Adventures in keeping a SPS reef

[Llorgon]

My only issue with astrea is having to always check to make sure none need to be flipped over. 

 

Anyways I have 10 of each on order and they should come next week.

[mcarroll]

1 hour ago, Llorgon said:

My only issue with astrea is having to always check to make sure none need to be flipped over. 

 

Anyways I have 10 of each on order and they should come next week.

Good news!

 

When they are starving (ie no algae or only mature algae available) or being poisoned (ie Dinos) are the only time you should see that behavior, BTW.  

 

Larger snails like Astrea, Trochus and Turbos are MUCH more prone to it than smaller snails.  Being BIG comes with a price – the BIG appetite! But the big appetite is usually also the first to starve when food runs low.

 

In most cases it's from starvation.   You have a LOT of mature algae they won't be able to eat – so make sure you keep working on clearing that out.   The snails WILL keep those spaces clean once you clean them though, as long as you have enough so they can cover the whole tank.

[Llorgon]

On 1/12/2023 at 8:51 PM, mcarroll said:

Good news!

 

When they are starving (ie no algae or only mature algae available) or being poisoned (ie Dinos) are the only time you should see that behavior, BTW.  

 

Larger snails like Astrea, Trochus and Turbos are MUCH more prone to it than smaller snails.  Being BIG comes a price – the BIG appetite! But the big appetite is usually also the first to starve when food runs low.

 

In most cases it's from starvation.   You have a LOT of mature algae they won't be able to eat – so make sure you keep working on clearing that out.   The snails WILL keep those spaces clean once you clean them though, as long as you have enough so they can cover the whole tank.

Hmm it's been a constant thing with the astreas with me. Ceriths and trochus seem to do fine, but I always had issues with astrea.

 

Some good news, cuc I ordered came today. It didn't end up being the 10 and 10 I originally ordered, but 5 ceriths and a tuxedo urchin!! Finally caught it when it was in stock. Hopefully it will help make a bit of a dent in at least some of the algae.

Some of the corals are actually looking pretty good. My montipora is as green as I have seen it in a long time and the acan I put in is looking nice and big. Even one of the euphyllia has been looking good. The other one from the 25g is less happy looking though.

[Llorgon]

Small update. Still talking with Triton to see if my water sample has even arrived. Hopefully they find it tomorrow. They have a record of me registering the sample and that's it.

Montipora and one of the euphyllia are still looking good. The other test euphyllia is sad and I cannot seem to keep algae off the space invaders.

Algae in general is no better, still growing pretty quick. I am not dosing any nitrate or phosphates. I have some messages out on facebook to see if I can get some chaeto from someone in town. Hopefully adding that to the refugium will out compete the algae in the display.

I'm really not sure where to go with the tank and algae at this point. I'm removing algae nightly for months now and I don't seem to be making any headway. Every weekend I remove cups of the stuff and within a week it's back.

 

And the thought of the urchin helping with the algae was short lived. It ate a tiny patch of algae at the top of the glass yesterday and seems to be dead on the sand as of last night. At least it hasn't moved and seems to have lost all it's spines. All other inverts and fish seem to be fine.

This hobby sure is fun.... Maybe I turn this into a softy tank and use their weed like growth to kill the algae

[TheCoffeeReef]

Hearing that the urchin passed so soon, the amount of algae bloom and your constant battle really makes it sound like something long standing has it's grip there. 

 

Could it be time to consider what I've seen discussed elsewhere here, a rip-clean?

 

Hope you get somewhere with the testing!

[Llorgon]

20 hours ago, TheCoffeeReef said:

Hearing that the urchin passed so soon, the amount of algae bloom and your constant battle really makes it sound like something long standing has it's grip there. 

 

Could it be time to consider what I've seen discussed elsewhere here, a rip-clean?

 

Hope you get somewhere with the testing!

Ya, I wonder about that as well. I'm just not sure what it would be. The tank went downhill in like a week and has never really recovered. Hopefully triton support can give me an update on where my water test is on Monday.

 

Anyways I did my weekly water change and algae removal. I completely scraped the left side of the glass and removed the algae and Coraline. I also moved the powerheads to be pointing more to the back of the tank and see if that helps anything flow wise.

 

I also moved the test euphyllia back to my 25g and it's starting to look better already.

