Patrick's minireef

[Patrick17]

It's a month today since my last water change and cleaning and today was the first day I thought that the tank looked like it needed a clean - more so because of coraline algae on the glass than anything else. It feels like the tank has reached an equilibrium where corals look fluffy but not growing particularly quickly but neither is any algae. I picked out far less bubble algae than I have for 18 months which I'm hoping means I'm close to getting it to a level where it only grows in the inaccessible parts of the rockwork. 

 

I'm due a new UV lamp which I will get and keep the unit running. After ten months, I can't complain of any noticeable downsides. No definite positives but I'd rather think that the lack of negatives is due to the UV. 

 

I had spoken about wanting to go natural and simple in terms of filtration (not that I do anything special anyway!), but my hand may just have been forced. Last Friday, our smallest cat, Poppy, decided to jump from the top of the geckos onto the tank, knocking the glass covers in. Looking at the timers that the electrical fault caused to pause, we were without power for 8 hours whilst at work. A quick fault finding session pointed to the skimmer which was blowing the RCD on the circuit whenever plugged in. 

 

We'll see how the lack of a skimmer affects things over the next month and decide whether a new light is worth it with a cat that is intent on destruction. I don't want to spend hundreds on something that runs the risk of being condemned to swim with the fishes. 

 

In long post without much mention of fish (which are doing well), I feel we deserve a couple photos; this is Poppy, the terror 

 

 

[Orangutran]

Cute cats!!

[Patrick17]

It's been a while again since I updated this journal but nothing has really changed in the last month which is always good.

 

The skimmer being broken doesn't seem to have had any real impact - the macros that haven't been encrusted by coraline are were growing well, our fish are growing and the colours all seem bright at the moment. I haven't seen any extra algae growth, the glass still only needs scraping every few weeks and the bubble algae is under control still. 

 

We did notice that if the substrate was giving off a little pink cloud when disturbed so we increased the flow slightly, gave it a good clean and added a little diversity to our CUC which seems to have helped. 

 

In terms of CUC we now have: two cleaner shrimp, five hermits, one conch, two urchins, a sand-sifting star and about eighteen mixed snails. It's always difficult to judge how many critters to add but I'm happy with those. I've seen recommendations that are ten times what we have but I already worry about what we have finding enough food. 

 

I decided against a new light, for now. With a wedding at the end of the year and my thirtieth spent in Hamburg (an amazing city is you ever grt the opportunity to visit), I couldn't justify spending that much. I may change my mind when the new kessil is realised in the UK market or possibly January sales, but am content for now. I think a refugium light will probably be my next purchase. I don't see as many pods anymore, I'm pretty sure our possum wrasse has cleared them all nearly but he eats frozen and is a little chunk so I am in no rush. 

 

 

 

 

[Patrick17]

The clowns have definitely claimed the toadstool front and center for themselves, which is great for now. Anyone who visits is drawn straight to them and they are always visible. I just hope that as they grow they don't force all their tank-mates to the edges of the aquarium as their territory grows. I know clowns are really common but they are wonderful 

 

 

 

[Patrick17]

I didn't realise how long had passed since my last update. The biggest change is that we got married over Christmas and had the most perfect day. Despite all the change at home, nothing has changed in the tank in the last four months. The toadstools are happy and Kenya trees growing, our four fish are settled, coraline is still growing over anything else that is slow growing, and the protein skimmer is still broken. 

 

I had added about another inch of Red Sea Fiji pink aragonite sand which has been settling and mixing with my existing sand bed because we have a new fish on reserve at our LFS. I'm scared to add a new fish, I don't want to risk anything, especially as when I checked the UV isn't working. I've got a new tube for it but when I went to change it, I'm sure the unit was wet in an area that shouldn't be which makes me nervous about doing anything with it. 

 

Anyway, new fish... Today should be the day we bring home a two tone wrasse (halichoeres prosopeion), I'll try and get some photos later but fully expect it to be hiding I. The sand bed for a couple of days 

[Patrick17]

Well it's been 24 hours with no sign of the new wrasse, I know it can take days for them to come out of hiding when first introduced but how long should I wait before becoming concerned? 

 

In the absence of a two tone wrasse to photograph, here are a few update shots of the other fishy inhabitants:

 

Schooling bannerfish (heniochus diphreutes) 

 

Possum wrasse

 

Clowns with their host toadstool 

[Christopher Marks]

Hopefully the wrasse shows up before long, it's not unusual for them to hide at first, give it another day and take a peek after lights out tonight.

 

The reef is looking great @Patrick17! I bet all the soft coral have benefited from the skimmer going offline, they seem to do well with a little more nutrients in the water. It looks like the toadstool leather isn't too bothered by the clownfish hosting it, that's good to see! Have the clownfish gotten any more or less territorial after hosting?

[Patrick17]

 

21 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

Hopefully the wrasse shows up before long, it's not unusual for them to hide at first, give it another day and take a peek after lights out tonight.

 

The reef is looking great @Patrick17! I bet all the soft coral have benefited from the skimmer going offline, they seem to do well with a little more nutrients in the water. It looks like the toadstool leather isn't too bothered by the clownfish hosting it, that's good to see! Have the clownfish gotten any more or less territorial after hosting?

Thank you very much; yes the softies do see very happy. Nutrients still seem to be under control too, it's been a few months and algae growth has practically stopped, including bubble algae. 

 

I haven't noticed any aggression from the clowns, with them being right in the middle they are constantly having their space invaded - the butterfly is always cruising right by them. It is something I'm keeping an eye on with them being in front but no problems so far *touching wood*

 

That toadstool is the first coral I ever bought, about 5 years ago; it's coped with my learning curve and the clowns - it's definitely my favourite. 

 

The toadstool at the top of my previous tank is the same one: