Snow's 2.9G O.S.P.R. Mushroom Mansion

[Snow_Phoenix]

FTS on 1/7/19:

 

 

Topshot on 1/7/19:

 

 

I have a lot of negative space now. Need to fill it all up with more shrooms. Might also add a tiny NPS like a gorg to fill out the background. That, and a tiny pico-friendly shrimp. 😊

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

This is my oldest shroom colony to date:

 

 

It is actually three average green rhodactis, but there is a red discosoma with blue bumps which originated from my previous mantis shrimp, Morpheus's tank. 

 

And here is my bullseye rhodactis. Need to get a few more of these because they look beautiful:

 

[CalvinKlein]

Very nice! I love your mushrooms! I have a mushroom tank too. But currently encountering some random melting issues.

Care to share your water params?

Mainly temp, salinity, kH and pH?

[Snow_Phoenix]

On 7/4/2019 at 6:12 AM, CalvinKlein said:

Very nice! I love your mushrooms! I have a mushroom tank too. But currently encountering some random melting issues.

Care to share your water params?

Mainly temp, salinity, kH and pH?

To be honest, I haven't checked anything except salinity for the past few weeks. Salinity is kept at 1.024 most of the time. Because of the high evaporation rate, it can spike up to 1.025+ so I have to top-off every two to three days. 

 

I'm not sure about your melting issues. Sometimes I have melting issues with my zoas in my larger reeftank, which is strange, because it only afflicts a certain type and the rest of my zoas + corals show no signs of melting. With regards to this tank, I haven't had any shrooms melt away yet. They seem to be quite hardy and tolerant of my lack of WCs. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

So, I know it's been a while since I updated, but just wanted to swing by and say the shrooms overall are doing quite well. I might WC again at the end of this week, and I think my leather will be less moody if I do it.

 

Anyhow, here's my green hairy shroom today (it's not a morning-coral 😞

 

And this is my Yellow Yuma:

 

 

They now list yellow yumas as 'premium' at my LFS and have tripled/quadrupled the prices on one tiny head. I'm super-glad I managed to acquire this lil' guy last year before the price hike. My LFS are clearing out a lot of green Yumas though at reasonable prices. After I lost my green yuma - it just decided to shrivel, gape and detach from the rock one day - I think I'll pick one up, provided it doesn't pinch the wallet. Depending on the size of the yuma, it may either go into the Pico or my larger reeftank. Yumas can pack a sting and even though you can pile them against each other, I noticed you can't pile them against the normal rhodactis morphs. 

 

There's actually various types of yumas (dual/tri-colored variants) available at both my LFSes, but as pretty as they are, they're simply too expensive for me. So I'll settle for the more common, single-colored varieties instead. 🙂

 

T

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Just wanted to update: I am battling flatworms (again!). 😓

 

It has come to a point that this little pico, which has been my joy, has become a source of stress. I even lost Scarlet the purple hitchiker crab yesterday. 

 

I am genuinely thinking of scraping the whole thing off. Dipping everything again, QTing the corals and then *when they are flatworm-free, move the whole bunch into my 60G. My only concern is Miko, my TSB. Prowler can be easily slipped into my larger reef, but Miko will be up against my Starry, Thanos. 

 

I will definitely give it more thought. I put a lot of care and effort in this little tank - would hate to tear it down. But I am struggling with it at the same time. 😔

[kimdawg]

So sorry about the flatworms again.  I had them also.  I dipped the rocks and did lots of cleaning to help get rid of the majority.  My little blue fish seems to have eaten the rest.  I hope you are able to keep the tank, I enjoy your pictures of the mushrooms and reading about it.

[Snow_Phoenix]

12 minutes ago, kimdawg said:

So sorry about the flatworms again.  I had them also.  I dipped the rocks and did lots of cleaning to help get rid of the majority.  My little blue fish seems to have eaten the rest.  I hope you are able to keep the tank, I enjoy your pictures of the mushrooms and reading about it.

What type of fish is yours, if I might ask? I was honestly wondering if there is anything willing to eat the pests - I can rehome the fish later, if this can help me salvage the pico somehow. 😓

[seabass]

51 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Just wanted to update: I am battling flatworms (again!).

