Snow_Phoenix Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 Update #1: New corals! I dropped by my LFS several hours ago and picked up several corals - 2 new zoas, 1 monti & 1 acropora tenuis. All four pieces have dull colors (or rather has browned out polyps) - which was how I managed to wrangle them for relatively cheap prices. Here was how moody everything was when I first placed them in the tank: Orange passion tenuis (no PE, stick is dull blue, and polyps were brown and stubby at the store) : A small colony of brownish-pink zoas: Unknown orange zoas (I think the original colors are supposed to be red - not sure) : Chili pepper monti (green base is a bit dull, polyps are dull reddish-brown - minimal PE in the store) : And I also had a free purple (!!!) asterina hitchike on the zoa colony - transferred it immediately to the fuge of my 60G : (It's so cute! 🥰) 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 Update #2: Speed up a couple of hours later, and here's how my zoa fraglet looks like when it's fully open: 😊 As for the colony, it's still not fully open yet, but I got a better look at the polyps - there's definitely some pink in it, possibly some purple (?) too : I'm actually excited to see how much color it can regain in the future - hopefully it'll surprise me like my previous brown zoas and turn out nice. 😄 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 Update #3: SPS! So the chili pepper monti finally showed its polyps after it settled in the tank - the polyps aren't too bright, but I saw pics of this same monti online, so I *think it can bounce back in time: As for the tenuis, turns out it's pretty *fluffy. Full PE after a few hours, although the polyps are mud-brown. 😕 The base color is still blue though, and if I zoom in, I can see bits of neon yellow/green at the very tips. Tbh, I have never owned a tenuis before. And all tenuis here are from the wild, including this frag here. They brown out very quickly, and can decline fast too. I was debating on either picking this frag up, or two browned-out green staghorns. I chose this because I've seen pics of the parent colony (before it dulled out) and it was a vibrant shade of blue/orange/yellow. I'm a sucker for blue stuff, so heck, I decided I might as well risk it and get this. They also had Walt Disney acros on sale, but the color on those ran off too. 😕 Anyhow, new coral aside, my cyphastrea is still improving color-wise, and it's growing very quickly: Wish the polyps would turn red though! 2 Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Looking forward to seeing the new corals in a few weeks. I bet you can bring them back to their former glory. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 40 minutes ago, debbeach13 said: Looking forward to seeing the new corals in a few weeks. I bet you can bring them back to their former glory. I hope so! Not too confident over the tenuis though. That's like another skill level. 😕 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 Never too late for a quick algae snack: 😄 2 Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 In my little 5g challenge tank I’m using an air stone. The second circulation pump didn’t produce as good of results as the air stone did, which is in the AIO back chambers and seems to help move the water across the media bag and keep sludge down back there. But it always seems the fish and coral perk up a lot with the air stone on. And the surface film that I’ve seen come and go is more absent with the air stone. I also have the return pump nozzle pointed up so that it’s disturbing the surface of the water too 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 24, 2020 Author Share Posted July 24, 2020 36 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said: In my little 5g challenge tank I’m using an air stone. The second circulation pump didn’t produce as good of results as the air stone did, which is in the AIO back chambers and seems to help move the water across the media bag and keep sludge down back there. But it always seems the fish and coral perk up a lot with the air stone on. And the surface film that I’ve seen come and go is more absent with the air stone. I also have the return pump nozzle pointed up so that it’s disturbing the surface of the water too I actually had to use an airstone very recently for this tank because we had a scheduled power outtage throughout my area. And yeah, the agitation from the bubbles caused by the airstone did disperse the film. Problem was - the battery pump connected to the airstone was incredibly loud and irritating. I'm quite hypersensitive towards certain noises and frequencies - they can actually either cause a full blown panic attack or seizure (it's one of my triggers). I couldn't handle the sound of the battery pump. The motor pump incidentally, makes the same irritating noise. Since the tank is in my bedroom, I find it very, very distracting, and it grates on my eardrums like knives scraping down chalkboards. It's very, very painful for me. 😞 That's why I don't use airstones/motor/battery pumps unless I absolutely need to, and if I do, I have to be in a completely different area of the house to limit my exposure to the noise. Usually I slip on headphones or even ear plugs to muffle it further. Hope this is understandable. 😕 1 Quote Link to comment
