Softie reef on a student budget

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

My point re the zoas 🤷

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

sulky zoa just wanted things dirtier lmao! I fed the hermits a couple of nights ago, accidentally dropped in a huge chunk of mysis and couldn't get it out from a nook in the rockwork, now the zoa is less retracted, though I haven't actually tested but no way such a big lump of food didn't lift the nitrates a lot. Tbh, my main issue with this tank is that it is TOO clean. Dove snails and hermit crabs are the only inhabitants.

 

Oh - and my little hermit, marshmallow, isn't dead - it was just a VERY intact, VERY blue extuvia I pulled out, but he's still in there thankfully. I did grab some more shells for em anyway though. 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

new clove polyps don't seem very happy and I'm not sure why. I am suspecting s flow issue though because i start all new frags on the sand on plugs for a day or two after a hydrogen peroxide dip, but moved the cloves up to the highest rock after just a few hours and they became less retracted but still are a bit....

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Hmmm never mind on the clove polyps, I got home and  they look super cheerful now 

 

Guess they just needed some more flow and time. 

I am too impatient sometimes, and too quick to jump to the worst case scenarios in my head. Ah well. 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Not had much time for reef stuff/pics between work and life things. Haven't tested anything in ages - my main issue is my hermits knocking the frags on plugs on the sand bed over then making them sulky for a bit. They don't sulk for long though. 

Added a couple of money cowries and a strombus snail too.  

It's become pretty low maintenance, I just top up daily, feed about two to three times a week, and do a 20% WC every one to two weeks and leave things for the most part. Nothing looks spectacular but I sit in front of it every morning with my coffee and there's lots of new polyps popping up. I might add more frags at some point because there's only 6 but I want to give things room to get huge. It's so satisfying buying tiny £5 frags and watching them grow.