Snow's 60G Secret Predatory Sanctum 🐲🐉 - Shutting Down

[Snow_Phoenix]

New Chaetogro bottle has arrived! 😊

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

I decided to try and do a thorough, full clean up for the sump today. 😊👍

 

 

I prepared enough salt which could be mixed up to ~40G of SW. Even though my sump's capacity is only 23G+, I intend to do several rounds of flushing to dislodge as much detritus as I can - especially the stubborn pockets of dirt trapped in the fuge:

 

 

If there is excess SW left, I'll do a quick WC for the DT as well. Otherwise, I'll WC the DT some other time. 

 

Also prepared the 2 different types of floss - the green one is washable and reusable, so I'll swap the old green one with a new one while letting the old one dry out (after thoroughly hosing it down, of course) under the hot sun for a week or so. 

 

 

The light blue one is ordinary regular floss which is supposed to be replaced weekly, but I haven't replaced mine for erm...months. 

 

I also washed and prepared a new bag of carbon (1kg), and prepared 3 bottles full of live sand for the new mangrove propagules. 👍

 

The third bucket is mostly a random mess of equipment I'll need for the WC:

 

 

I estimate this will take around 3+ hours to complete. If I'm WCing the DT, it could even stretch up to ~4. Hoping my body won't break by the end of it. 😕

[Snow_Phoenix]

The main reason I need to do this WC is because the sump is in terrible shape. 

 

 

The last compartment is full of cyano. 😕

 

 

And there's a weird icky algae growing on my filter sock. 🤢

 

 

Also, I need to toss out the 2 dead magrove propagules as well:

 

 

Usually a thorough clean up like this will put a severe dent on the microfauna population in the fuge. I'll try to purchase some live pods and re-seed the fuge once the full WC is complete. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Took around ~2.5 hours to get this done. 

 

 

 

Planted the new mangroves, changed all the media & floss, did a 30G WC (had to *flush the fuge section several times to get rid of excessive dirt) & I was extremely tired by the end of it. 

 

Left all the equipment on the side porch - I'll clean them thoroughly tomorrow morning. 👍

 

I didn't use one of the salt cups (which is enough to make ~10G of SW), so I just tied it up in a little plastic bag and left it downstairs. The salt I used during this WC was IO, not Fritz. 

 

I've used IO for previous tanks in the past without issue, so I think it'll be okay for this tank. 

 

Tentatively planning to WC at least 20G of the DT in the upcoming days. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Kenya tree under intense blues:

 

 

 

Just realized the base has become thicker, the pre-existing branches longer, and there several tiny new branches on the way. 😊

 

The glass is still very dirty and due for a good scrape. Perhaps I'll clean it tomorrow or the day after (?) 🤔

 

I'm eager to WC the DT, but yesterday's work has strained my problematic ankle. Also experiencing some body ache, so best to rest it out first. 

 

I accidently left my wavemaker off today. Woke up to a very happy & inflated kenya tree, and even happier aiptasia - which are actually a lot larger than I expected when they're fully extended. Am planning on getting rid of the brown aiptasia by this weekend, not sure how to tackle the white ones though. Maybe concentrated boiling vinegar using a syringe...? 🤷‍♀️

[Snow_Phoenix]

Gave my wavemaker a vinegar soak and scrubbed it thoroughly today. 👍

 

 

If all goes well, I'll be WCing the tank tomorrow. And I think I'll WC 20G as opposed to 30G (less time & physical work required = less stress on me). 

 

The fish and corals were fine without the extra flow throughout the day. There is a lot of dirt on the rocks though, so I'll have to baste them and siphon out as much dirt as possible. 

 

PJ today afternoon:

 

 

 

 

Foxy:

 

 

 

Today is the first time I'm taking pics properly under both Primes. I scraped the glass, so I finally could see my own animals. 😅

[Snow_Phoenix]

I took the pics during heavy whites, so the coral colors are a bit bland. 

 

Here's Foxy peeking from under the giant aiptasia:

 

 

Topview FTS:

 

 

Hitchiker duster worm:

 

 

Giant aiptasia: 

 

 

Kenya tree:

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Xenia and GSP:

 

 

Xenia:

 

 

Cloves:

 

 

Giant aiptasia:

 

 

Growth has slowed down a lot prior to the full sump clean up. Hoping it'll pick up again after this upcoming WC. 😕

 

Also thinking of getting a peppermint shrimp to handle the aiptasia as opposed to manual removal. 🤔

[Snow_Phoenix]

Also, here's Foxy & PJ together. 🥰

 

 

 

 

 

Frontview of the slanting kenya tree:

 

 

Sideview of the beast! 👀

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Preparing for a 20G WC shortly. 👀

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

I ended up doing a 35G WC as opposed to a 20G one. Had to mix up more salt - ran out of IO, so the last 15G was from Fritz. 

 

My new small IO bucket should arrive in 2 to 3 days, I think. 

 

My gravel vac sort of snapped in the middle of draining the first 10G of the DT (the plastic tore in the middle of one of the rings), and that gave me a pause, because I was unsure if I could still drain the tank without the top. Turns out I could! 😛

 

As long as the hand pump was functional, I could use the smaller, tubular end to still suck some dirt out of the tank. It was actually better - the smaller size of the now-excised-tube made it easier for me to target pockets of dirt in rock crevices, and I could siphon out a lot more dirt than expected. The suction was also stronger somehow, I managed to literally suck some pesky vermetids right off the rocks too! 

I will still have to get a new gravel vac though! My 70G FW Predator tank is due for a WC, and I have a hujeta gar in there which is very suspicious/curious/omnomnomnom of fingers. 