[mcarroll]

16 hours ago, Llorgon said:

Good job on the algae – those photos are the best I think I've seen it look!!  👍 For reference, you can see the source of your "problem" in the cleaned areas – look how bare the rock still is in between the algae growth.  Looks like bare aragonite for the most part.  IMO this is A) from the lack of nutritients until recently, and B) from the lack of cleanup crew....they have a role in spreading the stuff they eat, and they move WAY faster than most beneficial algae and microbes...so...are an important vector for "good guy" algae and critters that populate your live rock.  This was an ongoing double-whammy to your rocks that you only started solving when you ended the nutrients bottoming out.  The fact that green algae gained dominance became your "third whammy"...because of that, it had a big role in the nutrients zeroing out as well.

 

At some point that topmost layer of rock (closest to the light) is going to need to be covered – ideally by corals, but something – or algae will keep dropping spores there to grow.  If you ever scrape coralline algae, it can be slightly worth collecting the "dust" and sprinkling it into your rocks IMO.

 

Bummer on the urchin, but that happens....could've been the same for your snails, but you were lucky.  Mail order is somewhat a roll of the dice every time.   Unfortunately, if all they sent you was 5 Cerith snails and the urchin that didn't make it, now I think you may need more CUC again.  (You might ask them about the already-dead urchin while you're at it.)

 

5 Cerith can only do so much in such a large tank, even if they grind 24/7.  I think you'd need 50 if the algae was gonna be left to just Ceriths.  Maybe 100.  

 

Some bigger snails are definitely called for IF they become available.  But if not, you could order a ton of littles...you wouldn't be the first.

 

On 1/20/2023 at 7:09 PM, Llorgon said:

This hobby sure is fun....

It's definitely a lot of work to shoulder when you have a tiny or non-existent cleanup crew......

 

I was in almost the same boat when I first moved my system into the 125G a couple years ago or so....I literally had zero CUC, and after many years (9+) running that way, had a small event happen (power outage, to keep this short), and ended up with a nasty hair algae bloom.  Between the event that caused it and the algae bloom itself, I lost a lot of coral....including a basketball-sized ORA birds nest coral.

 

I can't remember if I posted any pics online, but in my memory it was about like your pics.....long story, but like you, I was not happy at all.  🤦‍♂️  

 

LFS's in the area had all closed, so there was NO cleanup crew available for a long time.  After months of it, a chain store (of all places) got a Yellow Tang in stock.  I had 125 fishless gallons and a desperation's worth of algae growth, so I purchased.  Thankfully, no issues.  Little progress on the algae though.  (Fish aren't good CUC....not for something like this anyway.)

 

After some more time, a friend donated two gigantic Turbo snails (almost tennis-ball sized today) that had outgrown their tank and the chain store got some Astreas I brought home.    Within weeks (in my recollection at least) the hair algae subsided to zero....eventually some patches of cyano showed up, which I take as a healthy sign.  A little is a good sign of maturity or stability after an event like that, IMO.

 

So I (and a lot of other folks here) are totally "with you" on this journey – for the good and "bad" of it.  🙂  It's a learning experience!!  Right?  (FYI, my tank has a few types of algae growing now, but it never blooms.  IMO this is ideal. 👌)

[PJPS]

3 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Good job on the algae – those photos are the best I think I've seen it look!!  👍 For reference, you can see the source of your "problem" in the cleaned areas – look how bare the rock still is in between the algae growth.  Looks like bare aragonite for the most part.  IMO this is A) from the lack of nutritients until recently, and B) from the lack of cleanup crew....they have a role in spreading the stuff they eat, and they move WAY faster than most beneficial algae and microbes...so...are an important vector for "good guy" algae and critters that populate your live rock.  This was an ongoing double-whammy to your rocks that you only started solving when you ended the nutrients bottoming out.  The fact that green algae gained dominance became your "third whammy"...because of that, it had a big role in the nutrients zeroing out as well.

 

At some point that topmost layer of rock (closest to the light) is going to need to be covered – ideally by corals, but something – or algae will keep dropping spores there to grow.  If you ever scrape coralline algae, it can be slightly worth collecting the "dust" and sprinkling it into your rocks IMO.

 

Bummer on the urchin, but that happens....could've been the same for your snails, but you were lucky.  Mail order is somewhat a roll of the dice every time.   Unfortunately, if all they sent you was 5 Cerith snails and the urchin that didn't make it, now I think you may need more CUC again.  (You might ask them about the already-dead urchin while you're at it.)

 

5 Cerith can only do so much in such a large tank, even if they grind 24/7.  I think you'd need 50 if the algae was gonna be left to just Ceriths.  Maybe 100.  

