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Tony's Tonga Tank - Update


tlombardo

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Your aqua scape looks good

Thanks! If you end up ordering some tonga from BRS just know that the default size is thicker than what I have. I only ordered the simple non branching and whatever the next level up is and specified that I wanted it to be thin pieces. Otherwise they said the branches can be 3"+ thick which wouldn't work for a nano.

 

Somewhere amid my constant concern of feeding my tank while keeping parameters in check for the SPS I came back to macros. I don't have room for much in the back chamber so I had previously ruled this out but after my re-scape I have some empty space on my sand bed and could potentially have a macro in the display. I am finding some great looking macros which is nice because they already keep things clean and provide my fish and shrimp with a better home. The only problem is I know pretty much nothing about these. In my initial search I found these 3 just based on looks so if any of you know anything about these or macros in the display in general let me know! Otherwise I will be conducting my own research on actually keeping them.

 

Blue Ochtodes

Dragon's Breath

Nemastoma

 

I'm not crazy about the green macros as I feel i have enough green in my tank and that green macro algae to me is just algae haha.

 

Tony

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Figured it was about time for another update. Currently the Euphyllia are pretty much the only corals mounted still. I mentioned that I picked up some sps when I got the cleaner shrimp and I have been monitoring that for a bit before gluing it down. Since getting the sps I switched out my carbon, have been more careful with feedings, and have run my skimmer more. It has been good to see my skimmer get to the point where it isn't pulling nearly as dark of skimmate and my floss gets way less dirty now. This is all on top of ~25-30% water changes weekly. I did end up picking up some dragon's breath from a local that I will post pictures of at some other point.

 

The microbubbles from the skimmer don't seem like they will ever go away so I need to find a way to deal with them. One idea I have had is to build a bubble trap to add to the tank. I would probably make this out of acrylic and use something like the foam they use to float frags from an LFS on the edges to make the thing stay in place and be water tight without using silicone/ making it permanent. Here is a diagram I made in paint to explain so let me know if you think this will work i don't know much about bubble traps.

 

http://s1226.photobucket.com/user/awlomba/media/bubbletrap.png.html'>bubbletrap.png

 

I would add the piece in gray while my skimmer is in compartment number 3.

 

Back to the sps - here is a picture I took right after they went in the tank

 

http://s1226.photobucket.com/user/awlomba/media/IMAG0231.jpg.html'>IMAG0231.jpg

 

The two in back are the birdnest I have had for a while and those continue to do well. The red one in the foreground now has all of its polyps extended pretty much all the time and has good color. Can't really tell anything with the one on the left but it seems to be good. The acro in the center is the only concern I have because I only get slight polyp extension during the day and that is only on the lower parts and sides, the tips aren't ever out in the light. I get full extension of all the polyps at night though so does that mean something? I haven't noticed any bleaching so idk if my light is too strong. I also don't know any official names of these new ones so if you know please share!

 

Other random things:

 

I bought a new mp10 from someone who bought it then decided they didn't want it before using it so that should hopefully come in next week. I wanted some more flow and variance so this will replace the koralia nano 425. also wanted a smaller footprint.

 

The porcelain crab and cleaner shrimp have both molted in the last week or two. Noticed the shrimp molt before sleeping one night and in trying to fish it out I pushed it behind the rocks and into my porcelain crabs... things?... anyways he wanted to keep it so I went to sleep. The molt was gone when I woke up so that was cool.

 

I have planned out where I want most of the coral mounted except the acans. Not sure if I want them on the sand bed or up on the rocks. I also don't know if that will affect their growth at all if they are on rock or sand.

 

That's all for now!

 

Tony

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  • 2 weeks later...
throbbinjack

Spoke to IM recently about my IM Skimmate, I was advised to run the skimmer in 50/50 water and vinegar, seems to have reduced the issue. Run it for about 4-6 hours.. see if it helps

 

Aj

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Spoke to IM recently about my IM Skimmate, I was advised to run the skimmer in 50/50 water and vinegar, seems to have reduced the issue. Run it for about 4-6 hours.. see if it helps

 

Aj

I spoke to Steve at IM before installing my skimmer last summer, because I had heard so many people were having problems. I ran it through vinegar, as he prescribed, but it did naught for me - hope you have better luck. Keep us posted!

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Mr. Microscope

Back to the sps - here is a picture I took right after they went in the tank

 

IMAG0231.jpg

 

The two in back are the birdnest I have had for a while and those continue to do well. The red one in the foreground now has all of its polyps extended pretty much all the time and has good color. Can't really tell anything with the one on the left but it seems to be good. The acro in the center is the only concern I have because I only get slight polyp extension during the day and that is only on the lower parts and sides, the tips aren't ever out in the light. I get full extension of all the polyps at night though so does that mean something? I haven't noticed any bleaching so idk if my light is too strong. I also don't know any official names of these new ones so if you know please share!

That small middle one looks like it might be a tort. They don't have the most PE. So, not to worry (unless it's actually tenuis, then it should have a lot of PE). Yes, acros will really extend their polyps at night. This is normal feeding behavior.
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Spoke to IM recently about my IM Skimmate, I was advised to run the skimmer in 50/50 water and vinegar, seems to have reduced the issue. Run it for about 4-6 hours.. see if it helps

 

Aj

 

Hmm maybe I will give this a shot. I still haven't gotten around to giving the bubble trap a shot. Been busy with other stuff lately so I haven't done much with it besides my regular feedings and water changes.

 

That small middle one looks like it might be a tort. They don't have the most PE. So, not to worry (unless it's actually tenuis, then it should have a lot of PE). Yes, acros will really extend their polyps at night. This is normal feeding behavior.

Thanks hopefully the difference will be more clear when it grows out a bit. I have noticed a lot more polyp extension during the day recently although still never at the tips of the branches but the polyps on the sides are out all the time. I am assuming this is a combination of acclimation and my efforts to keep phosphate and nitrate down paying off. It might even have grown some since this picture I will have to compare when I am home!

 

Tony

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