ECLS Reefer Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 55 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said: I actually had to use an airstone very recently for this tank because we had a scheduled power outtage throughout my area. And yeah, the agitation from the bubbles caused by the airstone did disperse the film. Problem was - the battery pump connected to the airstone was incredibly loud and irritating. I'm quite hypersensitive towards certain noises and frequencies - they can actually either cause a full blown panic attack or seizure (it's one of my triggers). I couldn't handle the sound of the battery pump. The motor pump incidentally, makes the same irritating noise. Since the tank is in my bedroom, I find it very, very distracting, and it grates on my eardrums like knives scraping down chalkboards. It's very, very painful for me. 😞 That's why I don't use airstones/motor/battery pumps unless I absolutely need to, and if I do, I have to be in a completely different area of the house to limit my exposure to the noise. Usually I slip on headphones or even ear plugs to muffle it further. Hope this is understandable. 😕 I have this battery backups too but I use a tetra whisper air pump and have it sitting on two small sheets of yoga mat that I cut for it. So no noise at all. 3 Quote Link to comment
Wingy Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 You can attach a skimmer pipe to a hob. https://www.amazon.com/Koller-Products-Aquarium-Surface-Canisters/dp/B00176MUKY and I know someone made a skimmer box out of plastic packaging for the old school competition. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share Posted July 25, 2020 2 hours ago, Wingy said: You can attach a skimmer pipe to a hob. https://www.amazon.com/Koller-Products-Aquarium-Surface-Canisters/dp/B00176MUKY and I know someone made a skimmer box out of plastic packaging for the old school competition. That's actually a very good idea (thanks for the link! 😊 ) - but I need to measure the length of the skimmer pipe first - my tank is quite shallow, actually, and with the sandbed taken into consideration, I think I only have ~5" of depth left. The pipe *might be too long to fit into the pico. 🤔 But the good news is that there appears to be no oily film residue on the water surface today morning. Hopefully it stays that way. 👍 10 hours ago, Dirté Sanchez said: I have this battery backups too but I use a tetra whisper air pump and have it sitting on two small sheets of yoga mat that I cut for it. So no noise at all. The yoga mat idea sounds good! I was thinking of ways to muffle the 'grrrr' noise of the motor as much as possible. Thanks for the tip, Holly! 😊 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share Posted July 25, 2020 So I just turned the lights on and decided to check up on all the corals - especially the tenuis. For some reason, this piece makes me really nervous, and I keep imagining waking up to a bone-white stick one day. 😓 Well, the stick is alive! And since it doesn't have full PE yet because it was in the dark, I got a chance to take a closer look at the base. It's still blue - but the top is still brown, and the tiny polyps are still brown too: 😕 I'm not really sure how long it'll take to regain its colors - might have to consult more experienced SPS-keepers like @mitten_reef or @cannedfish for pointers/advice. 🤔 If I somehow manage to nurse this piece back to full health, I will try to acquire 2 or 3 more sticks in the future - but something simpler, like a green bird's nest, pocci etc. I still prefer hoarding montis over sticks though, but I'm running out of room to keep them in this little tank. My LFS just pulled in some red monti caps - I was debating picking a small frag up to grow it out in this tank, before transferring it to the 60G, but there is literally no room for it to grow out in the pico. 😕 So, I'm stuck. Want, but cannot have. 😭 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share Posted July 25, 2020 This was how the tenuis originally looked like (mine is a frag of this) : ^Pic taken by my LFS, full credit goes to them. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Wingy Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 You could make something like this and turn the pipe when you need to skim. https://amp.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/comments/5luf5d/123_surface_skimming_mod_for_fluval_aquaclear/ 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share Posted July 25, 2020 Well, had a slight complication with regards of lighting for both the pico and nano today. My 10G nano macrotank has a 36W PAR38 LED over it, which was functioning very well until two days ago, when it started flickering. Right now it's gone into some sort of weird disco-mode and I can't take the flickers, so I had to keep it shut off. I had a back up LED light on my fish supply cabinet outdoors, but it apparently blew off and is no longer functional. Also, I noticed my corals in the pico were starting to stretch - I'm currently using a ~17W Aquazonic LED over it, which is ~5, going on 6-years-old. Some of the LEDs aren't working, and I think a few others are going dim. Since the pico is a reeftank, but the nano is merely a macrotank, priority goes to the pico first. So I'll be transferring my old Aquazonic light and using that for my 10G macroalgae tank, and order a new LED light for the pico. I've just placed an order for a Chihiros A Series (Marine) LED light for the pico. The model I ordered is the A301M, which is ~30cm and the length of the picotank. Total output is 18W and it has a controllable dimmer. Color channels include Red, Blue, Deep Blue, Green & White. This is what I ordered: https://shopee.com.my/Chihiros-A-Series-(MARINE)-LED-LIGHT-WITH-INTENSITY-CONTROL-20-120CM-i.99809846.4719590298 I *think it should be okay. Hope my corals stop stretching once I have it - my rainbow brain is cupping upwards and looks like a weird, inflated mushroom. 