RollaJase Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Decided to update you all with the mayhem that is my zoa garden, please excuse the crappy mobile phone pics. So we went from this: To this: Yes the rock looked great all matted in together but you can easily see that the Green and Eagle Eyes? were taking over the outer two colonies. Not only has doing this separated all of the colonies onto individual rocks but it also removed a lot of the under lying rock structure that I have been able to reuse for frags and new colonies. Please keep in mind that current placement is not final, I just threw all the colonies together until I had time to properly arrange them. I need to get a small flat piece of dry rock to use as a pedestal for the center pieces and then place the other pieces around the outside. Speaking of new colonies, I split these two off of the freebie I got when I collected my Blenny: The teal ones in the middle and the lone red one, each long tentacled polyps. When I saw the teal ones initially I thought they were Aiptasia's lol. You can see Mr Blenny poking his head out of this chunk of green zoas that I need to get rid of: After the carnage I ended up getting stuck with these frags and colonies: Now I have to try and get rid of these with a heap more Xenia that I am sick of cutting back. Xenia really is a weed and I love the effect it creates but as soon as I can get rid of what is growing on the back rock I am going to get rid of the Xenia and the rocks its growing on and re-scape the back wall with fresh dry rock. I will still leave the Xenia that is on the back wall, it has a tendency to grow towards the light so it should be pretty tame, easier to remove from glass than rock as well. Perhaps when I eventually get my upgrade I will plumb this tank into the system and fill it with Xenia and LPS to keep it at bay, sorta like a fuge. Link to comment
Jstn Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I do the same thing, every once in a while break up a zoa rock and start over lol. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Drool, drool, drool. Drool. Thnks . I do the same thing, every once in a while break up a zoa rock and start over lol. This is well over due I think. I think now I can create a much better example of a zoa garden once I get all the pieces organise and sell off what I no longer need. It will also make fragging off over growth easier in the future so I don't have to spend so much time playing around with them all again. I'll be able to take small cuttings every few months or so and trade them in for new pieces . Nice work on that rock!!!! Thanks Gena , I'm happy with how it all turned out. Now if only I could hit the fast forward button so they all grow in on their rocks haha. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 So, tested my levels tonight after testing on Sunday and everything still being alright and nothing much having changed since my last dose. One of my SPS colonies that was recovering really well looked average yesterday and worse today so as I had the time tonight I did a full range of tests. Alk = 6.2dKH Cal = 420ppm Mag = 1300ppm The only thing I have changed since the weekend was replace my media (carbon and GFO) in my reactors on Tuesday night. I know that GFO has been found to lower Alk but will it really lower it that much? I added 6ml of Reef Carbonate today which will raise the Alk to around 7. I might start adding a few ml of this solution to my top off water to try and keep the Alk stable. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Did my fortnightly 25% water change and thorough clean of the tank yesterday. Everything is looking good, SPS still pissed. I have lined up a buyer for most of my leftover zoa frags as well as a heap of Xenia, this guy has two 6 foot tanks to fill and wants to take everything I can give him haha. I tested my parameters after the change: Alk = 8.1dKH Cal = 410ppm Mag = 1280ppm And about 30 hours later: Alk = 7.7dKH Cal = 405ppm Mag = 1280ppm I have added some carbonate alkalinity to my top off to help with the swings. I'll try testing again tomorrow night around the same time to get a better idea of the Alk. I know it changes throughout the day so it should give me a better idea of an over night drop. I also took a few photos of the tank today, I'll try to get them up tomorrow. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 Parameter time! Alk = 7.6dKH Cal = 400ppm Mag = 1260ppm Looks like dosing every 2-3 days will keep things stable enough until I get a doser. I am going to add a little more buffer to my top off to try and get the daily dosage a little higher. When I refill the reservoir this weekend I'll add slightly move solution then last time. As promised I have some pichurs . FTS for June 2014 (Before most of my Xenia goes bye bye): https://imageshack.com/i/n1qi99j'> https://imageshack.com/i/n6g90jmj'> New zoa garden: http://img820.imageshack.us/i/ahz8.jpg/'> http://img820.imageshack.us/i/4qm3.jpg/'> http://img822.imageshack.us/i/svre.jpg/'> New additions: http://img820.imageshack.us/i/x1c1.jpg/'> http://img829.imageshack.us/i/r00y.jpg/'> http://img834.imageshack.us/i/w586.jpg/'> Here is a good growth shot on one of my SPS pieces, it is a brilliant electric blue in contrast to the normal body colour: https://imageshack.com/i/n1yohtj'> You can also see how pissed off the SPS are. Enjoy Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 awesome awesome awesome looking tank Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 awesome awesome awesome looking tank Thanks ninja, now if only I could nurse my SFS back to their former glory. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Nice to see some pics! The SPS should appreciate the stability. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 Nice to see some pics! The SPS should appreciate the stability. Thanks Mark, I'm planning on taking a few more pics once the Xenia on the rear rocks go so you can really appreciate how it has grown up the glass to form a 'cloud' at the surface of the tank. I'm hoping the boss will let me take his shiny new carbon Monfrotto tripod home for a testrun, I'm sick of shooting freehand in low light. I'm hoping the SPS appreciate it also, they have been looking really down and were pulling off great growth, colour and PE not 5 weeks ago. Oh well, live and learn I guess, thanks for all your advice on that front also. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 Looks wonderful, Jase!!!!! Thank you Gena . Link to comment
