Polarcollision's Nuvo 24: March FTS

[vlangel]

Everything seems to be recovering splendidly and I am glad the PJ is adjusting to its new home. Good luck with the other half of the tank.

[Polarcollision]

Things look pretty sweet. I think the wrasse and firefish might become best friends . I believe the ich cysti is under the mucus coat as well. When we were talking I saw a fish scratch on the sand. Seems like it is hard to get wild caught fish without ich.

 

The PJ seems to be doing OK, although acclimating to his new home. He found a cave/underhang he likes, and has been chillin there. He didn't go after any pellets when I fed the others, so I'll give him some time. He's the biggest in the tank now!

 

My female royal gramma was a little intimidated and confused lol.

 

 

 

 

It looks like he found his new home! I bet he stays there all day napping. He usually didn't come out to eat until an hour or two before lights out. Around 8-10, so don't worry if he didn't eat last night. He's also still up in the morning until around 8 or so. If you get a chance, check him out cruising the tank at night. He turns a beautiful silver color with the red eyes.

 

Your gramma is cute! Always wanted one of those fish, the colors are great. I love the deer in headlights pose.

 

Jesse has always honored the fish warranty so I'm not worried about being out cash. Just hope the fish pull through for their sake. There was a moment it looked like a rock was on top of the purple firefish when it was being caught. Hope I'm wrong, but that might be why it hasn't shown.

 

It was great to meet you! Best of luck with the new tank and lights!

Everything seems to be recovering splendidly and I am glad the PJ is adjusting to its new home. Good luck with the other half of the tank.

Huge relief, for sure. Really did not want to lose the Oregon tort or lokani. Whew! Yeah, mystersyster has the perfect setup and fish for the PJ, plus he's as obsessed about his reef as the rest of us. I feel good about its new home. :-)

[duganderson]

Love you TOTM photos and article.....I had a couple questions.....

 

1. What is the green along the back was. Is that green star polyps? How do you get it to attach to the wall? Do you like having it growing on the back wall? Any drawbacks of this because I'm thinking of doing this in my 34 g. Red Sea cube?

 

2. How do you get back with so infrequent water changes and still have such a gorgeous tank?

[Polarcollision]

Love you TOTM photos and article.....I had a couple questions.....

 

1. What is the green along the back was. Is that green star polyps? How do you get it to attach to the wall? Do you like having it growing on the back wall? Any drawbacks of this because I'm thinking of doing this in my 34 g. Red Sea cube?

 

2. How do you get back with so infrequent water changes and still have such a gorgeous tank?

Thank you dug! It always makes my day when I can help out. The back wall is GSP. I love it for a couple reasons: it's super intense, one of my favorite colors. It adds a lot of motion to the tank, especially since the display powerhead shoots along the back wall first. And because it grows fast, it helps reduce nutrients. Forgot to add that you just glue it to the wall. It will do the rest, growing up and sideways first. Downside is keeping an eye out to be sure it doesn't choke the water returns or grow over the setosa that's also making its way up the back wall.

 

So the best ways to Go longer between water changes is to automate the tank. ATO to maintain salinity. Dosers to maintain ideal ionic balance--this is key!!! Back in my thread, around thanksgiving 2 years ago is a monster entry explaining how to do this. The cliff notes are BRS alk/ca/mg plus trace elements added to each. Alk swings no more than .25 dKh at any time. The next part is nutrient control. Heavy skimming, some fast growing corals and macroalgae, sugar fine sand for surface area and a 16 hour photoperiod will keep nutrients at a good level. I actually keep the tank a bit dirty and let the tuxedo urchin handle the fallout. On the 24g the longest I've gone is 6 or 7 months without a water change, and that was only because I got nervous that there could a trace element imbalance building since I don't test trace elements. The 8 gallon is going on a year without a water change, it's a softie/macroalgae tank.

[Polarcollision]

Tank is humming along, coral are settling in and color is about 75-95% on everything now. It seems like the time is right to replace the rocks on the right side, just need my schedule to chill out a bit first.

 

Thought I'd share one of my paintings since it's water related. Link from FB:

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D699072150244067%26set%3Da.109474622537159.20116.100004238645786%26type%3D3&width=500

[FlowerMama]

Wow, I didn't know we had 2 painters on NR. That's really interesting! I like it.

[teenyreef]

Beautiful!