My tank water has mostly cleared up. Both fish are out (Foxy is spying on me from behind atm) and I'm hoping to add more corals soon (softie frags & LPS colonies). 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Water finally cleared up. Total WC done over <1 week = 30G (for sump) & 35G (for DT) = 65G SW made & changed! 🥰

 

 

 

 

 

Refugium:

 

 

 

😊👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Foxy was in a good mood after the WC too! 🥰

 

 

 

 

 

 

^Foxy's pics were taken through orange filter lens from a pair of coral-viewing glasses to nullify the blues. 

 

The earlier pics were not taken with any filter lenses, hence the intense blueness of each shot captured. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Buddies. 🥰

 

 

 

 

 

According to my mum, Foxy has doubled in size since I first purchased her. I never truly realized it because I see her swimming around everyday. I am aware that she has grown thicker though! 😅

 

Just a rough estimate, but I believe Foxy is around 7"+, although there is no accurate way to tell unless she presses herself against the glass and hovers in one spot long enough for me to measure her (which isn't going to happen because she is an active swimmer, and not a percher heh). 

 

She's quite healthy and vibrant though, and I'm quite thankful for that. 💦

 

Kenya tree today:

 

 

 

Definitely itching to get more corals. ~2 more weeks & I will! 

[Snow_Phoenix]

More seaweed pellets for Foxy have finally arrived! 🥰

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Well, someone evidently had a growth spurt overnight. 

 

 

 

 

More colors have popped up in the little rainbow yuma too! 🥰

 

 

^Blue, green, yellow & purple! 😊

[Xj reefing]

Out of interest how much do corals cost over there?

[Snow_Phoenix]

Please ignore the fuzz on the rocks - I have yet to pick up proper CUC. 🤐

 

I took some pics under mostly whites in the morning. Noticed both the cloves and brown palys have popped up a few more new polyps. 😊

 

 

 

 

The yuma looks semi-translucent under mostly whites though!

 

 

But I can still see hints of different hues peeking through. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Xj reefing said:

Out of interest how much do corals cost over there?

It depends on the type of corals in question, store/vendor that sells them, availability (different times of the year = different prices for certain types) and shipment costs (have increased a lot since the pandemic). 🤔

 

Usually large LPS colonies are quite reasonable for their size. A large 12" to 15" elegance coral (when fully open) costs around RM 200 to RM 250. It used to be cheaper. I remember when I first entered the hobby, a coral that size would only be RM 120 max. at my LFS. 

 

There's honestly so many factors that goes into pricing. Size, color, 'uniqueness' (one fancy stripe and suddenly it's classified as 'premium'), source (Indo corals will always be cheaper than Aussie shipments, for example) etc. It's quite difficult to tell. 

 

Prices vary a lot. And since different stores price a coral differently, you can get something which might be considered 'cheap' or extremely expensive. 

 

We're extremely lucky that we're so close to Indo. Most of our animals are from there. So what might seem premium in the US, for example, might be considered normal here, and vice versa. For example, I'm truly envious that RFAs are so cheap there! And in so many beautiful colors too. RFAs here are very difficult to find, and if you're lucky to come across one, it's in very limited colors and the price is RM 380++. 

 

I truly regretted purchasing one a while back. It was extremely expensive, and eventually was eaten by my filefish (which only cost RM 30). 🙄

I still dream of setting up a nice tank full of RFAs, porcelain nem crabs, white spotted nem shrimp and sexy shrimp though. I love colorful things. 

 

 

[Xj reefing]

It’s really interesting comparing coral prices around the world. A 12-15inch elegance will probably cost around 40-60 aud. I have all so found that in Sydney for example the coral prices are high than somewhere like Brisbane which is 4 hours away from were they collect them. Allot of the pricing is really shipping dependent and how desirable or rare they are. How much would a scoly with orange, green, a bit of purple and gold be for you? I got mine for about $250

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Xj reefing said:

It’s really interesting comparing coral prices around the world. A 12-15inch elegance will probably cost around 40-60 aud. I have all so found that in Sydney for example the coral prices are high than somewhere like Brisbane which is 4 hours away from were they collect them. Allot of the pricing is really shipping dependent and how desirable or rare they are. How much would a scoly with orange, green, a bit of purple and gold be for you? I got mine for about $250

I think over RM1K++. The more colors the scoly has, the more expensive it'll be. Anything with gold in it will definitely border RM2K or more now. 

 

I know even the bleeding apple scolys are super expensive, but I'll have to check with my LFS to know the exact pricing. Might have to poke around a few local vendor/stores' pages online to see if they're still selling scolys, and if so, how much. 🤔

 

How much are rainbow cynarinas there? My store was selling one for RM 150 recently. My previous one (which I bought for this tank a few years ago) was RM 100 only (red, blue, green, yellow). 🤔

[A.m.P]

https://luckycorals.com/products/yellow-eye-cynarina?

https://www.tidalgardens.com/rainbow-cynarina.html

[Xj reefing]

https://geemarine.com.au/stock/cynarina-6/
that’s the closest to rainbow I can find but more commonly around 100-200

[Snow_Phoenix]

Foxy was a little spooked when I flipped on the bedroom lights, so she scraped herself against the rocks. 😕

 

She has lost several patches of scales on her left side, but after a few hours of hiding, she came back out & was eating/swimming normally. Hoping the new scales would grow in quickly - I'll keep feeding her extra in the mean time. 👍

 

The kenya tree is 4"++ now! 🥰

 

 

 

Orange cloves looking bright:

 

 

Tiny rainbow yuma:

 

 

Leptastreas:

 

 

PJ! 🥰

 

 

Xenia & GSP:

 

 

 

All pics were taken under orange lens filter from a pair of coral viewing glasses, hence the yellowish tint to each shot. 😊

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Kenya tree today. 🌱

 

 

 

 

 

 

New cloves are growing well. 😊

 

 

GSP mat has doubled in size too! 🤐