Sadies Biocube 16

[sadie]

2 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

You got a lot done. The sand looks so good.

Thanks, it took maybe an hour to clean the tank and glue everything and like 10 hours to clean up after the mess!!  

[sadie]

things are getting happy...  I'm really liking everything.  My mushroom is soooo happy up higher on top of the rock pile.  I don't think I'm going to move it.  I do think it would LOOK better on the other side, but I also like it there.

 

I'm also thinking I might have to move my green toadstool down.  In the 3rd picture you can see it's starting to move off the plug and go onto my MR.  I know this thing will get taller and it will start to shade some of the other coral.  I was thinking of moving it to the right middle of the same rock.  It looks like it is splitting in two.  the base looks like 2 tree trunks and even the top you can see a divide down the middle.  Do they split like that?

 

 

[sadie]

feeding time:

 

[sadie]

[sadie]

Just now, sadie said:

I didn't know how to add these pictures so I just copied and pasted.  This was my first tank 22 yrs ago.  I loved the yellow polyps, but they really start3ed to take over.  In the other picture my mushrooms started to get out of controll.  this was just the beginning of them spreading like crazy.  I have another picture, but can't find it.  I always think I will like it if they spread and go crazy, but when it actually happens, I don't.

 

I am debating on getting rid of my red mushroom.  I really like it, but forgot how much they can spread.  My ricordeas are very slow growing and I think they will stay on the islands I have them on.  I'm not sure if my yellow one is a yuma or a ricordea.  Either way, I will keep them, but I think the red/purple one might have to go.

 

If I get rid of that mushroom, most everything else only gets bigger and won't spread. (except for the GSP on the back wall).  I think I like that idea.

[seabass]

The GSP, even if isolated to the back wall, can sometimes find its way to other parts of your tank.  I suppose that crabs, urchins, etc can dislodge pieces where it might take hold on the rocks.  At first, this can look pretty striking; however, it can become challenging in the long term.

[brandon429]

Sadie I still think this may be the best rip clean thread of all time, we're up to approx 2000+ of them and nobody is this resolved. 

 

You are showing that adding in CUC makes a lot of waste and doesn't necessarily fix the cyano

 

 

and isn't harmful to try (other than disease vectoring and breaking biosecurity but then again the species you keep are tuned for this, no harsh preps needed for clowns and gobies by and large)

 

you're showing an absolute recurring will to fix the tank via skip cycle cleaning. You're not lining the pockets of bottle bac sellers with just-in-case purchases for bacteria when we can see time and time again they stick to your rocks just fine. You are demonstrating pure cycle control over and over. You are commanding the reef, it's not commanding you, though it will be ideal to find the less work mode one day/lucky + skill + artistry is what brings that-nobody can type that out. 

 

 

You are simply refusing to let the system not be stellar and the corals show it. 

 

You did not let the system die into the dirt five times over, you simply commanded it. Any nano owner should be required to read your thread start to finish. 

[sadie]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

The GSP, even if isolated to the back wall, can sometimes find its way to other parts of your tank.  I suppose that crabs, urchins, etc can dislodge pieces where it might take hold on the rocks.  At first, this can look pretty striking; however, it can become challenging in the long term.

I keep going back and forth.  In my mind I think if it gets too close to my intake vent (bottom right corner), I can cut it away, or if it gets too close to my out put nozzle I can cut it.  BUT I thought that about those yellow polyps in the picture above.  I thought they would stay on the one shell I had them on and they didn't.  Somehow they spread and I didn't like it.  I tried to remove some, but you just can't (without killing them, which I wouldn't do).  I almost got yellow polyps again, but they looked more brown.  I forgot how much they spread until I saw the picture above.  I AM SO GLAD I DIDN'T GET THEM!!

 

I guess now is the time I have to decide.  I like the front of my tank the way it is.  I wouldn't want to put the GSP back in front.  The tonga branch (not the GSP) that the GSP is growing on is from my first tank 22 yrs ago.  I don't want to part with it, or the GSP.  Hmmmmmm I will have to think about this.

[sadie]

1 hour ago, brandon429 said:

Sadie I still think this may be the best rip clean thread of all time, we're up to approx 2000+ of them and nobody is this resolved. 

 

You are showing that adding in CUC makes a lot of waste and doesn't necessarily fix the cyano

 

 

and isn't harmful to try (other than disease vectoring and breaking biosecurity but then again the species you keep are tuned for this, no harsh preps needed for clowns and gobies by and large)

 

you're showing an absolute recurring will to fix the tank via skip cycle cleaning. You're not lining the pockets of bottle bac sellers with just-in-case purchases for bacteria when we can see time and time again they stick to your rocks just fine. You are demonstrating pure cycle control over and over. You are commanding the reef, it's not commanding you, though it will be ideal to find the less work mode one day/lucky + skill + artistry is what brings that-nobody can type that out. 

 

 

You are simply refusing to let the system not be stellar and the corals show it. 

 

You did not let the system die into the dirt five times over, you simply commanded it. Any nano owner should be required to read your thread start to finish. 

thanks Brandon, but I think you might have mistaken the photos of my old tank (the ones that say PhotoBucket) for my new tank?  Maybe not.  My coral did start to look a bit shady and now they are looking good again.  I can't believe how high they like their phosphates and nitrates.  I tested this morning and my NO3 was 25 and my Phos is .50.  I did put phosban in, that's just too high.  But they seem to love it, especially my RFA.  I try to keep my phos around 30 and my NO3 around 10.  When I look at photos, that's when my coral look the best.

