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Cultivated Reef

Adam's Pico Reef- Old School Entry ***I’m Baaaaaack***


ksadam

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On 4/16/2019 at 1:40 PM, ksadam said:

Well I can't help but mess with my tanks, decided to forgo the two smaller rocks for 1. Also went to one of my LFS and told them about the contest and they gave me a piece of rock covered in coralline algae for F R E E

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This tank has some really good potential. That rock is sweet! Something I've tried before has been scraping a little bit of coralline off on random spots around the new rock. Seems like it helps spread coralline pretty well!

 

Neon cleaner gobies are sweet! I think that'd be a perfect fit in this tank

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12 hours ago, ksadam said:

Anyone else do this? I use a paver stone and flatten the points on my rock going on the bottom to eliminate pressure points.8211A531-F064-4761-AF07-DC95F7209E29.thumb.jpeg.a105ab839e74e68d0c128f1533fa4d88.jpeg

That was a good idea.  I have used coral putty and made feet on the bottom of rocks.

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Quick update--Took out the purigen from the filter, my GSP was fully open and doing good for the first few days but I noticed it started staying closed. I figured with all the organics being removed from the water it was too clean and I was right, took out the purigen 24hrs ago and now the GSP is fully extended again...go figure your tank can be too clean. Also stole some frags from my other system and added a yellow damsel..named him Hank...yep.

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On 4/25/2019 at 6:38 PM, ksadam said:

Anyone else do this? I use a paver stone and flatten the points on my rock going on the bottom to eliminate pressure points.8211A531-F064-4761-AF07-DC95F7209E29.thumb.jpeg.a105ab839e74e68d0c128f1533fa4d88.jpeg

Yes! I did that...although I used the curb in front of my house. 

 

Saw your comment about your GSP not liking a clean tank. Mine is the opposite - loves a clean tank and closes up some once it gets a little dirty. 

 

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Here you go @Wendy 😂 Also anyone that has experience keeping Acropora could you tell me what's going on here. I've had it since April 18th, it came in looking this brown and hasn't got any color back yet. Do I need more lighting? Or just wait it out for a little longer? Also updated the full tank shot 👏

 

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Wow, Tiny Hank...

I like your coral additions, isn't just a water box of rocks anymore (;

 

Good luck with your acropora! 

I have no idea... just give it time.

 

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Acropora can be a challenging coral even in an established tank. Water parameters need to be perfect and consistent. 

So lots more light and lots more flow would be a good start in the right direction. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/4/2019 at 10:26 AM, seabass said:

Hank is awesome.  I keep thinking I should get a fish to add some movement and fish wastes.

cycle baby Banggais in.

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On 5/3/2019 at 11:15 AM, ksadam said:

Here you go @Wendy 😂 Also anyone that has experience keeping Acropora could you tell me what's going on here. I've had it since April 18th, it came in looking this brown and hasn't got any color back yet. Do I need more lighting? Or just wait it out for a little longer? Also updated the full tank shot 👏

 

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I had a similar experience with a  stylophora I bought a while back. It had green polyps, but the “flesh” was all brown. It’s just starting to color up nice and green now...took about 6 weeks to begin coloring back up, and it’s slow going...but that’s a Stylo, not an Acro. Hope it gets some color back soon!!!

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Oh man this month has flown by. I added an aquatop 80gph pump with a RFG for more random flow, poor Hank got stuck to the side of the powerhead for I’m not sure how long and ultimately perished. It was a pretty tough blow to be honest, I haven’t been this invested in something in a while. Other than that, I added 5 more zoa frags and destroyed my budget by ordering a Nano Box retrofit light...also picked up a smart micro ATO from a local reefer for $50. Here’s the FTS from today’s water change. Keep on reefing 🤙39C8C466-0684-4013-89B5-FB372871100F.thumb.jpeg.ed67efc01b64ac2142adb73563a005dc.jpeg

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5 hours ago, ksadam said:

Hank got stuck to the side of the powerhead for I’m not sure how long and ultimately operished

A healthy fish wouldn't get stuck to a powerhead.  Something was likely wrong prior to this.  Sorry about you losing him.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh no, not Hank!!! Seabass is probably right, healthy fish are not likely to get sucked into a powerhead... sigh...

 

Wow, Nano Box retrofit! Sounds fun!!!

How are you liking your ato, how smart is it, hugh???

 

Pico is looking fantastic, keep up with the good work!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Lots of updates. New powerhead(Aqamai KPS), got the Nano Box retrofit installed, changed the scape and added a peppermint shrimp recently dubbed Sir Shrimps A Lot. Don't know if this still counts a a budget build, just don't tell my wife 😂

 

@Wendy the ATO is awesome, not that I had to top off that much to begin with. I have a 1/2gallon reserve and have to fill it up about once a week. 

 

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So this is my own fault 100%. I was out of town for work for 3 days and I had someone keeping an eye on my place for me. Now I've left town before for more than a week at a time and never had any issue. I have a switched outlet in my living room for all my electronics that I shut off before I leave, I plugged the pico reef into that outlet temporarily while I got an extension cord. I never got an extension cord I just left the switch on. Fast forward to yesterday, I get back and the switch is off. My friend had come and got my mail for me and while leaving they shut off the switches in the living room. So the pico reef went two full days with no heat, circulation or light, when I got home yesterday at 4pm the fish and shrimp were both dead, the hermit crab dead, all the coral dead. As far as I can tell when the fish and shrimp died presumably due to the temp decrease or perhaps lack of O2 it caused an ammonia spike and killed everything else.

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Sorry for your tank loss.  You have time to clean up the rock and start again.  We have until almost the end of October to post the last pics.  Hope you have some locals that can help you out.

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As much as I’d love to start over right now, it’s not going to happen. I’m getting ready to leave town for 2 months for work and then possibly moving after that so it’ll have to wait. I appreciate the willingness to help though. 

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