KMitch's Double the Trouble Tanks -- Mixed Reef & Clown Harem — Problem Riddled and Going in Reverse

[KMitch]

Science wasn't the only thing happening in the tank today.... I also got the remainder of my CUC delivered from @johnmaloney at Reef Cleaners. As usual, his service is top notch and everything came in looking great. One fun addition to the CUC that I haven't used in the past was the addition of three porcelain crabs. They look quite fun and already scampered into the rocks. Everything else got busy cleaning the tank to rid it of COVID-19. 😷

 

Hermits getting to work

 

One of the porcelain crabs waving to me before retreating into the rocks

 

"Hey Man, no hitchhikers here!"

 

I also got a surprise visit from my Yasha goby, Mulan. I say surprise because I wasn't expecting to see him pop out of the top of the rocks considering all the caves I've seen them digging. But I guess he wanted a nice place to scope out the happening's in the tank!

 

Finally, I have to say I'm very pleased with the job ZeoVit has done -- there isn't an ounce of nuisance algae in this tank, the parameters are spot on, and everything is looking super healthy. 

 

PS- how do I embed the instagram post directly into the thread?

[DreC80]

Glad you got the par stuff figured out.  Pretty crazy that 25% was peaking at 115.  Reef Cleaners is definitely the way to go in my opinion.  I picked up rock from John as well when I transferred everything over to the reefer.  No clue on the insta...but I know @mitten_reefdoes.

 

Looking forward to seeing the tank evolve.

[mitten_reef]

On each of your post:

there’s “...” on the upper right, tap that, then “copy link”. 
paste that directly into here

 

hope that helps. 

[KMitch]

33 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

On each of your post:

there’s “...” on the upper right, tap that, then “copy link”. 
paste that directly into here

 

hope that helps. 

Just tried it above and it just pastes the link?

[mitten_reef]

12 minutes ago, KMitch said:

Just tried it above and it just pastes the link?

Idk. it automatically converts for me, never even showed up as link. 

[KMitch]

@Christopher Marks - what am I doing wrong?

[KMitch]

Looking for wrasse recommendations.....

 

The evil Six Line and shy Pygmy are both off the table. It needs to be a social fish that is going to come out and swim the tank. 
 

I’d like a pink striped wrasse, but they are proving impossible to locate. I’d also like a flasher wrasse, but reading mixed thoughts on tank sizes. I know it’s a matter of swimming space more than anything, and I feel like I have a good amount of that (the rocks don’t touch the back glass, so there’s a full lap that can be done around the rocks). What do y’all think?

[mitten_reef]

 

[mitten_reef]

17 hours ago, KMitch said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-x52oSpwTw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

PS- how do I embed the instagram post directly into the thread?

I went to the link. Tap on the 3 dots on the upper right, then pasted above. No issue there. 

[DreC80]

5 hours ago, KMitch said:

Looking for wrasse recommendations.....

 

The evil Six Line and shy Pygmy are both off the table. It needs to be a social fish that is going to come out and swim the tank. 
 

I’d like a pink striped wrasse, but they are proving impossible to locate. I’d also like a flasher wrasse, but reading mixed thoughts on tank sizes. I know it’s a matter of swimming space more than anything, and I feel like I have a good amount of that (the rocks don’t touch the back glass, so there’s a full lap that can be done around the rocks). What do y’all think?

Ha, Six Line.  I'm probably the exception but I've had mine for 2 years and no issues.  It was the third of nine fish added to my tank.  The yellow tang keeps it in check though.

 

I've seen the Pink Streaked on Diver's Den a handful of times over the last couple of months.  If it were me, I would wait and pick one of those up.  Will probably do better based on tank size.

[KMitch]

What do y’all think of an Orchid Dottyback for the tank? The lady wants a social fish that doesn’t clash color-wise with the orange clownfish! 😂

[Rehype]

6 hours ago, KMitch said:

What do y’all think of an Orchid Dottyback for the tank? The lady wants a social fish that doesn’t clash color-wise with the orange clownfish! 😂

This is a beautiful build Kmitch. Love everything youve done so far. I think an orchid dottyback would look awesome in this tank and wont have an issue with your clownfish.

