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The Fire Swamp's 50g SCA Starfire Cube- 🔥🐊. Upgrade Coming Soon


ECLS Reefer

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ECLS Reefer

Ooohhh. Someone’s getting burned tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

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I see you Pinky..

 

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RBJ 

 

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The new zoa baby

 

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Forgot these guys, who look like they might split off too.. 

 

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Gorg is fluffy tonight

 

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Pretty sure the baby zoa came from this colony in the middle.

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ECLS Reefer

Got the new peppermint shrimp in today and plopped them in the tank-they have already disappeared. I think they may have gone down the tiger pistol's tunnels, and if so, I hope they can move fast because he's twice their size, put together. Also put in a couple of conch snails to have something to sift the sand a bit.

 

The corals are all looking so good it makes me amazed. I can't wait to get the fish back in there, eventually.

 

Of course, we are due for a tropical depression/storm this weekend, and I am slated to work many of the days. I sure hope the tank will be okay, because neither myself nor my husband will be able to do anything for the tank most of the day. 😬😬😬

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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
3 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Got the new peppermint shrimp in today and plopped them in the tank-they have already disappeared. I think they may have gone down the tiger pistol's tunnels, and if so, I hope they can move fast because he's twice their size, put together. Also put in a couple of conch snails to have something to sift the sand a bit.

 

The corals are all looking so good it makes me amazed. I can't wait to get the fish back in there, eventually.

 

Of course, we are due for a tropical depression/storm this weekend, and I am slated to work many of the days. I sure hope the tank will be okay, because neither myself nor my husband will be able to do anything for the tank most of the day. 😬😬😬

Fingers crossed all goes well for you, you've had too many issues and you are due for some good luck. :smilie:

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ECLS Reefer
33 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

Fingers crossed all goes well for you, you've had too many issues and you are due for some good luck. :smilie:

It's annoying stuff, too. My parameters are almost always within par. But yet stupid stuff happens like the livestock doesn't last as long as you'd think it would, or the fish get brook from nowhere, or animals show up dead or dying. I would like to say we are at the place we need to be. But these systems are like chaos systems-they will do what they want to do and while you can control some parts of it, you can't control all of them. That's been the most frustrating thing for me-the inability to make these tanks stay where I want them, like I can a patient at work.

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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
7 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

It's annoying stuff, too. My parameters are almost always within par. But yet stupid stuff happens like the livestock doesn't last as long as you'd think it would, or the fish get brook from nowhere, or animals show up dead or dying. I would like to say we are at the place we need to be. But these systems are like chaos systems-they will do what they want to do and while you can control some parts of it, you can't control all of them. That's been the most frustrating thing for me-the inability to make these tanks stay where I want them, like I can a patient at work.

These tanks are little time bombs. We just try and make sure they don't blow up on us. I'm sending you good vibes :happydance:

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ECLS Reefer
  • Water change day! Noticed a nitrate bloom after I pulled out all the nitrate offloading media. The water change cut it in half, but until I can afford to get those bio blocks in there and they take off, will probably use the purigen I have to get it used. The gracillaria again didn't take off, so I'm not sure that the light I have in the refugium area is the right wavelength. Will keep researching and see if I can find a bulb to throw in there until I can afford an expensive fuge light. Got some other expensive things to budget for first.
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ECLS Reefer

So, expensive crappy annoying news--the skimmer is failing. It either doesn't skim except for ridiculously dry (like, not at all) or makes a godawful buzzing noise and gets unplugged for a bit. So, had to beg the hubs for a new one. That on top of the bio bricks I got. But, at least I found the bricks for cheaper and get them tomorrow, and I can share them around between all three tanks (salt and fresh). 

 

But good news--- THERE'S CORALLINE ALGAE!!! Yes, I did seed the tank, but it's finally showing up on several rocks and some of the coral. Also on at least one crab shell. I'm so happy to see that, because it means I'm doing something right with the parameters and water changing schedule! Can't wait for it to start on the back walls and glass.

 

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ECLS Reefer

Gosh, the tank looks so good right now with the mag regulated and iodine in the right range!! The corals stay open and bright and fluffy all day. The Reef Roids may or may not have made the Favia turn back to a noticeable red, or maybe it was better levels of mag and iodine-I'll probably never know completely. But the corals all look great! 