 

Some bigger snails are definitely called for IF they become available.  But if not, you could order a ton of littles...you wouldn't be the first.

 

It's definitely a lot of work to shoulder when you have a tiny or non-existent cleanup crew......

 

I was in almost the same boat when I first moved my system into the 125G a couple years ago or so....I literally had zero CUC, and after many years (9+) running that way, had a small event happen (power outage, to keep this short), and ended up with a nasty hair algae bloom.  Between the event that caused it and the algae bloom itself, I lost a lot of coral....including a basketball-sized ORA birds nest coral.

 

I can't remember if I posted any pics online, but in my memory it was about like your pics.....long story, but like you, I was not happy at all.  🤦‍♂️  

 

LFS's in the area had all closed, so there was NO cleanup crew available for a long time.  After months of it, a chain store (of all places) got a Yellow Tang in stock.  I had 125 fishless gallons and a desperation's worth of algae growth, so I purchased.  Thankfully, no issues.  Little progress on the algae though.  (Fish aren't good CUC....not for something like this anyway.)

 

After some more time, a friend donated two gigantic Turbo snails (almost tennis-ball sized today) that had outgrown their tank and the chain store got some Astreas I brought home.    Within weeks (in my recollection at least) the hair algae subsided to zero....eventually some patches of cyano showed up, which I take as a healthy sign.  A little is a good sign of maturity or stability after an event like that, IMO.

 

So I (and a lot of other folks here) are totally "with you" on this journey – for the good and "bad" of it.  🙂  It's a learning experience!!  Right?  (FYI, my tank has a few types of algae growing now, but it never blooms.  IMO this is ideal. 👌)

Our philosophies align, I don't get cyano either, but I keep all the herbivores eating.  When algae starts to be visible, manually remove anything over 1/4 inch and add CuC or feed less.  This is the best algae control methodolgy I've found. I feed 

 

[Llorgon]

On 1/23/2023 at 4:28 AM, mcarroll said:

Good job on the algae – those photos are the best I think I've seen it look!!  👍 For reference, you can see the source of your "problem" in the cleaned areas – look how bare the rock still is in between the algae growth.  Looks like bare aragonite for the most part.  IMO this is A) from the lack of nutritients until recently, and B) from the lack of cleanup crew....they have a role in spreading the stuff they eat, and they move WAY faster than most beneficial algae and microbes...so...are an important vector for "good guy" algae and critters that populate your live rock.  This was an ongoing double-whammy to your rocks that you only started solving when you ended the nutrients bottoming out.  The fact that green algae gained dominance became your "third whammy"...because of that, it had a big role in the nutrients zeroing out as well.

 

At some point that topmost layer of rock (closest to the light) is going to need to be covered – ideally by corals, but something – or algae will keep dropping spores there to grow.  If you ever scrape coralline algae, it can be slightly worth collecting the "dust" and sprinkling it into your rocks IMO.

Ya, right after a cleaning and water change the tank looks great, end of the week not so much.

 

The rocks look a bit more bare in photos than in person. I'm starting to see some pink and purple in places. 

 

When I scrapped off the Coraline from the side of the tank I left the powerheads on for a bit to get some of the Coraline on the rocks. The water also had a bit of a pink tint to it for about half an hour after the water change.

On 1/23/2023 at 4:28 AM, mcarroll said:

 

Bummer on the urchin, but that happens....could've been the same for your snails, but you were lucky.  Mail order is somewhat a roll of the dice every time.   Unfortunately, if all they sent you was 5 Cerith snails and the urchin that didn't make it, now I think you may need more CUC again.  (You might ask them about the already-dead urchin while you're at it.)

 

5 Cerith can only do so much in such a large tank, even if they grind 24/7.  I think you'd need 50 if the algae was gonna be left to just Ceriths.  Maybe 100.  

 

Some bigger snails are definitely called for IF they become available.  But if not, you could order a ton of littles...you wouldn't be the first.

The urchin had lost a bunch of spines in the bag. It did eat a bit of algae before it died. I asked the LFS about it, but I didn't think to take pictures of it in the bag so there's nothing they will do.

 

Ya, I'll need more cuc. it's never ending! I seem to have better luck with the smaller snails than big ones. I might try a turbo again if one becomes available. A heard of ceriths might not be such a bad idea though.

On 1/23/2023 at 4:28 AM, mcarroll said:

 

It's definitely a lot of work to shoulder when you have a tiny or non-existent cleanup crew......