[KMitch]

I think it’s going to be an orchid. My LFS has one in stock and it checks the boxes for being interesting and colorful without “clashing” with the color of the clowns. Gotta make the boss happy! 😝

 

In good news - my Yasha gobies are becoming increasingly more friendly. I am quite pleased with the amount of interaction we are seeing from them now, though the male and female have taken up different spots in the tank and aren’t living together. Going to have to get them some marriage counseling!

 

Pics tomorrow!

[KMitch]

I mentioned before that the Yasha gobies in the tank have become more social of late -- and here's the proof! Ha!

 

The male goby sitting on top of his rock palace

 

The female in her cave. For whatever reason, they are not occupying the same part of the tank, so I'm not even sure if they know their partner is still around!? She's gnawing on a piece of Mysis shrimp here.

 

Close-up of the leather coral. My lady thinks this looks like a piece of lettuce, so it's been dubbed the "romaine" 

 

Cleaner shrimp didn't want to miss out on the chance to say hello

 

I also added an orchid dottyback today. He's acclimating to the new tank nicely but has been a little skittish so no good photos of him yet. As soon as I can get one, I'll post it. The LFS that I bought him from also hooked me up with a free frag of some small leather coral as a way of saying thanks for the business right now. I think it might be a little weeping willow toadstool, but waiting to see it open up the rest of the way.

 

I also am about hit the one month mark on this tank, and the parameters are rock solid. No algae, no ugly. I attribute this to the ZeoVit system. Speaking of -- I'll start adding some additional dosing components to the ZeoVit system this week as we hit the one month mark. Happy to share more about the Zeo system for anyone interested. 

 

With everything going well, it's probably getting close to time for me to toss another SPS frag or two in there and see how we do.

 

 

[Chadicus Meridius]

How is the skimmer doing if it is doing good that is the skimmer I will be doing it. Your tank looks awesome love the aquascape makes me want to get more rock and change make more books and crannys. I have same tank with a damsel in it might remove if it is really aggressive to the clowns I am getting. I’m getting my first algae aswell.

[KMitch]

1 hour ago, Seea said:

How is the skimmer doing if it is doing good that is the skimmer I will be doing it. 

Skimmer is fantastic. Cannot be happier with it. Only thing is to make sure the water level is stable in the back chambers by using an ATO. This goes for all skimmers, not just this one

[KMitch]

One (two) more pictures for the night...

 

 

Branching cyphastrea

 

14 April 2020 Full Tank Shot

[KMitch]

Happy Thursday fellow reefers!

 

I have gotten a few questions about ZeoVit from DMs, so I figured I'd answer them here and give a little primer for anyone curious what the heck this is all about.

 

In short, ZeoVit is a system from a Germany company called Korallen Zucht. Germans are good at engineering and stuff like that (BMWs, Leicas, etc), so it should come as no surprise that this system is heavily based on their own research into creating water parameters that mimic natural sea water. ZeoVit has been around for a really long time, and has a long track record of success. It's extremely popular in Europe, but for some reason, we're a little behind the times in terms of adopting it in the mainstream here in the US. I'm not claiming it's better than other systems or is what everyone should use -- I just like that there is a whole community of users who have demonstrated success with it. 

 

Part of that community is a separate forum for ZeoVit users (dubbed ZeoHeads) to ask questions and get information on adopting the system to their specific tank. I've read a ton of information on there, and it's a great resource. Most other methods don't have that sort of community of people willing and able to help, so it also instills some confidence that if you get stuck, someone can help.

 

ZeoVit isn't common in a lot of nano tanks, but there's no reason it doesn't work. I previously had it on a much larger system, so this is my first time using it in a smaller water volume.

 

The core elements of ZeoVit consist of some bacteria you dose periodically (ZeoBak), some food for said bacteria (ZeoFood), a carbon-based food source (ZeoStart), and some Zeolite media (ZeoVit). You also are supposed to run carbon with the system, as well as a protein skimmer. I'll spare you all the super technical mumbo science, but if you are interested in learning more, this document is a good primer into the system.

 

One of the disadvantages of ZeoVit can be the cost -- $20 for a bottle containing 100ml of magic elixir seems really steep, however, in a nano tank, it's actually quite affordable. My dosing regiment calls for one drop a day of the most commonly used additives... so a small bottle will still last me a very long time. Some of the components are added only 2-3 times a week, and again only one drop each time, so the cost per day of using it is actually quite low. 

