Sister Margarets School for Wayward Girls 13.5g Evo (June 2021 TOTM). Random Update with Foto

[JustReading]

If it's not too much I'd love to see what a thriving set up runs for the different times of day. I play with the settings but of course I haven't the clue on what works better 

[ECLS Reefer]

9 hours ago, JustReading said:

If it's not too much I'd love to see what a thriving set up runs for the different times of day. I play with the settings but of course I haven't the clue on what works better 

The biggest thing ended up being placement. I’ll look at the settings numbers and write them down, but I ended up placing the pump just beneath the outflow nozzles of the Evo, because it’s small enough to fit and augments the flow. Now it’s hidden from sight and the flow points at the far wall and bounces off to the rest of the tank. The return pump is a sicce 1.0 and I can’t remember if it’s turned all the way up though most likely it is, but the outflow nozzles are pointed to the back wall and to the center front wall. So flow crosses the tank and shoots horizontally to the end of the tank, then disperses. I’ve found that gives me the turbulence the tank seems to like. 

[JustReading]

I have that same return pump also. I went back to the stock return pump nozzles cause the random flow generator didn't seem to give much flow 

[ECLS Reefer]

36 minutes ago, JustReading said:

I have that same return pump also. I went back to the stock return pump nozzles cause the random flow generator didn't seem to give much flow 

I’ve only ever used the stock nozzles because of the size. Most other stuff I’ve seen is too big. 

[ECLS Reefer]

So as I said on the thread for the big tank, I'm abandoning the RedSea lights. I'm changing the LED 50 out for an AI Prime 16HD. I'm happy to go with that based on how nice the little 5g Challenge Tank looks every day. 

 

The corals are doing fabulous in the Evo, and I added a few small items - small alveopora on the far end of the rock, which was naked. Baby button scoly. New green frogspawn. Baby green rhodactus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JustReading]

Didn't bless is with any full tank shots?

[debbeach13]

Of course if you keeping adding coral it just keeps looking better and better.

[ECLS Reefer]

50 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Of course if you keeping adding coral it just keeps looking better and better.

I got the frogspawn because I seriously wounded the other with that high flow wave pump. I’m not sure it’s going to survive. And the end of the tank has always been nekkid- I’m happy the little alveopora is doing well. The mushrooms I think eventually I’ll put on the rocks I just haven’t gotten that far yet. Maybe even on that naked end with the alveopora. 
 

 

My husband doesn’t agree with more corals=more beautiful he just worries the tank will crash or our bank account. 

[ECLS Reefer]

1 hour ago, JustReading said:

Didn't bless is with any full tank shots?

Oops I thought I had 🤭

 

[A.m.P]

I like the colors on the baby scoly.

[ECLS Reefer]

50 minutes ago, A.m.P said:

I like the colors on the baby scoly.

I told them to send me a pretty stripey one and I like what I got. It’ll be impressive when it grows up. 

[ECLS Reefer]

Haven’t actually updated on this tank in a while, because it got a case of the uglies for some reason. I’m guessing it was indirectly caused by the fluconazole treatment for the patches of bryopsis I had in this tank as well, but the sand got a really ugly case of red cyano. The new light didn’t exactly help either, so I daily battle the lovely red film all over the sand bed and glass. Thankfully the animals and corals don’t seem bothered by it. I delayed and delayed on changing the water until today, and then did a 4g change out, and siphoned the sand real well, but I noticed the cyano isn’t done with me yet, as there are small patches of it back already. 😑

 

At any rate, the tank is doing well, though we had a loss when Wally the possum wrasse died. Unfortunately Billy and Dilly are ramping up their territorial hold on the tank- Interceptor puts up with them but they herd him along every night. 

 

Pictures!

 

Billy 

 

Dilly

 

Zoas

 

 

 

Acans 

 

GSP

 

Goniopora

 

Montipora

 

Pinwheel plate

 

St Thomas mushroom

 

Pectinia

[debbeach13]

Great pictures. Every thing looks happy.

[ECLS Reefer]

4 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

Great pictures. Every thing looks happy.

Thanks so much! I need to get a full tank shot when the ugly red crap goes away. Since nothing has actually died, it’s hard to say it’s actually cyano and not just really bad diatoms. It’s been getting slightly better, so hopefully it’ll go away on its own.

[ECLS Reefer]

 as I said, I wait until the cyano ugliness dissipated.. Got a few nice full tank shots today..

 

 

It’s a bit garish but i had to brighten it substantially so everything could be seen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s really growing in fast in there, with every specimen healthy if not racing to block out the neighbor. The large rainbow echinata keeps everybody at bay with its (semi) invisible fence that appears every morning. The GSP has learned to keep a dead area between itself and the echinata. The other creeping neighbor is actually some green leptastrea that has done well encrusting on the rocks just out of site. It should be very pretty when it grows in more. On the AIO wall there is strawberry lemonade cyphastrea, which is slow going. Above that there is a sunrise monti that is starting to expand in a plating type manner. There is a baby’s breath favia on the AIO wall next to the outflow nozzle, and it’s been reaching out past its frag plug as well. On the back wall is a large rainbow monti which has come back from the dead once with a vengeance, and a blue/green leptastrea. The two Kenya tree transplants I put in there are doing well and already growing a lot. The frogspawn that had looked sickly and wave blasted is slowing recovering thankfully.

