Lula Mae's full circle 5.5--the end.

[StinkyBunny]

If I had a $20 bill for every time I saw a molt and thought it was a corpse, I'd be in good shape, lol.  You have to realize that I go through 40l a day at home and 150 at the shop plus pack out days with fresh mix to replace what I sent out. It takes 5 days to drain an IBC tote.

[Lula_Mae]

Found the new porcelain hanging out on the feather duster last night after lights out. He loves the GSP too and is hanging there right now!

 

 

[Subsea]

On 1/3/2018 at 6:24 PM, Lula_Mae said:

I spotted my little yellow nudibranch the other day and managed to snag a couple of pics!

 

 

 

It’s neat when hitchhikers turn out to be the good guys.

 

I have had some GOM live rock in tank for eight years, starts sprouting new things afte being aquascaped from a differrent tank.  Whatever environmental trigger, reef tanks will bedazzle.

[Lula_Mae]

Got up for work the other evening, walked into the office, and said "WHY IS MY WATER LEVEL SO LOW!?!?!?!"  It was TWO INCHES down from where it had been when I went to bed that morning!  Turns out the AquaClear (I cleaned the 70 a few weeks ago, plugged it back in and it wouldn't start so I swapped it for the AC20 I had in a box) was leaking somehow!  Dumped probably at least a gallon of water on the carpet.   Thankfully there is still a powerhead in here and airline tubing with air pump so it's still got a good bit of circulation.  I am SO thankful my heater was in the tank and not the AC or I'd be out a heater too.  This tank has otherwise been in kind of a holding pattern with things getting moved into the 15.  At least one pom pom is still around and the porcelain crab, and Jacques the shrimp still owns the place. Myrtle the clown started getting aggressive and trying to bite me while I worked on the tank so she got moved into the 15.  And ever since she moved in, the other two fish have been much bolder and she and Martin the tailspot blenny like to play in the current from the AC70 on that tank together.   Planning to revamp this tank when I move the Jarden into it...soonish.  Not sure when yet lol.

[teenyreef]

It's going to look really nice with the stuff from the jar in it.

 

How on earth does an AC20 leak? Unless the pump was falling off?

[JBM]

Hairline crack from age. Saltwater isn't the kindest fluid in the world

[Lula_Mae]

On 4/10/2018 at 4:38 PM, teenyreef said:

It's going to look really nice with the stuff from the jar in it.

 

How on earth does an AC20 leak? Unless the pump was falling off?

My guess is a hairline crack, I have yet to find time to fill it up with water and see if I can figure it out.  My first thought was the pump too, but it seemed to be in pretty securely.

 

The yucky turf algae gradually melted away and was replaced by a feathery hair algae.  Also have a few bubbles of bubble algae I need to get rid of.  Tank is doing ok.  Have yet to transfer the Jarden here.  Am debating what to do with my tanks as I posted on my 15L thread, I haven't been able to maintain any of my tanks (including my freshwater tank) like I'd like to.  If Myrtle the clownfish keeps biting me and I take her to the LFS, I will probably take down the current tanks and combine them, probably in something bigger than 5 gallons but smaller than 10.  Something small and beautiful that will be simple to upkeep.  I will probably take down my freshwater tank and move my betta Zoe into something smaller, too, though it's a bummer as the tank's been up for 10 years this summer.  I cleaned the gravel thoroughly when I moved last summer and haven't been able to keep plants alive since.  I'm just tired of looking at dirty tanks lol.

[Lula_Mae]

Oh, and this tank hit 1 year a few days ago!

[Type-H20]

On 5/15/2018 at 12:14 AM, Lula_Mae said:

Oh, and this tank hit 1 year a few days ago!

Nice!  Still a super cool tank 😄

[Subsea]

On 5/14/2018 at 11:04 PM, Lula_Mae said:

My guess is a hairline crack, I have yet to find time to fill it up with water and see if I can figure it out.  My first thought was the pump too, but it seemed to be in pretty securely.

 

The yucky turf algae gradually melted away and was replaced by a feathery hair algae.  Also have a few bubbles of bubble algae I need to get rid of.  Tank is doing ok.  Have yet to transfer the Jarden here.  Am debating what to do with my tanks as I posted on my 15L thread, I haven't been able to maintain any of my tanks (including my freshwater tank) like I'd like to.  If Myrtle the clownfish keeps biting me and I take her to the LFS, I will probably take down the current tanks and combine them, probably in something bigger than 5 gallons but smaller than 10.  Something small and beautiful that will be simple to upkeep.  I will probably take down my freshwater tank and move my betta Zoe into something smaller, too, though it's a bummer as the tank's been up for 10 years this summer.  I cleaned the gravel thoroughly when I moved last summer and haven't been able to keep plants alive since.  I'm just tired of looking at dirty tanks lol.

It sounds like you have toooo many tanks and not enough time.  Reminds me of my vegetable garden during the middle of summer.   Even if your tanks are not up to “tank of the month”, you know they are healthy.  Algae in moderation is healthy.  It just does not normally display well.

 

yes to neat hitch hikers.  I once brought in dozens of juvenile urchins on some diver collected live rock.  It was months before I noticed them.  As they grew, I transferred them to differrent tanks.

[WV Reefer]

On 5/15/2018 at 12:14 AM, Lula_Mae said:

Oh, and this tank hit 1 year a few days ago!

