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18 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

So glad the store and that employee are helping you (a loyal and long time customer) out. Kudos to them!!!!!

I'm very glad too. And the employees & manager(s) are not just store workers to me - over the years, they have actually become my good *friends. They're genuinely nice people and they do care for the livestock, as well as the welfare of all of their customers. :happy:

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I did another WC this afternoon using the new salt:

 

20211019_145255.thumb.jpg.c8027a974f8db748410145cd322c15da.jpg

 

I left the pavona & lepto exposed to air for too long though. Both corals lost a fair degree of flesh and overall color. 😔

 

I took a long time to refill the tank because I kept double-checking each batch of SW I was making & I had to stir it by hand (tiny motor pump is not working), so it took about 30 mins for the new SW to be ready. 

 

A lot of corals were pissed, but the pavona & lepto's decline was very upsetting. On hindsight, I should have used two more separate pails & mixed up the new SW first before draining the tank. Lesson learnt. 😔

 

On the bright side, I managed to siphon out most of the cyano on the sandbed. I removed all the lose frags & mini colonies from the sandbed first, and kept them isolated in a bucket so that I could drain the cyano more easily:

 

20211019_145318.thumb.jpg.a41eddde62a1b7641d52800338889eee.jpg

 

I did accidently vaccuum up a fair bit of sand as well, but it was slathered in cyano so I binned it. 

 

Once I refilled the tank, I placed all the loose coral pieces back in the tank. 

 

I also changed the floss and removed the tiny sock containing the RowaPhos. I didn't change the carbon because I had just swapped it out a few days ago, during the last WC. 

 

Right now, I'm just hoping the declining pieces will bounce back in time. Salinity is at 1.024, and so far the tank (with the exception of the stressed out pavona & lepto) look alright. 🤔

 

I got rid of the contaminated Aquaforest Reef salt already. I discovered another small bag of repackaged Aquaforest salt in one of the cupboards, but I'll open it & check later. If it is okay, I'll use it for my 60G FOWLR. 👍

 

The nano will run on Fritz from now on. If my LFS stops importing Fritz, I'll switch over to Red Sea *blue bucket (RSCP's kH level is too high for this system). 👍

 

IO (regular) is my third option. 🤔

 

I don't think I'll try Aquaforest again, unless it's an emergency & I have to use it. Initially, it did give me good results, but this is the second time this salt has become *spoilt on me, and I had to bin it. I keep it in a dry, clean area, and yet this is a repeating issue. 

 

I haven't had a similar problem with other brands. Salt hardening into blocks, yes, with IO & RSCP. But not turning blue or becoming moist. 😕

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Several updates pulling through shortly. Took some FTSes few hours after the WC. Most of the corals are already open:

 

20211019_181013.thumb.jpg.61881d355fb9275162cbd051900526a7.jpg

 

20211019_180959.thumb.jpg.415768562e35765307a51ea832a520a1.jpg

 

20211019_181031.thumb.jpg.890d02e8d73f7d0b085571fa2b1d8951.jpg

 

Harvey was hanging about, watching me watch him: 😅

 

20211019_181358.thumb.jpg.55af43274aa75dcc4a615e3cfbf10c2b.jpg

 

The pavona has mostly regained most of its coloring back - I think it simply retracted its flesh when it was exposed to air for a prolonged period. It *is missing some flesh around the edges though, and so is the lepto:

 

20211019_181452.thumb.jpg.9c0e4ba195a73bd71f42c44034226987.jpg

 

I think they can both bounce back with a few more WCs, and more careful execution of said WCs. 