 

All in all, the Evo and the little 5g challenge tank are my two most stable tanks with happy corals and fish. 

[ECLS Reefer]

So, March Update: The ugly red slime algae (most likely red cyano) has finally left with the increase in phosphates. Trying to hold them around 0.2-0.3. Started dosing NoPox when I removed the carbon and phosguard media bag, and the nutrients are holding stable in goal. Stuff is growing well in there, with even the montis and cyphastrea/leptastrea starting to graft itself to the wall and glass. Finally!! The montis especially have put on some growth spurts which is good to see. The plate coral has grown and started creeping up on neighbors, which is a little worrisome, so I have to inch the favia and pectinia away from it occasionally. The St Thomas mushroom is getting huge, but I’m still not sure it has adhered its foot to the rock provided or is ready to remove from it’s cup. Still trying to figure out the best placement for it as well. Everything else seems to be thriving. This tank really is the best looking coral-wise of the three. 

 

Billy and Dilly are still trucking along with Interceptor and there seems to still be a pistol shrimp hiding out under the rocks, though I’ve not see him in over a year now. But I hear him, usually at dinner time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

Tank is looking strong these days! Did some housekeeping, moved some corals off the sand (after the pictures, alas). The plate is getting very big- most likely one day will have to get traded for something smaller. The baby button scoly has started to turn into something really festive and colorful, with Halloween purple and orange. Got a few new additions- skunk cleaner shrimp, multi color ricordea and a red tile starfish. At this point everything is looking good, but with stars I always hold my breath.

 

 

FTS 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JustReading]

Inspiration 

[DevilDuck]

There is just so much diversity in this tank! Amazing work! Great idea attaching corals to the back glass.

[A.m.P]

Dig the decision to go with higher phosphates, I just had to do the opposite to tryin' kick some weird lyngbya or something, threw waste-away at it too lol.
Loving the new lens.

[ECLS Reefer]

This tank is still rocking along, consistently. I still haven't replaced the carbon and phosguard from before the use of flucon, so that is multiple months free of media. I have only been using NoPox in there, and have even dropped that back to every other day because the nitrates have bottomed out and the phosphates are so low that the diatoms are threatening to rear their head again. Otherwise, the fish are happy and the new tile star and shrimp are doing fine. The star pleasingly so- I'm happy to see it doing so well in there. 

 

I decided to give gobies one more try after so long. All of the others jumped through the mesh grid and died, even with a tight fitting, closed off lid. That's some determination to die that I just can't fix if they find their way through the grid. I ordered a Wheelers Shrimp Goby from LA and hopefully it will be big enough that it can't pull such shenanigans. I hope it will pair up with the shrimp in there. 

 

This tank has been running on a very smooth course and I hope it continues to crack on. 

 

And now, pictures!!

 

Tile starfish

 

 

Pepe le Pew, cleaner shrimp

 

 

Feeding time for the scolies

 

 

Blue green leptastrea

 

 

Pink and green pocillopora

 

 

Pectinia (always reminds me of bewbs - wonder if that's how it got its name?)

[debbeach13]

Good luck with the new fish. That star looks super.

[mitten_reef]

17 hours ago, ECLS Reefer said:

Blue green leptastrea

I love this guy.  I used to have one that managed to spread for quite a bit, til it got shaded to death by a monti, the green frills contrast really well with the mouth/center portion.

 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

2 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

I love this guy.  I used to have one that managed to spread for quite a bit, til it got shaded to death by a monti, the green frills contrast really well with the mouth/center portion.

 

 

I’m happy it’s starting to graft out and looks so fluffy every day. There’s a green leptastrea in there as well on the rocks and it’s spread out on the rocks, at least doubling in size. 

[ECLS Reefer]

The last time I updated, I was planning on adding a Wheeler’s shrimp goby. Well, the goby was added, and seems to be doing well, though he has yet to attempt to make a den or dig, and seems oblivious to the nightly snapping of the pistol shrimp. And he seems to be a VERY grumpy version of goby. Possibly more so than usual.

 

Woke up to find the tank very cloudy this morning. Found that incredibly strange as it’s been running so well and has had no additives, and nothing to go sexual and cloud the tank up. No anemones to breed. Nothing. Unfortunately the skunk cleaner shrimp died during the night, I can only guess due to this mystery cloudiness. I noted that the tank was reading in at closer to 90 (NINETY 😱) degrees and so quickly unplugged the heater. Quickly turned up the wave pump for more flow. Also threw some carbon in the media chamber, as this tank has been running without any media for months now. Added in some MB7 and vitamarin C just for good measure to un-piss the corals if possible. The fish all seem fine but the corals did seem annoyed. So, hopefully the measures taken will help. Tomorrow is testing day and if needed I will swap out water. Hopefully it was just a tank over heat- the heater is in the second chamber and is not ever completely submerged, as it’s so big. I ordered a new, smaller heater (the old one is a 150W cobalt neotherm and I ordered a 75W for smaller footprint and because it was more wattage appropriate for an Evo). 

 

Talk about slight panic mode-this tank has been my most stable all along and is the oldest now at almost 2 years old. I sure hope it doesn’t have a wipe out thanks to a stupid heater glitch.

 

These may be the last good pictures from this tank ☹️

 

 

 

New goby Captain Unhappy