Have you tried Levamisole?  I successfully used it with a bunch of Flatworm eXit resistant flatworms.

[Snow_Phoenix]

4 minutes ago, seabass said:

Have you tried Levamisole?  I successfully used it with a bunch of Flatworm eXit resistant flatworms.

We can't get it from shops here - I tried to purchase it through online vendors, but anything with fenbendazole (or of that ilk) is sold in large cartons and almost RM 400 excluding shipping. Too expensive for me. 😞

 

I might try to check on the LFSes up north - maybe they have something similar. Singapore is another option, but I'll have to travel across the border and it'll be quite the hassle (and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to take meds back into my country without some form of prescription/permit, even if those are animal meds). 🤔

 

 

[kimdawg]

38 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

What type of fish is yours, if I might ask? I was honestly wondering if there is anything willing to eat the pests - I can rehome the fish later, if this can help me salvage the pico somehow. 😓

I ordered him from liveaquaria they called him a blue sapphire damselfish.  It may be the springers damsel that is reported to eat flatworms.  I know you can not order from them but maybe you can look at the picture and get something close.  I think it is the same fish that Tigah boy has in his pico that is eating flatworms.  If you read through the last page of my thread I got a lot of great advice on flatworms.  I hope some of this info will help. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Last week, I purchased a damsel to tackle my flatworm issue. I saw the success of using sapphire damsels for eradicating flatworms online and on other journal threads by NR members who are battling a similar problem. 

 

I gave it a lot of thought, and I decided I wanted to salvage as much of this tank as possible and give it another go. I went down to my LFS, which usually carries a variety of damsels. Problem was, there were no sapphires! Instead, I had the option of selecting between dominos, sergeant majors and striped damsels. Tbh, I've heard nothing but trouble about damsels. Having owned damsels before, I know they're fully capable of kicking the butt of any fish in the same tank, no matter how big or small the tank is. 

 

But there was this one - and I mean, *one leftover goldbelly damsel at the store. I discussed it quickly with my LFS - they were quite skeptical that he would eat flatworms. The 'pure blue ones' (sapphires), maybe, but goldbelly? Nah!

 

Anyway, I was desperate and this was my last resort. I bought the goldbelly for RM 15 (which is pricey for a damsel here - they usually go for RM 5 or RM 8 per fish) and plopped him into my Pico. No QT (risky!), just straight to work. 

 

And I waited. 

 

He cleared 50% of my flatworms in Day 1. It's now almost a week, and I haven't seen a single flatworm on any of my glass, rocks or corals! 

 

I am pretty sure there are flatworms still hiding under my hairy shrooms though - it's just an itch in my gut. But otherwise, all 'noticeable' flatworms have been wiped clean. I genuinely considered getting a Velvet Nudi to clear up the flatworms, but they are extremely expensive, and will need to be returned to the store when the deed is done or it'll starve. So yes, my goldbelly damsel (which honestly, I think I just got very lucky here) apparently loves having flatworms for supper when he gets the munchies. 

 

Now, there is another issue to tackle - I'm overstocked with 3 fish. My damsel is a spazz, which is very un-damsel-like (and would probably explain why he was in the very corner of the LFS DT, trying to look washed out and obsolete). My TSB, Miko, literally backs him into the tight spot behind the rocks during feeding times. I actually have to target-feed my new fish friend pellets, because an all-flatworm-only diet doesn't seem too healthy. 

 

I'll still be dipping my coral every few days once though, but for now, I'm tentatively keeping the damsel. 🤔

 

I'm also planning on re-setting this tank. Meaning, doing a deep clean, dipping everything - moving some corals out into QT, then my 60G etc etc. It'll take a while, and the tank will look bare and hideous in the interim. In the meantime, I have three fish, two crabs and two snails in this thing. And shrooms. A whole bunch of 'em. 

 

I'll collect more once the tank is re-stabilized. I already bought one new shroom for the Pico, but put it in my 60G for the time being until I get this lil' tank fixed. As for the damsel, once the flatworms are gone, I might either move it to my 10G FOWLR, or rehome it. I personally haven't decided yet. 