 

Now I know when my coral start to shrink and the algae comes back my phos and NO3 are probably 0.  I wasn't testing for a bit toward the end of the summer.  As soon as I brought them back up, ugly algae went away (with a little manual removal) and my coral are huge and happy.

 

[brandon429]

in days past we simply never had this permission to act. 

 

 

we're not doing anything that couldnt be done in a 1986 reef tank. they had tap water, marine sand, and were darn sure using good quality rocks isn't marine procedure gatekeeping a fascinating trait among groups of hobbyists

 

in 1986 if your rinsed your sand, they said it would die...the whole reef. can't survive that. My pico has been rip cleaned maybe 250 times/could be 400 not sure lol. I use it to catch up on lazy times. I have rip cleaned it twice since your thread began. 

 

we have to wait decades for procedural permissions lol for science that works any day we want to run it. I wonder what else is like that in our hobby

what other firm minded rule sets could be decades outdated we adhere to

 

we will see in time

[sadie]

I have decided to keep my GSP on the back wall.  Still not sure about the mushroom.  Part of me thinks let it go crazy and it will be fun watching them fill in.  Then I can do another nano-reno and remove them all.  It's been so long since I removed mushrooms, I'm thinking it was really hard.  So that's the other part that is keeping me from doing it.

 

It's funny how my RFA move about.  There was one behind the tonga branch I glued and I don't think it liked being so close to the tonga, so it has moved further up on the main rock.

 

My white toadstool (now turned kinda green) is getting big.  I think my acan is getting it's orange color back.  I swear it get green when my phos and nitrates are low, then more range when I increase my phos and nitrates.  It could be all in my head...

 

Some tank shots:

 

 

[sadie]

forgot to post my white toadstool.

Here is a picture of my toadstool in May 22 and today.  It got so big and a little green.

 

[sadie]

I did the last plan in my nano-reno today.  I snapped off the green toadstool on top of the MR and glued him to the right side.  He's not open yet, but I really like where he is.  I hope he likes his new home too.

 

I am happy with all my changes (we'll see about the GSP and mushroom) but for now I really like it.  I was nervous. I've never glued something to my back wall, and I don't think I have removed something I have glued on before.

 

I have a couple things on my wish list.  My first would be a yellow sun coral.  I got one as a very beginner by mistake 22 yrs ago.(LFS told me they were yellow polyps even after I told them I didn't want a sun coral because i was new and didn't want to deal with the feeding requirements).  I did really good with it and it was one of my favorite (my avitar picture).

 

the other would be an orange short tenticle plate coral, though I am doing more research on that one.  I would put the suncoral near my cave the plate in my back right corner.

 

I will post more pictures when everything opens.

[ml86743]

Looking great sadie!

[sadie]

38 minutes ago, ml86743 said:

Looking great sadie!

thank you.

[sadie]

Everyone is happy.  Especially me.  When they're happy, I'm happy. 

 

[kimdawg]

Your tank is looking great Sadie.  I will have to get my rfa fix through your tank.  It has a lot of the same corals as my tank did and I enjoy looking at it.

[sadie]

I love RFAs.  4 of them stay where I put them and 2 of them wonder back and forth.  It's kinda funny.  The first time it happened, I couldn't figure out why my tank looked different.  Then I realized one of my RFA moved. 

 

[sadie]

well, I guess I have 7 RFAs so 5 of them stay where I put them...

[sadie]

I can't believe how long it's been since I've been here!! my husband got me some beer brewing equipment for Christmas so I have started a new hobby.  I thought it would be a nice little hobby, which it is, but the need to know is as much as the saltwater hobby!! So I joined a forum and have been learning much, but it has kept me away from here.  I don't plan on doing any brewing during the summer so that has slowed down.

 

My tank has been doing good, except for my duncan.  I got some black algae, it finally went away, but before it did a big piece landed in the mouth of my duncan.  I thought he was eating it, now I think it might have choked him to death. I tried to gently puff it out with my turkey baster, but it didn't work. That head receeded.  I'm not sure if it is still alive, then another head looked funny.  I have been doing reg maintenance and everything else is great.

 

My mushrooms have 2 little babies that are getting bigger.

Here are some new pictures.

[brandon429]

What an amazing study guide this thread is for will-of-tank owner

 

You caused every bit of the longevity in this tank. It wanted to go sideways two years ago, just wow:)

[sadie]

Can't believe it's almost been a year!  Tank has changed a bit, but still doing good.  A while ago I thought I had baby RFAs, but they were just aiptasia.  Now I DO have baby RFA!!!!  I found 3 of them.  They are orange faced and glow when the lights go off.  I was wondering if my sea fan had gotten any bigger, so I came here to look at old pictures.  My tank looked so pristine then, now it looks lived in.  I don't mind the lived in look, I kinda like it.

 

My purple mushrooms are spreading.  I've decided I don't want things that spread.  I took the GSP rock off my back wall (it wasn't doing good there anyway).  It kinda started growing off the rock so I peeled the rest of it off and just gave it to Petco.  They don't give you a discount of anything, which is a bummer.  I also decided no m ore LSP. I do good with them for a while, but then when life get's crazy, I loose them.  So I decided RFAs and softies seems to be all I can handle permanently.  I still love them so it's all good.

 

I am still dealing with those pesky aiptasia.  I was using aiptasia-X, which doesn't work that great.  Then I remembered I always used Joes Juice, which I find works much better.  Though they give you a bent needle, it's still hard to reach some of them.

 

Here's some pictures