algae.

 

Compare the Ponape mini frag to the brown mess in my 150 due to the Alk and PO4 spike.

[jedimasterben]

om nom nom, bubble algae!

 

 

 

at least that's what my rabbitfish says

[markalot]

Bubble trees? You can see one in the mushroom pic, just left of the sinunlaria stalk. I have a large one of these "trees" growing near the center of the tank as well, just to the right of the green shrooms. Trying to find some information about it. I like it.

 

One more comment about the mushroom pic. Even though it's a mess with bubble and hair algae that pic represents one of the reasons I got into the hobby. For whatever reason the look of the shrooms and various corals around it looks incredibly good to my eyes and reminds me of some of my favorite featured reefs, prior to my addiction to the fuzzy sticks.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/featured/_/2011/naturalwonders-r48

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/featured/_/2008/tashayar-r12

[markalot]

Pics. The very slow progress continues. Bubble algae everywhere, but hair algae is on the retreat as the thin stripes have started to make some progress.

 

Left side

 

Right side

 

Alienz!

 

Lots of bubbles!

 

Almost impossible to get a picture of the tail wagger.

 

I've had this little guy for two years, same shell.

 

The bubble tree.

 

My free mostly dead frag of Pipe organ plus green cloves. Looks like I got some bryopsis along for the ride as well.

 

I broke off the main frag of this Stylocoeniella and moved it to the 150. What's left has been growing back at a decent clip.

 

My Zoa/pallys. Magician on the bottom, and some cool orange frilled paly? on top. Look at it going into the incredibly invasive seafoam pallys. My poor little orange cyphastrea frag on the left, under constant algae attack, and my free baby hammer on the right.

 

2 year old Duncans

 

I need more invasive corals for this tank and I'm not sure what to get. I have two types of Xenia now, and the blue cloves are starting to spread, finally.

 

I have GSP on the back left that I wanted to grow up the glass but it's creeping up the rocks instead. I have shrooms that are spreading as well. The only way to fully combat the bubble algae is to not give it any room to grow.

[gena]

I've never seen a bubble algae tree . Can you imagine if someone came out with a cure for bubble algae in a bottle???? They'd be millionaires. I feel your pain when it comes to bubble algae LOL.

 

You still have some great pieces in this tank...like those duncans! That blenny photo is too cute .

[Sk8n Reefer]

There's a lot of diversity in this tank- as Gena said that Blenny shot is cool- such posers- wish my clowns would chill like that for the camera Stylo growing back?. Do you dose this tank at all or just maintain with W/C

[markalot]

There's a lot of diversity in this tank- as Gena said that Blenny shot is cool- such posers- wish my clowns would chill like that for the camera Stylo growing back. Do you dose this tank at all or just maintain with W/C

 

I've got a super saturated Kalk mixture with vinegar in a 5 gallon jug that has lasted 3 weeks so far. KH tends to hang around 10 but I haven't tested in a while. Evaporation is pretty low so everything stays pretty stable.

[vlangel]

Gotta love a tank that is stable, even if it does have a little bubble algae.

[reefernanoman]

That a well stocked tank you got there. Nice.

[markalot]

Stayed up late to check on the Berghia. 4 big ones wandering around, and a lot less aptasia. I'd say another month of food before I have to think about moving them.

 

Only took one pic, of the red acan. I see lots of different pest algae, including a new one, looks like grape caulerpa on the left.

 

 

Obviously I need more corals to give the algae less room to grow.

[Roshan8768]

I like this tank a lot more than your 150. Why are there algae issues? This is a pretty established setup, right?

[markalot]

I like this tank a lot more than your 150. Why are there algae issues? This is a pretty established setup, right?

 

This is only 6 months old, and I horribly neglected it while I was setting up the 150. I did water changes but ignored the bubble algae problem and introduced a really cool mushroom rock with all kinds of caulerpa on it that went nuts. It's been moved to the 150 and mowed down by the algae eaters, but the algae had already spread.

 

No sump, and no skimmer until a few months ago.

 

I like this tank too, very colorful and I really like the fish. This morning the big basslet was being harassed by the little pygmy wrasse. He's so incredibly passive but when he's had enough he opens his mouth wide and scares the little fish away.

[Roshan8768]

Just do your water changes as you go... it's already a lot cleaner now than it was 2-3 weeks ago. May want to blast all the gunk out of your substrate as well, less stuff for the algae to feed on

[GtTap]

Looking good Mark.

[markalot]

Just do your water changes as you go... it's already a lot cleaner now than it was 2-3 weeks ago. May want to blast all the gunk out of your substrate as well, less stuff for the algae to feed on

 

Oh yea, I blast and I suck bubble algae with my water change hose. I also have dental tools I use to dislodge algae. Right now I'm trying to avoid removing any aptasia, which are ALL over, so the Berghias have something to eat. It's a fun tank, I just don't sweat the mess.

 

Looking good Mark.

 

Thanks!

[markalot]

My track record of installing equipment I buy is about a month behind. last month I bought a stronger hydor pump for the fuge and today, just before a water change, I installed it. +500 GPH is nice, and adjustable to boot. I'm running it about 1/3 power.

 

 

I've been going picture crazy of late, playing around with photoshop.

 

 

This is my blue ricordia rock turned around by the hermits and this garish looking mushroom is growing on the back side. It looks like a mushroom but the color is a reddish purple. Taking a closeup, through dirty glass, I also see something on the left, translucent polyps with some green on them.

 

 

 

FTS New pump the red knob thing at the upper right.

[markalot]

Took some night shots while searching for the Berghia.

 

A very good looking nudi. I spotted 3 of them.

 

Does not like to be disturbed.

 

Really really does not like to be disturbed.

 

 

[hypostatic]

yay hermits!

[markalot]

Bought two purple fuzzy shrooms at the nearby LFS yesterday. Christmas Eve in this tank was spent moving some corals out of the shadows and gluing some others down so the thin stripes would quit moving them to the shadows.

 

 

Moved my "superman" shroom rock forward so I can see them. In the shade they lost most of their blue dots.

 

The magician palys are on the run from the seafoam, which appears to be able to kill them. The other mystery pally with the orange skirt looks to be unfazed by the invasive sea foams.

 

I started adding drops of lugols iodine in here once a week. With iodine supplement the Xenia was able to grow over or kill bubble algae in my old 46, so I might as well try the same thing here.

[markalot]

I re-mounted my Pink Anthelia up high and now that it's back out I snapped a pic. I've had this clump for 2 years. Almost killed it all when I crashed my old 40 gallon and I was back up to a decent amount but apparently it got moved around where i didn't see it and I'm back down to this small clump.

 

[markalot]

Stupid HOB skimmer intake was clogging, as it is apt to do. I run it outside along with my 150 and I have a little connector with useless valve on it that's always closed, I just couldn't find any Ts without a valve so I had cut the valve stem and closed it. Hmmm, what if I take the cap off and pour a few drops of vinegar that would get sucked up and hopefully make it down to the near clog.

 

IT WORKED.

 

Laziness wins again!

[markalot]

Couple pics. Nothing much going on except the new purple fuzzy mushrooms, which take up a lot or real estate. That's a good thing!