 

Got in the bio brick to place in one of the sump chambers for bio farm basically. May have to break it in half with a hammer and chisel to get it in that chamber due to the pipes. But it's gonna go down. It's seeding overnight in MB7. 

 

Have a new skimmer coming Sunday, got a Reef Octopus in sump one. Said on the label it was good for heavy nutrient systems up to 60g and that would count both my DT and sump. So I hope this expensive thing works! Got the egg crate in place ready for it, while the old one does it's best to barely skim anything. Or buzz like an insane giant bumble bee. 

 

Next big purchase for the tank is a small reactor for PhosBan or whatever. I'm not sure how to use this powdered GFO without making a godawful mess..... but at least that's a couple months down the road. Probably about the time I get the fish back in there with them. 

 

Speaking of fish--am thinking of getting a copper band Butterfly because of my exploding aphasia problem. By the time they go back in the tank, the aptasia will be a really bad deal. The two peppermint shrimps I put in there are the LAZIEST things on the planet and sit with The Red Baron on the back rock and sway in the current like they're high on something but not working. So, have to find some good way to get rid of that stuff. Anybody have thoughts about copper bands??

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ECLS Reefer

I gotta say, I am pleased as punch to a silly extent over this new skimmer. Installed a Reef Octopus 110 INT. Had to take out a baffle in the sump to fit it in, but it’s working like a charm now. And I can even dial in the flow!! That little SCA that came with the tank never would regulate for me easily, and then this last week it started either not skimming or overflowing and making a huge mess. Plus it started this obnoxious LOUD buzzing to where you couldn’t watch TV and made your ears want to bleed. So, new investment toy it is. 

 

Also dosed NoPox for the first time, because without all the media in there and with those bio bricks just going in, the nitrates are still running high. I hope that tomorrow some will have cleared with the skimmer working and the NoPox. 

 

 

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ECLS Reefer

Today is the SCA's 4 month birthday! The fish are doing well in QT, and the female clown seems to be using it as a good excuse to get FAT. They've been in QT 3 weeks now- I sure wish it was time for them to go back in the DT. IMG_3743.thumb.jpeg.60da0dcbe2004c429bc9fd983948fba8.jpeg

 

Coral peeking out from his log

 

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Pearl the fat clown

 

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Hector the male clown

 

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FTS 4 months old

 

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The two peppermint shrimp, doing absolutely nothing as usual. Laziest two inhabitants in this tank.

 

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RBJ the scarlet shrimp, hanging in his normal spot.

 

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The new couple, Ricky Bobby and Susan

 

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My new toy the Reef Octopus skimmer 😂, the coral banded shrimp missing its two claws, and the chocolate chip star (who lives here to donate legs for Ricky Bobby and Susan)

 

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5 hours ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Today is the SCA's 4 month birthday! The fish are doing well in QT, and the female clown seems to be using it as a good excuse to get FAT. They've been in QT 3 weeks now- I sure wish it was time for them to go back in the DT. IMG_3743.thumb.jpeg.60da0dcbe2004c429bc9fd983948fba8.jpeg

 

Coral peeking out from his log

 

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Pearl the fat clown

 

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Hector the male clown

 

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FTS 4 months old

 

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The two peppermint shrimp, doing absolutely nothing as usual. Laziest two inhabitants in this tank.

 

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RBJ the scarlet shrimp, hanging in his normal spot.

 

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The new couple, Ricky Bobby and Susan

 

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My new toy the Reef Octopus skimmer 😂, the coral banded shrimp missing its two claws, and the chocolate chip star (who lives here to donate legs for Ricky Bobby and Susan)

 

Harlequin are bad ass!

Had one for quite awhile.  Finally took him back after going through a star every couple of weeks, lol.  One of the coolest critters! 

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ECLS Reefer
11 minutes ago, jack1978 said:

Harlequin are bad ass!

Had one for quite awhile.  Finally took him back after going through a star every couple of weeks, lol.  One of the coolest critters! 

I like that they are bonded. It seems they sit together and clean each other. When I fed them tonight they shared the leg. My husband was appeased after the loss of Mandy the mandarin and his other two that died with the brook issues. Mandy evidently starved herself- I stocked her tank with so many pods the glass would be covered like algae. I told him no more mandarins. But the harlequins are so pretty and fun to watch.

