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5 Gallon Home Reef - Shutdown 2020.01.17


Ratvan

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4 hours ago, billygoat said:

Looks like a Grube's gorgonian (Pinnigorgia flava). It's photosynthetic and practically indestructible. A good choice in my opinion. 👍

 

3 hours ago, kimberbee said:

Agreed!! I have tons of it!

Cool I shall look forwards to my friday delivery. 😀

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So took the rest of the Zoas home a few days ago, started opening and showing colours.

 

Have a rock of what I am calling my Green fringed colony, got a mixture of purples with blue and pink and white yellow and blue. And the Palys.

 

Then my Mollusc Rock that comes with bonus discosoma mushroom.

 

Literally dirt cheap sump Zoas and the Mrs and MIL love them. 🤷‍♂️

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1 hour ago, Ratvan said:

 

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Do these big 'uns have a name and are they zoas or palys? 

 

I ask cause I've had terrible luck with zoas, but my grandis palys are doing amazing, as well as an un-id'd colony of what I suspect are palys (cause they have rather large polyps).

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2 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

Do these big 'uns have a name and are they zoas or palys? 

 

I ask cause I've had terrible luck with zoas, but my grandis palys are doing amazing, as well as an un-id'd colony of what I suspect are palys (cause they have rather large polyps).

My LFS told me they were Palythoa Grandis but I'm doubtful. 100% sure they are Palys however they have a different structure to a Zoa. It looks like they have incorporated sand into themselves, not sure if that makes them Paly or Protopaly now.... going to have to read up again. I know where I put the wrasse books....

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So the plan for today was to siphon the CC of detritus and do a water change. As I was basting the rock and CC I saw very little detritus so just replaced the floss after taking a spare powerhead to the CC then waiting an hour.

 

Might remove the HOB and add a second Pico Evo Mag or something a little stronger. Need to reduce the amount of CC in the tank at some point also, thinking of making this BB. 

 

The CC should be able to seed a tank if bagged correct?

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I have to begrudgingly acknowledge that I am getting good colour and growth with soft corals under the Asta 20 LED in the cube. Shame it didnt do me so well during the contest.

 

I swear I'm going to break that barnacle if she doesnt host anything else soon FFS

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Anywho, been busy on UK classifieds again and have secured some SPS frags to try again.

 

Went for Frags

2 - Sunset Montipora

7 - unknown branching Psamacora 

37 - Pavona

 

Cant decide if I want to let these rest in the 34g while I wait for the controller for the kessil and add when I have that on acclimating mode or bung in under the Asta 20 and cross my fingers that the timer plug doesnt quit again.... need a frag rack to save them from the hermit too

 

 

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Okay so I have an interesting issue. 

 

Lighting avaliable.

168w Chinese Black Box LED

Asta 20 Marine LED

18W PAR38 Bulb

Kessil A80

 

168W Blackbox - most likely sell to be honest. Good growth on all corals that I tried with exception of SPS. Could go over the SPS Surge BUT unless I had all blue and tiny white it grew algae like mad. Crazy amounts of CuC needed for little 5.5G cube. I cant decide if it was the lighting or my water parameters that caused this as I have one going strong despite being dumped on the sand almost daily. Stayed alive under the Black Box, almost thriving under Kessil A360. Still need to get water tests, dosing blah blah stuff. I could just pull a few of the whites from it?

 

Asta 20 Marine LED. Having an issue now as I am getting really good growth on my Zoas and all soft corals. I've had a single polyp of Utter Chaos grow 3 new heads in 8 days. 🤔

 

Fragged the Turbipora and that is doing better than the larger one so thinking of doing it again...

 

Par38 Bulb, well untried currently but I have a spare so should be good for a while barring any accidents. Issue is the bulb is laughingly huge.

 

Kessil A80. Just got it. Balls to it. If Asta 20 doesnt do anything to SPS before saturday I'll sort out a programme and this can go over the macro part of the surge tank headache?

