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Snow_Phoenix

I decided to take a few pics after the evening feeding session today.

 

Here's the current state of the corals overall:

 

The Zoa Garden:

 

The Zoa Ledge:

 

Pavona corner:

 

The orange digi actually fell off the back wall and was on the sandbed for a day. The tip of the coral has lost some flesh, but if it keeps receding, I'll give the tip a trim. 

 

 

 

 

Here's the monthly FTS on 20/03/21:

 

 

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Snow_Phoenix

Hunter today:

 

IMG_20210321_171247_960.thumb.jpg.a0a1a8998d0c60d2a37876edf1d9ffed.jpg

 

IMG_20210321_171247_993.thumb.jpg.f6719002419f9b4241143f8bf3219126.jpg

 

IMG_20210321_171247_984.thumb.jpg.671f218d64497ba3a0848f2d09aed250.jpg

 

IMG_20210321_171247_997.thumb.jpg.64d92e014b8eddfc99d0e1d90f1e4874.jpg

 

I decided to share both my successes & struggles with this tank with the forum, mostly in hopes that someone out there can learn from it. 

 

Hunter is very thin. One small comfort is that he ate a *lot of pellets today (if you look closely, you can see his belly isn't sunk in in the first pic, although his lateral lines are showing) although he continues to reject frozen offerings. 

 

In order to push him back to optimal weight, I'll need to feed him 3x to 4x of small pellet-helpings per day. Given the size and bioload of this tank, this will most likely result in declining SPS and unsightly algae. Yes, balance is key, but I have to look after the welfare of my dragonet too. Especially since I knew what I was getting myself into by bringing him home. 😕

 

I'll have to resume weekly WCs to compensate for the buildup of excess nutrients in the system. In the meantime, Hunter is still active & alert, although I do wish I had been more proactive in looking after him. 

 

It is easier to monitor him in a 10G than my 60G dragonet tank though. Mainly because he'll get *lost in the bigger tank, and will have to compete against many fish to snick a pod - including 4 dragonets which may or may not accept him into their fold. 

 

I'm hoping that Hunter will thicken out like my spotted mandy, Poseidon, in time:

 

IMG_20210320_182048_496.thumb.jpg.0db1a11c65c726565eff7a62d36c31a8.jpg

 

He definitely has the build for it, now he just needs the weight for it. 👍

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Snow_Phoenix
40 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Glad your feeling better. Hunter is lucky he has you looking out for him.

Thanks, Deb. I am still prepared to fail though. Dragonets can be tough to keep sometimes. Even with all the food & resources on hand, it still *might not be enough to keep one healthy and well long-term. 

 

They're still my favorite fish so far. Very rewarding to keep. And beautiful to watch. Especially when they playfully chase their reflection on the glass or pair up and spawn. 🥰

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Snow_Phoenix

Hunter eating pellets:

 

IMG_20210325_181948_538.thumb.jpg.be901fd14d101b8305796efa89b85461.jpg

 

My sunflower zoas have been shrinking. 😔

 

But my John Deere leptastrea has been growing. 😊

 

IMG_20210325_182128_395.thumb.jpg.6671df69eb905253245e71e1f7b7e9b8.jpg

 

Pavona & lepto:

 

IMG_20210325_182128_385.thumb.jpg.f1b13328b8e645cc192e8e7fa5fa5936.jpg

 

Sunny Ds:

 

IMG_20210325_182128_366.thumb.jpg.30d14ea114547fec7385caa0f64483b1.jpg

 

Seriatopora:

 

IMG_20210325_182234_531.thumb.jpg.513e8eadb6b5e8cac7e21103a438be65.jpg

 

IMG_20210325_182234_509.thumb.jpg.fdeacb401648411be284e31c7b96f4e7.jpg

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Snow_Phoenix
1 hour ago, debbeach13 said:

Sorry about the sunflower zoa's but overall most of the corals have such nice color. Looking very nice. I really like the look of that pavona. It looks like a flower!

Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with the sunflowers - but I hope it doesn't fade away because I truly like it. That's the issue with zoas and palys - they tend to shrivel up and melt for no reason sometimes. 

 

Thanks! I absolutely love the pavona too! It's a fast-grower, and already has the rose-petal-shape like the mother colony at my LFS. I really love it so far. :wub:

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Snow_Phoenix

Took a few pics earlier in the morning. 😊

 

Forest fire digi under 2 different light settings:

 

IMG_20210330_101845_392.thumb.jpg.abe908cfc7d246e16eb7d11eda2b9062.jpg

 

IMG_20210330_101845_408.thumb.jpg.affed9caf8d1d829adca27f936b9982b.jpg

 

Panda the clownfish:

 

IMG_20210330_102103_808.thumb.jpg.5cc05c67cbe1d0d718738859fd75a642.jpg

 

O.P. tenuis:

 

IMG_20210330_101713_647.thumb.jpg.87cdad51c59ce3f18479202659e49d6a.jpg

 

Bonsai: 

 

IMG_20210330_101713_676.thumb.jpg.c13ec44105ea46bd4e838bb053a596ba.jpg

 

Mini bali nem: 

 

IMG_20210330_101713_681.thumb.jpg.8a5f5f0c09632518fa80636a2d870eda.jpg

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growsomething

I really like the digi in the 1st pic since I like more natural light.  What light and settings were used in that pic?  Since adding a screen, my zoas are stretching.  I've had a new ai prime 16hd for a little while now, haven't bothered to get it out of the box.

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Snow_Phoenix
2 hours ago, growsomething said:

I really like the digi in the 1st pic since I like more natural light.  What light and settings were used in that pic?  Since adding a screen, my zoas are stretching.  I've had a new ai prime 16hd for a little while now, haven't bothered to get it out of the box.

