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5g Zoa Playground (Formerly AIO Challenge Tank) - Tank Crash and Closing Shop 😢


ECLS Reefer

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So today I had to make a cage section with plastic grid to protect the ATO sensor from wandering snails that park their butt right on its face. This is the second morning I've been awakened to the sound of the ATO running and not shutting off, and this morning it overflowed. Doesn't take much on this tiny tank to achieve that either. So I took some plastic grid and cut it to fit in the small area beside the AIO chamber and the wall. Made sure to give it a bottom grid to prevent any sneaking behind it. So hopefully that will fix the problem.

 

This tank reminds me so much of a tropical jungle mountain side, like in Hawaii. The way the GSP grows up an incline to the palys and colorful zoas... its got good fengshui. 
 

 

Found a new guy today to go in with the other teeny weenies. Also a great pod supplier in my LFS just down the street. They've got pods about the same size as the GBGs! So this guy and the Mandy shouldn't run out of food. Though at least this guy eats frozen mysis and brine already, which is always a bonus. He shall be named Smaug.

 

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It's always nice to come home from a busy, insane day at work to find the reefs tooling along like they should be. All the challenge tank inhabitants are getting along!
 

 

 

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ECLS Reefer

So, first sad update for the Challange Tank--Smaug died yesterday and was consumed by the posse of nassarius snails. She was one of only two rubies at the LFS and she was the smaller of the two, and was already somewhat pale when I bought her. But I'd hoped she would fatten up since that tank is FULL of pods at the moment, plus she was supposedly already eating mysis and brine. But alas it was not to be. 
 

 

Changed the water out yesterday since this tank is still on a weekly schedule. The magnesium was super low with testing, and the alk was down to 8.6. Today the mag is back up to 1230 and the alk was up to 9.6. Changed out the phosguard and carbon bag today so hopefully it will help level that out; the phosphates still run a tad high at around .15 or so. Still please with how this little AIO runs- it hasn't given me any problems at all.

 

 

 

PeekaBoo is still a funny dude to watch. He's almost as bad as his cousin Altuve in the SCA about having his picture taken--hes out grazing right now but I know if I tried to get a picture of him he'd shoot back in his barnacle post haste. Doofy fish.

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ECLS Reefer

Okay since I can't completely delete the post I'll stick something funny in here.

 

IMG_9221.thumb.jpeg.ec503782d90ce7eede2c5efab082ebc1.jpeg

Edited by Dirté Sanchez
trying to delete a random post
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20 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

So, first sad update for the Challange Tank--Smaug died yesterday and was consumed by the posse of nassarius snails. She was one of only two rubies at the LFS and she was the smaller of the two, and was already somewhat pale when I bought her. But I'd hoped she would fatten up since that tank is FULL of pods at the moment, plus she was supposedly already eating mysis and brine. But alas it was not to be. 
 

 

 

 

PeekaBoo is still a funny dude to watch. He's almost as bad as his cousin Altuve in the SCA about having his picture taken--hes out grazing right now but I know if I tried to get a picture of him he'd shoot back in his barnacle post haste. Doofy fish.

Sorry about Smaug. 😕
 

The tank is looking great tho

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ECLS Reefer
1 minute ago, WV Reefer said:

Sorry about Smaug. 😕
 

The tank is looking great tho

Yeah she was okay and then suddenly she was getting eaten. But she really didn't move around too much, she stayed mostly huddled in one spot. Never saw her eat. Guess it was just an unsuccessful introduction, or she was already unhealthy. Sure hope she didn't have something that could be passed on. 😬

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ECLS Reefer
37 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Sorry about Smaug. 

Thanks. Maybe I'll try again at a later date. I'm trying to cultivate pods in my big tank, though I do prefer to get fish that already eat frozen. At least the pods will be there if they don't. It's not a rush to replace her since the tank is still so young. Was really a dumb move on my part honestly.

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ECLS Reefer

So rather than trying to find the tiniest wave maker pump made (I can’t find one small enough to look okay in this tank) I’m going to add air air stone to the back where the ATO sensor is. Should slide in that pocket and be out of site but provide O2 to move the CO2 out. I get fairly good flow from the little return pump that came with the tank but I worry that the animals don’t agree.
 

