HarryPotter Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 The mystery acropora is a mystery to me too; I have a big colony of it. No namer! Enjoy 1 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 43 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Also, should I be concerned that the Palys/Zoas on the left will take over? I like them, but not at the expense of the purple ones next to them In my experience the ugliest coral always wins. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 8, 2018 Author Share Posted April 8, 2018 1 minute ago, WV Reefer said: In my experience the ugliest coral always wins. Haha! I don’t think it’s ugly, just not the prettiest 1 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 Just now, Pjanssen said: Haha! I don’t think it’s ugly, just not the prettiest Exactly. 1 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 Oh yeah, those green ones will definitely win. And even if you clean them off the rock they'll come back from any tiny bit of flesh left behind. Probably... Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 8, 2018 Author Share Posted April 8, 2018 1 hour ago, teenyreef said: Oh yeah, those green ones will definitely win. And even if you clean them off the rock they'll come back from any tiny bit of flesh left behind. Probably... So maybe I’ll try to cut that part of the rock off. If I keep it isolated will it stay put? 1 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 8 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: So maybe I’ll try to cut that part of the rock off. If I keep it isolated will it stay put? They look like the ones I have that are true palys. They can spread across sand, and will produce polyps that float to new places in the tank. I keep them on their own rock and pull off the loose polyps every once in a while while. That seems to keep them under control. 2 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 9, 2018 Author Share Posted April 9, 2018 Current Full Tank Shot 7 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 9, 2018 Author Share Posted April 9, 2018 I completely lost my red acan colony over the past couple of weeks. It was damaged by the Rhodactis mushrooms and never recovered. The other three colonies are doing fine, so I don't think it was a water issue. One of the Nems split again so now I have three. Tomorrow after work I'm going to try to get 2 of them out. My husband really likes them, so I guess I'll keep one for now. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 I've found acans rarely come back after they take damage. Every once in a while I can save them with regular feeding every day, but usually it just prolongs the inevitable. 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 Been battling some algae lately. Pretty isolated. Mainly on this one frag, and some on the Maxspecy Gyre powerhead. Not Bryopsis, Thank goodness! Maybe hair algae? Been trying to rely on manual removal, but I'm not keeping up. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 41 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Been battling some algae lately. Pretty isolated. Mainly on this one frag, and some on the Maxspecy Gyre powerhead. Not Bryopsis, Thank goodness! Maybe hair algae? Been trying to rely on manual removal, but I'm not keeping up. Any suggestions? Take it out and get it on new plug!! The algae shouldn’t be growing on a (live) coral, so that should fix the problem. Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 35 minutes ago, HarryPotter said: Take it out and get it on new plug!! The algae shouldn’t be growing on a (live) coral, so that should fix the problem. okay. So that leads me to my next question. How do you get it off the plug? Razor? I'd like to actually get it into the rock work and not on a plug. Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Just now, Pjanssen said: okay. So that leads me to my next question. How do you get it off the plug? Razor? I'd like to actually get it into the rock work and not on a plug. I have bone cutters from bulkreefsupply But you can absolutely use a razor, pliers, a flathead screwdriver jammed under the glue, a chisel, ive even use PVC cutters. Anything that can wedge between the glue/epoxy and the plug will easily pop it off. Or, worse case scenario, you just lose 1mm of growth when you cut it 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 20 minutes ago, HarryPotter said: I have bone cutters from bulkreefsupply But you can absolutely use a razor, pliers, a flathead screwdriver jammed under the glue, a chisel, ive even use PVC cutters. Anything that can wedge between the glue/epoxy and the plug will easily pop it off. Or, worse case scenario, you just lose 1mm of growth when you cut it but it's encrusted over the plug. Quote Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Just now, Pjanssen said: but it's encrusted over the plug. Oh I couldn't see that. In that case I would sacrifice the encrustment, and just chop the frag it as low as you can. No point bringing the algae to wherever its getting mounted. When I buy hard corals, I am happy to see entrustment as it means that the coral is strong- not a fresh frag. Before it gets into my tank, I remove the plug (tossing the small amount of encrustment), dip, and remount. 