10 Gallon Rock Wall

[filefishfinatic]

in a couple months you might see more serpent stars

 

[Murphs_Reef]

How long have you had the star. That's generally a sign of water parameters being off. Salinity swings are the usual candidate for that.  

 

Stress can trigger it as well. I had a green brittle star, big old 6 inch thing end to end.. just before summer I had a drop in salinity due to auto top off failure (got stuck on and dumped my whole RO reservoir into the sump!) It lost 2 legs in a week, before finally dieing.. 

I have seen them recover though so hopefully you'll be good, assuming moving parameters are the culprit. 

 

[growsomething]

 

Pack of gorgs and calcerous algae from gulf coast ecosystems arrived.  They were ice cold and took 2 days to get here by ups from 20 min away.  I mean it felt like ice water to the touch. 👎

[growsomething]

Russ at GCE replied within the hour, said if the bags were clear they should be fine, and let him know if any end up needing replacing.

The golden Plume is much bigger than I'd pictured, and doesn't fit into my scape.  It would if I had placed it first and planned around it. 

 

 

The cabdalabra is as beautiful as any I've seen in pics.  It is too much the same texture to place behind the silver bush gorg, but I was afraid it would get stung by the rfa high up on the wall, like the Golden Plume is. 

 

 

I'll pbly swap the 2 of them as I had initially planned, and move the Galaxaura algae, it looks out of place where it's at.

 

 

[kimdawg]

Your tank looks great and I hope you can find a way to use them all.  I am planning a rather large order( for me anyway ) from Gulf Coast Ecosystems after Thanksgiving and Russ seems like he is very easy to work.  I have never had a gorg but I am thinking about adding one to the order.  I have had saltwater tanks for most of the last 30 years at least.  Any suggestions for a first Gorg owner? What we be an easy one to start with?

[growsomething]

6 hours ago, kimdawg said:

Your tank looks great and I hope you can find a way to use them all.  I am planning a rather large order( for me anyway ) from Gulf Coast Ecosystems after Thanksgiving and Russ seems like he is very easy to work.  I have never had a gorg but I am thinking about adding one to the order.  I have had saltwater tanks for most of the last 30 years at least.  Any suggestions for a first Gorg owner? What we be an easy one to start with?

The one called purple ribbon is supposed to be the toughest.  Mine has been stung in half by a frogspawn and both halves keep growing after being relocated.  The candalabra is supposed to be easy as well.  Actually, most of the photosynthetic ones are good for a system that's not run too "clean".

[kimdawg]

My tanks are usually on the other end of the scale from clean.  Thanks for the advice.

[growsomething]

Just got busy and moved things around after work.  It looks better, but the Golden Plume habit means it should probably be in a larger tank or be the featured coral in a 10g.  The water current should push it more upright towards the center.

 

 

 

I really like the color of the Galaxaura macro.  Hopefully it grows.  Next will be some sponges I think.  Would still like to get some acan lords on the back wall in the shade if my lfs ever gets some in.

[growsomething]

Well the shrimp bucket update is no more.  The homeowner moved in from up North and immediately threw it away.  There is another transplant homeowner several hundred yards away I am friendly with who has interesting growth who will let me scrape stuff off their dock/seawall, so I may do that, or take update pics of a singular seawall area underwater.

We paid off all debt this month so I am starting to spend a tiny bit on my tank and plan on getting an underwater camera.

[growsomething]

Yesterday I changed my old, thick Nuvo netting and frame for the new kit from I.M.

I went a little too tight and the net tore on the one side, but still functions.  Had enough left over to replace the old thick netting on the old frame that has rim clips, if I ever get another Nuvo 10.

A really big difference in lighting.  I've been holding off on lowering the light bcs I knew I'd be doing this.

Morning lighting.

 

 

[growsomething]

Well, got my 1st aiptasia on one of those zoa frags last month.  I was wondering why the zoa on that frag have all shriveled up and disappeared, while the other frags are spreading.

 

 

 

@A.m.P, here is the probable dictyota that we were talking about, all grown out from a speck after being eaten by a hermit. @Snow_Phoenix,  I think you were mentioning a plating red macro recently, too.  I like it, but I can see how it could be invasive with the extremely fast growth shown here.

 

 

FTS

 

 

[A.m.P]

It definitely looks to be, but there are supposedly some look-alikes which aren't as prolific. Quite lovely.

[Snow_Phoenix]

2 hours ago, growsomething said:

Well, got my 1st aiptasia on one of those zoa frags last month.  I was wondering why the zoa on that frag have all shriveled up and disappeared, while the other frags are spreading.

 

 

 

@A.m.P, here is the probable dictyota that we were talking about, all grown out from a speck after being eaten by a hermit. @Snow_Phoenix,  I think you were mentioning a plating red macro recently, too.  I like it, but I can see how it could be invasive with the extremely fast growth shown here.

 

 

FTS

 

 

Might be invasive, but it still looks pretty to me. 🥰

 

I've been having a tough time acquiring macro here - even chaeto. 😕

[growsomething]

Think I'll get 2 peppermint shrimp for the aiptasia.  The valonia doesn't seem to bother anything.

[growsomething]

Received 2 shrimp packaged in seperate containers, one alive, one decomposing.  Algaebarn offered $14 store credit when it would cost double that or more with shipping for me to order another from them.  Just ship me another shrimp if you're legit, it's doa!