 

I was in almost the same boat when I first moved my system into the 125G a couple years ago or so....I literally had zero CUC, and after many years (9+) running that way, had a small event happen (power outage, to keep this short), and ended up with a nasty hair algae bloom.  Between the event that caused it and the algae bloom itself, I lost a lot of coral....including a basketball-sized ORA birds nest coral.

 

I can't remember if I posted any pics online, but in my memory it was about like your pics.....long story, but like you, I was not happy at all.  🤦‍♂️  

 

LFS's in the area had all closed, so there was NO cleanup crew available for a long time.  After months of it, a chain store (of all places) got a Yellow Tang in stock.  I had 125 fishless gallons and a desperation's worth of algae growth, so I purchased.  Thankfully, no issues.  Little progress on the algae though.  (Fish aren't good CUC....not for something like this anyway.)

 

After some more time, a friend donated two gigantic Turbo snails (almost tennis-ball sized today) that had outgrown their tank and the chain store got some Astreas I brought home.    Within weeks (in my recollection at least) the hair algae subsided to zero....eventually some patches of cyano showed up, which I take as a healthy sign.  A little is a good sign of maturity or stability after an event like that, IMO.

 

So I (and a lot of other folks here) are totally "with you" on this journey – for the good and "bad" of it.  🙂  It's a learning experience!!  Right?  (FYI, my tank has a few types of algae growing now, but it never blooms.  IMO this is ideal. 👌)

I know it will get better at some point, but it is frustrating. 

 

I've been trying to scape the algae off the rocks instead of picking it off. It's not as easy, but the algae doesn't seem to come back. 

 

I took some pictures before my water change this week. How quickly the algae grows on things is impressive. I had a new piece of rock rubble in the tank after the last water change and it was completely covered in long algae by the end of the week.

 

Also, it took a month, but the n-doc test results came in!

 

https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/n-doc/4548

 

Photos of the tank at the end of the week.

[PJPS]

Manual removal, add 30 astrea (maybe more) and a couple of conchs, otherwise it'll just keep coming.  Herbivores are the cure, not water changes or nutrient levels/ratios.

 

Toothbrush the rocks with a power filter in the tank to cllect what you scrub off.

 

just my $0.02

 

See Richard Ross's 2022 MACNA talk on algae.  His concepts haven't failed me aince I adopted them (prior to the talk).  Best algae controlI've ever used by a factor of 1,000,000

[mcarroll]

56 minutes ago, Llorgon said:

Ya know, this is just a thought, but...

 

Going bare bottom would eliminate about 50% of your algae cover.  You can add sand again when the bloom has passed, if you want.

 

Walls are a quick scrape.

 

Then almost 100% of your effort can be on the corals and rocks.   Hopefully that will help until the next round of snails come in.

[PJPS]

5 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

Ya know, this is just a thought, but...

 

Going bare bottom would eliminate about 50% of your algae cover.  You can add sand again when the bloom has passed, if you want.

 

Walls are a quick scrape.

 

Then almost 100% of your effort can be on the corals and rocks.   Hopefully that will help until the next round of snails come in.

This isn't crazy.  Just a matter of how established your bio filtration is.  Maybe pull the sand 33% a week? 

[Llorgon]

23 hours ago, PJPS said:

Manual removal, add 30 astrea (maybe more) and a couple of conchs, otherwise it'll just keep coming.  Herbivores are the cure, not water changes or nutrient levels/ratios.

 

Toothbrush the rocks with a power filter in the tank to cllect what you scrub off.

 

just my $0.02

 

See Richard Ross's 2022 MACNA talk on algae.  His concepts haven't failed me aince I adopted them (prior to the talk).  Best algae controlI've ever used by a factor of 1,000,000

I checked out that talk. It was pretty interesting. I do need more snails and the power filter is a good idea. I have been netting floating pieces out and letting them get caught by the filter floss in the sump.

 

22 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Ya know, this is just a thought, but...

 

Going bare bottom would eliminate about 50% of your algae cover.  You can add sand again when the bloom has passed, if you want.

 

Walls are a quick scrape.

 

Then almost 100% of your effort can be on the corals and rocks.   Hopefully that will help until the next round of snails come in.

 

22 hours ago, PJPS said:

This isn't crazy.  Just a matter of how established your bio filtration is.  Maybe pull the sand 33% a week? 

Honestly, I have thought of removing the sand. It is probably the reason for the high organic carbon the n-doc test said I have.

 

I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet since I don't really like the look of bare bottom, but it would probably make things easier and I could always get a coral that would cover the bottom...

