Extra Salty 365 acroholic fuge

[This guy is extra salty]

 Mangrove growth

top down shot

that coralline growth on the fragrack

Left side

Front view

The owner of the tank checking out the new stickers

 

So a quick update everything is growing!

im still having to prune the two caulerpa  varieties. Which reminds me I need to add some fish that give out a lot of waste.. the 7 mangroves are doing extremely well I’m getting a new set of leaves on one of the seven each week. Which is humbling since I’m never really home to enjoy my son’s tank. Literally it’s been on autopilot since it has been moved. I did do a 5g water change last week and I was grossly reminded how much I despise them. Maybe I should hook back up the AWC and have it going again. Unfortunately I may have to start dosing but I’m going to try out utilizing kalkwasser in my ATO first and then probably transition to a dosing regimen. And yea I would have to build all new containers since I sold all my equipment to my LFS. 

[This guy is extra salty]

4 minutes ago, Break said:

Glad to see you were able to keep a tank up and running! Keeping tanks with my Dad is what got me started in the hobby and ignited my passion for aquatic biology, so it warms my heart to see you keep it going for the kid's sake.

Thanks 🙏 I couldn’t shut it down even after I literally built everything for it. And that is awesome, it’s wonderful to hear that

[This guy is extra salty]

FTS 6/29/2020

 

so I decided I needed more nitrates and phosphates, didn’t feel like dosing. So I got 5 chromis

[debbeach13]

That's going to liven things up. I hope you and the family are doing well. Tank looks good.

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8 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

That's going to liven things up. I hope you and the family are doing well. Tank looks good.

Thanks 🙏 

 

Yea I figured as much the chromis are super small. I didn’t want to have to dose to keep the nutrients up. 
 

i keep going back and forth on what to put on the frag racks.  I did transfer the ones off my 1st gen CC rack

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So as I was testing the tanks parameters

(Am I missing anything?)

 

 

i think I may have too much light or too strong. Idk I haven’t changed any of the settings on the AI primeHD. But I’m not getting the growth I’m wanting.. maybe I should do a 5g WC? 

[A.m.P]

For macro's maybe you're iron and phosphate limited?

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15 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

For macro's maybe you're iron and phosphate limited?

It’s possible, I’m more surprised that my Po4 was that low. (I did a 5gWC two weeks ago)I’m trying to figure out why some of the corals are fading.(kind of looks like STN but no tissue or polyp loss) maybe I should try out a bit of iron supplement?

 

A part of me wants to go mad scientist but the rest is saying let it be

[Tamberav]

My 80 has a lot of macro in the fuge which definitely outcompetes the corals. Some were getting pretty pale but I had some nutrients (2 Nitrate and 0.07 PO4)....so I added some KZ 1234 (Red Sea ABCD would be similar) and that seemed to color up the SPS again. Could just be coincidence but possibly I wasn't replacing some trace elements fast enough with water changes.

[A.m.P]

Oh, I thought you meant your macro growth had slowed down, that can be iron. The interactions between macros and corals, from allelopathy to nutrient/element competition, are all way out of my depth.

[Aqua Splendor]

Phosphate is critical for corals, that number is alarming in my opinion, maybe feed tinny bit more frozen food, and remove a bit temporary the things that remove phosphate like GFO (sorry can't remember what you use)

[This guy is extra salty]

12 hours ago, Aqua Splendor said:

Phosphate is critical for corals, that number is alarming in my opinion, maybe feed tinny bit more frozen food, and remove a bit temporary the things that remove phosphate like GFO (sorry can't remember what you use)

I don’t use anything lol I changed the filter floss last week cause it was a bit gross. But I think The phosphate should be higher since I added 5 chromis thinking I might add two more for good measure. I have upped the feeding of the pistol shrimp and chromis hopefully I can get this fading under control

 

On 6/30/2020 at 8:35 PM, Tamberav said:

My 80 has a lot of macro in the fuge which definitely outcompetes the corals. Some were getting pretty pale but I had some nutrients (2 Nitrate and 0.07 PO4)....so I added some KZ 1234 (Red Sea ABCD would be similar) and that seemed to color up the SPS again. Could just be coincidence but possibly I wasn't replacing some trace elements fast enough with water changes.

i have been adding coral amino (5ml) and  Replenish (15ml) once a week.

