LITTLE BLUE| IM30L (picking up pieces after the crush)

[A Little Blue]

Since my math skills seems to be on par with most of you and I assume that my flow calculations are somewhat accurate, here is the end of the week short video. 

 

ReefRoid feast. Leftovers cloud after spot feeding drives all fish into feeding frenzy. Not gonna lie, all corals love this stuff and can’t get enough of it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Little Blue Reef in blueish sundown:

 

[A Little Blue]

Not much of an update. Cleaned out both Sea Grape algae chambers and found sexy shrimp hanging back there. Perfectly fine by me even though, I have no idea what he must have gone thru to get there. Not easy to get through two filter pads resting on coarse filter mesh. Two snails left in the back chambers to help clean things up a bit seem to get alone just fine as there is at least a dozen tinny baby snails back there grazing on chambers walls. Heading to my LFS to check out new inventory. That's about it for weekly update. 

 

*Edited (bc I don’t want to make unnecessary posts. It’s more like a note to self.)

Brought home what looks like Jason Fox Sun God Leptoseris. Dipped and placed it low in the tank. General recommendation are for low flow and low-medium light. Will take picture when it acclimates a bit to new conditions. Also, I kinda preordered a Halloween Urchin to try it out for this algae that competes with coralline algae. Not sure what it is yet. It does look a bit like lobophora. Sally Lightfoot Crab, Naso Tang and Halloween Urchin are just some of known predators that feed on this kind of algae. So Urchin seems like a wiser choice for my tank from this short list of predators. LFS also had a nice, new Chalice colony that will get fraged next week so I might get that as well. That’s about it. My vacation is pushed till next month so I might get few more new frags between now and the end of the month. 

 

[A Little Blue]

Weekly video update

*will add water/light/flow parameters later to this post. 

[Zuma]

Filling in really nicely, good choice of corals and fish.

 

[A Little Blue]

9 hours ago, Zuma said:

Filling in really nicely, good choice of corals and fish.

 

Thanks.

Fishes are getting along for the most part. Corals are a little cramped but there is some room for growth. 

 

 

Other than parameters that I’ll post later, there isn’t a lot to update.

On the way from work I’ll try to pick up small Halloween Urchin and test it on this encrusting brown algae that looks a bit like lobophora. 

I might (if I’ll find some spare time) also shoot a short clip that will include mixing various food and supplements, details on proportions, target feeding etc. 

[A Little Blue]

Finished a vodka bottle so no testing water tonight but I have made a really boring feeding corals/fish video. Don’t waste your time watching....🤮

Edit: this video will be deleted soon. 

Original was deleted, this is somewhat edited version:

 

[A Little Blue]

Edited video in previous post (shot it while drunk so pls forgive me). 

 

Got an Urchin to help out with lobophora algae issue. It’s not out of control yet but I rather address this issue now before it gets out of hand. Hopefully this guy can handle the job. 

Also got few frags from another LFS that won’t see me ever again. Arrogant bunch of pri&$s. No wonder ppl keep away from that place. 

 

Light settings:

 

 

[WV Reefer]

20 hours ago, A Little Blue said:

Finished a vodka bottle so no testing water tonight but I have made a really boring feeding corals/fish video. Don’t waste your time watching....🤮

Edit: this video will be deleted soon. 

Original was deleted, this is somewhat edited version:

 

 

I could just see me getting bit by a clownfish and then stabbing Corals with that needle! 🤣

[A Little Blue]

14 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

 

I could just see me getting bit by a clownfish and then stabbing Corals with that needle! 🤣

Yeah, they’re kinda weird. They make placing frags in the tank quite a challenge but seem to ignore (more like adore) my hand during feeding. 🙄

[WV Reefer]

2 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Yeah, they’re kinda weird. They make placing frags in the tank quite a challenge but seem to ignore (more like adore) my hand during feeding. 🙄

What happened in that other thread? Was someone talking sh*t to you?

[A Little Blue]

4 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

What happened in that other thread? Was someone talking sh*t to you?

Probably...... I clearly have different perspective on things than others. But I usually ignore silly ppl and filter them out as ambient noise. 

[WV Reefer]

2 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Probably...... I clearly have different perspective on things than others. But I usually ignore silly ppl and filter them out as ambient noise. 

Ok. I thought I missed something. It got hostile fast. I made a joke and then got tha f*ck out of there. lol. 

[A Little Blue]

2 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

Ok. I thought I missed something. It got hostile fast. I made a joke and then got tha f*ck out of there. lol. 