 

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On 2/26/2020 at 9:41 AM, Dirté Sanchez said:

Wheee! Got the new inverts and blue ricordea in today! Looking great in my little challenge tank! Love this little pico.

 

 

 

Your tank is looking great. It's got that look like its been setup longer than a month which I'm sure we are all trying to achieve at the moment.

 

Quick question, how do you embed Instagram videos here?

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ECLS Reefer
5 minutes ago, Peaches said:

Your tank is looking great. It's got that look like its been setup longer than a month which I'm sure we are all trying to achieve at the moment.

 

Quick question, how do you embed Instagram videos here?

Thank you! I’m honestly not sure how I’ve lucked out with this tank looking so mature, other than using all live rock and seasoned water from the SCA. Other than the ruby dragonet dying there’s been no glitches at all. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼I was disappointed the stock light didn’t work as hoped but the little Asta 20 does a great job with the corals in there currently. 
 

On your Instagram app on your phone there are three little dots in the top right corner of the post- hit those dots and it’ll give you multiple options, one of which is “copy link”. Click copy link and then paste it into your thread on the forum. If you do it from the computer it doesn’t post it in the same format as the phone will, which looks nicer.

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3 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Thank you! I’m honestly not sure how I’ve lucked out with this tank looking so mature, other than using all live rock and seasoned water from the SCA. Other than the ruby dragonet dying there’s been no glitches at all. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼I was disappointed the stock light didn’t work as hoped but the little Asta 20 does a great job with the corals in there currently. 
 

On your Instagram app on your phone there are three little dots in the top right corner of the post- hit those dots and it’ll give you multiple options, one of which is “copy link”. Click copy link and then paste it into your thread on the forum. If you do it from the computer it doesn’t post it in the same format as the phone will, which looks nicer.

So that's what I've done differently, I used the computer. Thanks, I'll give that a go then

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ECLS Reefer

So I added a small air stone with air pump yesterday to the tank for better CO2 removal since I can’t imagine putting a wave pump in. Would destroy the look in the DT for me, having an extra thing sticking out. 
 

Tank is doing great, though I took pity on the enormous halloween hermit and moved him to the Evo, swapping him for a blue legged. Added a small clump of GSP to fill in the gap between those two colonies and found a nice green hairy mushroom with it’s own baby to add to the left bottom. Noticed the purple/white rhodactis is getting larger and the yellow/green ricordea on the back is also growing! Everything is doing so great in here! Not sure how I have lucked out on this tank coming together so perfectly but thank the reefing gods!

 

The two GBGs are so active, hopping around the tank and PeekaBoo is getting bolder about being out when you’re near the tank! Will rethink the ruby dragonet situation after I’m done traveling the next couple of weeks. 

 

 

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ECLS Reefer
1 hour ago, Ratvan said:

Tank looks great, doesn't look like its only a month or so old!

Whats that growing on Peek's Barnacle in the last shot?

Yes thank you for pointing out the lovely aiptasia. I see buying some aiptasia x for all three tanks in my future since the peppermints in the other two patently do not do their job. And I doubt I could put on in the challenge tank without the skunk cleaner beating it up.

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2 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Yes thank you for pointing out the lovely aiptasia. I see buying some aiptasia x for all three tanks in my future since the peppermints in the other two patently do not do their job. And I doubt I could put on in the challenge tank without the skunk cleaner beating it up.

Damn that's a pretty Aiptasia. Mine are Ugly as sin 

I do wonder if they (Barnacles) would be useful in an Anemone tank...

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MainelyReefer
12 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

aiptasia. I see buying some aiptasia x for all three tanks in my future

Aiptasia x spread them when I used it. If it’s only this one aiptasia I would chip away at where it’s attached outside of the tank and chuck it.  Good luck!

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  • ECLS Reefer changed the title to 5g Zoa Playground (Formerly AIO Challenge Tank) - Tank Crash and Closing Shop 😢

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