 

ZeoVit can be introduced to a tank already running, or you can use it to help cycle a new tank. I used Zeo to start this tank. In that case, there is a higher initial dosage required to populate the bacteria colonies, and then you move into a maintenance dose. In total, I have eight different additives that I'm using in this tank, so I use an app on my iPhone to keep track of the dosing so I don't have to try and remember it. The app sends me a notification every day for what I need to dose and in what quantity.

 

Other than adding drops of the various cocktails, the daily maintenance for ZeoVit just requires shaking or tumbling the Zeolite media to remove the organic mulm that the corals can eat, so it's a win-win. The media helps to bind and absorb some of the excess nutrients in the tank, and it's effectiveness is remarkable. 

 

One complaint with Zeo is that you have to add little drops daily, but I actually enjoy the process. It's part of my ritual when I feed the fish, and takes just a few seconds. It gives me an excuse to stop and stare at the tank (as though I needed one). 

 

 

Beyond the base system described above, Korallen Zucht offers nearly two dozen other additives and components designed to help tweak the growth and coloration of corals. I don't have a ton of experience with some of these additives, but selected a few to start with for this tank. Over time I may add or remove some based on the growth and color of the coral. ZeoVit is known to help make tanks that have a brilliant pastel color palette.

 

Right now, these are the elements I'm dosing:

• ZeoBak - Dose 2x weekly as the required bacteria additive. Smells like bacteria.
• ZeoStart - Daily carbon source. Smells like vinegar.
• ZeoFood - Dose 2x times weekly to help feed the bacteria. Weird smell.
• Amino Acid Concentrate - Dana Riddle has documented the importance of amino acids as building blocks for coral growth and health. Added daily.
• Iodide Complex - Corals and invertebrates need iodine. This is good stuff. It's brilliantly gold.
• Coral Vitalizer - A coral food to help growth and colors. A murky yellow thing -- almost "thick"
• Pohl's Xtra - Color enhancer for hard corals like SPS and LPS. 
• Coral Snow - I haven't started using this yet, as they recommend waiting until the 3 month mark. But it contains a binding agent designed to help the protein skimmer. People say that the skimmer pulls a super thick sludge from the tank after dosing, and the water becomes crystal clear. Also supposed to help with a cynao outbreak. Will report more once I've used it.

Given how short my tank has been setup, it's hard to say what effect the added elements are having, but I think we'll see it in time. I can definitely see the impact of the core ZeoVit system at this point as the water parameters are super stable and on point, and I have almost no algae growth in the tank. There was a brief blip of algae as the bacteria settled in and things equalized, but it went away very quickly. I credit ZeoVit with that. 

 

Happy to field any questions, and as a parting gift, here's a random picture of one of my cats, Mr. Houdini.

 

[MasterMind9]

4 hours ago, KMitch said:

Happy Thursday fellow reefers!

 

I have gotten a few questions about ZeoVit from DMs, so I figured I'd answer them here and give a little primer for anyone curious what the heck this is all about.

 

In short, ZeoVit is a system from a Germany company called Korallen Zucht. Germans are good at engineering and stuff like that (BMWs, Leicas, etc), so it should come as no surprise that this system is heavily based on their own research into creating water parameters that mimic natural sea water. ZeoVit has been around for a really long time, and has a long track record of success. It's extremely popular in Europe, but for some reason, we're a little behind the times in terms of adopting it in the mainstream here in the US. I'm not claiming it's better than other systems or is what everyone should use -- I just like that there is a whole community of users who have demonstrated success with it. 

 

Part of that community is a separate forum for ZeoVit users (dubbed ZeoHeads) to ask questions and get information on adopting the system to their specific tank. I've read a ton of information on there, and it's a great resource. Most other methods don't have that sort of community of people willing and able to help, so it also instills some confidence that if you get stuck, someone can help.

 

ZeoVit isn't common in a lot of nano tanks, but there's no reason it doesn't work. I previously had it on a much larger system, so this is my first time using it in a smaller water volume.