I was using an Aquaknight M029 Spectra (Hipargero) at full power on all channels. The pics were taken with a yellow filter lens on though! 😊

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Snow_Phoenix

I've just moved a small chunk of rock which had three different types of shrooms on it from the 60G to the nano. I noticed one of my teal blue shrooms detached from the rocks in the 60G, and I did catch sight of it earlier in a different area of the tank, but when I went to remove it and isolate it the nano for recovery, it had already vanished - presumably having been tossed around by my flow. 😞

 

I truly hope it pops up back again, because that shroom was a bit rare and expensive here. 

 

The three shrooms that I've moved into my nano are: Ironman discosoma, red discosoma and white-striped-green discosoma. The shroom colors have darkened considerably during their time in the 60G, but I'm hoping they'll make a full recovery and return to full color/size in the 10G - especially the Ironman shroom, which was pricey. 

 

I'll try to do a WC tomorrow - if not, the day after.

 

Still am recovering from a bad neck strain/injury sustained a few days ago. 

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Snow_Phoenix

This is the discolored Ironman shroom that I transfered into the nano yesterday:

 

IMG_20210404_161952_928.thumb.jpg.4d4511546b82050831dffa614ce40498.jpg

 

Also transfered my Captain America palys, rasta & gorilla nipple zoas from the summit of the Zoa Tower to the Zoa Ledge as well:

 

IMG_20210404_161849_751.thumb.jpg.903c384b776cb00900929484f97cccc2.jpg

 

Hopefully, they can spread out better here. The purple monsters seem to be taking over everything though! 

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Snow_Phoenix

Moved 3 more shrooms from the 60G to the nano today for recovery:

 

IMG_20210407_174531_895.thumb.jpg.29ba277b4d0fb8c00a8940dc7b0c6273.jpg

 

The Ironman discosoma is still recovering, but I've started to see faint white dots returning on its surface:

 

IMG_20210407_161050_506.thumb.jpg.e2133ba1483a5204064efa7aaeaccf93.jpg

 

IMG_20210407_174243_825.thumb.jpg.7e873dcc56366d7abf8cd016eeba80f0.jpg

 

Harvey:

 

IMG_20210407_174314_503.thumb.jpg.ef42c7cc4bde6ce7785fe0c2d57a751f.jpg

 

Zoa ledge from above: 

 

IMG_20210407_174531_906.thumb.jpg.cf775119ac0a9c7d249059dc073ada9e.jpg

 

Rainbow brain:

 

IMG_20210407_174531_894.thumb.jpg.f7893b6c04205122938157675d61c851.jpg

 

Lobo:

 

IMG_20210407_174531_896.thumb.jpg.740dc043df23f49fa5a840a382fed2a6.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
Snow_Phoenix
3 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

Thinking of you.

It has been a couple weeks since you tagged in. I hope you are doing OK. 

Hi Debbeach - thanks for checking in on me. Life has been...up & down lately. I had a major setback recently (a depression spiral, actually), but I'm slowly recovering thanks to family & a few friends that I have. 

 

My tank fell into a state of neglect - I didn't WC it for weeks, and then I overdosed Alk. by accident and lost a lot of SPS. Few pieces remained unaffected, but a lot of the affected pieces had to be either downsized or thrown away (dead/half-dead white sticks 😞 ). 

 

I managed to perform a 8G WC recently though. 

 

Also, I lost several zoa morphs. My favorite Tubbs blue is very shrunken and barely open too. 😢

 

This is my most recent FTS, taken yesterday:

 

 

These are all the various SPS that I had to chop up to save it: 

 

Despite these setbacks, my Ironman mushroom has shown a lot of improvement in this tank and is bouncing back very well in terms of size & color:

 

 

 

I admit my attention has been a bit divided lately too. My uncle gifted me a two-tier tank stand, a 4' ft long tank & a lot of filter media & accessories recently. So I've been focusing more on these twin tanks:

 

I set up the new tank as a discus tank (top) & am using my old tank (bottom) for all of my older, aggressive fish - it's pretty much a predator setup. I'm content, but there's still a lot of work to be done, tank-wise. 

 

Hoping to pick up another pair of discus in 2 to 3 weeks, and get some simple, dither fish in the interim.

 

Oh! Forgot to add - I moved Hunter the blue mandarin back into my nanoreef about a week ago. Poseidon (my spotted mandy) in the 60G couldn't get along with him, and I was afraid Poseidon would kill him, so I transferred him to the 10G. He's already stable on pellets, and is *slowly gaining weight, but it will take months for him to thicken out properly. The female mandy, Zoey, is still in my 60G. My nano, stocked the way it is, cannot handle another fish, so I have leave Zoey behind in my large reef. 

 

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Snow_Phoenix
1 hour ago, debbeach13 said:

Hi Snow Sorry about the health set back. That 1st FTS picture POPS. Oh boy more tanks! I hope you don't over do it> I know I probably said it before but your health first then take care of the tanks.

Yeah, I currently have 5 tanks - 3 FW (2x 4'ft longs & 1x 10G betta AIO nanotank) & 2 reeftanks (1x 60G cube & 1x 10G nanoreef). I have to divide my time wisely though, because I still have to spend time with my hedgehog, hamster, parrot & dog. It definitely is a lot of animals to take care of, but they're my therapy somewhat. I feel more calm and collected around animals, and I can center myself & my thoughts/emotions more easily when I'm doing maintenance/bonding with any of my pets. 

 

Tbh, I was considering adopting another hamster by the end of this year, but I ran out of space. I still love all my animals though. :happy:

 

Right now, the 10G nanoreef is the most demanding set up that I have. The other tanks - even the large ones outdoors, are much more easier to maintain. 

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

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