Kat's Birthday Party

[metrokat]

So yesterday morning, I found Batman harassing a hammer coral head to the point where it had receded into its skeleton, which I could see...

 

But I basted him a little bit and he crawled away, and once the lights turned on the hammer came back out. So that's good! I'll try to dirty up the tank a bit more to make food for him; I know the glass has been lacking in film algae..

 

In better news, the hydroids are slowly dying/starving (or being eaten by Batman as he noms on algae). But in less awesome news, they are obviously still alive where they're attached to the corals I need to feed.

Batman needs to be re-directed to stuff he is allowed to nom on.

Also weren't you going to get all new rock?

[Mariaface]

Batman needs to be re-directed to stuff he is allowed to nom on.

Also weren't you going to get all new rock?

 

 

I am! Next week, probably. I've got new filters coming in for RO/DI (sediment, resin), and a few more odds and ends arrived in the mail today. Of course, I spent this weekend fighting off a migraine so all I managed to do was refill the reservoir and freshwater tank...

 

I haven't decided if I should cycle the new rocks in a rubbermaid, or go ahead and put them in the new tank where I can light them easily if needed. Hmm...

[StinkyBunny]

Maria, right now tiny Copperband butterflys are available, they LOVE hydroids. They also like tubeworms of all sorts.

[metrokat]

Rhomboid is going in the big girl tank tonight after lights out. Made a new lid. Fingers crossed.

[Slowtwitch]

Maria, right now tiny Copperband butterflys are available, they LOVE hydroids. They also like tubeworms of all sorts.

Tiny enough for a 30 breeder? And where would you get said copperband?

[StinkyBunny]

Tiny enough for a 30 breeder? And where would you get said copperband?

These things are tiny that I saw the other day, maybe 1.75-2". I'd say they'd be OK in there for a while. I don't subscribe to the " This size tank for this fish" theory. I've kept Powder Blue tangs in 2' cubes with no issues one time, the next time they're crazy. The only fish that I'd say need larger tanks are the Acanthurus tangs that are open water swimmers and plankton feeders. And moving them along as they grow out to larger quarters. right now we have a 2.5" Purple tang in the wife's 2x2x2 cube and Pete's happy as a clam. If I see any issues, we'll move him to a larger tank or send him to a new home.

[metrokat]

The long spines are schooling with Apollo. It's kinda cute.

[Mariaface]

Maria, right now tiny Copperband butterflys are available, they LOVE hydroids. They also like tubeworms of all sorts.

 

Any particular kind of hydroid? Mine are short, segmented ones that grow off of runners and have stingers at the floating end.

[teenyreef]

The long spines are schooling with Apollo. It's kinda cute.

Ahem. Pictures? Please?

[metrokat]

Ahem. Pictures? Please?

Hopefully tomorrow Teeny. I put him in when the lights were out, he cruised around for a little bit with his entourage then he went and settled in for the night.

[teenyreef]

Hopefully tomorrow Teeny. I put him in when the lights were out, he cruised around for a little bit with his entourage then he went and settled in for the night.

His adoring fans will wait patiently, but reluctantly

[Slowtwitch]

Kat, Any thoughts as to why my orange digi's keep bleaching out? It's only the orange digi. German blue, superman and kryptonite digis are all fine as are all the plating monti's and setosas. This has happened three times now with different frags from different suppliers. I've tried keeping them in high medium and low light doesn't seem too matter. Weird.

[metrokat]

Good morning. Apollo is fast so I can only get blurry pictures of him. He seems very happy int he big tank and ate. One of the springers damsel charges at him and the mama clown sometimes looks at him funny. He's patrolling the entire tank, I think he's looking for an escape hatch TBH.

Kat, Any thoughts as to why my orange digi's keep bleaching out? It's only the orange digi. German blue, superman and kryptonite digis are all fine as are all the plating monti's and setosas. This has happened three times now with different frags from different suppliers. I've tried keeping them in high medium and low light doesn't seem too matter. Weird.

Mine went through those phases also. I found that it likes medium light, it's happy with indirect strong flow. It will take time to get the color back if it is light orange but it does happen.

[Slowtwitch]

Mine went through those phases also. I found that it likes medium light, it's happy with indirect strong flow. It will take time to get the color back if it is light orange but it does happen.

OK, I'll keep trying. They seem to fade to pink then white then start growing algae. At least the first two did. The third is in the pink phase.

[markalot]

Your corals look so brown and drab, better get PO4 down. /friendly taunt

[metrokat]

Your corals look so brown and drab, better get PO4 down. /friendly taunt

One drop of phosphate Rx the last 2 days. I should test at some point but what's the point, my kits are wrong.

[jedimasterben]

One drop of phosphate Rx the last 2 days. I should test at some point but what's the point, my kits are wrong.

Test alk, not phosphate. Once you see your alk start to drop you know you're nearing the end of phosphate.

[JavaJacketOC]

One drop of phosphate Rx the last 2 days. I should test at some point but what's the point, my kits are wrong.

1 drop? It's gonna take you a long time to get them down if that's all you're using

[jedimaster1138]

Test alk, not phosphate. Once you see your alk start to drop you know you're nearing the end of phosphate.

 

This.

 

I really wish she was testing alkalinity (and p to log the progress), both for our educational purposes and the minor side advantage, of not crashing her friggin tank.

 

[metrokat]

1 drop? It's gonna take you a long time to get them down if that's all you're using

I never do anything drastic. At least I try not to do anything drastic.

[JavaJacketOC]

I never do anything drastic. At least I try not to do anything drastic.

 

LOL, I hear you...I tend to be overly cautious about stuff but Phosphate RX is pretty weak. I have it written down somewhere but when I had really high Phosphates (like 0.12 on the Hanna checker) I did like 33 drops and it only reduced to like .09 24 hours later. I calculated that I have about 70 gallons net when I was trying to determine dosing amounts.

[itzju]

Kat, go big or go home! 2 DROPS!

 

 

 

DOOOO IT!!

[metrokat]

lol

[jedimasterben]

LOL, I hear you...I tend to be overly cautious about stuff but Phosphate RX is pretty weak. I have it written down somewhere but when I had really high Phosphates (like 0.12 on the Hanna checker) I did like 33 drops and it only reduced to like .09 24 hours later. I calculated that I have about 70 gallons net when I was trying to determine dosing amounts.

In her tank, one drop will reduce phosphate by ~0.01388ppm. It definitely is diluted from something like Seaklear, but considering how effective it is and how corals can react to drastic drops, it's not something that most need to worry about buying the 'full strength' stuff. I'm all for skipping the middle man and going right to the source, but in this case, most don't need a quart of concentrated LaCl unless they're treating a tank that is 500g+.

 

 

I recommended that for the first few weeks, since her phosphate results are all over the place, to start slow, do a drop a day or every other day, and then after that, when phosphate has reached the point where it gets low enough to start causing carbonate to precipitate, to figure out a 'maintenance' dose of maybe a drop every few days, or once a week, or however long it takes for phosphate to creep back up just a smidge.

[metrokat]

When Benny says go slow, Benny means go slow. Benny never likes to go slow. Kat listen to Benny.