Arkayology Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Those new pics are awesome. Gotta kill off the Xenia! Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Those new pics are awesome. Gotta kill off the Xenia! Thanks Ark . Unfortunately the guy who was supposed to come collect most of my Xenia and other frags last night stood me up for a second time . I pretty much told him that if he doesn't make the effort to come this weekend I will be relisting the ad I had for it all as I probably knocked 10-15 back back who wanted to collect pieces over last weekend. Its not a hassle that I need at this time of year and a bit extra cash can always come in handy. In other news, I was bored last night and feeling pretty crappy (didn't even go to the gym ) so I spent the evening trawling through old posts and threads I had subscribed to. I noticed that I hadn't updated my equipment/livestock list on the first page since late last year. Things have seriously changed in 6 months! The list is all up to date now with what's current. I don't know the street name for pretty much all of my pieces so feel free to chime in. Link to comment
Chris! Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Wow man tank is really crusing along nicely, hopefully it won't be long til that xenia is outta there and opens up some more room for quality pieces Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Looking good over here! Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Wow man tank is really crusing along nicely, hopefully it won't be long til that xenia is outta there and opens up some more room for quality pieces Thanks Chris . I think once the Xenia goes I am going to aim to add additional SPS to the rear of the tank, that or maybe some gorgs. Looking good over here! Thank you Polar . Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 funny, i been asking local reefers for some xenia to fill up the backwall on my spec =P... Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 funny, i been asking local reefers for some xenia to fill up the backwall on my spec =P... I could probably ship it to you, Xenia is almost impossible to kill so I'm sure it would last the 2 week freight time haha. Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 Garf Bonsai and unknown Blue/Purple acro have left the building . Seems I'm still having alk swings (albeit not as bad as they were before). The tank needs a really deep clean, I think this 'old tank syndrome' is contributing to the alk fluctuations. Dad keeps pressuring me to get a larger tank (wont help with the equipment costs though), perhaps its time to tear this one down, finish the sump and start fresh again and do it right this time? Link to comment
RollaJase Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 Managed to get rid of half of my zoa frags, half of my green rhodactis frags and almost all of my Xenia today! Only got 1 big piece of Xenia left and then its only the stuff on my glass which will stay for now. One of my LFS has taken interest in some of my remaining zoas frags as a trade towards some new pieces they are getting during the week. I'll be going to collect next weekend. I got around to calculating how much Alk, Cal and Mag my tank consumes on a daily basis and then calculating what that equates to compared to the dosing liquids I use. I have added a full weeks work of Alk solution to my ATO so I'll see how that handles stability over the next week. I'll be dosing my Cal/Mag solution every 2 days. The calculations make sense to me (had my brother check them out also, maths is not my strong point). Looks like my tank uses .7dKH of alk every day, I had no way near enough buffer in my ATO to keep that stable, no wonder things haven't really been getting better and I have lost a few pieces. My rainbow stylo is declining fast, I really want to save this piece . Daily usage stats are below: Alk = .7dKH Cal = 12.5ppm Mag = 10ppm These stats are based on the daily testing since Thursday this week, nothing had been dosed until today besides the minute amount of Alk buffer in my ATO. Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Whether to tear a tank down or not is, of course, a personal choice. But I found over the years that rolling up the sleeves and working on fixing any deficiencies to a currently running tank has it's own great rewards. Ultimately, the process may be more painful, but it makes one a better reef keeper IMO. Good luck either way. Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Managed to get rid of half of my zoa frags, half of my green rhodactis frags and almost all of my Xenia today! Only got 1 big piece of Xenia left and then its only the stuff on my glass which will stay for now. One of my LFS has taken interest in some of my remaining zoas frags as a trade towards some new pieces they are getting during the week. I'll be going to collect next weekend. I got around to calculating how much Alk, Cal and Mag my tank consumes on a daily basis and then calculating what that equates to compared to the dosing liquids I use. I have added a full weeks work of Alk solution to my ATO so I'll see how that handles stability over the next week. I'll be dosing my Cal/Mag solution every 2 days. The calculations make sense to me (had my brother check them out also, maths is not my strong point). Looks like my tank uses .7dKH of alk every day, I had no way near enough buffer in my ATO to keep that stable, no wonder things haven't really been getting better and I have lost a few pieces. My rainbow stylo is declining fast, I really want to save this piece . Daily usage stats are below: Alk = .7dKH Cal = 12.5ppm Mag = 10ppm These stats are based on the daily testing since Thursday this week, nothing had been dosed until today besides the minute amount of Alk buffer in my ATO. Oh man, I feel ya. My alk dropped to just under 5 dKH when I forgot to refill the reservoir be fore vacation and then again a month later when I foolishly trusted the multi-timer to break up the dose into smaller bolus. Haven't lost any SPS, but they did lose color. Pohls Xtra has always restored colors in about 2 weeks. It's expensive so this time I'm trying AcroPower amino acids. Slight color improvement in just 3 days. Give it a try before you throw in the towel. :-) PS. Please don't give up! I really do think you are sitting on TOTM potential. Link to comment
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