[vlangel]

Very cool painting Polar. There are a lot of artists on this forum...stella, natalia, and now you.

[Polarcollision]

Wow, I didn't know we had 2 painters on NR. That's really interesting! I like it.

 

Beautiful!

 

Very cool painting Polar. There are a lot of artists on this forum...stella, natalia, and now you.

 

Thank you! I figured you all would grok the ocean bits. :-) Have you all happened to read about the mass velella velella strandings along the the pacific coast? I never knew they were even a thing until pics surfaced of a cobalt blue beach covered with these things. Then I happened to take a surfing lesson at Tofino just when they were being blown on shore. Bittersweet, of course. The sweet, being able to see them up close enough to notice the growth rings. Of course it immediately connected to the graphed lorenz attractor and also the mussels at the same beach. Love those moment when the ocean throws little windows into a grand design, like it's spilling it's secrets.

[Pjanssen]

Your painting is stunning. When I look at it, aside from the beauty that you capture of the ocean creatures, I see what I took as constellations-Like a fluid connection of Sky and Sea. I don't know if that is what you intended, but that is what I see. Thought you would like to know, and I hope you aren't offended if I am wrong.

[Polarcollision]

Your painting is stunning. When I look at it, aside from the beauty that you capture of the ocean creatures, I see what I took as constellations-Like a fluid connection of Sky and Sea. I don't know if that is what you intended, but that is what I see. Thought you would like to know, and I hope you aren't offended if I am wrong.

Thank you! It means a lot to me to connect to people through the paintings. And please don't ever worry that what you see in a (my) painting is ever 'wrong'. Mine are there to spark something inside that we're all aware of - and it did! And that's an awesome thing! I like the constellation connection of sky and sea. They both feel very similar in a way, don't they? Both promote a deep sense of awe, like you're the littlest thing in existence, but still have your place in it.

[Polarcollision]

New fish! I'm so excited to have movement in the tank again! This time I made sure that they're all the most passive and peaceful fish in the store.

 

Today I went to Denny's Pet World on a whim after getting out of work early. New fish shipment had just arrived from CA--guess what was included??! Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis, the red and blue fairy (longfin fairy, or social fairy. so many names!). Here's a pic from the net before he was released. Second is closer to true color.

 

 

They also had two Red Neon Pygmy / Eviota nigriventris!! So excited! No way to get anything but a blurry pic of them. They're less than an inch long. So here's more pics from the web. They're darting around among the zoas on the sand and clinging to the back wall. It's super dynamic to have so many levels of the water column occupied.

 

 

Also new from last week or so is an orange-sided fairy wrasse. Named shamu for being the biggest fish in the aquarium.

 

 

I found two sources for the white gobies, but one won't ship them and the other said they acted like they had been drug collected. Still on the search... In the meantime, here's a few more fish that could work.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A few other small uncommon fish I wouldn't mind keeping if they turn up somewhere

 

Red head banded goby from PetSolutions

 

Yellow featherfin goby

[teenyreef]

Wow, those are fantastic additions! For some reason, ever since I lost my Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse, I keep coming across the red and blue/longfin/social wrasse. I had never even though about one, but it might be a great replacement for my Tanaka's. They're fairly peaceful, aren't they?

 

I love the Eviotas, I've never understood why more people don't keep them.

 

Oh yeah, and Shamu is very pretty too

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

Bravo.

[Polarcollision]

Wow, those are fantastic additions! For some reason, ever since I lost my Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse, I keep coming across the red and blue/longfin/social wrasse. I had never even though about one, but it might be a great replacement for my Tanaka's. They're fairly peaceful, aren't they?

 

I love the Eviotas, I've never understood why more people don't keep them.

 

Oh yeah, and Shamu is very pretty too

 

So far it hasn't bullied anyone unless it was being chased. It's only been one evening but they seem to have settled in together now. Tentatively, yes. He seems peaceful. The orange-sided fairy is the more timid fish of the 3 wrasses. Oh yeah, almost forgot. Did you see that rubriventralis was just split into 3 different species? We'd have the 'newest' fish known. ;-)

 

Well, I can't remember if I asked Denny's to order the pygmy gobies or not so I bought them, but somewhere between getting excit4ed about them and today I discovered that they only live for a year or so. Not really ideal when you need more than a couple for impact at $20 each. BUT that said, they really are fantastic fish with personality.