 

 

[growsomething]

Fts:

 

 

For the past month I've been working a side job nights and wknds.  Tank maintenance has been filling the ato and nothing else.  Funk and algae has been sprouting up everywhere.  I think this is related to feeding reef roids 2x/wk since getting the "nps" gorg even though I stopped several weeks ago.

Also, ever since getting the new gorgs (which love the tank) the old purple ribbon gorgs have not opened, and are covered in valonia and funk.  The valonia I don't mind, I kind of like their shape, actually.  The other algae can die!

Nitrates are just above 0 on test strips and po4 is 0 according to api.  I find that hard to believe after all the rr, but maybe it's all been taken up?  Normally I never test, but normally I do maintenance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[growsomething]

Also, the macro algae has been turning white, usually a bad sign.  Salinity is spot on, on a calibrated refractometer, not sure what calcium and alk are as I've never had a test for those.  The porites and lepto are growing well though.  The sand dollar has adhered itself and is growing around rock protrusions. 

 

 

 

[growsomething]

Speaking of valonia, check out this piece:

 

 

That is one of the best things to come out of this tank.  It's going in the pest tank, although all the bubble algae I've put in there has slowly disintegrated.  Also, the red grape macro has lost all grapes and is covering part of the porites, growing like a weed.  I trimmed about half of it off and put it in the pest tank.   

So I did a 10% water change after removing algae and doing some maintenance,  will pbly do another 10% tomorrow.

I never shut off my pump at feeding time bcs I have to tap it hard with a long screwdriver to get it going afterwords.  After this maintenance I didn't think it was going to restart, it took about 5 minutes of trying to physically shock it into going.  Never been cleaned, so it needs a citric acid bath, but I don't have any handy.  Also, there is rock rubble in all the rear chambers, maybe some small pieces got into the intake.  (I had to ask my wife how to spell pieces, think I should work less and eat/sleep better!)  Here is a cool sponge on rubble taken out to access the pump:

 

 

Stopped by my lfs after work just to decompress,  and they have genuine peppermint shrimp!  Picked one up for $6, no shipping needed.  Popped this aiptasia frag off and put it in the pest tank, but I know there is probably more in the rocks.

 

 

That's all for now, hope my pump starts tomorrow.

[A.m.P]

Pale Macro sounds like it might be time to start dosing N03 and possibly Iron, I just lost most of my Dragon's breath because I wasn't paying close enough attention and/or trusting my N03 tests.

[growsomething]

Big day today.  Son turned 2, could hardly contain himself.  He convinced ppl to re-light candles so he could blow them out all day long.

 

 

Since I couldn't turn my pump off for feeding and be sure it would come on without beating on it, I picked up citric acid at Ace hdwr and mixed a quart up. (4tbsp c. a.)  Let the pump run for maybe 45 min then ran it in rodi 2x for a minute.

 

 

Of course the ato tube disconnected while unplugging the pump and I didn't notice till the water hit my feet.  Always an emergency when I do maintenance.  I stripped some of the gorgs of valonia while waiting.

 

 

In spite of turning white the dictyota continues to grow. Definitely could be invasive.

 

 

The sand dollar porites continues to grow.  I use a protrusion it was just touching to gauge its growth.  Almost 1/4" so far.

 

 

That's all for now, see you next year!

 

 

[A.m.P]

The white on that particular macro is normal, it gets a really impressive white banding towards the base, I don't know if that's what you're talking about or it being a bit translucent.

[growsomething]

Well, both the dictyota and galaxaura have white areas they didn't have when I got them. 

 

 

The red grape macro still grows red like a weed (with no grapes), and the only one of the 3 that isn't growing is this galaxaura.  I got things out of balance by feeding reef roids 2x/week after I got the new gorgs.  Valonia exploded.

 

 

 

 

[Jakesaw]

14 hours ago, growsomething said:

 

 

 

 

Are you sure that's not bubble algae ( pest algae ). 

 

I had a bubble on a Frag I purchased and it quickly grew into many.  I was advised by LFS to flick it off like a dried bugger but not to pop the bubble ( or I'd have to rinse it in fresh saltwater to get rid of all the nuisance substance from inside ).  Removed another single bubble from a frag yesterday.  Haven't seen it anywhere else since. 

[Jakesaw]

7 hours ago, Jakesaw said:

  Haven't seen it anywhere else since. 

Spoke too soon, found some on another Frag ( not a new frag )

[growsomething]

11 hours ago, Jakesaw said:

Are you sure that's not bubble algae ( pest algae ). 

 

I had a bubble on a Frag I purchased and it quickly grew into many.  I was advised by LFS to flick it off like a dried bugger but not to pop the bubble ( or I'd have to rinse it in fresh saltwater to get rid of all the nuisance substance from inside ).  Removed another single bubble from a frag yesterday.  Haven't seen it anywhere else since. 

Yes, I guess I'm using the "official" name, valonia.

Once it's in there, it's always somewhere in the tank.  I had an emerald crab that kept it invisible until I decided to try to grow macro again, and removed him after a year in the tank.  Valonia and bryopsis made a big reappearance.   The bryopsis has mostly disappeared as the valonia took over.  

The word is now that bubble popping releasing spores is a myth,  but disturbing aiptasia does promote propagation.  Who knows...

It doesn't bother me much, like bryopsis does. 

What is your plan for it? 

Cheers!