Probably a smart way to do. However, I can’t stand silly ppl who get butt hurt bc they get ignored. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you feel better after your loss. 

My dog isn’t getting any younger and I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to say goodbye to an old friend. 

[A Little Blue]

Not sure if anyone will find this useful but it has worked for me quite well. Not sure what is the correct name for it but you can find it in CVS, Office Depot or any craft store. It’s a project foam board, paper coated on both sides. It’s very easy to cut to size which is a key for this application. 

So what is it for? 

Well, anyone with AIO tank knows that some nuisance algae can and probably will grow in back chambers of your aquarium. It’s not a big issue if you keep those chambers relatively clean and maintain them every once in a while. 

Personally, I don’t have a huge issue in that regard but as always, I am trying to keep the maintenance of my tank to a minimum. I have tested it for few weeks and I can report with confidence that it works quite nicely. When I say that it works, what I mean is that it reduced nuisance algae growth to a minimum (it basically disappeared, %90 of it) and it is durable enough to use long term. Ofcause, if it gets soaked in water, it could cause paperback to peel. Haven’t seen it happened but it is a possibility. 

With that being said, here are few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As to a little issue with what appears to be lobophora algae, Tuxedo Urchin (she’s quite beautiful by the way. Her spines are red, white and blue so I named her Miss America. Gonna have to take it back, I’m not really naming my reef pets but if I had to name her, that would be very fitting name for her) seems to be doing an excellent job. 

Obviously some spots are impossible for her to get to but I will be happy if she can prevent it from getting out of control and keep it at bay. 

*working on a river rock that this algae came from originally:

 

And 5min later:

She didn't get all of it but so far so good. She seems to be very curious of her new home and not surprisingly she  appears to be a happy, active camper. Most important part of why I picked her. She was the most active of the bunch in the store. 

 

*Tank is somewhat established so I will do monthly updates from this point on. 

 

[A Little Blue]

Not an update just two vids. 

 

1st one shows AI Nero 5 in various modes, angles, coral responses and general impressions. I’ll go into depth about this product in few weeks. 

 

2nd video shows flow going from one pump to three KPS + return and all pumps ON including Nero5. 

 

Experimenting at this point. 

[dqwest]

How are you liking the Nero 5 so far? Im ordering equipment for my 30L and am down to the MP10WQD, Nero 5. IceCap 1k Gyre. I cant decide!!

[A Little Blue]

I had 1K and MP10 (not QD tho) so let me put it this way..... Nero5 puts a smile on my face. 

•super easy to setup. Literally up and running within 5min from unboxing. 

• cool, useful features and enormous controllability over various modes. 

• something about this new propeller design that provides wide pattern, powerful yet gentle flow (ofcause it can be cranked up to ridiculous proportions if that’s what you desire). 

• it’s quiet, something that bothered me about Vortech/Gyre.  It’s probably as quiet as KPS pump I own (at the same flow rate). KPS is probably the quietest wavemaker that I have ever owned. 

What I think could be improved? 

Magnet mount. Wish it had a bit more ability to get desire angle. You have about 5-10 degrees to play with. It also could have been a little stronger. 

The manual controller is pretty much useless. 

And finally, it’s a little pricey. If it was $200-$250 retail price, it would have f”&k things up for a lot of their competitors. 

I LOVE IT!!!

I’ve heard they might come out with smaller nano version but nothing is confirmed as of yet. 

[dqwest]

Great.. thanks for the information. I believe I’m going to have AI Prime HD so maybe it just makes sense.. unless I switch to a kessil a360x or 2 ugh

 

i think ink I’m going to pick one up.

 

do you think I’ll need something else for the opposite side? I’ve got the IM30L as well.

 

Return pump is currently stock so looking to upgrade that in the future.. 

 

Thanks

[A Little Blue]

22 minutes ago, dqwest said:

Great.. thanks for the information. I believe I’m going to have AI Prime HD so maybe it just makes sense.. unless I switch to a kessil a360x or 2 ugh

 

i think ink I’m going to pick one up.

 

do you think I’ll need something else for the opposite side? I’ve got the IM30L as well.

 

Return pump is currently stock so looking to upgrade that in the future.. 

 

Thanks

I don’t think you need a second pump on the opposite side. This pump can MOVE a lot of water. I believe you have sand in your tank. And with that in mind, pushing Nero5 can possibly create a sandstorm. It’s probably as powerful as MP40 (maybe slightly less horse power but not by much).  Because of the propeller design and controllability custom options, you still should be able to get better results than Gyre or Vortech. 

