Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Quick update - just mopped up this murky algae film on the surface of the water: Will perform a full dual-WC shortly. 👍 3 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Oh yeah, that looks like algae. Are you able to change the filter outflow to stir the surface of the water a bit more? It might keep the film down, and is generally a good thing to have anyway, to help keep things oxygenated. Especially with that algae on top of the water potentially limiting oxygen exchange. Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Everything prepped & ready to go. 😊👍 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 1 minute ago, Tired said: Oh yeah, that looks like algae. Are you able to change the filter outflow to stir the surface of the water a bit more? It might keep the film down, and is generally a good thing to have anyway, to help keep things oxygenated. Especially with that algae on top of the water potentially limiting oxygen exchange. My HOB can't be modified directly - unless I cut open the plastic inlet, which might be tough because the plastic is quite thick. I suppose I can manually stir up the surface with a chopstick every now and then. 🤔 1 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Oh, yeah, manually stirring should help. Do you have a soldering iron? They can be used to melt/cut through plastic. Think hot knife through very dense butter. Do it outside, and experiment with a few unimportant plastic pieces so you can get a feel for it. I use one to put holes in storage bins that I want to keep bugs in. 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Draining the pico can be a challenge, especially when there's so many coral pieces that could easily be knocked over. Refilling it is a whole lot easier. WC completed for the week! 😊👍 3 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 12 minutes ago, Tired said: Oh, yeah, manually stirring should help. Do you have a soldering iron? They can be used to melt/cut through plastic. Think hot knife through very dense butter. Do it outside, and experiment with a few unimportant plastic pieces so you can get a feel for it. I use one to put holes in storage bins that I want to keep bugs in. Ah, I don't trust myself with a soldering iron. The one time I used it during an electronics lesson for Home Economics in high school, I burnt my finger quite badly. 😕 It's ok. I can manually stir the surface twice/thrice a day. I'm practically at home most of the time anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 The corals were quite happy after the WC this morning: 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 I also fed the tank a few NLS & Formula One pellets, and that did bring everyone out as usual: 😄 Harvey: Benny: Piccolo: Love these guys and their little antics. I spotted Prowler the goby lurking under Coralline Ledge, so it was nice to see him alive and well. 👍 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 I also took two quick FTSes - the variance in brightness is due to me choosing to focus/not focus my camera: My phone auto-adjusts the brightness when I focus, but it doesn't exactly dial down the blues - I still need my clip on yellow filter lens for this (I was using it). Also, I started thinking a lot about the continuous algae film/bloom I've been experiencing. I know algae is part of the tank maturing process, and even though I used established, cured LR to skip the cycle somewhat, the 'pico' by itself is still in its infancy. Algae issues will be the norm. But I did wonder - could my chihiros light strip be aggravating the bloom? It is weird that the algae always gathers at the surface of the water. And I didn't have this issue while I was only using one light - my Aquazonic one, over the pico. 🤔 I need the chihiros strip for now though. An old, failing Aquazonic light does not provide enough illumination to sustain *all the corals in this tank, what more grow them. I think I'll revisit my previous choices for finding a suitable light for the pico. It's difficult though. Very few lights caters to picoreefs out here, and not all can sustain a mixed reef with SPS in it. 🤔 Time to do some research. 🖋📚 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 22, 2020 Author Share Posted August 22, 2020 I've actually never seen him this bright before: 😮 3 1 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Snow_Phoenix said: I've actually never seen him this bright before: 😮 Wow! 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Morning! 😊 Took some quick shots without the clip-on lens filter - so sorry if the colors are dark. 😅 Shroom lineup: Piccolo still hasn't molted yet, but still remains content to be hosting the brain coral: I think she will molt very soon though. Her exoskeleton is already covered in algae (?) and usually the crab eventually molts after this happens, BME. 🤔 3 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Update #1: Piccolo enjoying the comfort of the metallic GSP: My cyphastrea is turning blue again! 😊 Quick coral shots: The red pavona has grown even more: 😊 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Update #2: Zoa Tower: Random mess: 😅 ^That John Deere leptastrea is coloring back up again. 😄 Purple death palys & orange leptastrea: My tenuis has changed colors. It's now bluish-green? 🤔 Very intriguing. I have no idea what colors it plans on taking though. 🤷♀️ 4 Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Every thing looks so nice. Such variety in such a small tank. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 1 hour ago, debbeach13 said: Every thing looks so nice. Such variety in such a small tank. Thank you. Wish I could shake off that annoying algae film though - grr! Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 The montihat had full PE this morning: And Coralline Ledge is full: 🤗 ^That John Deere leptastrea seems to have colored up even more overnight. Not sure what triggered it, because I didn't even dose the tank yesterday. 🤷♀️ Glad that it is becoming brighter again though! 🤗 2 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 I decided to take some topview shots of the reef today. Lots of pics incoming! 🥰 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 Zoa tower (different angle) : Palys! 🥰 Cyphastrea - back to bright blue now: The montihat (purple rim undata) from above: Chili pepper monti from above: Overview of Coralline Ledge - my John Deeres were moody before this take because I stirred the water to disperse the algae film: 😅 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 Harvey picking his way through the reef: 😅 Piccolo resting on her squishy rainbow bed: 😊 Topview FTS on 24/8/20: If you want to see how much this little reef has changed over the last few months, head over to the first post in the beginning of this journal thread and scroll down to the monthly FTS lineups. 😊👍 5 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 Piccolo filter feeding: 😊 Orange bam bam zoas: New red PE polyp: Sunflower zoas: 🥰 Love this random mess of my zoa garden on the sandbed: 🥰 Didn't expect both my brain corals to puff up this much today: 😅 Tank's okay. The algae film still remains a persistent issue - I can't wait for it to pass. Otherwise, all other animals in the tank are doing fine for now. 👍 2 Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 Every time you post those sun flowers I just love them. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 I just came up to my bedroom to turn the lights off for the pico and spotted this: I've never actually seen her sit directly *on the coral before. Clinging on to the sides of it with her tiny legs, sure - but not this. It's actually kinda cute/cool. 😄 The brain doesn't seem to mind Piccolo's presence either. 😊 5 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 Just now, debbeach13 said: Every time you post those sun flowers I just love them. I love how vivid they are - especially the bright green of the skirt. Quite happy I managed to secure a frag of these, all those weeks ago. 😄 1 Quote Link to comment
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