Teenyreef's IM40 Not-So-Teeny Tank - August FTS

[teenyreef]

Happy to see most things continuing to improve. Hope the shortcake wakes up and starts putting on some color for you soon. I'm sure you can turn it around. I love those slimers just get back out of the way once they start growing.

Yes, I hope so too. I really don't know why it's not doing better. I can't see any signs of pests, and I think it's encrusting, although it's slow, so I'm not positive yet.

 

I'm looking forward to the slimers really starting to grow. I've got them placed so the green and blue will be adjacent, with the hopes that they'll be the centerpiece of the scape.

[Marc.The.Shark]

Have you ever checked out the Acans over at Austin Aqua Farms? Seems like they have some pretty nice pieces at very good prices.

[teenyreef]

Have you ever checked out the Acans over at Austin Aqua Farms? Seems like they have some pretty nice pieces at very good prices.

Wow, those are great prices! They don't seem to be as colorful as the ones from ASD, though. But it's hard to tell just from the website pictures.

[markalot]

SPS are looking fantastic, hope it holds this time.

[Marc.The.Shark]

Wow, those are great prices! They don't seem to be as colorful as the ones from ASD, though. But it's hard to tell just from the website pictures.

I know, been eyeing them up myself! lol. Gotta wait a lttle tho, just sent ASD too much money!! hahaha

I'm on their email list, so they send me the sales

[teenyreef]

I know, been eyeing them up myself! lol. Gotta wait a lttle tho, just sent ASD too much money!! hahaha

I'm on their email list, so they send me the sales

Yeah, I have a hard time whenever I get that email

SPS are looking fantastic, hope it holds this time.

Thanks, Mark!

[Reefkid88]

Are you spot feeding the Acan's or just broadcast feeding the whole tank ? If my Acan's don't get target fed at least 1-2 times a week,they get super pissed,and shrink up and are mad until they get fed. AustinAqua Farms has some really really nice pieces,on the occasion you can get super rainbow frags for as low as $7-$12. If I couldn't get pieces just as nice as the ones on their site,locally,I would be ordering from them. A local store has buy 4 get 1 free Acan's so this weekend I may go and get a few frags

 

The Shortcake looks like their is some of that neon/pale green they usually get with some other colors coming in on the nodes near the corallites. As long as there is flesh,have hope my friend.

[teenyreef]

Are you spot feeding the Acan's or just broadcast feeding the whole tank ? If my Acan's don't get target fed at least 1-2 times a week,they get super pissed,and shrink up and are mad until they get fed. AustinAqua Farms has some really really nice pieces,on the occasion you can get super rainbow frags for as low as $7-$12. If I couldn't get pieces just as nice as the ones on their site,locally,I would be ordering from them. A local store has buy 4 get 1 free Acan's so this weekend I may go and get a few frags

 

The Shortcake looks like their is some of that neon/pale green they usually get with some other colors coming in on the nodes near the corallites. As long as there is flesh,have hope my friend.

Yes, it's really important to keep the acans fed. I spot feed the acans at least three or four times a week while they're getting established. They're nice and puffy now I'll probably taper off to twice a week after a few more weeks.

 

It's really bad when they get pissed and shrunk up because then they won't eat. I've had good luck spot feeding them coral food when they get like that.

 

I've bookmarked AustinAqua and will check on them occasionally. Especially once I have money again after spending it all at the reef show

 

The shortcake is a little mystifying to me right now. Like you said, there's flesh so it's not dying, at least not yet. But there's less PE and color every week. Hopefully it'll turn the corner soon!

[Reefkid88]

What're you feeding them ? That's crazy,I'm surprised they aren't shooting off babies like crazy. Mine pop out babies,then stop for a few months then start again. I take 1 tblspn of tank water in a shot glass,and I use a cap from a API test tube and take 2 scoops of Reef Roids,2 drops of fuel and 3-4 drops of SPS MAX stir it real good and spot feed them with that,they devour it.