Add-On: For those of you who are curious, this is an example of the damsel in the Pico: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/damsels/GoldbellyDamsel.php

[kimdawg]

I am glad you found a damsel eating fish too.  I have a few in my pico again because I moved rock over from my 75 gallon tank and I think they were in the barnacle rock.  My little blue fish is happily back at work eating them.

 

I have not seen any bad behavior out of the 3 damsels that I have yet.  I have the one in the pico and two in my 75 gallon tank.  I hope they all continue to behave.  I have been moving a lot out of my pico as well.  I ran out of room for the ricordia that were growing so they have a new home in the bigger tank also.

[CalvinKlein]

Are you referring to the red planaria flatworms?

From my understanding, these flatworms are harmless and requires light to survive. I had an infestation once, and all I did was to siphon them out into a clean filter sock, and reuse the water again. You may want to try this method to remove the remaining flatworms. An airtube to siphon works best for those nooks and crannies.

[devaji108]

great thread! was an great journey. glad you are keeping the tank going! 

[A.m.P]

The springers are "known for" eating pests, but most Chrysiptera and some smaller-mouthed Poms will eat flatworms and an impressive list of other pests as well, to the best of my knowledge at least. 

Glad to hear things have gotten less stressful and the little fish is doing such a great job, runty personality on a damsel sounds adorable since they always have a kind of shocked and scared look on their face imo.

[Snow_Phoenix]

3 hours ago, CalvinKlein said:

Are you referring to the red planaria flatworms?

From my understanding, these flatworms are harmless and requires light to survive. I had an infestation once, and all I did was to siphon them out into a clean filter sock, and reuse the water again. You may want to try this method to remove the remaining flatworms. An airtube to siphon works best for those nooks and crannies.

Thanks a ton for the tip! I have a tiny plastic baster that I use sometimes to blow dirt off the rocks - I can use that to siphon the stubborn ones that cling on to the shrooms.

 

4 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

The springers are "known for" eating pests, but most Chrysiptera and some smaller-mouthed Poms will eat flatworms and an impressive list of other pests as well, to the best of my knowledge at least. 

Glad to hear things have gotten less stressful and the little fish is doing such a great job, runty personality on a damsel sounds adorable since they always have a kind of shocked and scared look on their face imo.

Yeah, he is! And he's less of a spazz now - very ferocious eater though. Now that he's grown more comfortable, I have to target-feed my blenny instead of him. At least none of the fish are nipping or fighting. I do have a backup nano to keep the damsel in, should things swing south. 

59 minutes ago, devaji108 said:

great thread! was an great journey. glad you are keeping the tank going! 

Thanks! 🙂

On 7/31/2019 at 12:03 PM, kimdawg said:

I am glad you found a damsel eating fish too.  I have a few in my pico again because I moved rock over from my 75 gallon tank and I think they were in the barnacle rock.  My little blue fish is happily back at work eating them.

 

I have not seen any bad behavior out of the 3 damsels that I have yet.  I have the one in the pico and two in my 75 gallon tank.  I hope they all continue to behave.  I have been moving a lot out of my pico as well.  I ran out of room for the ricordia that were growing so they have a new home in the bigger tank also.

Thank you so much for bringing the issue of damsels-eat-flatworms to my attention though. I was seriously running out of options - doing everything I could to keep the tank running, but at the same time was frustrated with the flatworm issue. I'm going to be transferring a few shrooms out of the Pico though - Derp knocked one of them into my ric and it partially melted. It'll stand a better chance for recovery in my 60G, where the parameters are more stable. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hey everyone,

 

I've decided to shut down my pico reef. The decision was on the back of my mind for a while, actually. After the whole issue with the hellspawn flatworms that refused to die, despite me trying almost everything, I let the tank sit and it was neglected for a while (the damsel almost got them all, but there were still a few clingers). 

 

I focused most of my energy into my 60G mixed reef and my other animals instead, and the Pico, which used to give me so much joy, became one of those side projects that became a chore and stressor over time.

 

I shifted my TSB and circus barred goby into my 60G - my TSB is adapting very well, and I only spotted my goby once, but I'm quite confident he's still alive in the tank. 

