Wingy's "Old School Pico Reef" now a 5 gallon rimless

[Wingy]

It's hard to believe that this contest is ending.  Thank you to everyone who stopped by to take a look, those that offered advice, and answered questions. 

 

I started on this journey to create something that my parrot would enjoy watching during the day when I am at work.  It has become that and more.  We all love watching the sexy shrimp go about their shrimpy business of wreaking havoc as they jump, climb rocks and swing from everything they can reach.  Each piece in there was chosen with care and most have a memory associated  with it from my first purchase to the pom pom crab named for a friend who passed unexpectedly to another given to me for a milestone birthday.  

 

I haven't yet made a decision on keeping this tank up or upgrading to something larger.  For now it is going to stay.

 

Here is my final contest fts taken 10/26.  

[Wingy]

The power just came back on from a 21 hour outage due to storm damage.  I bought a battery air pump, which was doa when I got it home so back out I went searching for another.  Inside temps dipped to 55 F but the tank stayed between 75 and 77 because I placed soda bottles filled with scalding hot water on two sides and the other two I used styrofoam sheets.  I wrapped the while thing in thick towels. I checked the temp with a digital meat probe.  The snails, shrimp and crab are alive and well so I hope the corals will be fine too. 

[debbeach13]

Sounds like the coral should be OK 75 - 77 is not too bad my tank is 78. Coral seem to bounce back from cool much better than hot. I hope it does for you.  

[Wonderboy]

Wow - you did an excellent job keeping the tank stable! I had a 6 hr outage recently and had thought that was stressful hahaa - great idea surrounding it with styro and hot water - will be keeping in mind for future chaos

[Wingy]

Thanks.  Luckily my hot water tank works even if the power is out so I had plenty of hot water.  With so little water volume adding heated water bottles to the tank didn't seem like a good idea.   I lost the mystic montipora, the candy cane is deflated with skeleton showing on two of the 3 heads and the duncan is sulking but everything else looks good.  I did a 50% water change and blew everything to stir things up and filter out the detritus .  I found some bubble algae that I removed and one place that I just smothered with super glue because I couldn't  get to it.  .  

[Wonderboy]

Wow - sorry to hear that - also pretty excited that you're going to keep this going and that you're ready to jump on the necessary response - I'm sure everything else will get back to normal quickly for you   :]

[debbeach13]

Congratulations on making to the finals. I think you did an excellent job with this tank. For a first tank you made some wonderful coral choices and actually listened when helpful hints were offered. Amazing growth on that Duncan. You created a wonderful little reef for Jake and everyone gets to enjoy it. Good luck.

[Wingy]

Yesterday I found 3 limpets, 2 are now deceased, and 2 large amphipods  either or both of which may have contributed to the demise of the monti.  

[Wingy]

No giant pods today so yesterdays spear fishing was a success  I have no illusion that they are gone, just in check for now.  next time I will try cold shock.  An hour or two in ice cold water shouldn't affect most of the bacteria but may dislodge the giant pods.  They pester my zoas, one in particular.  

[Wingy]

Something has almost all my corals upset and all closed up and I have noticed a big decline in my pod population.  They haven't  been quire right since I did a water change last Sunday.  If the corals don't  perk up by tomorrow I will do a deep clean on Saturday  and give everyone an iodine dip.  

[Wingy]

The sexy shrimp have been eating the Duncan which is why it is pinched and unhappy. The shrimp have got to go.  I just offered them up in the Livestock Classifieds.  I think they would be better in a tank with more food.  

[Wingy]

I found a micro brittle star today.  It is amazing that after 7 months I am still finding new hitchhikers. 

[Wingy]

Yesterday I saw a new snail.  I am guessing it is a jevenile.   It was about a centimeter in length and the foot was almost translucent.   It moved fast and disappeared.  

[Wingy]

I may have wrongly accused the shrimp of eating the Duncan.  They may have been cleaning up dieing heads.  Yesterday I came home to find the flesh of the candy cane heads gone and the the pom pom crab waving some neon yellow bits.  She lost her nems a while ago and I guess she is looking to replace them.  Is there anything I can offer her as a replacement?  