 

The core elements of ZeoVit consist of some bacteria you dose periodically (ZeoBak), some food for said bacteria (ZeoFood), a carbon-based food source (ZeoStart), and some Zeolite media (ZeoVit). You also are supposed to run carbon with the system, as well as a protein skimmer. I'll spare you all the super technical mumbo science, but if you are interested in learning more, this document is a good primer into the system.

 

One of the disadvantages of ZeoVit can be the cost -- $20 for a bottle containing 100ml of magic elixir seems really steep, however, in a nano tank, it's actually quite affordable. My dosing regiment calls for one drop a day of the most commonly used additives... so a small bottle will still last me a very long time. Some of the components are added only 2-3 times a week, and again only one drop each time, so the cost per day of using it is actually quite low. 

 

ZeoVit can be introduced to a tank already running, or you can use it to help cycle a new tank. I used Zeo to start this tank. In that case, there is a higher initial dosage required to populate the bacteria colonies, and then you move into a maintenance dose. In total, I have eight different additives that I'm using in this tank, so I use an app on my iPhone to keep track of the dosing so I don't have to try and remember it. The app sends me a notification every day for what I need to dose and in what quantity.

 

Other than adding drops of the various cocktails, the daily maintenance for ZeoVit just requires shaking or tumbling the Zeolite media to remove the organic mulm that the corals can eat, so it's a win-win. The media helps to bind and absorb some of the excess nutrients in the tank, and it's effectiveness is remarkable. 

 

One complaint with Zeo is that you have to add little drops daily, but I actually enjoy the process. It's part of my ritual when I feed the fish, and takes just a few seconds. It gives me an excuse to stop and stare at the tank (as though I needed one). 

 

 

Beyond the base system described above, Korallen Zucht offers nearly two dozen other additives and components designed to help tweak the growth and coloration of corals. I don't have a ton of experience with some of these additives, but selected a few to start with for this tank. Over time I may add or remove some based on the growth and color of the coral. ZeoVit is known to help make tanks that have a brilliant pastel color palette.

 

Right now, these are the elements I'm dosing:

• ZeoBak - Dose 2x weekly as the required bacteria additive. Smells like bacteria.
• ZeoStart - Daily carbon source. Smells like vinegar.
• ZeoFood - Dose 2x times weekly to help feed the bacteria. Weird smell.
• Amino Acid Concentrate - Dana Riddle has documented the importance of amino acids as building blocks for coral growth and health. Added daily.
• Iodide Complex - Corals and invertebrates need iodine. This is good stuff. It's brilliantly gold.
• Coral Vitalizer - A coral food to help growth and colors. A murky yellow thing -- almost "thick"
• Pohl's Xtra - Color enhancer for hard corals like SPS and LPS. 
• Coral Snow - I haven't started using this yet, as they recommend waiting until the 3 month mark. But it contains a binding agent designed to help the protein skimmer. People say that the skimmer pulls a super thick sludge from the tank after dosing, and the water becomes crystal clear. Also supposed to help with a cynao outbreak. Will report more once I've used it.

Given how short my tank has been setup, it's hard to say what effect the added elements are having, but I think we'll see it in time. I can definitely see the impact of the core ZeoVit system at this point as the water parameters are super stable and on point, and I have almost no algae growth in the tank. There was a brief blip of algae as the bacteria settled in and things equalized, but it went away very quickly. I credit ZeoVit with that. 

 

Happy to field any questions, and as a parting gift, here's a random picture of one of my cats, Mr. Houdini.

 

I also one of the a Zeovit lover ,too. I think the core of this system is Zeolite, after shaking the media its like you release the wipe out bacteria, the water get crystal clear.

 

Looking forward to see how its working on a nano I also have an experience with zeovit on a big tank , too ( 200 gallon) 

 

And one question I would like to know cos normally zeolit reactor is huge so where do you put it in this tank or there is a small size release out. If there are a small reactor come out, I may thinking about to apply zeovit to my tank,too cos as you said the cost of each additive is affordable now if you reduce the tank to nano size^^  

[KMitch]

3 minutes ago, MasterMind9 said:

And one question I would like to know cos normally zeolit reactor is huge so where do you put it in this tank or there is a small size release out. 