Happy Birthday tank!!! 😁

[Lula_Mae]

On 5/16/2018 at 12:30 AM, Type-H20 said:

Nice!  Still a super cool tank 😄

Thanks, it's looking a little sad from neglect though haha.

 

21 hours ago, Subsea said:

It sounds like you have toooo many tanks and not enough time.  Reminds me of my vegetable garden during the middle of summer.   Even if your tanks are not up to “tank of the month”, you know they are healthy.  Algae in moderation is healthy.  It just does not normally display well.

 

yes to neat hitch hikers.  I once brought in dozens of juvenile urchins on some diver collected live rock.  It was months before I noticed them.  As they grew, I transferred them to differrent tanks.

Well, the jar and 15 have some cyano issues, so not as healthy as I'd like. This one's just kind of been languishing, sadly.

 

20 hours ago, WV Reefer said:

Happy Birthday tank!!! 😁

Thanks! 

[Lula_Mae]

Did some work on this tank the other night, pulled out the rocks with algae all over them, siphoned out a nasty amount of detritus, and placed a rock in there that I cycled with the 15L and have kept wet since then.  I also pulled out some frags that weren't doing well and stuck them in my little frag/hospital tank and they are already going better.  Kinda sad that my dirty little temporary tank is doing better than any of my actual tanks.   Pic if I can get it posted from my phone!

[Lula_Mae]

Cloudy pic just after I finished cleaning the other night. 

[StinkyBunny]

I have 2 40 Breeder tanks plumbed together, same water, same light and same gravel. They're as different as night and day. When y'all figure it out, email me, I wanna know how that's possible.

[Subsea]

11 minutes ago, StinkyBunny said:

15 minutes ago, StinkyBunny said:

I have 2 40 Breeder tanks plumbed together, same water, same light and same gravel. They're as different as night and day. When y'all figure it out, email me, I wanna know how that's possible.

Considering that the bulk water on a reef would essentially be the same, yet within a short distance, entirely differrent fauna & fana thrive.  Reef crest, reef flat and lagoon are completely differrent environmental conditions.  Another reason for differrent biotype with same environmental conditions is direct intervention by reef keeper.  I would compare it to my garden.  In the same ground, one Spring I planted pinto beans instead of okra.

[Lula_Mae]

16 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

I have 2 40 Breeder tanks plumbed together, same water, same light and same gravel. They're as different as night and day. When y'all figure it out, email me, I wanna know how that's possible.

Some sort of reefing voodoo magical thingie?   I am sure that's the proper scientific term for it.

[Subsea]

20 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Some sort of reefing voodoo magical thingie?   I am sure that's the proper scientific term for it.

 

“Operator Intervention”

 

 

To simplyfy my point, let us say that the water chemistry of the reef in the wild  is the same.  Yet, within very close proximity of each other, completely differrent colonies thrive.  There are many contributing reasons for dominant species.  Energy level is the most obvious, both sunlight and water current are major contributors to what thrives.  

 

Within the reef aquarium word, the reef hobbiest determines the dominant species by his direct intervention.  Just as a Master Gardner cultivated their garden so does the hobbiest. 

 

@StinkyBunny

Kudos to you on your successes.

[StinkyBunny]

I wish it was that easy. It's taken a hell of a lot of money and work to get to where I am now.  When we move I will get a lot more serious about aquaculture.

[Lula_Mae]

Last week (or the week before?  Probably the week before, I worked a ridiculous amount last week lol), I mostly drained the tank and transferred the inhabitants out, most of the corals went into the little frag tank I've got running and the feather duster with his gsp rock, the Christmas tree worm rock, the little gorg frags and the ric and the Pederson's shrimp all went into a little desktop pico that I placed where the jar used to be on the corner of my desk (tank thread coming soon).  This was a great little tank to have during a very transitional period of my life and I am sure I will start it up again if I don't turn it into a planted betta tank.  If I do, I'll probably use some nice Florida live rock for all the amazing hitchhikers you can get and have fun with it.  Farewell little 5.5, you've been good to me!

 

The bottom of the Christmas tree worm rock.  Some yellow spaghetti or hair or some kind of worms and some other microfauna (and this in a barebottom tank!).

 

The feather duster has been hanging loosely off his rock at this point (now, in the new tank, he jumped his tube and buried himself happily in the sand and has been constructing a new tube!).  You can see his worm body in the right portion of the tube which is translucent.  Based on my experience with him in barebottom tanks and him and my dusters in the jar, I'd recommend having dusters in tanks with sand in case they don't like their positions in the rock.

 

Finally got some green coralline growing on the back wall lol.

 

Blurry pic of gorg, blasto, ric, macro, Christmas tree worm rock, bubble algae.

 

Pretty red blade/red ribbon macro (don't remember exact name) that used to be a little single nub.  Has turf/hair algae on the base of course.

 

Final FTS (forgot to take one before I started draining lol).

 

I transferred two trochus from this into the 15 to replenish my snail supply there, then the next day found another one cruising around in here. I have yet to move him....just keeping it topped off in its mostly empty state till I can move him (hopefully tonight or tomorrow, just takes a while since I drip acclimate them).

 

New tank thread for the pico will be coming soon.

[Lula_Mae]

Here you go.  I hope you will all follow along on the new journey!