As much as I love this pump, I’m not a fan of AI Prime led. I got one on my frag/quarantine tank and other than features and controllability, I am not all that impressed. Kessils 360X look awesome if within your budget. 

That’s my next upgrade. Probably b4 Christmas. 

[A Little Blue]

 

Condition of the tank after vacation isn’t dramatic and it shouldn’t take any effort to get it back on track. 

My daughter with absolutely zero knowledge about reef keeping did a fine job. Alk is a bit high, minimal feeding= lock of nutrients (just fish) and salinity spike to 1.027 is what I came home to. Not bad, but one or two loses. Red Dragon frag was highjacked by Urchin and didn’t make it (thankfully, I have another frag of it). One of latest frags (I believe it was a stag with a lot of brown) I got for cheap is starting to STN. Few frags knocked down but survived. All fish and inverts are fine. 

Minor and barely noticeable algae on the glass. One of the Coco worms is either hiding in its tube or dead, I am not sure at this point (edit, she is fine). 

Frag tank is a bit of a mess tho. ATO acted out and salinity dropped to 1.020😳. Few things in there seemed a little pissed but alive. GSP on the other hand took off and it is slowely colonizing entire back wall.  Another issue is flat worms in that frag tank. Not stressing about it just yet but I am going to have to address this nuisance soon. Had a tinny six line in there exactly for that reason but he got tired of life and jumped. Another thing on the list of improvements, .....frag tank cover. 

That’s about it for now. 

 

 

 

 

And last but certainly not least, thank you to all of our great veterans and heroes who gave their life for our freedom. 

 

The least I could do is to visit air force and space museum, thank them and talk to our veterans about sacrifices they have made for ALL of us. 

A short walk on memory lane....

 

 

 

[A Little Blue]

 

Experimenting with new camera and filters -test. 

(Forgot to mention that red cap shattered to pieces (fell off my hands and dropped on the floor.......twice) two weeks ago while trying to clean up the rock off vermetid snails and inspect for pests. Glued three larger pieces back on the rock and scattered tiny bits around both tanks.)

 

 

[mitten_reef]

I say, you're about mastering the new camera 🙂 , the colors look really good.  

 

I'm starting to daydream more about a bare bottom tank, and a re-scape for myself from looking at this tank.    

[A Little Blue]

2 minutes ago, micoastreefing said:

I say, you're about mastering the new camera 🙂 , the colors look really good.  

 

I'm starting to daydream more about a bare bottom tank, and a re-scape for myself from looking at this tank.    

Hey, bare bottoms don’t have to be boring. You should try it one day.  BRS/WWC pretty much explained benefits of that approach and I totally agree with their explanation. 

Thanks for kind words. 

Pics are OK. Like you said, colors are %90 there but I need a macro lens to get half decent resolution and sharpness. Or ...... Perhaps I just suck at it. Lol 

[specore]

12 hours ago, micoastreefing said:

I say, you're about mastering the new camera 🙂 , the colors look really good.  

 

I'm starting to daydream more about a bare bottom tank, and a re-scape for myself from looking at this tank.    

Me too.  Def getting tired of vacuuming my sandbed each week. 

13 hours ago, A Little Blue said:

 

Experimenting with new camera and filters -test. 

(Forgot to mention that red cap shattered to pieces (fell off my hands and dropped on the floor.......twice) two weeks ago while trying to clean up the rock off vermetid snails and inspect for pests. Glued three larger pieces back on the rock and scattered tiny bits around both tanks.)

 

 

Can you tell us about the camera and filter?

[A Little Blue]

2 hours ago, specore said:

Me too.  Def getting tired of vacuuming my sandbed each week. 

Can you tell us about the camera and filter?

Sandbed sure looks nice but I am very pragmatic guy and low maintenance and stability (along with other benefits of BB tank) is a winning argument for me. 

I had “few” tanks with sand b4 and it always caused some sort of issues.  Not to say that I don’t deal with any issues whatsoever, but it’s a much smoother ride since I switched to BB approach. 

 

As to photography tools....

here is what I use: 

Canon Rebel SL2

 

And this cheap set of filters. Not sure which filter exactly as I took those pics as soon as filters arrived. But I am pretty sure it’s one of the orange ones. 

 

 

Camara is easy to use and it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. It’s a good choice for beginners in my opinion. I use a standar lens that came with the camera. It’s not great but tolerable. 

You can preview pics, operate camera and transfer pics via your phone or tablet. Very useful  in my opinion.