Right now I put the zeovit media in a mesh bag that I place directly under the overflow in the first chamber of the tank. I used to have a reactor for my bigger system, but right now I just use the mesh bag, and it seems to be fine. One day I'd like to make something a little better, but I haven't figured out what that would be (yet!). It will almost certainly have to be a DIY solution for the size. 

[KMitch]

Happy Saturday Reefers!

 

I've been fighting with the finger leather coral for the last week, and today had to make a change. When I got it, the coral wasn't mounted on any rock, so I glued it to a small piece of rubble. It decided it didn't like that, so it tore itself away. Then I used a rubber band to hold it to some rubble. Didn't care for that either. Finally, I used two pieces of rubble and wedged it between that. Nope.

 

The other morning I came out to find the leather free-floating in the front of the tank and rubbing up on all sorts of corals in the process. It had irritated the branching cyphastrea, causing a small amount of tissue loss around the base of the plug. Anyway - I was done with it. I'm too interested in keeping unique corals to have one, er, common coral mess it up for me. Not to sound like a coral elitist, but I'd be pretty pissed if the irritant in a leather coral that won't hold still was to kill or wound one of my more prized frags. So back to the LFS it went.

 

I came home with three new frags in replacement, because they were having a good sale. The first is a Texas Green Slimer, which was super cheap and a nice piece of "test" SPS to see how this goes. Plus it grows like a weed. 

 

Dipping the new additions. I've dealt with red bugs and the like before, and have no intention of repeating those mistakes.

 

Neon green birdsnest

 

I also scored a small frag of a neon green birdsnest. I have always liked how birdsnest looks when it grows out, and it joins the green slimer as an inexpensive test to see how SPS-ready the tank is. I certainly am not willing to put a nice Acropora into the tank until I know I can sustain these two.

 

 

 

Finally, a neon blue bowerbanki coral with a small neon green mouth. I know bowerbanki come in some pretty radical colors, but I really liked the deep blue of this particular piece. 

 

I have also been dabbling with my photography in the tank to try and improve some of my shots.... Any feedback is welcome. I am using the PolypLab lenses / filters with the aquarium camera app.

 

Still not sure the official name of these zoas?

 

White zombie zoas

 

Mushu hiding amongst the weeping willow toadstool

 

I can't get enough of these acans

 

I didn't manage to take an updated FTS before lights out, but I'll snag one tomorrow. I also haven't been successful at grabbing a photo of Ollie, the Orchid Dottyback. He's too fast moving and skittish for me to get a nice sharp picture. I did notice him heckling one of the Yasha gobies today, but hope this is a passing phase.

[KMitch]

I've been slacking in updates....

 

Bowerbanki feeding response

 

Up close and personal with this chalice

 

Added a few new corals today -- this was a lucky accident if ever there was one. Went to the LFS because I needed some epoxy putty to hold the rock ledge piece in place. While I was there, a guy pulled up with a pickup truck full of Home Depot buckets in his pickup truck. His dad had passed away a few weeks ago and he decided to break down his fathers' 400 gal tank, so he was bringing the corals to the shop. I was chatting him up, and he offered to let me look around his buckets. There was a ton of coral, but most of the colonies were just too big for my small tank. But he had a small piece of torch that was separated from the mother colony, and then two other small frags that looked colorful. I didn't exactly know what I was getting at the time, but got home, put them in the tank.... and wow. 

 

I *believe* I'm looking at some sort of rainbow Monti and a green chalice. It looks like the chalice that WWC sells under the name of "space invader" but not sure. Those two were still on frag plugs, which makes me think they were either cut from his colonies, or relatively new purchases, because almost everything else in the buckets was a massive colony. But I didn't go through all of the buckets to see if there were colonies of this stuff, and of course the seller didn't know anything about his dad's tank.

 

I think this is some sort of montipora based on the shape of the polyps... maybe a rainbow Monti?

 

Mystery chalice?

 

Neon green torch

 

Full Tank Shot

 

 

[Reefkid88]

Well that escalated quickly lol. This is getting filled fast. And the one coral is definitely a rainbow montipora. 

 

 The tank is definitely looking good. 

[KMitch]

Yeah I wasn't expecting to put anything in the tank for awhile, but when the chance to grab a few frags for almost free falls in my lap.... well....

[Reefkid88]

Nothing wrong with that,it happens. I have been there lol more times than I can count.