😕 Some of my zoas like my metallic green palys, AOGs, Sunflowers, Tubbs Blues etc. are also stretching the stalks are thin/unsightly. 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share Posted July 25, 2020 Glass is a bit dirty and needs to be scraped. But I did manage to grab a few pics today evening: My zoa garden & tower, as of now: 🤗 My purple death palys are literally running out of room to grow. I asked my LFS if they would like some polyps - but the store wanted to cut through my rock (no!!!). I told them I'll try to frag them myself first - will probably need a sharp mini razor blade to scrape off a few polyps. 🤔 : The colors on this shroom might have run off again a little, but ye Gods - this thing is huge now! 😮 : The bright green acans have finally redeveloped their original purple stripes, but I think their overall vividness has reduced a little: 🤔 The rainbow brain appears to have grown, but is currently squashed up against the glass: 😅 I think it can open wider, if given the chance. I really love the purple zoas above it though. 🥰 4 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 Have a few updates regarding the pico: I *think my new stick has become a *little bit brighter. The blue is certainly standing out a bit more than usual today, although the polyps are still brown: 🤔 Also the bald patch on the previously afflicted zoa pox zoa frag has now been covered by a new, third polyp! 😊 : And the new baby blastos seem to be growing quite big all of a sudden: 👍 The second tiny duncan isn't too tiny anymore, and the base flesh has fused with the parent head (they were separate initially). Hoping the small head will grow out fully over the next few months, and maybe even bop out a new third head: 😊 The shroom corner is doing very well - might be able to squeeze in another super small shroom somewhere in the lineup: And...my fern caulerpa seems to be throwing up runners everywhere, so I might have to yank it out a bit to give the corals more room to grow: 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 Harvey trampling all over the zoas to eat some pellets: 😅 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 27, 2020 Author Share Posted July 27, 2020 Hmm. New lights are otw and should arrive in 1 to 3 days. I hate seeing my brain coral like this: 😓 Acro polyps are still a boring shade of bleh: 😕 But at least the new monti appears to be getting brighter? 🤔 : The colors on my cyphastrea and pavona have improved though. And both show visible growth: 😊 The lepto is also looking bright: But my John Deere leptastrea still looks drab and hasn't re-returned to its original vividness: 🤔 And here's Harvey, fishing for pellets: I'm supposed to do a WC on the pico today, but something came up with my large FW tank, so I had to do a WC for that tank first. 👍 3 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 Well, just did a WC and successfully pissed off everything in the pico. Even my semi-brown, semi-blue stick is all mopey and sad with no PE: 😕 But of course, the metallic GSP is fine: 🤐 And some of the zoas aren't too shabby either: 🤔 Spotted Harvey wandering around in the morning - he was missing during the WC, but I think he was just hiding. 😊 3 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Before I saw the "Malaysia" tag, I was about to ask if you're Australian. It's 1am here, so seeing somebody talking about lunch right now is a bit odd. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 7 minutes ago, Tired said: Before I saw the "Malaysia" tag, I was about to ask if you're Australian. It's 1am here, so seeing somebody talking about lunch right now is a bit odd. Heh. Gotta admit, whenever I update stuff in the afternoon (here) and there are no responses, I have to constantly remind myself that most folks in NR are in the US and probably asleep. 😄 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 6 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said: Heh. Gotta admit, whenever I update stuff in the afternoon (here) and there are no responses, I have to constantly remind myself that most folks in NR are in the US and probably asleep. 😄 I feel your pain, nothing usually happens till about 2/3pm my time 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 I had a lot of trouble setting up the light - the screws were a bit faulty and couldn't be screwed properly to the mount. One of the screws I screwed in was also jammed and couldn't be unscrewed. Ended up asking my father for help, and he struggled to get the jammed one unstuck, but managed it using some WD-40, pliers and a large screwdriver with a flathead. Was quite tired by the end of it - I'll just set up the new light tomorrow. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment
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