 

As for the damsel, I moved it to my 10G nano downstairs. Most of the shrooms have been moved to my 60G - except for the hairy shrooms, which were moved to my nano. As for the Pico itself, it has been thoroughly cleaned out with soap and vinegar, and re-set up as a low-tech planted aquarium to house a single betta fish. 

 

This is how it currently looks like, as of today:

 

 

And this is my lovely new fish in QT, Oscar:

 

Thankfully, FW tanks are a lot easier to maintain than SW tanks, so missing a few WCs in a row would probably be alright with the tank. This way, I can relax and still keep my Pico, as well as devote more time and attention to my larger reef. 

 

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this incredible, but short journey of my picoreef. Derp says hi! from the nano. He's still a PITA, but I love him. 

 

Best of luck to all of you in the contest! 

 

[Ratvan]

2 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Hey everyone,

 

I've decided to shut down my pico reef. The decision was on the back of my mind for a while, actually. After the whole issue with the hellspawn flatworms that refused to die, despite me trying almost everything, I let the tank sit and it was neglected for a while (the damsel almost got them all, but there were still a few clingers). 

 

I focused most of my energy into my 60G mixed reef and my other animals instead, and the Pico, which used to give me so much joy, became one of those side projects that became a chore and stressor over time.

 

I shifted my TSB and circus barred goby into my 60G - my TSB is adapting very well, and I only spotted my goby once, but I'm quite confident he's still alive in the tank. 

 

As for the damsel, I moved it to my 10G nano downstairs. Most of the shrooms have been moved to my 60G - except for the hairy shrooms, which were moved to my nano. As for the Pico itself, it has been thoroughly cleaned out with soap and vinegar, and re-set up as a low-tech planted aquarium to house a single betta fish. 

 

This is how it currently looks like, as of today:

 

 

And this is my lovely new fish in QT, Oscar:

 

Thankfully, FW tanks are a lot easier to maintain than SW tanks, so missing a few WCs in a row would probably be alright with the tank. This way, I can relax and still keep my Pico, as well as devote more time and attention to my larger reef. 

 

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this incredible, but short journey of my picoreef. Derp says hi! from the nano. He's still a PITA, but I love him. 

 

Best of luck to all of you in the contest! 

 

Disappointing but understandable. Oscar is a cutie really nice colouration

[debbeach13]

I totally understand. A hobby that stresses you out needs to be changed up. You enjoy your new betta fish. Like you said that should be a lot less work. You still have the other reef tanks. 

[seabass]

Sadly, most of these contest picos will be retired soon after the contest is over.  Not because they don't work, but because they are not a primary tank for most of us.  Having multiple tanks really starts to add up (time and effort-wise).  We can easily put off maintenance for awhile; but, in the end, all of the tanks may start to suffer.  I get your decision.

 

32 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Derp says hi!

Derp rocks!

[Snow_Phoenix]

30 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

Disappointing but understandable. Oscar is a cutie really nice colouration

Thank you. He seems to have different colors under different lighting. And he has an amazing personality for a betta. Very active and somewhat curious. I think he will enjoy his new tank next week. 😊

15 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

I totally understand. A hobby that stresses you out needs to be changed up. You enjoy your new betta fish. Like you said that should be a lot less work. You still have the other reef tanks. 

Yes, and this tiny tank did stress me out quite a fair bit. Especially when the flatworm outbreak occured. I tried manual, biological removal and still some of them persisted. Eventually I decided it would be best to split the corals between my other two tanks because those tanks were far more stable. And I will have one less tank to fret about. 

1 minute ago, seabass said:

Sadly, most of these contest picos will be retired soon after the contest is over.  Not because they don't work, but because they are not a primary tank for most of us.  Having multiple tanks really starts to add up (time and effort-wise).  We can easily put off maintenance for awhile; but, in the end, all of the tanks may start to suffer.  I totally get your decision.

 

Derp rocks!

I agree. 👍

[kimdawg]

Sorry to see your tank go, but I do understand the problem with trying to take care of multiple tanks.  I am glad that you had places to put all of the livestock and hopefully enjoy them now.

[Christopher Marks]

@Snow_Phoenix As the Old School Pico Reef Competition comes to an end, I wanted to thank you for participating with your pico reef and sharing your experiences. ❤️