 

My lobo still has a pale, semi-bleached corner, but is otherwise as puffy as usual. 👍

 

IMG_20211019_182324_869.thumb.jpg.81e39c42d049c9d182b95b82b38ab7fc.jpg

 

Green leptastrea is bouncing back swiftly. PE is better today and the green colors have darkened a smidge:

 

20211019_181220.thumb.jpg.845a0800e67499b64a2452588515225f.jpg

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Some shrooms became mildly discolored overnight, but I *think they'll regain their original colors in the future:

 

IMG_20211019_182101_384.thumb.jpg.9604282357a9ab103cf8e459a2cb9ad2.jpg

 

IMG_20211019_182101_362.thumb.jpg.a536fcecb74a940461ce3b25e7c280bb.jpg

 

IMG_20211019_182101_404.thumb.jpg.b04886537420d0365584d119ef3da3fd.jpg

 

20211019_181158.thumb.jpg.8032b3d8771a5df3609253db42279727.jpg

 

20211019_181136.thumb.jpg.3d5be742548e101217290cc3fe3d9a9b.jpg

 

Soft corals are doing better after the removal of the RowaPhos. The cloves are wide open again:

 

20211019_181321.thumb.jpg.0e32012136a541f15b27ef38a1b0bc8c.jpg

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John Deere has full PE after the WC (pic has been *lightened) :

 

20211019_181430.thumb.jpg.a56611be706191054acec7c4b0b5bded.jpg

 

Acans are quite puffy as usual:

 

20211019_181412.thumb.jpg.1dc5a67c0f0e09121aa4f70ec2244e42.jpg

 

Forest fire frag plug will soon be fully encrusted - possibly in a week or two: 🤔

 

20211019_181113.thumb.jpg.826f1fe7eac38381605e037b3a82d10f.jpg

 

The trumpet at the bottom is splitting into two heads - just noticed it just now:

 

IMG_20211019_182324_867.thumb.jpg.5a5b8c7d4917cbdfad679b7aca376730.jpg

 

I'm hoping those unhealthy blastos in the background will regrow though, but I'm cautiously optimistic because they have been retracted for weeks. 

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The Zoa Ledge will need more time to recover fully. Most of the zoas & palys are open, but some still have wrinkled skirts. 

 

20211019_181647.thumb.jpg.4b3707c7cfe1a3013da395f536266ad1.jpg

 

20211019_181633.thumb.jpg.e9d9820a902b5fd758562bce66a9ee82.jpg

 

The Gold Mauls are thankfully, doing well:

 

20211019_181616.thumb.jpg.c80b0457d2d26f82d516e294a1c80c6a.jpg

 

Rainbow Implosion has 4 polyps, Devil's Armor (Or was it AOGs? 🤔) has 3. They are fast-growers actually, but they are bickering for space with the not-so-happy Purple Monsters. LA Lakers has dulled out a bit over the week. I always have trouble keeping yellow corals *yellow. 😕

 

20211019_181537.thumb.jpg.0099f1b846a9874b76f68c0a44cf9f4b.jpg

 

Tricolor palys are finally regaining a smidge of blue in the center. Not sure if they can revert back to their original green/light green/blue shades, but I hope they can. 

 

20211019_181552.thumb.jpg.eaa48a7a6d2a47a9657c03ea610f3cc5.jpg

 

Butt Munchers have opened up a *bit more, but still have wrinkled skirts. 🤔

 

Need to nurse all this unstable pieces back to full health. 

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Critteraholic

I have trouble with my salt -IO-once it gets over 1/2 used regardless of the size of the bag. 😑Too much humidity. So I got one of those snap clips like you use on potato chip bags and only opened the bag 1/3 across. When done, I fold the bag tightly and clip it. That gets me down to 1/4 to a 1/5 of the bag before it starts getting mushy. 😒 Sooo, I just bought one of those trash cans that you step on a lever to open to put the opened bag in (fingers crossed). The things we do for our critters!!!

 

My purple monsters are fussy palys too. They're always the last ones to open back up. Guess they just have a cranky personality!!! 🙂

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6 minutes ago, Critteraholic said:

I have trouble with my salt -IO-once it gets over 1/2 used regardless of the size of the bag. 😑Too much humidity. So I got one of those snap clips like you use on potato chip bags and only opened the bag 1/3 across. When done, I fold the bag tightly and clip it. That gets me down to 1/4 to a 1/5 of the bag before it starts getting mushy. 😒 Sooo, I just bought one of those trash cans that you step on a lever to open to put the opened bag in (fingers crossed). The things we do for our critters!!!