 

🤯

 

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I must have killed about 15 or 16 aiptasia now since setting this up from the zoa and mussel on POS "rock". Can still see more little ones so seriously considering fragging the Zoas and mussel off and dumping the rock outside in the puddles.

 

Hantu is now paying attention to the Utter Chaos Paly and not the barnacle.  Yay? 🤷‍♂️Its popped a new head. 😀

 

Thinking Pavona tomorrow.....

 

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Decided that I would try the Sunset Monti and the Psamacora in this tank so theyll be coming home tonight. The Pavona looks too good at the top of the main rock so leaving that there, may try and frag in a few weeks. 

 

Also brining home the Gracilaria Mammarilis and some Codium to give the pods so hides in the DT as well as the condo in the HOB

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2 minutes ago, billygoat said:

I like that lone mushroom in the middle of the huge pile of zoanthids. He is like screw you guys and your stalked ways, I will walk my own path! 😂

I know, it's funny under the Black Box it was the same size as the Zoas. Under the Asta 20 everything seems to have taken off but its definately grown. Sadly this rock is the one that it infected with Aiptasia so it'll need fragging. Was going to be tomorrow but I left the frag plugs at work.

 

It's part of the reason I buy the cheap "sump zoas" from the LFS. Surprises are in store. The other Zoa rock (with the Payls) as well as having bubble algae, will sort that tomorrow also has some tiny fluorescence that could be another mushroom variety, possibly. 

 

I'm slightly annoyed the SPS look like they're ok under the Asta 20. I was hoping that they would look to be struggling so i could upgrade to the kessil. Now thinking of seeing whether it actually does anything to the SPS and monitoring and recording growth.... 

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41 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

Hmmmmm.

 

SPS seem to enjoy life on the bottom under the Asta 20........🤷‍♂️

 

Do I still switch?

If there's no need to change it, I say leave it as is. Just keep an eye on them as they continue to grow maybe? Or you could try switching them and see if you get a negative response with the A80, but that risks damaging the corals... 🤔

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3 minutes ago, billygoat said:

If there's no need to change it, I say leave it as is. Just keep an eye on them as they continue to grow maybe? Or you could try switching them and see if you get a negative response with the A80, but that risks damaging the corals... 🤔

I know, I just want a sunrise and sunset feature on this light 🤔

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Anyways let us see what this light can do, placed an order for my birthday. This site also tends to give out a few freebies if the orders that day come close to empting a tank.

 

Will have a few of those holders now. Cycling them in the back of the 34g for the Pico. Will mount some on plugs to lift and mount into wall

 

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I'm not sure what will end up where, but want to try that 4 set of montis again. I was really impressed with the corals from jbsmarines but water parameters were not up to scratch I reckon.

 

So take 2. I'm also sat looking at the SPS pico eggcrate work and thinking this looks like a frag tank....

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3 hours ago, Ratvan said:

If only I had waited 😭😭😭

Sometimes I intentionally avoid looking at vendors for a week or so after ordering, just so I don't have to feel that way... because I swear, every single time something awesome and new comes in stock as soon as you complete your order!

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1 hour ago, billygoat said:

Sometimes I intentionally avoid looking at vendors for a week or so after ordering, just so I don't have to feel that way... because I swear, every single time something awesome and new comes in stock as soon as you complete your order!

Yeah it's the 2nd Pavona Frag that caught my eye. I can find greens easily but that looks more interesting

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So first up a disclaimer. Lots of photos to come. Also feeling that I should move some stuff on soon.

 

First up the Turbipora. The smaller frag looks amazing and this one... not so much. I want it off the plug and am also considering pruning it slightly 

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Mind you I could just offer the frag up for trade and keep the smaller prettier one.

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Zoas I also need to frag and move on, including dumping that rock. Growth is not funny at the minute. Getting squashed against the glass so have shuffled the rock back...

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I've spotted so much life in that first Zoa rock today and will continue post about it shortly.

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