My Rockin' Flower Garden!

[FlowerMama]

A school of chromis is always nice looking. The angel sounds like a good addition too.

 

I've heard though that those chromis only live like 2 yrs and it seems many people get them and they disappear. So I don't know.

[Nanofreak79]

I don't know about that. I will say I had a pair of chromis, and it was nice to have action in the tank. They seem to really cruise the tank. I got rid of them to add other fish.

[FlowerMama]

ok, maybe i'll still keep them on the table then. Maybe my sister and friend just had bad luck.

[Horerczy]

Go for weird and do a massive school of mollies or guppies.

[FlowerMama]

Go for weird and do a massive school of mollies or guppies.

 

I did always like mollies. I've had them before. Wonder if the nems would eat baby mollies if one landed on it. Constantly regenerating free food source!! I wonder if they would eat pods. I hate amphipods. They can eat their heart out w/ those. Right now what I have is so small I'm not sure what it is. They're just specks at the moment.

[Nanofreak79]

Little pods, most likely the good kind from the sounds of it. There's lots of fish that eat pods besides wrasses. In my experience there's always a big bloom of pods when you set up the tank and then I don't notice them as much.

[Polarcollision]

I think you'll like this: http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+4&ddid=228158

[FlowerMama]

I think you'll like this: http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+4&ddid=228158

 

Oh my gosh, yes, I've seen that on Youtube, they need deep sandbeds, like 10" or something, and thought the zebras got big. Ha, last thing I need is a mantis beatin' the shitouttamyfingers while I'm feeding nems!!.

 

Ha, it could be like 15" long and stand taller than the depth of the tank!! ha ha.

[Horerczy]

Lysiosquillina maculata is one of the 4 confirmed glass smashing mantids as well. I wouldn't like it in my tank too much fear of an empty tank the next day.

[Nanofreak79]

Hulk smash!

[Polarcollision]

Guess the prison stripes are a clue - breaking out of jail...

[FlowerMama]

Well, good and bad news.

 

Bad news, oddly the light green nem w/ the white stripes that used to be on the left side of my 34 melted (yep Gena, the one you liked ) but only 4 other nems now have to set their foot down so everyone else acclimated better. So, just kinda weird. They'll get fed tonight. I emptied the skimmer- previously it was set where I first started it- was at the top of the tube before the cup. Now I moved the bubble action down 1/2 way to the bottom of the lower section. Just trying to see how much I can dry skim, and esp since I had to lift the melted nem out and just want to find a sweet spot. Good news too is it was either astrea or small trochus that make a trek across the sand in a circle around some nems. And another had made a path on the glass and cleaned a 3x3 section of glass algae on so they ARE eating algae in there. YEY!

[FlowerMama]

oooh, not looking pretty in here. The frilly algae is less common but have the diatoms and whatever this brown stuff is. I checked my parameters.

 

pH 8

Nitrate & phosphate - zero

calcium 460

kH 6

 

Would the lower alkalinity cause this?

 

I did a 12 g water change which is like 16% of 75 gallons (I'm assuming 15g in the sump) . I'll test the alkalinity tomorrow and see what the water change accomplished. If it didn't do anything substantial, I do have some Alkalinity Plus. I also have some magnesium. Would adding some help diminish this algae? I've always heard the bigger the tank, the harder it is to keep. I've had less issues in my smaller tanks. I've never had any of this junk in my tanks before.

 

 

[ninjamyst]

i thought bigger tank is easier! sorry to hear one of the nems melted.

[FlowerMama]

Yeah, it sucks but what can you do. I can't imagine alkalinity did that so I'm sure it having the whites on too high. A couple days ago I've changed to:

 

7am 0 0

9am 40 60

12 40 80

5pm 40 80

8pm 0 25

10pm 0 1

 

Oh, probably adding to the algae, completely forgot, only the return was going so there wasn't any supplemental flow. I've had the WP-25 on as of today. For the few nems that hadn't connected to the bottom, I put sand on top of them right now, as if they'd just hidden in the sand like they do if you touch them, thinking this may help.

[Horerczy]

That's some serious diatom bloom. Probably the melted nem caused it.

[FlowerMama]

Luckily I got it out of the water all in one piece, it was completely dark. This algae is brown and like grass sprouting. I have 3 trochus snails and 3 astreas in there.

[Nanofreak79]

NTS, it will pass. Sorry to hear about the nem, always sucks to lose something we like.

[Horerczy]

Might need a quick fix crew from reef cleaners.

 

Preferably crabless.

[FlowerMama]

One thing I did just now was put an inch size pencil urchin in there. That should help too.

[pmang6]

Wow. This tank is breathtaking. I can't get enough of the open layout and "sand flat" look.

Hope you can rid your self of the diatom, I think a few CUC additions should do the trick.

[jball1125]

Hang in there girl, it will pass.

 

Nems look great.

[FlowerMama]

I never had diatoms this bad in any of my other tanks so it's a bit shocking to me. It's like the bigger the tank the larger size of the diatoms too.

 

Wow. This tank is breathtaking. I can't get enough of the open layout and "sand flat" look.

Hope you can rid your self of the diatom, I think a few CUC additions should do the trick.

 

What is the better snail? I have 3 astrea, 4 trochus and the pin cushion urchin. How are those compared to turbos? What does anyone suggest?

 

I checked and my alkalinity was at 7 so it went up a unit from the 16% water change. I also have some alkalinity liquid for increasing. Considering there's like 75 gallons in there I just added 2 mls. Is that too little, too much? I'll check tomorrow and see what it is. Then I won't check for a couple days probably.

Hang in there girl, it will pass. Nems look great.

 

Thanks, the big yellow one got a little chummy with one of the others, they're snuggling. That's one thing I like about nems, they can be happy even while touching another nem right next to it, crawl over it. I like that about them. If they don't like something, they move. I believe the reason the yellow moved was the WP-25, the strongest flow there in the middle- I'll maybe move slightly lower but point the head up instead instead of straight across.

[vegasgundog]

Love your nems!! When I bought my green, I thought it was way over priced. Today at the other lfs, the had an awesome red/orange nem.......wayyyyyyyy overpriced. If my wife hadnt been there........

[FlowerMama]

Love your nems!! When I bought my green, I thought it was way over priced. Today at the other lfs, the had an awesome red/orange nem.......wayyyyyyyy overpriced. If my wife hadnt been there........

 

Yeah, it was easier to have restraint that way I'm sure. They can vary greatly. As more people are seeing the beauty I'm sure the prices will go up. Maxi minis had their day in the sun. The day has not come yet but will be soon for rock flowers. They're really starting to be the "in" thing. I think many didn't look at them as much of anything because in the ocean the color is dull and lifeless. But that's part of what addicts me. Taking it out of the bag it's in and seeing it's dull color and half into the tank you can already see the glory it will become. That right there fascinates me, excites me. And to see the colors and hear that they are morphing continuously is exciting.

 

One day I'll learn to take pics under the Razor. I had it all figured out already w/ the Kessil so it FRUSTRATES me because I try the same thing here and I can't make them look like they did in the 34. And I know what they should look like but I can't do it...yet.