[teenyreef]

I'll be watching to see how he does

[vlangel]

Nice fish Polar.

[xAyanex]

Love the orange-back fairy wrasse. Wish my tank was larger so I could have one.

[Polarcollision]

I'll be watching to see how he does

So far he's asserting dominance over the lubbocks fairy, scared of the clownfish, and buddies with everyone else. No nipped fins and everyone gets to eat. Doesn't seem serious. The lubbocks hangs out with the clown most of the time. It almost seems like the clown is protecting it.

 

Nice fish Polar.

Thanks! After the leopard wrasse killed my flasher and labouti fairy I was pretty bummed. It's a nice change to be rebuilding a peaceful ecosystem. :-) I was reading through your new build - looks like you know the feeling! Cool idea to put a mural on the back wall, BTW. Would love to see some of your other work.

 

Love the orange-back fairy wrasse. Wish my tank was larger so I could have one.

Hey there, thanks for stopping by. Its a beautiful fish, for sure! Hmm, maybe don't rule it out yet. You have 29 gallons right? It's not necessarily out of the question if you're able to find a younger one. The dimension of the nuvo 24 makes it easier to keep fish that like to sprint since it's 3 feet long, but my orange-back fairy doesn't ever sprint. He's pretty chill. The only other thing I can think that *might* come up is bioload, but keeping a skimmer running will oxygenate the water plenty well.

[xAyanex]

Hey there, thanks for stopping by. Its a beautiful fish, for sure! Hmm, maybe don't rule it out yet. You have 29 gallons right? It's not necessarily out of the question if you're able to find a younger one. The dimension of the nuvo 24 makes it easier to keep fish that like to sprint since it's 3 feet long, but my orange-back fairy doesn't ever sprint. He's pretty chill. The only other thing I can think that *might* come up is bioload, but keeping a skimmer running will oxygenate the water plenty well.

Sure! Yeah, its a biocube 29 but really only about 22 gallons, and since it's an AIO some of it is in the back. Also I don't run a skimmer currently, but my bioload is very light (one little clownfish named Bob, and soon to be joined by another little clownfish named Dot).

[Polarcollision]

Here's a little video of the 3 fairy wrasses

 

[teenyreef]

They are spectacular! And the tank is a beautiful backdrop for them. So jealous

[Felicia]

Stunning fairy wrasses!

[vlangel]

Here's a little video of the 3 fairy wrasses

The wrasses look so beautiful and content, They are perfect addition and look wonderful in your tank, very eye catching!

[Polarcollision]

They are spectacular! And the tank is a beautiful backdrop for them. So jealous

 

Stunning fairy wrasses!

 

The wrasses look so beautiful and content, They are perfect addition and look wonderful in your tank, very eye catching!

 

Thank you! The recent changes have rekindled that obsession you get with a new tank. Is anyone else addicted to experiencing new pieces of the ocean? That's my hope with the aptasia removal/rescape, at least.

 

My brain is mush from new job training so I can't remember if I let everyone know the right side of the tank has all new rocks! Whew! Sorry if it's a repeat. It's kinda bitter sweet because the rocks taken out have been with me since setting up the 8 gallon nuvo...how many years ago? 3? 4? Oh man, losing track. Hopefully enough bacteria and other goodies have had a chance to colonize the left side new rocks.

 

All the coral colonies were chipped off and sold to LFS (minus a few frags for myself). Got enough credit to pay for all the new rocks, a ton of ic-gel, new sand, frozen food, the eviota gobies, and the latest fairy wrasse. How's that for reef trick or treating?! They're still coming out ahead in the long run, though. Definitely pays off to build those relationships with the stores in the area.

 

That was last Saturday. All the new little rock pieces intended for the zoa garden are just are piled on top of the main rocks for now while they cycle into the tank. So pics in a few days when it doesn't look like a train wreck. Hopefully tonight I can kill off the last of the baby aptasia hiding in zoa frags and plant the zoa garden.

 

Hope everyone had a great halloween! We opted to spend the evening with the Univerity of Washington researcher gaining fame with his crow research. He's proving that crows can both recognize faces AND communicate specific dangerous people to their young without the young ever having encountered the dangerous person. If you feel like finding out all the other amazing things about crows and ravens, definitely check out their documentary on netflix. Highly recommended!