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

[Snow_Phoenix]

Leathers (including a tiny cranky one) :

 

 

 

 

[Tamberav]

The lions are so cute sitting next to each other. They almost look like a mirror of each other except one is a lighter color. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Tamberav said:

The lions are so cute sitting next to each other. They almost look like a mirror of each other except one is a lighter color. 

Yeah, they actually look like twins! The color was the only way to tell them apart - Lady has a more reddish hue, and Lily is more brownish. That, and the barring right before the start of their tail fin. Otherwise I'm glad they get along very well. 🙂 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Not too thrilled over the proximity between the tiny toadstool and the aiptasia. 😕

 

 

 

Aquilla. 🥰

 

 

Lily. 🥰

 

 

PJ. 🥰

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Good afternoon from Lily & Lady. 🥰

 

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

The weeping willow is actually growing out quicker than expected:

 

 

Full PE today 👍 :

 

 

Slightly deflated after a few pellets landed on it by mistake 😅 :

 

 

Eating together. 🥰 :

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Weird stuff today. 

 

 

Leathers and lions:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEC08hruJs/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEC76PrveJ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

[seabass]

How is the Hawk's head doing?

[Snow_Phoenix]

Just now, seabass said:

How is the Hawk's head doing?

Fully healed. 🙂

 

 

[seabass]

Wow, great!  Must have just been a bad scrape.

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

Wow, great!  Must have just been a bad scrape.

It was. The wound deepened a bit and I upped my feedings to make sure he ate as much as he wanted. I noticed the 'flesh' began to slowly pull together again after a few days, and within a few more, new scales have already formed over it. No scars from what I could see. I was quite worried, actually. Almost debated pulling him out of the DT somehow and treating him with some meds in a QT. I'm glad I waited. 

 

His behavior's normal too. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Beast on algae patrol:

 

 

Little lions greeting me in the morning:

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfF-79vrkqV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

One of the mollies:

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfF_DDCrC5s/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

Aquilla:

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfF-zQMrZg9/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

For full view of all pics, just visit the Insta links. I can't post much on the site (again). Ran out of image storage space. Eek. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

4m long freshwater stingray caught in Mekong river in Cambodia:

 

 

 

It's all over our news. Truly massive fish! 👀

[Ratvan]

8 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

4m long freshwater stingray caught in Mekong river in Cambodia:

 

 

 

It's all over our news. Truly massive fish! 👀

Thats a monster fish. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

9 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

Thats a monster fish. 

Yep! They tagged it then released it. I believe the Mekong is also home to one of the largest catfish species in the world too. 🤔

 

When large fish like this are caught, they're usually just weighed then released back into the river. 👍

[Xj reefing]

10 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

4m long freshwater stingray caught in Mekong river in Cambodia:

 

 

 

It's all over our news. Truly massive fish! 👀

Was all over the news here as well last night

[Snow_Phoenix]

Picked up some extras while I picking up 10kg of IO from the LFS today. 😊👍

 

 

 

 

 

^I booked this cynarina the day I purchased Aquilla the clownfish. I wasn't planning on picking it up at all today because I was more focused on the salt. 

 

But my mum actually came into the store for a change (usually she just waits in the car while I shop), and overheard me pointing this piece out in the frag tank and asking about the reservation status etc. She asked straight up front if that was the coral I picked. 

 

I paled out pretty quickly. And well, the store - which had 2 workers & manager (all 3 whom I consider friends) sort of went silent. Then mum just whipped out a few $$$ and told me to pay it off and get it. 

 

She was in an unusually good mood today, I admit. So the cynarina came home with me today. Mum's gift in the end. 

 

There was some extra cash leftover, so I picked up a softie frag (I think it is a finger leather of some sort 🤔 ), a blue tuxedo urchin & a leopard discosoma for my nano. 

 

The softie had full PE at the store and was gorgeous. It's moody now, but I think it should be back to normal in a few days:

 

 

The new urchin is already hard at work. This section has not been cleared from vermetids, but I plan on doing so bit by bit over the next few days. 

 

The cynarina looks lackluster under heavy whites & through dirty glass:

 

 

But it's actually very pretty. A mix of red and greens on it. 😊👍

 

Slowly gearing up for a major WC & sump cleanout next week. I already have everything I need for now. 