[Wingy]

I did a deep clean today.  I took all the corals, rock and inverts out, scraped the glass with a razor blade, wiped out the filter and what not.  I caught 3 bristle worms but now I am wondering if I should put one or more back in.  Here are the first two.  The third I found just a minute ago.  

[Wingy]

I may have found part of one of the crabs nems. I was stirring things up to push debris toward the filter intake and saw something different. I was able to scoop it into a tiny cup.  When I start putting things back into the tank hopefully I can isolate the crab and see if she will take it.  

[Wingy]

That crab would not budge from it's rock crevice so I am not sure what to do with this thing that may be a beat to heck piece of nem.  I am going it put the cup in the tank for now. 

 

I did see one bristle worm in the rock so the others will not be going back into the tank.  Funny story.  I had them in a plastic cup and I accidentally knocked it over while sitting on the floor removing bubble algae from the gsp island.  I am in lounge pants and have bare feet.  My bad knees and arthritic hip self was up and dashed 30 feet and into another room in less time than it took to say oh snap.  😂. I grabbed a flashlight and the long bbq tongs and crept back into the room expecting to see them scurrying away like a centipedes.  They were stretching but hadn't really moved, thank heavens.  After getting them back into the container I sat down and laughed at my dumb self.  I stopped to get the long tongs to fight carpet surfing bristle worms but still had bare feet.  

  

[Wingy]

I just observed a sexy shrimp rip a tentacle off the Duncan and have a snack.  I have tried moving the Duncan all over the tank and they won't leave it alone.  I am out of ideas and out of patience.

[Lula_Mae]

Sexy shrimp have been known to nip at or even eat a variety of corals, unfortunately. I'm not aware of any way to entice a pom pom to take something else as a substitute nem. I had one swipe a ricordea once, and carried the poor thing as it slowly shriveled into a tiny pale white ball lol. Sorry you're having troubles, it's always frustrating!

[Wingy]

I saw 5 more big bristle worms when I fed the tank last night.  I guess I didn't need to be concerned  about the 3 I removed.  I still haven't  removed the shrimp.  That is a chore for this weekend.  I moved the duncan in front of the bristle worm hole and provided snacks to entice the worms to come out.  Sexys are afraid of bristle worms, at least mine are, and for now are staying away.  

[Wingy]

Two of the three shrimp have been removed along with another two bristle worms I caught.  The smallest of the shrimp trio is still in the tank.  I never saw that one bother any corals and usually likes to sit in the GSP.   The crab is missing.  I hope it is hiding in a hole somewhere.  

[Wingy]

The crab finally came out of its hiding place but the candy cane had a head release from the skeleton.  The flesh is now sitting on the bottom al fat and fluffy.  If the crab finds it it will shred  it to bits.  The remaining shrimp is refusing to eat its pelleted food.  I think it is terrified of the bristle worms that come out.  I am going to try using the shell embedded in the rock as a feeding platform. The duncan is back to to looking pinched which makes me wonder if this remaining shrimp has started to snack on it too.  

[Wingy]

I think I may have finally identified the latest hitchhiker to show itself, a peppermint snail.  That thing is fast.  I have searched online but can't find much information about it.

[Wingy]

Stopped to pick up some new corals today and had some great luck in the $10 and $20 area.  Merry Christmas to me.  

 

Xenia (trying again)

Blue and yellow favia

A nice little acan with purple, pink, orange and green coloring.  

Blue and gold zoa

Pink and orange zoa colony.

 

There is something odd mixed in the zoa colony.  It is green and instead of a zoa skirt or large disk of a paly it has longish pieces and at the tips is almost shaped like a playing card spade.  Galaxia maybe.  Everything is still angry from being dipped.  Hopefully tomorrow I can get a  picture.  

 

I was hoping for a small torch or frogspawn, a small blasto and another duncan.  Maybe I will get lucky during their next live sale.  

[Wingy]

It is now just a bit after 2:30 am.  I have been checking the sweeper tentacles  on both the favia and acan every 30 minutes.  So far so good.   I made sure there was 4 inches of clear space around each, not knowing how long their tentacles  were.  A few of the large amphipods tried to check them out and are flopping around on the substrate. This should put a dent in my pod population.