 

My purple monsters are fussy palys too. They're always the last ones to open back up. Guess they just have a cranky personality!!! 🙂

This salt going mushy thing can be a recurring issue over here since it's so humid. But so far Fritz gives me minimal issues - usually I can use the whole 25kg when I buy a box of it. 

 

With IO & RSCP, it simply turns rock-hard after a while and you'll need to smash the salt into smaller blocks. Not sure why, but Aquaforest gave me the poorest result when it comes to longevity. Even after it's been bagged properly, tightly sealed with dual rubber bands, kept in a box and then later kept in a dry cupboard, it still gets mushy and becomes discolored. 🤷‍♀️

 

I like how my LFS repackaged the new salt in vaccuum sealed bags, with each bag at roughly ~1kg. So I only need to open only 1 bag at a time, and even then, I still have some leftover salt which can be quickly used during the next weekly WC. The salt doesn't get mushy this way. 👍

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Few updates coming through. 😊

 

Growth:

 

Fusing soon. New polyps spotted at the surface of the previously broken tip:

 

20211020_173056.thumb.jpg.5ea93a2448faf6adb141a9b4b8241c21.jpg

 

New duncan head has increased in size:

 

20211020_173011.thumb.jpg.e6dca9e400bc189eac5a1a59395c0fb4.jpg

 

Yuma baby has more bubbles and pronounced color:

 

20211020_172954.thumb.jpg.6709ab4f8ae0a1d80516929e612d9f75.jpg

 

Trumpet head still splitting - two separate mouths spotted:

 

IMG_20211020_173815_555.thumb.jpg.9c02cc18adb55c9f5898d3d16b6a9ba0.jpg

 

Finally (!) managed to get an accurate color of this. Mini blue peacock zoa colony. More polyps still growing out around the edges. 😅 :

 

20211020_173212.thumb.jpg.4425b0ed758c2586133c1f15997b0d64.jpg

 

Slowly spreading out on the rock. Still capping out:

 

IMG_20211020_173815_558.thumb.jpg.15995921ce6908a477ca0f6a8eaa4960.jpg

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Recovering pieces:- 

 

Whiplash merlettis slowly making a comeback. Their growth is restricted by the leptastrea though. 🤔 :

 

IMG_20211020_173815_566.thumb.jpg.4652e19a3c14e67f56049438ecbe3e3b.jpg

 

Green leptastrea has gained a darker green hue. The WC helped. 😊👍:

 

20211020_173154.thumb.jpg.8de50a401cf565d23f0b4b0536252c3b.jpg

 

Lepto and pavona are almost completely back to normal, and back to full color. Pavona's edges are still slightly lighter than usual:

 

20211020_173536.thumb.jpg.c42abfd8903e6a5b2e81ea6331b05700.jpg

 

Yellow yuma getting a smidge lighter. Two rainbow yumas are almost back to full color, the third is still browned out. Needs more time to bounce back:

 

IMG_20211020_173815_577.thumb.jpg.45f67d3de9de86a81e370245609ef85d.jpg

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Shroom time! 🥰

 

Purple rhodactis - managed to pin down the color accurately this time! omgomgomg

 

IMG_20211020_174023_511.thumb.jpg.8664dbe664069a0b79237875425476fc.jpg

 

Color is a bit off in these next two pics - brain coral appears to be bleaching a bit, so I'll need to find a way to bump up NO3 & PO4 levels a *bit since I lack a fish to poop in this thing:

 

IMG_20211020_174023_631.thumb.jpg.d68cca9b54cb854aa30897396d58911c.jpg

 

IMG_20211020_174023_627.thumb.jpg.9b298b08410dbe1981b0a329823f1846.jpg

 

My spotted red discosoma - usually stays hidden and quite difficult to get a pic of due to the angle:

 

IMG_20211020_174023_625.thumb.jpg.db7f6635fab5880b888f073935578bb5.jpg

 

Tricolored bullseye rhodactis: 

 

20211020_173408.thumb.jpg.599758d2abe5b78bc1f4aa9b49601ef2.jpg

 

The tricolored spotted shroom appears to be changing colors again. 🤔

 

