Peninsula style - 4.6 Ultum Rimless - Adjusted and growing

[Jaren45]

how are you supplementing alk/calc/mag?

 

btw this is definitely my favorite pico on here!!

[Postlarval Kow]

 

On 6/22/2021 at 11:21 AM, Jaren45 said:

how are you supplementing alk/calc/mag?

 

btw this is definitely my favorite pico on here!!

Thanks so much for the high praise!

 

I used a two part dose for perhaps a month, but then rapidly got bored with it. The formulated balance of Instant Ocean (or in this case Reef Crystals) replenished through weekly/biweekly water changes has always done great on its own at producing happy and healthy coral for me. At this point, I wish that the montis would actually slow down their growth (destroying everything in their paths) so adding things to enhance rates is not on the agenda.

[Postlarval Kow]

The tank has settled into the new house a few months post move by growing aggressively. I have decreased water changes to once every 20 days or so and have sporadically fed the fish as I think he is eating the wee flies that end up in the system nightly. I have fragged out probably 6 sq inches of coral over the past month and will try and show where things are this weekend. The acro for example has a new aypical growth tip in the center of the tank where it ate the rainbow monti. I also just gave away a big chunk of chalice, half the birdsnest, about 20 gooshters, and a massive piece of the evil evil mystic sunset (now fighting the acro from the bottom, the rainbow to the top, the hammer to the side, and the poor turbinaria at the front).

[Postlarval Kow]

I keep forgetting to update this, but just realized these corals have been growing for two years! Scotch to celebrate! 

Also, the acropora has established new tips and is starting to take off vertically again.

More once I grab a camera instead of a derelict phone.

[Postlarval Kow]

The system is still going strong, but has had some weird plagues that made it less than stellar in appearance at times. 

The SPS is all going bonkers as ever. The two (somehow the red planet is still existent) acropora are starting to fill in. Especially the staghorn. However the competition for space has never been tighter. The sunset is all but conquered and is on its last legs. I fragged part of the green turbinaria just in case as it is being overtaken by the mystic sunset and the frag is thriving.

 

The zoanthids have taken it hard recently. Each colony has been ravaged by a weird melting disease that takes out a few polyps, then recedes. It is currently active on the rastas, after devastating half of the hailanders. 

 

Not sure what to do about it as it seems to kill a few then go away. The crabs were helping remove chunks, but oddly over the past 2 weeks each and every crab has died!! I think. Been too long for molts. I think that Taco got absorbed into the tongue coral as his shell is upside down and behind it and it is rather puffy of late. No clue on the other two. Maybe feeeesch discovered he can kill crabs... I need them back as the two snails and cowrie just aren't as active scrambling on top of the corals. The little astrea stars do help clean up dead polyps a bit, but they are creepy compared w crabs. Taco was undesputably the best of all crabs ever to grace an aquarium, so hope he is just hibernating...

[jservedio]

Wow, can't believe I missed this little tank - it's phenomenal and one of the best picos I've ever seen (if not the best...)! I haven't seen very many picos and small nanos with nice SPS colonies grown the hard way from frags - those intertwined bases and constant battles is just something you can't buy. Have you noticed any of the montis picking up colors from their neighbors when they fight yet?

[Squid_reef]

Amazing to see the progression and how much the SPS have taking over! Stellar tank 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Your tank is stunning! 😮

[Postlarval Kow]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

I am always amazed that folks seem to graft together montis and get them to share colors and growth. Mine only alter each others' colors by erasing them as they digest their neighbors. Although, the rainbow does have every color in it - so maybe it somehow happened? I have to frag out a good bit of monti each month and have glued them on the same shell/plug before but never had a successful merger. At this point there isnt even space for SPS frags, so Ive given up on it.

On a more positive note: my least favorite crab (Tamale) just reappeared, so maybe there is hope for Taco - although it grows dim.

[Postlarval Kow]

Any clue as to what the ailment is that keeps nailing the zoanthids? Here's an active pic of what happens as the Rastas are suffering some melting / shriveled shrinking decay.

 

 

Basically, one polyp fails to open and then it seems like the mouth eats the skirt. They sorta open, but not really.. The ones nearby copy it, and part of the colony goes bye bye. Not tied to water changes or food schedules. Seems more prevelant on the classic shaped zoas (e.g., rastas, whammins, hailanders) rather than the ones that are more wavy skirts (e.g., the goosters in my tank). Oddly, it tends to occur more where there is less stinging from things like the tongue or chalice. 

 

 

I don't think its flow related as the whole tank is a blur of motion as you can see from the top.

 

 

I thought it could be dinoflag related, but it strikes independently of flare ups. One crab clearly isn't enough to keep the substrate stirred up and clean so I guess I'll be in the market this weekend.

[A.m.P]

I don't know allot about zoa diseases, pox or predatory amphipods maybe?

[Postlarval Kow]

The growth of the top acropora colony over the past two months has been insane. And its colors are finally returning a bit. The glass is filthy as one of the snails has been taking a "break" (lethargic and possibly dying of who knows... maybe dinos), but check out the tips from above!

[Postlarval Kow]

Its been a while! The tank is messy as corals kill eachother and grow out of the water, but its alive and well.

I've lost a few colonies due to competition but that is to be expected in such a small tank. The acropora grows to the waterline each month and needs fragging, constantly.

 Currently have a UV sterilizer running as I was out of town and failed to do a water change for TWO MONTHS. So the fish slayed crabs and nutrients went to nothing and the dinoflags came out.

Still, the tank is lovely. I may adjust stuff a bit over the winter, when it will bring a taste of the tropics back into my home.

[Postlarval Kow]

Getting ready for a nice long abandonment phase by grabbing a few more crabs to keep icky algae at bay. Colors on everything besides the birdsnest are as good as ever!

Had to swap hailander position w the ricordia and the zoas were not pleased...

Lost many morphs as things have taken to killing eachother more aggressively. But also put a wee frag of hammer in the front where it is adorably growing.

The rainbow monti is beyond stunning these days. But the tank as a whole seems to do well with my minimalist care.