2 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 Hi All It's been a rough several months. My Father-In-Law broke his hip back in May and caring for him and my convalescent Mother-In-Law has been all consuming, both literally with time, and emotionally. I would like to say that I used the tanks as a distraction, and put all my frustrated energy into caring for them, but alas, they have both been ignored and sorely neglected (the tanks, not the in-laws!) Back in April, I started losing my acans, so the trouble started before the life struggles. All of my colonies are completely gone, with the exception of 2 tiny green heads that may or may not make it. With the exception of the monti caps, all of the SPS are gone-The Acros from @HarryPotter, my ORA birds nest that was doing really well, and my blue Cali Tort that was finally starting to show polyp extension. My blue pocilliporous still has some life to it. I've cut it way back, but I'm not really confident that it will come back. The Monti Caps are actually growing, but the Idaho Grape from @teenyreef is more of a reddish brown. I don't know how to get the color back. All of the Euphilia and softies are doing great though, (except the the purple palys have lost their vibrant color). I guess they like the dirtier water. I just fragged off about 1/2 of my hammer colony, finally got rid of the BTA's, and cut my Toadstool in half (you can follow my thread on that if you are interested ) Anyway, did a big water change and changed the filter floss. Will change the carbon in a day or 2. Hopefully I can get everything back on track. Looking back at my April FTS, it was looking pretty good. 5 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 Just checked my parameters. Alk is up to 9.7 and Calcium at 480. They are high, but not crazy. I don't think it was a spike though, as I hadn't adjusted my dosing over the past 4 months. Maybe with all the loss it just isn't consuming as much so it's climbing. I have turned the dosers down and will recheck daily for awhile. 1 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 5 hours ago, Pjanssen said: the Idaho Grape from @teenyreef is more of a reddish brown. I don't know how to get the color back. Just a guess, but maybe more light would help color it back up. 1 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 1 hour ago, seabass said: Just a guess, but maybe more light would help color it back up. maybe. Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 When my mother in law got bed bound I also found myself neglecting my tanks. I sold the 125 gallon and its 70 gallon sump. Still, even my 90 gallon was more than I could manage so I sold it too. My hubby felt so bad about me selling my tanks he encouraged me to get a smaller more manageable tank. Thats when I got the 36 bow, which was a good move. Don't be too hard on yourself! Caring for aging parents is really tough. Like you said, it not just time consuming but emotionally it can sap your energy. If you need a break from more difficult high maintenance fish and coral, then do it. If you need a break from the responsibilities of a tank altogether then take it. But whatever you do, take care of you! Your loved one who needs care needs you healthy so that you can care for them. Its so easy as a caregiver to neglect your own needs but its so essential that you don't do that. 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 Alk was at 9.8 tonight. Not sure why it would be higher when I cut the amount to be dosed down, but that's what my Hannah Checker said, sooooo. Turned the doser of completely and will recheck tomorrow. Just don't want a rapid drop-For the record, It was set to dose equal pats B Ionic calcium and Alkalinity At just 3 mg per day (1mg 3 x a day). yesterday I dropped it down to 2 mg. per day. Today I turned it completely off. Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 Alkalinity slowly dropping, down to 9.6 this morning. Did a water change and changed out filter floss. I use natural ocean water which tested at 7.1 so that will also be lowering the alkalinity just a touch. SPS corals look about the same. Quote Link to comment
Pjanssen Posted September 9, 2018 Author Share Posted September 9, 2018 So with the water change and 30 hours later, my Alkalinity has dropped to 8.7. That's where I want it, but was that too much too soon? Would it be counter productive at this point to dose a little alk/ca? Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted September 9, 2018 Share Posted September 9, 2018 6 minutes ago, Pjanssen said: Alkalinity has dropped to 8.7. That's where I want it, Instead of bumping it up higher, I'd just try to keep it stable here. 1 Quote Link to comment
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