[Llorgon]

Here's some pics of the tank after this weekends cleaning. 

 

I'm slowly moving the acans out of the 25g and into this tank. They all seem to be doing well so far. I still have 6 or so more to move. I also put the toadstool in to see how that goes. Then I can restart the 25g.

[PJPS]

I love sand, I'd put it back after... maybe give it a few days in AF lifesource mud to recreate some bacteria.. couple of jars of pods, phyto dosing, bingo, you're back in business one you scrub the rock. with a more robust foundation.

[PJPS]

1 minute ago, Llorgon said:

Here's some pics of the tank after this weekends cleaning. 

 

I'm slowly moving the acans out of the 25g and into this tank. They all seem to be doing well so far. I still have 6 or so more to move. I also put the toadstool in to see how that goes. Then I can restart the 25g.

it's definitely less algae, you're making a dent!  Keep at it 🙂

[Llorgon]

3 minutes ago, PJPS said:

I love sand, I'd put it back after... maybe give it a few days in AF lifesource mud to recreate some bacteria.. couple of jars of pods, phyto dosing, bingo, you're back in business one you scrub the rock. with a more robust foundation.

I added a 100g seed pack of various pods in Oct and I have been dosing live phyto daily since adding them. I haven't tried the mud. I'll look into that.

1 minute ago, PJPS said:

it's definitely less algae, you're making a dent!  Keep at it 🙂

It always looks better after a cleaning... End of the week not so much.

 

So, I have been trying to scrape the rocks of algae and it seems to be doing a good job of keeping the algae from coming back. But I'm not seeing anything else come back in the spot that was removed of algae. I have to clean the glass every 2-3days, but the rock seems to have the gha or mostly nothing on it.

 

I removed a big chunk of bubble algae almost a month ago and that spot on the rock is still white.

 

See the attached photo of the algae free spot on the rock. That was last touched 2 weeks ago.

 

Is this normal? It might be why I never see any of the cuc on the rocks.

[PJPS]

that's why you need herbivores in there, before/day after scrubbing.  They are what keeps it back.  If you buy too many, give them back to your LFS... or just feed more

 

I have 30 various snails in a 20G...

 

https://www.aquaticlog.com/aquariums/shieldspj/2/inhabitants

[mcarroll]

11 minutes ago, Llorgon said:

I checked out that talk. It was pretty interesting. I do need more snails and the power filter is a good idea. I have been netting floating pieces out and letting them get caught by the filter floss in the sump.

 

 

Honestly, I have thought of removing the sand. It is probably the reason for the high organic carbon the n-doc test said I have.

 

I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet since I don't really like the look of bare bottom, but it would probably make things easier and I could always get a coral that would cover the bottom...

 

IMO, this is the best method for removing algae from the tank – and it's very simple, not requiring another filter or anything....just a bowl of water.  (Hopefully this isn't my first time liniking this vid here as much as we've talked about this algae!)

 

His "2 turbos per gallon" upper limit is a useful thing to keep in mind if you think you're being shy about adding CUC fast enough.  (Not saying you are.)

 

1 minute ago, Llorgon said:

I have to clean the glass every 2-3days, but the rock seems to have the gha or mostly nothing on it.

IMO, that rock, specifically, needs a coral on it.  No joke.

 

4 minutes ago, Llorgon said:

Is this normal? It might be why I never see any of the cuc on the rocks.

CUC is crucial for spreading goodies on the rocks, not just cleaning up pests.  

 

So there's been a self-reinforcing loop between the lack of nutrients and lack of CUC.   You're breaking out of that loop now though – it just takes time, and a few orders of CUC. 😉 

[PJPS]

I don't like lanthanum chloride in a tank with tangs, but if the algae won't let go, it'll help with that 100%.

 

Either way, more coral for sure, even cheap/free.crappy stuff you'll give away later, just get it filled 🙂

[mcarroll]

1 hour ago, PJPS said:

I don't like lanthanum chloride in a tank with tangs, but if the algae won't let go, it'll help with that 100%.

 

Either way, more coral for sure, even cheap/free.crappy stuff you'll give away later, just get it filled 🙂

That's the only part of melev's vid I don't recommend.....while he does mention phosphate remover in the vid, I consider that something more specific to his display system vs something related to algae removal that everyone needs to pay attention to.  (It's coincidental to removal at best.)