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ECLS Reefer

Weekly water change today. Parameters all happy, but discovered that in my fish-lonely system I have a flatworm surge. I’m still finding the things, and today they started on my frogspawn and hammer. The hammer has been pissed all day- there’s a HUGE one on there. So discouraging. Ended up moving the hammer for no good reason because I thought it was flow problems and then saw that purple monster recoil when the electric blue touched it. How do you get rid of these things? I physically smooshed one with my finger that I found on the white torch. 

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1 minute ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Weekly water change today. Parameters all happy, but discovered that in my fish-lonely system I have a flatworm surge. I’m still finding the things, and today they started on my frogspawn and hammer. The hammer has been pissed all day- there’s a HUGE one on there. So discouraging. Ended up moving the hammer for no good reason because I thought it was flow problems and then saw that purple monster recoil when the electric blue touched it. How do you get rid of these things? I physically smooshed one with my finger that I found on the white torch. 

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I had the exact same thing happen.  Just blow them off your coral.  I think the rusty brownish ones usually just go for the film algae.  Once I put my fish back in, they were gone in less than a week....never saw them again. 

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ECLS Reefer
Just now, jack1978 said:

I had the exact same thing happen.  Just blow them off your coral.  I think the rusty brownish ones usually just go for the film algae.  Once I put my fish back in, they were gone in less than a week....never saw them again. 

I know I’m soooooooooooooooooooooooo tempted to put them back in. I know the CBA would work their flat butts over. The poor things come up to the surface like koi fish to beg for food. 

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7 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

I know I’m soooooooooooooooooooooooo tempted to put them back in. I know the CBA would work their flat butts over. The poor things come up to the surface like koi fish to beg for food. 

Dont you do it!

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ECLS Reefer

So just to put this out there, my two hammers, the two frogspawn and the Duncan in this tank have been angry and withdrawn for the last few days (rather like my 9 year old). The Duncan at least appears to be forming two more heads, but I can’t explain the very angry hammers or the annoyed frogspawn. I’ve tried to get the flow just right but for some reason the outflow pipes on this tank preferentially go to the L pipe and make it difficult to aim. 

 

So what could it be? Lights? Flow? Parameters have been good, and water changed Monday. 

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31 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

So just to put this out there, my two hammers, the two frogspawn and the Duncan in this tank have been angry and withdrawn for the last few days (rather like my 9 year old). The Duncan at least appears to be forming two more heads, but I can’t explain the very angry hammers or the annoyed frogspawn. I’ve tried to get the flow just right but for some reason the outflow pipes on this tank preferentially go to the L pipe and make it difficult to aim. 

 

So what could it be? Lights? Flow? Parameters have been good, and water changed Monday. 

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Are they getting more flow now than they used to get?

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ECLS Reefer
23 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

Are they getting more flow now than they used to get?

Probably. I got a lot of algae built up on the gorgonian with no fish to pick it off and I reached in during water change to clean it. This knocked over a rock which jacked up the side wavepump so I adjusted that a bit, and to get more flow on the gorg. I noticed the ph was down a bit and tried move the nozzle up to circulate the surface of the water some, and since then haven’t been able to get a happy place that isn’t like a whirl pool or nothing at all. The other spout has hardly any flow out of it compared to the L one.

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13 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Probably. I got a lot of algae built up on the gorgonian with no fish to pick it off and I reached in during water change to clean it. This knocked over a rock which jacked up the side wavepump so I adjusted that a bit, and to get more flow on the gorg. I noticed the ph was down a bit and tried move the nozzle up to circulate the surface of the water some, and since then haven’t been able to get a happy place that isn’t like a whirl pool or nothing at all. The other spout has hardly any flow out of it compared to the L one.

I think flow is the hardest thing to dial in sometimes. Keep working with it. They should sway back and forth not blow around. 

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ECLS Reefer
11 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

I think flow is the hardest thing to dial in sometimes. Keep working with it. They should sway back and forth not blow around. 

May have to move them then. They’re right up front at either corner which is where the flow tends to go from that one nozzle. 

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  • ECLS Reefer changed the title to The Fire Swamp's 50g SCA Starfire Cube- 🔥🐊. Upgrade Coming Soon

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