Dawn's 36g Bowfront tank

[ManOfSalt]

thats insane that a serpent star will eat the shrimp and the goby!

 

[vlangel]

When they get large enough they will eat anything they can catch. Since they are nocturnal for the most part they can catch a small unsuspecting fish or shrimp. Fish are less likely to fall prey because even a sleeping fish wakes up pretty fast when a hairy arm is starting to wrap around them. I guess they don't assume that a hug is what the serpent star is after!

 

[ManOfSalt]

hahaha I suppose that's why fish sleep with more than one eye open!

 

[vlangel]

I had begun dosing with a new product, Nualgi 2 weeks ago. They sent me a free trial test sample and I have been using it with fear and trembling. After all its new, so who knows what'll happen-my tank might grow 2 heads! Anyhow its premise is incorporating micro elements so the diatoms and planktonic life utilize it and thrive and feed the animals while starving the nuisance algaes. I had been fighting a little nuisance algae from my heavy feedings so I decided why not try this-nothing ventured nothing gained. Yesterday was my 3rd dose and today I noticed my 2 patches of hair algae were easily brushed off the rock work so maybe it really does work. My parameters have been pretty consistent so the tank seems back to a place of stability, even though I treated with the Greenex for a week. All in all I am a happy camper, I mean aquarist!

 

[vlangel]

New Hammer

So today I fragged my frogspawn, chose the nicest of the fragged portion and took it our LFS for a trade. I've had my eye on a pink hammer they had. We traded even steven so I was thrilled!

 

[vlangel]

Some of my acans are starting to feel like they are between a rock and a stinging place! With so many corals with long stinging tentacles, it tough on the corals who lack such weapons.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Like your frogspawn! and I hate when corals go to war

 

[vlangel]

Like your frogspawn! and I hate when corals go to war

Did you notice my frogspawn is only half the coral he used to be?

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Ya he is a little smaller, but still looks good!! and so does your new one!

 

[vlangel]

Today my frogspawn looks very good. Quite a few of the heads were totally shaded so fragging actually is helping them 'to see the light'. Haha. The new pink hammer looks better today also. It has much shorter tentacles than my other hammer but it is very full looking so I think its happy where its at. I'll be taking a FTS for Nualgi so I'll post that later this week.

 

[ManOfSalt]

cool stuff Dawn! So has King Midas helped out with the nuissance algae at all?

 

[vlangel]

Thanks Micah! I never see King Midas graze. I do feed emerald entree and frozen brine enhanced with spiralina and frozen seaweed select.

 

[ManOfSalt]

Ahhh I see. My blenny takes a few nibbles of brine shrimp when I put it in. He never touches the seaweed I put in, but he just loooooves the hair algae.

 

[vlangel]

That sounds like a good thing to me. After all, hair algae is free and needs to be kept in check, haha!

 

[ManOfSalt]

Indeed! it almost makes me not want to try and get rid of all of it because he just seems to like it so much! I want to move towards a nitrate reducing solution by adding some caulerpa to my fuge and possibly some phosphate reducing chemicals but im torn! Im curious about this Nualgi solution of yours...

 

[vlangel]

I'll keep you posted as to what I experience with it. I did have 2 small patches of hair algae and it totally irradiated it. I have a feeling with Nualgi you won't have a choice about keeping a little hair algae. It'll either be all or nothing. I'm thinking if you want a little you are better off controlling nitrates and phosphates with macro algae and maybe gfo when necessary.

 

[vlangel]

I had not seen Cukes, my sea cucumber, for a week or more and was starting to worry about him. Then this morning, there he was munching away on some diatoms on the sand. What an odd fascinating creature!

 

[vlangel]

Here's a pic of Cukes. Photogenic lil' guy aint he? Added a FTS too.

 

[vlangel]

cool stuff Dawn! So has King Midas helped out with the nuissance algae at all?

After I told you I never saw King Midas graze, he started. That's so weird, like he's been reading my thread and wanted to make a liar out of me!LOL

 

[ManOfSalt]

hahaha!! It seemed kinda weird to me that he wasn't grazing at first! That's awesome seeing them munch away isn't it? My side wall was covered with algae and now it's almost gone. For such a small creature he's put some work in!