 

I still have to recommend the vid as it's THE BEST depiction of how to remove algae without mess...and also demonstrates why NOT to panic.  🙂 

[Llorgon]

2 hours ago, PJPS said:

that's why you need herbivores in there, before/day after scrubbing.  They are what keeps it back.  If you buy too many, give them back to your LFS... or just feed more

 

I have 30 various snails in a 20G...

 

https://www.aquaticlog.com/aquariums/shieldspj/2/inhabitants

Unfortunately, I don't have the option to return things to a LFS since I have to order everything and have it shipped for the most part. It's also part of the reason I have been a bit too conservative on the cuc.

 

I don't even have 30 snails in this tank! Well, unless you count the huge number of tiny less than thumbnail size snails that seem to be in there.

 

2 hours ago, mcarroll said:

 

IMO, this is the best method for removing algae from the tank – and it's very simple, not requiring another filter or anything....just a bowl of water.  (Hopefully this isn't my first time liniking this vid here as much as we've talked about this algae!)

 

His "2 turbos per gallon" upper limit is a useful thing to keep in mind if you think you're being shy about adding CUC fast enough.  (Not saying you are.)

Ah yes, I have seen this video and use the water trick when I am pulling algae out.

 

Time and time again I have tried Turbos in the various tanks I have had and the longest one lasted a month. I seem to have terrible luck with them. The last one I ordered for this tank lasted a week or a bit less. The other snails were all fine.

2 hours ago, mcarroll said:

 

IMO, that rock, specifically, needs a coral on it.  No joke.

So, I need to start stocking coral again... which I have been hesitant to do since the algae seems to smother things.

 

2 hours ago, mcarroll said:

 

CUC is crucial for spreading goodies on the rocks, not just cleaning up pests.  

 

So there's been a self-reinforcing loop between the lack of nutrients and lack of CUC.   You're breaking out of that loop now though – it just takes time, and a few orders of CUC. 😉 

Makes sense, I'm lacking in the cuc so the rocks don't get seeded as quickly. I have got out of the weekly testing the last couple of week just due to busyness. I'm hoping to get back on it tomorrow. I know nutrients are down since there is less algae in the tank.

 

2 hours ago, PJPS said:

I don't like lanthanum chloride in a tank with tangs, but if the algae won't let go, it'll help with that 100%.

 

Either way, more coral for sure, even cheap/free.crappy stuff you'll give away later, just get it filled 🙂

so go on a soft coral binge to take up rock space and then slowly switch them out as time goes on.

 

1 hour ago, mcarroll said:

That's the only part of melev's vid I don't recommend.....while he does mention phosphate remover in the vid, I consider that something more specific to his display system vs something related to algae removal that everyone needs to pay attention to.  (It's coincidental to removal at best.)

 

I still have to recommend the vid as it's THE BEST depiction of how to remove algae without mess...and also demonstrates why NOT to panic.  🙂 

I don't use anything other than a skimmer and water changes to remove nutrients. And even the skimmer is only on for half the day.

[mcarroll]

55 minutes ago, Llorgon said:

So, I need to start stocking coral again... which I have been hesitant to do since the algae seems to smother things.

You'll just have to be mindful about what you add – nothing with a lot of bare skeleton, obviously!!  🙂. And of course set a snail or two near the coral after you place it so they know the area is groom-able!

 

(And of course....get more CUC in the mean time.  LOL)

 

55 minutes ago, Llorgon said:

so go on a soft coral binge to take up rock space and then slowly switch them out as time goes on.

"Binge" might be overstating it....but yeah, if there are "logical" places like the other one, I'd say clean em up then fill em up.  👍

 

55 minutes ago, Llorgon said:

I don't use anything other than a skimmer and water changes to remove nutrients. And even the skimmer is only on for half the day.

Does it need to be off half the day for noise or something?

[Llorgon]

43 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

You'll just have to be mindful about what you add – nothing with a lot of bare skeleton, obviously!!  🙂. And of course set a snail or two near the coral after you place it so they know the area is groom-able!

 

(And of course....get more CUC in the mean time.  LOL)

I can order cuc and corals at the same time. I will definitely stick to some easier and maybe faster growing ones at first.

43 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

 

"Binge" might be overstating it....but yeah, if there are "logical" places like the other one, I'd say clean em up then fill em up.  👍

 

Does it need to be off half the day for noise or something?

I turn it off when I add the live phyto for a few hours. No other reason.

[mcarroll]

15 hours ago, Llorgon said:

I turn it off when I add the live phyto for a few hours. No other reason.

Out of curiosity, does adding phyto knock down the foam in the skimmer like when other feeding happens?