And now for something a little different ...

[LBReefer]

I've been trying to get a good FTS, buts it's been a struggle.



The daytime shots pick up a lot of glare as there are lights and windows on the other side of the room.


And most of the fish are asleep or startled when I try to boost the lights for a nighttime shot.

I've had to go on little safaris to find them hiding out:

 

[LBReefer]

Updated frag shots. Mixed bag to say the least.

This guy is STNing for reasons I can't explain.

This new(ish) frag has signs of new growth.

This guy is a complete mixed bag. The tips are growing well, but the center area died off completely. I thought about fragging the frag, but I was worried that I'd end up with pieces to small to do much with.

 

[LBReefer]

Here are a few of the other frags in the tank. To say that I have inconsistent growth would be an understatement. I'm pretty sure that my fluctuating parameters are to blame. I believe that I had a bad batch of red sea pro. It mixed up at 5.9 all instead of the usual 11. I'm waiting to get the packing slip to send in my sample.

On with the pictures:

Purple style seems to grow well on the upside, but died off on the side closest to the rock.

The cyphestria has been a consistent solid performer. I wish I had bought a few more pieces for the bottom of my tank.

I think this was a superman monti. It has also been a steady grower, despite some competition from some very stubborn vermitid worms.

This guy has never really colored up the way he looked in the store. I'm settling for not dying as a sign of success.

My softies did not appreciate the increase in alk. Or maybe it's my nitrates which are coming in around 20.

Thia guy has also stalled out on his growth. I'm thinking a better location with a bit more light and flow may serve it better. I'm open to suggestions.

My second attempt at fragging seems destined for failure. I couldn't get these guys to stay on a drag plug.

 

[LBReefer]

Both of the plating montis seem super happy, despite taking some abuse in terms of moving about the tank. I can't wait until they grow in.

 

[LBReefer]

Before heading out of town for a retreat, I decided to catch up on some overdue testing. I was shocked by the results.

To start with the good news:
My phosphates have leveled out at 14ppb
My nitrates have stabilized at 20
My alkalinity has slowly kept back to the 11

But ...
My calcium levels plummeted. They were down to 225 from 450+. I'm unclear if this is the result of my increasing alk, a breakdown in my dos, an increase in intake or a combination of all of the above.

I have some homework ahead of me.

 

[LBReefer]

I am getting dramatically different results from my Red Sea and Hanna checker alkalinity tests. My Hanna tests show the alk at around 4 and the calcium around 217. My Red Sea test shows around 8 for alk. I still need to re-rerun my calcium.

I have contacted Red Sea to have them test my alk and calcium.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[LBReefer]

Updated photos:

My Naso tang setting up alongside my Zoas

Updated Yellow Tang shot. This guy continues to amaze me. He has settled down significantly over the last year and is a lovely flash of color to follow around the tank.

The three amigos certainly enjoy their seaweed.

The Kole Tang had a bit of a health scare a few months ago. He seems to have rebounded well, and although not as aggressive as the other three tangs, he still offers plenty of personality.

My wannabe tang aka Dwarf Angel. This guy has settled in from his transfer last year. Although less than a fifth of the size of some of the tangs, he certainly gives them a run for their money.

The plating coral has fully-recovered from its transfer from the other side of the aquarium. I am looking forward to watching this guy grow.

My newest acro shows signs of full recovery and even a bit of growth. Fingers crossed.

 

[LBReefer]

Updated FTS:

 

[LBReefer]

Hippo Tang

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nice acquisition, work and progress writing!

 

[NY_Caveman]

Some incredible fish in there you have captured beautifully.

 

[LBReefer]

I don't want to jinx anything, but this guy has been going four months strong. It's been nearly impossible to get a good shot of him, but this will work.

 

[LBReefer]

Thank you very much

 

[LBReefer]

I decided to frag some of my zoas to transplant to my office tank.

Giving the difficulty of maintaining two tanks and the fact that I can't utilize an Apex at the office, a softie tank seems to my best bet there.

Here are a few of the snapshots from the after:

 

[LBReefer]

It looks like everyone made it overnight. They have started opening up this am.

 

[LBReefer]

Once I started fragging, I decided to grab samples from two other zoa colonies. Hopefully these colonies recovery quickly. I feel like this has been a traumatic weekend for them.

 

[LBReefer]

A few more fragging photos from today's harvest:

 

[LBReefer]

One of my mushrooms decided to split and it motivated me to try a few more frags:

And my remaining mushrooms filling their complaint:

 

[LBReefer]

I picked up a new Green BTA at the black Friday sale I mentioned in my other tank build thread. Hopefully this one fairs better than my other two. I have a Rainbow BTA that has done very well and has split a few times, but the green ones seems to not do well.

Here's a slightly photoshopped shot. I am still too cheap to pick up one of the polyp lab lenses to correct for the blues.

 

[LBReefer]

I was super excited to see this guy pop up on the other side of the tank this week. I hadn't seen him in a few months and I've seen nothing of his partner pistol shrimp. I'd like to replace the shrimp, but they seem hard to come by.

I also took some actinic shots of a few corals while I was at it: