IM Nuvo Micro 30

[LazyFish]

10 hours ago, billygoat said:

I think that's the right call. Increased biodiversity makes a system more stable, so I always try to include as many of those weird hitchhikers as I can - provided of course I can be reasonably sure that they aren't evil or destructive. Maybe it will show up some months down the road, and you can be like "oh, there's that... thing!" 😄

+++++1 Yes I love looking at all the weirdness. I still see the cucumber and its peanut worm cousins sometimes they are so cool to watch. I have ostracods too but they are almost impossible to see but are facinating.

[Kangster911]

I like this hobby because of all the subtle detail that gets missed if you do not pay extra attention and the 'symbiotic' relationships, not just the obvious one but all encompassing relationships like nitrifying bacteria, fish, and algae/plants. There are so many things going on at micro and macro level and everybody is doing what the nature intended them to do and collectively it all works out beneficially for each members/species. There are so many things to look for it can never get boring

[Kangster911]

Good news and bad news. Bad news is my local fish store is tearing down saltwater section and will stop selling saltwater livestock. Good news is they are selling the remainder at 50% off. 

I got another clownfish, two zoa/paly coral frags, and a sponge. 

[billygoat]

16 minutes ago, Kangster911 said:

Good news and bad news. Bad news is my local fish store is tearing down saltwater section and will stop selling saltwater livestock. Good news is they are selling the remainder at 50% off. 

I got another clownfish, two zoa/paly coral frags, and a sponge. 

Shame about the store, but it's great that you could score some cheap livestock! Do you have another LFS nearby that you might be able to visit instead of the one that's closing down?

[Kangster911]

They recently had a anniversary sale and I guess saltwater section did not perform as well as their cichlid section. They are tearing down saltwater and expanding cichlid. This store is known for their cichlid selection.

There is another nice local fish store that I have been to many times about 30 minutes drive away and google says there is a coral store near me that I have not checked out.

I can always order online but nothing compares to a good neighborhood store. I can spend hours just checking out the store on a slow weekend.

[Kangster911]

FTS. It looks very incomplete. I hope it looks fuller as coral frags grow.

[Kangster911]

Clownfish pair getting along

[billygoat]

35 minutes ago, Kangster911 said:

FTS. It looks very incomplete. I hope it looks fuller as coral frags grow.

Don't worry, they all look like that in the beginning. As your system ages and continues to stabilize, things will grow in and it will start to look much more complete. It's only a matter of time! 😊

 

How are your parameters looking? I'd say you can probably get away with adding some more inverts as long as everything seems steady and algae growth is under control.

[Kangster911]

 

3 hours ago, billygoat said:

Don't worry, they all look like that in the beginning. As your system ages and continues to stabilize, things will grow in and it will start to look much more complete. It's only a matter of time! 😊

 

How are your parameters looking? I'd say you can probably get away with adding some more inverts as long as everything seems steady and algae growth is under control.

So I have a confession to make. I do not have a test kit and just keep my fingers crossed hoping everything will be fine. It probably is a good idea to test for phosphate, nitrate, and alkalinity...

Chaeto amd Ulva are thriving in the refugium along with a few unknown surviving macros from macro frag pack. I am guessing they are keeping PO4 and NO3 in check. I should start testing for alkalinity as the frags grow and start consuming minerals. I do change 5 gallons every two weeks or so.

I've been wanting to add cleaner shrimp and maybe two more peppermint shrimps. And maybe a pistol shrimp and goby pair later down the road.

[Kangster911]

Another clownfish passed away and was partially consumed by the crab and CUC.

I really need to start testing as I have no idea why the fish died at the moment. Will probably try API reef test kit and maybe upgrade on my next purchase.

 

Current surviving residents im DT are

Clownfish X 1

Firefish X 1

Mithrax Crab X 1

Porcelain Crab X 3

Peppermint Shrimp X 1

Money Cowry X 1

a few Nassarius, Nerite, Cerith Snails, and hermit crabs

unknown sea cucumber looking hitch hiker

unknown worm (bristle worm?)

various coral frags (Lepstrea, Hammer, Zoa/Paly, Flvia/Favite, Blasto, and Chalice) and a Sponge frag with symbiotic coral

 

In back refugium 

Chaeto 

Ulva 

Unknown surviving Macro Algae

 

Future resident ??

Clownfish X 1

Yellow Watchman Goby X 1

Pistol Shrimp X 1

Peppermint Shrimps ??

Cleaner Shrimp X 1

[Kangster911]

Tested the parameter with API just now. All seems alright.

Ca 540

KH 7

PO4 .25

NO3 10

Specific Gravity is at 1.024.

Maybe I will invest in Salifert PO4 test kit in the future but for now these will have to do

[Kangster911]

It has been some time since my clownfish passed away. I think I was feeding too much without changing water. Nitrate amd pgosphate level tells me it is due for another water change, but I took a day off today amd that meant buying more fish.

Added two new clownfish the old ones died, a cleaner shrimp, an anemone, and some snails.

I am going to test the water and keep a closer watch, making sure everyone thrives.

[billygoat]

Nice new additions! I think they should fare much better now that your tank has had some more time to stabilize. How's the refugium looking? Still growing chaeto and Ulva in there?

[Kangster911]

3 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Nice new additions! I think they should fare much better now that your tank has had some more time to stabilize. How's the refugium looking? Still growing chaeto and Ulva in there?

Thank you. I am now doing a weekly testing so now I will know if I have too much Nitrate or Phosphate. The Chaeto and Ulva are staying alive but not really taking off. I also have an unknown surviving macroalgae from the frag pack that has grown a few inches. The algae was covering the glass in the back of the refugoum and was blocking the light for Chaeto and Ulva. I need to include the refugium cleaning into my weekly maintenance.

I will post pictures of my refugium next week after I do my regular maintenance on it.

[Kangster911]

The bubble tip anemone was shrunk for a few hours yesterday. Google search said it was a normal part of its life. I was worried a little bit but I saw it is back to its original shape plus I think it is getting some of its color back. I am hoping it will be rosy red bubble tip.

[Kangster911]

Top shot of the tank. Glass is too dirty at the moment and I figured I'd try a different angle during feeding time. The shot is showing the anemone better. It is getting better color at the tip, getting bubbly and all.

[Kangster911]

Cleaned out the refugium in the back while doing a water change. Chaeto amd Ulva are both surviving but not thriving. I am not complaining as long as they are not dead. 

The unidentified surviving macro from Reef Cleaners macro frag pack got a little bigger. It probably needs a substrate to anchor itself but it is using a Chaeto ball instead.

[billygoat]

Your unidentified macro looks like Caulerpa prolifera. It will do much better if the runner is buried in the sand, though it can spread aggressively through your substrate if it is not carefully controlled.

 

Looking good though! Glad to see everything is doing well. 😊

[Kangster911]

23 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Your unidentified macro looks like Caulerpa prolifera. It will do much better if the runner is buried in the sand, though it can spread aggressively through your substrate if it is not carefully controlled.

 

Looking good though! Glad to see everything is doing well. 😊

Thank you so much for the identification! I think they are contributing to the nutrient export but I do not know to what extent for sure at the moment. They don't seem to really grow and I have not had to trim any yet.

The bubble anemone is getting pink color at the tip and it was basically all white when I got it a few weeks ago. I am guessing it is a sign of clean water.

[billygoat]

13 hours ago, Kangster911 said:

Thank you so much for the identification! I think they are contributing to the nutrient export but I do not know to what extent for sure at the moment. They don't seem to really grow and I have not had to trim any yet.

The bubble anemone is getting pink color at the tip and it was basically all white when I got it a few weeks ago. I am guessing it is a sign of clean water.

Of course! No problem. 😊

 

As for the anemone, often when 'nems are being held by retailers they lose their color because they are not receiving adequate light. If yours is coloring up again that's a sign that the anemone is happy and doing well!

[Kangster911]

Just noticed my anemone split into two!

Now I have two in my tank.

This must be a sign they are thriving, not just living.

[Kangster911]

My tank is about a year old now. Definately more stable, but still needs a lot of improvement. I cannot seem to get rid of algae taking over. 

My original intent was to keep a clownfish or two and an anemone. I have a lot more residence than my original intent.

 

IM Nuvo Micro 30

Kessil 360 with controller

Jebao DCP-2500 (tight fit, will replace later)

Jebao SOW-4

Reef Glass skimmer with Eheim air pump

IM Media Reactor with biopellets

Kesill 80 for refugium

Bayite thermostat with cooling fan and Neotherm

 

two clownfish

firefish

two bubbletip anemone

emeral crab

featherduster worm

leather coral

hammer coral

zoa coral

few unknown corals (some dying)

sea sponge

two pepperminy shrimp

cleaner shrimp

various snails and hermit crabs

and algae...lots of algae of all kinds

[Kangster911]

got a watchman goby and a pistol shrimp from Petco last week and this pistol guy is way more trouble than it is worth. This monster is constantly digging holes everywhere making a huge mess and just now it succeeded in making my biggest live rock fall. Could have caused a big damage and made me rearrange the rocks so they are more stable. The bigger clownfish kept on attacking my fingers while I am trying to rearrange and I cant find the goby fish. Pistol possibly killed the goby with the rock slide.

To anyone thinking about adding a pistol shrimp, make sure your rocks are stable because this guy will dig until he breaks the tank!

[billygoat]

Hey @Kangster911, great to see the tank still trucking along after a year! That's wild to hear that your pistol shrimp nearly collapsed your whole rock structure though. I know they are major diggers, but I didn't know they had it in them to shift enough sand to move a huge rock like that! 😬

 

Also interesting to see all of that algae persisting on your rocks. I am curious to learn more about the situation. Where are you sourcing your make-up water? Are you still running a refugium? And how about your light - what color and intensity settings are you running it on? The Kessil A360 is a very powerful LED, so reducing your intensity could potentially make a huge difference on algae growth.

[Kangster911]

3 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Hey @Kangster911, great to see the tank still trucking along after a year! That's wild to hear that your pistol shrimp nearly collapsed your whole rock structure though. I know they are major diggers, but I didn't know they had it in them to shift enough sand to move a huge rock like that! 😬

 

Also interesting to see all of that algae persisting on your rocks. I am curious to learn more about the situation. Where are you sourcing your make-up water? Are you still running a refugium? And how about your light - what color and intensity settings are you running it on? The Kessil A360 is a very powerful LED, so reducing your intensity could potentially make a huge difference on algae growth.

Hi. Thank you for the interest. The rocks were not really stable to begin with because the only scape I liked would not let the rocks stay stable. Now I do not have a choice but after rearranging I kinda like how it came out.

I work in manufacturing and have access to industrial grade DI water, but recently I got lazy and used dechlorinated tap water once.

I still have refugium and have excellent growth in there. I recently had to trim down and throw out bif chunks.

I think the light intensity might be the culprit. My corals kept dying in thw beginning and I suspected it was because my light being too weak so I bumped it up gradually. I think the corals were just doing bad because the tank was just too new and the light intensity cam go down a bit. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I am going to slowly bring it down starting tomorrow.

I recently got a Tunze ATO. Hopefully, that will help with algae somehow as well