20211020_173505.thumb.jpg.ba199c5f4810a010fac5a3774ac583f3.jpg

 

It has a slightly pinkish hue now. 🤷‍♀️

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Corals are still waking up. My rainbow brain is still shrunken, but I just noticed it has developed more yellow & orange coloring at the edges. 🥰

 

20211021_103749.thumb.jpg.3e8bd38677f8fa741d92e78a617bd91f.jpg

 

20211021_103810.thumb.jpg.13419441af06544b20411d0a12bee6c5.jpg

 

20211021_103718.thumb.jpg.e7601365c094b9041c73f1c17687a29a.jpg

 

20211021_103659.thumb.jpg.dace9e28a780492ad8bddd590f948d4b.jpg

 

I see 5 colors so far - yellow, orange, red, green & blue. I *think there might be bits of purple in there as well, but I'm unsure. This is one of my favorite LPS pieces in the tank. 😊

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Weeping willow amidst forest fire sticks:

 

20211021_103629.thumb.jpg.01420c62908c281907921cf61dd4504e.jpg

 

Blue discosoma: 

 

20211021_103528.thumb.jpg.3862cec3d2cebba0c7c6fc8378f64ce2.jpg

 

Forest fire shroom:

 

20211021_103436.thumb.jpg.c12942fc6903c0e6ffb0069ca5294549.jpg

 

Green bullseye rhodactis:

 

IMG_20211021_110538_725.thumb.jpg.f258dcf87bc0b6018d0e402ce1fc6eef.jpg

 

Yellow yuma looking better today - still improving. 👍

 

IMG_20211021_110538_732.thumb.jpg.cffb840c09e645263bed9e79499ccec5.jpg

 

Bleached lobo is 50/50. Will take a long time to recover. 😕

 

IMG_20211021_110538_737.thumb.jpg.ac2f27d83ee580f6fab4ab132edcb906.jpg

 

 

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Fed the nano a mix of phyto, pods & mysis today. The LPS was quite pleased with the mysis - smaller-mouthed corals like the softies and SPS were more content with the phyto-pod combo:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVSCSRGLMpl/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVSCTAyDltJ/

 

Rainbow brain is still a bit cranky. Some of the paly & zoa polyps closed up when a tiny piece of food fell on them.

 

I *think I'll try to pick up some plankton, brine & rotifers next month, if I can. I distinctly recall my corals enjoying the rotifers, especially. 

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My forest fire shroom is about to split, and I'm quite excited! 🥰

 

20211022_093813.thumb.jpg.e975c9a5bb805009c769a83717e43f62.jpg

 

 

Also rediscovered my mini red carpet nem. It's a lil' bleached, but surprisingly sticky. Hopefully it'll heal up in time. (The tiny critters in the background are pods.)

 

20211022_093600.thumb.jpg.a47b0ed3ce1cd47710342ba9cca972b2.jpg

 

Other shrooms appear to be alright. Everything is still a bit retracted since the lights have *just been turned on. I'm hoping the other shrooms will populate the rock in the future and create a greater overlap of color. 

 

20211022_093752.thumb.jpg.c6044870797b20eb07664313bfe52608.jpg

 

20211022_093734.thumb.jpg.e397fb88915dd7c2a32deb1a01a3bd23.jpg

 

20211022_093653.thumb.jpg.3bb9fc6fa1d80b6734c840356a1b0476.jpg

 

I seemed to have misplaced my Red Devil shroom though. I *think it's a tiny shrunken thing under the frag plug of this red discosoma, but I'm not entirely sure. If that is it, and it's attached to a loose piece of rock, I'll try to stick it to the Mountain so that it has better access to the light. 