 

12 hours ago, Amphrites said:

Oh, I thought you meant your macro growth had slowed down, that can be iron. The interactions between macros and corals, from allelopathy to nutrient/element competition, are all way out of my depth.

Yes like I said mad scientist 🥼 😂 

 

so...

I decided to put kalk+2  into my ATO reservoir. Going really slow with it since I haven’t used it before, but it is very diluted. I put in 12 grams in 15gallons. Maybe it will stave my sub par water parameters.
 

And now picture dump. 

 

The pistol shrimp pillar

a shot of the acros fading

 

Left

center

right side

top down

[This guy is extra salty]

FTS 7/4/2020

 

well this is a funny little update. So when I added the chromis, I also put in a war paint goby. Well the next day the goby was gone. I feared the pistol grabbed hold of it and bye bye goby. So never found the body even afterwards two water changes I find this little Dude chillin in the media rack section living the high life 
 I was like how in the hell he get into this side.. might’ve took the chance to swim past the return section. Lol 😂 

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The mangroves get supplemental light pretty soon I’ll have to configure a new light over the top or something. 

 

More leaves on the mangroves. I had to tie back the one in the middle cause it was shading the zoa rack

 

The two gonipora are going to look awesome in the center when they grow out. 

 

Here are the top down shots. 

 

the Leather patch is also perking up

Also I had to make sure the war paint goby wasn’t playing around in the filtration again

 

[debbeach13]

I am really liking the mangrove growth. Do you feel it make a significant difference competing/controlling pest algae? Is there a risk the mangroves will get tall enough to touch the light or is there enough room to grow past it? 

[This guy is extra salty]

6 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

I am really liking the mangrove growth. Do you feel it make a significant difference competing/controlling pest algae? Is there a risk the mangroves will get tall enough to touch the light or is there enough room to grow past it? 

There is plenty of room, the current light rack is about 15” above water line. But I will have to make new light rack or fixture for the supplemental light some time soon. 
 

i don’t really see much difference really I have a bunch of “dragons burp” and the two caulerpa varieties taking care of the nutrients. They’re working way too well, which I will  have to trim fairly soon.

 

my only issue is that I want to put a skimmer on the tank for extra oxygenated water but I barely have any nutrients 😂 

[This guy is extra salty]

I managed to get a picture of the elusive pistol shrimp. It gets fed every other day whenever I spray down the mangroves.

 

I also found the war paint lounging on the acro colony 

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So I noticed today, that the “fading” acros had a boost in growth.. Which is peculiar since I have done nothing (besides add 6 fish)

 

 you can decide..

 

 

7/1/2020

 

7/13/2020

[Tamberav]

Corals like poop!

[This guy is extra salty]

30 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Corals like poop!

And so does algae

[This guy is extra salty]

FTS 8/11/2020

 

not much of an update but I did trim back some macros and I have a huge bubble algae outbreak. Yay! 

also I have been experiencing a lot of acro growth.

 

and lastly a top down (pre macro trimming)

[This guy is extra salty]

FTS 8/23/2020

the caulerpa is getting ridiculous lol

 

top down

[A.m.P]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[Lypto]

Oh man that caluerpa, doe's anyone know if it's in stock anywhere?

[This guy is extra salty]

10 hours ago, Lypto said:

Oh man that caluerpa, doe's anyone know if it's in stock anywhere?

I got mine from a LFS, I can ship some next time i trim some. If you’re interested. 

 

20 hours ago, Amphrites said:

Absolutely gorgeous.

🙏 thanks!