 

I still haven't cut out the necessary filter pads for the sump, so I'll get to that first. The activated carbon I washed and dried outside is no longer wet, so at least that's done. 

 

I'll start preparing the equipment after I finish the weekly WC for my nano first. It's due tomorrow, so my priorities will be temporarily shifted to that tank first. 👍

 

Also, meet Twinkie! 🥰

 

 

Kiwi's death shattered me quite a fair bit, especially in the face of all the FW fish losses I experienced recently due to the fogging incident in my neighborhood. 😔

 

I was quite depressed, actually. My family sensed it. Mum wasn't too keen on me getting another fuzzball, but after she noticed how badly I was slipping back, she was okay with me picking up *one lil' guy from an old acquaintance of mine who runs a pet store. 😅

 

I have to say, Twinkie is so tiny atm, and he's super adorable + friendly too. Quite happy and thankful to have him as part of my family. 🥰👍🐹🐾

[debbeach13]

Wow what a great trip to the LFS and beyond. Thanks Mom!

[Snow_Phoenix]

3 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Wow what a great trip to the LFS and beyond. Thanks Mom!

Yep! 🌺

[Snow_Phoenix]

Finally spotted some mild PE coming in this morning! 

 

 

 

I'm quite sure it's a red finger leather. I have had this several times in the past, and once it's happy enough, it takes off rather quickly and grows very big. 🥰

 

Cynarinas:

 

 

 

Lily. 🥰

 

[Tamberav]

That might be a blue capnella or LA calls it pineapple tree coral

 

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/2412/?pcatid=2412

 

I have one like it but I suck at taking pics

 

There color seems to vary from blue to green depending on lighting

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

3 hours ago, Tamberav said:

That might be a blue capnella or LA calls it pineapple tree coral

 

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/2412/?pcatid=2412

 

I have one like it but I suck at taking pics

 

There color seems to vary from blue to green depending on lighting

 

 

I think you might be right. Mine is reddish-pink with red polyps though. No beautiful blue base like the ones I spotted on Google. Maybe just need to wait until it grows out a bit more...? 🤔

 

I scrolled back on some of my older albums and this was my red finger leather colony in a nano years ago:

 

 

Doesn't quite look the same as to what I have now. 🤔

[Snow_Phoenix]

Took these under heavy whites through a yellow lens filter, hence the brownish hue over everything. Am planning on re-taking the pics in the evening, when the lights lean more towards the blues. 🥰👍

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also did some extensive vermetid snail pruning today. Purged 2 medium-sized rocks fully of them. It took about an hour though, and the whole process left me quite tired. I'm not sure how to go about tackling the bigger base rocks because they're too heavy for me to lift and prune effectively. 

 

Those pics I took were taken before I did the pruning, glass scraping and aiptasia removal (!!!). Yes, I somehow managed to remove 2 of the largest aiptasia in the tank by chipping off the rock face it was attached too and dumping them in a plastic bag. Had to be super careful not to poke the aiptasia itself. But I was so glad I managed to eradicate them. 😊

 

I still have 1 nasty large aiptasia left - the very same one in the pics which is facing the cynarina. I can't access it because the rock it's attached to is too heavy to be dragged out. I think I'll save up and purchase some Aiptasia-X in the future. 

 

I also shifted the tiny neon polyped toadstool further up the rocks, where I am hoping it'll have more room to grow out in. 

 

My older cynarina looks quite lackluster though. Hopefully the colors will come back after a few rounds of biweekly WCs and better maintenace. 😕

 

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for more softies at the LFS. Looks like this tank will wind up being softy-heavy and LPS-light in terms of stocking. Maybe once it's more stable and cleaner, I'll start adding some shrooms and mini maxi nems to throw in a burst of color. This is a very loose maybe though.

 

Because with the stocking I currently have, bioload, NO3 and PO4s will always be on the heavy/high side. And most of my fish haven't fully grown out yet! 😅

[Snow_Phoenix]

Taken under yellow lens filter during early evening (medium-whites) :-

 

Topview FTS:

 

 

 

Better PE:

 

 

 

 

Lady says hi! 🥰 :

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Took the following pics under orange lens filter lens during late evening (zero whites, only actinics) :-

 

Everything popping up in shades of neon: 🥰