 

I'll keep observing this tank. If things continue to improve, I'll definitely work on picking up a full box of Fritz some time next month. 😊👍

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Still watching these guys grow. 👀

 

Mushroom Mountain:

 

20211022_160736.thumb.jpg.4bd1d7cb6633dcbd69840f0b0a812a67.jpg

 

20211022_160636.thumb.jpg.092b65fff3e944d4d0375f4dc4f2d826.jpg

 

20211022_160700.thumb.jpg.4a46b1c61b26a9d27ac2316eac2ad86e.jpg

 

Trunpet coral still splitting into two heads. The *split area is more visible today, and the two new mouths are moving further apart:

 

IMG_20211022_161714_353.thumb.jpg.6ff40094b1c0e3729e85bf9a73881484.jpg

 

Monti frag plug fusion getting a smidge closer: 

 

IMG_20211022_161714_399.thumb.jpg.c19b05a4f0b1700d342f63c10742d7fb.jpg

 

How the nano actually looks like under 100% blues with no yellow or orange filter lens being used:

 

20211022_161100.thumb.jpg.a12e6a11c71dbb120a385d04c85a417e.jpg

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Took a moment to grab a few FTSes under full actinics as well: 

 

20211022_160129.thumb.jpg.4880aa0e1ca00839402a574ec2c3640b.jpg

 

20211022_160836.thumb.jpg.309be3889426e9472ccbbf7d6379d057.jpg

 

20211022_160900.thumb.jpg.182654ca9a77e536effd58117f1eb59b.jpg

 

20211022_160921.thumb.jpg.c0c3b13a4052bbdc8111b6822f122585.jpg

 

It's very chaotic in there. A whole blend of shapes and random mish-mash of colors. Almost like a unicorn barfed all over it. 

 

I like it. 👀

 

(The chaos, not the unicorn barf idea. 😅)

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Hmm. Since there is a lot of downtime with this tank due to the fallow period, I decided to devise several stocking plans. 

 

1. Combo A.

-1x skunk clown

-1x TSB/Pictus blenny

-1x Hi-Fin goby

 

2. Combo B. 

-2x skunk clowns

-1x TSB/Pictus blenny/Hi-Fin goby

 

3. Combo C. 

-1x Skunk Clown

-1x Pink streaked wrasse*/Pygmy Perchlet*

-1x TSB/Pictus blenny/Hi-fin goby

 

4. Combo D. 

-1x Pink streaked wrasse*

-1x Pygmy Perchlet*

-1x TSB/Pictus blenny/Hi-fin goby

 

5. Combo E. 

-1x (Peaceful) damselfish

-1x Pygmy Perchlet*/Pink streaked wrasse*

-1x TSB/Pictus blenny/Hi-Fin goby

 

*Strictly subject to availability. 

 

Among all the combinations, which one do you favor & why? Would love to hear your opinions on this one. 😊

 

I, for one, absolutely love the skunk clown as an open-column swimmer and a tiny nanoblenny or a perchlet as a percher. 🥰

 

The issue with these fish are availability. Skunks are seasonal and appear 2 to 3 times a year. TSBs and pink streaked wrasses are now very rare, and extremely expensive. The pygmy perchlet usually ships in by chance. Sometimes comes in mislabeled as something else, and the only way to acquire it would to be in the store at the right day, right time. 🤔

 

Only the goby seems to be reliably brought in, and is fairly common. 🤔

 

A damsel - even a peaceful one like a Talbot...it might look pretty, but can still be mean and territorial in a tank this small. 😕

 

So I'm curious for ideas or options as well. Anything else unique is welcomed as well. 

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I took these pics earlier in the morning today, under heavier whites and lesser blues. 

 

Purple rhodactis:

 

20211023_104404.thumb.jpg.14fb470f7e42fca6c9061ddee1663d3e.jpg

 

Bullseye rhodactis:

 

IMG_20211023_105958_601.thumb.jpg.7f0a4eb4c0e9b744568996570fa35a06.jpg

 

Ironman discosoma:

 

IMG_20211023_105958_578.thumb.jpg.06317df9e49b89a34e7ae5357b9555b1.jpg

 

Starburst green implosion palys:

 

IMG_20211023_105958_556.thumb.jpg.fac0780f9ff3411b439c1d19098943ef.jpg

 

Tiny yumas:

 

IMG_20211023_105958_606.thumb.jpg.629d913dfe3e4063308c01024e87cd66.jpg

 

 

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  • Snow_Phoenix changed the title to Snow's 10G Critters of Chaos (TOTM)

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