 

It may be too that the tank is still newer,who knows. As much as I love them,I just want to up my Zoa collection and Acan collection,and on the occasion snag a new Acro and see how it does,they always end up dying on me anyways. I'm surprised my green Tenuis is still kicking lol.

[teenyreef]

Sometimes I feed the acans Reef Roids along with some liquid phyto, but mostly I feed them meaty food. I turn off the pumps and drop a mysis shrimp or a couple frozen brine shrimp on them. When they're doing well they suck them up almost immediately.

 

I've seen the same thing with the babies. They seem to pop them out and then wait a few months for the babies to get bigger before they do it again.

 

I think the tank is just now getting mature enough to reliably grow acros, though. And the ones that are a little trickier are probably still borderline in this tank.

[Reefkid88]

Also,maybe try placing them at different parts of the tank,and see where they start to color up. Ive read that 1350-1400 mag helps and vitamin c helps keep the rainbow colors,along with amino's and decent flow. I learned that is the flow is enough make the polyps and feeders wave,then thats enough,any more and they shrink and not enough and they shrink.

 

Also maybe try running just royals for a week or two and see if that helps. Believe it or not,I had the best colors when i was solely a all blue panorama fixture and that was it. They were probably getting 50-60 par lol.

[teenyreef]

Thanks! All good ideas, and I just realized I haven't checked mag for about a month

[teenyreef]

Mag is good at 1410. But Ca is well over 500, so apparently I've been overdosing it a bit. I checked some new water and it measured at 460, though, so I'm not sure if my test kit has gone bad. I use Red Sea blue bucket which should mix up with calcium considerably lower.

 

I'm going to lower my calcium dosing for a couple weeks and let it drop to the same level as my new water. That way even if the test kit is bad, it will still be in line with my new water.

 

I adjusted my light a little bit the other night, by moving up a little higher. It was 6" above the water, now it's about 7". The idea is to broaden the light dispersion just a bit, and make it a little less intense in the hottest spots.

 

I've also been dosing Red Sea Energy A&B in addition to Acropower, and that seems to be helping with PE. I took a new picture of the Blueberry Shortcake and it seems to have gained a little color, and the polyps, which had pretty much disappeared, are now visible even though they're still not extended. Of course it could just be due to taking the picture from a different angle, but I'm going to go with "improved PE"

 

20161109-untitled-002-Edit.jpg by TeenyReef, on Flickr

[teenyreef]

To recover from the election, I think we should flood the world with pretty reef tank pictures. Here are some coral updates so I can do my part:

 

Dendros:

 

Duncans by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

 

Seasons Greetings from Slowtwitch. Stupid sand.

 

Seasons Greetings Montipora by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

 

Stellata Montipora:

 

Stellata Monti by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

 

The blue kenya tree from Slowtwitch is doing great. The color on it almost doesn't look real in the top down pictures:

 

Blue Kenya Tree by TeenyReef, on Flickr

[fishfreak0114]

Beautiful! Definitely takes the mind off the new president lol. That's all anyone's been talking about this morning.

[Slowtwitch]

I think I need to send you a tiny piece of every coral in my tank so that pictures of them show up here. I do really have some nice things in my tanks but my picture taking sucks and I don't like posting them.

[teenyreef]

As the potential recipient of said corals, I approve this plan

[Droy008]

That blue leather looks phenomenal!

I want one now, lol.

[FlowerMama]

Hey- the nem is just huge!!!!

 

[teenyreef]

that would literally take up half the tank in my 10g! I'm glad she's doing so well

[Arce]

That blue kenya is legit.

[teenyreef]

That blue leather looks phenomenal!

I want one now, lol.

 

 

That blue kenya is legit.

It really is very pretty. It's growing fairly fast but not at a crazy rate. Hopefully I'll do frags sometime in the future

[ninjamyst]

Those duncand are nice! I miss top down shots with nanobox....

[teenyreef]

Those duncand are nice! I miss top down shots with nanobox....

Thanks! I often thing about going with a hybrid Nanobox/T5 light, but it would cover so much of the tank, and I do love taking these top down shots.

[kimberbee]

Wow teeny!! It's looking amazing!!