IM 25: Mini Acro Graden

Acros · Feb 3, 2022

Currently in a power outage. Nervous

Power should be back in a couple hours.

Acros · Feb 21, 2022

Ecotech is replacing my light under warranty (the light is over an year old). Bummed that I ran into a problem (loosing connection with the app), but impressed with the customer service.

Acros · Mar 1, 2022

Added some frags from a fellow reefer. They look good. There are patches of cyano on the sand and rocks. It’s not a big deal as of now, I really do not want to use chemiclean.

Nitrates - 0
Phosphates - 0.012

I am really looking forward to the CCH Big Bang growing out, it’s the one in the middle.

Acros · Mar 10, 2022

Freaking hermit crab attacked my diamond goby, I was able to help him get it off.

Acros · Mar 22, 2022

Added the AliE bars today using a DIY mount.

Items required:

Aquatic life hybrid mount 24” version.
M5 0.8 x 16 mm (to fit the hybrid mount between the Radion light and the original Radion mount)
M3 0.5 x 10 mm (to mount LED bars to the hybrid mount)
5mm washer
3mm washer

Use washers as needed to compensate for extra length of the screws.

Bars attached using M3 screws and washers.

Didn’t realize that my acros were getting only 200 par. With the addition of the AliE bars, they all sit between 300 - 380.

Acros · Mar 27, 2022

Tank has been looking really good. Frags are encrusting at a decent pace. Almost no algae anywhere for the last 2+ weeks.

Luna Lagoona · Mar 28, 2022

jamesdomini4 said:
Tank has been looking really good. Frags are encrusting at a decent pace. Almost no algae anywhere for the last 2+ weeks.

Quite a journey my dude.

Glad things are stabilizing for you some!

What made you change out your fish? (The clown pair, and Damsel pair, for the Cardinals?)

Acros · Mar 28, 2022

Luna Lagoona said:
Quite a journey my dude.

Glad things are stabilizing for you some!

What made you change out your fish? (The clown pair, and Damsel pair, for the Cardinals?)

The clown pair died within 12 hours of me introducing a tuxedo urchin. I have no clue what happened. They started panicking after I added that urchin. It was the most bizarre thing; no one could give me an explanation. This incident occurred nine months ago; the urchin is still with me. They were the only fish in the tank at the time.

The damsel pair coexisted in harmony for three months. However, one fine day, they decided to start hating each other. The bigger one kept the smaller damsel pinned to a corner and nipping at it. I rehomed them within 2 hours of them starting to fight. I was fighting dinos (first round) when this happened and was feeding pellets four times a day. Once the dinos backed off, I cut down feeding to only once or twice a day. This could have been the triggering event. Once again, they were the only fish in the tank.

The cardinal trio has been in the tank for over five months now. They just hang out all day and are not mean. However, the biggest one gets the first picking when I feed the tank. They are not very active and hence do not need a lot of space, and the red eyes are a cool touch.

About a month back, I added a diamond goby. He is a character. He was timid at first and would not come out of his cave. It took a few days for him to be gain enough courage to explore the tank. Then my friend visited, and that was too many 'vertical sharks' in the room for the goby. It went into hiding for another week or so. lol. He has become very bold now and begs for food around tank feeding times (still scared of the algae scrubber).

It has been quite a journey. I battled dinos twice in one year and had months of only bad things happening in the tank. Those experiences have made me more confident now and gave me a better understanding of things.

Luna Lagoona · Mar 29, 2022

jamesdomini4 said:
The clown pair died within 12 hours of me introducing a tuxedo urchin. I have no clue what happened. They started panicking after I added that urchin. It was the most bizarre thing; no one could give me an explanation. This incident occurred nine months ago; the urchin is still with me. They were the only fish in the tank at the time.

The damsel pair coexisted in harmony for three months. However, one fine day, they decided to start hating each other. The bigger one kept the smaller damsel pinned to a corner and nipping at it. I rehomed them within 2 hours of them starting to fight. I was fighting dinos (first round) when this happened and was feeding pellets four times a day. Once the dinos backed off, I cut down feeding to only once or twice a day. This could have been the triggering event. Once again, they were the only fish in the tank.

The cardinal trio has been in the tank for over five months now. They just hang out all day and are not mean. However, the biggest one gets the first picking when I feed the tank. They are not very active and hence do not need a lot of space, and the red eyes are a cool touch.

About a month back, I added a diamond goby. He is a character. He was timid at first and would not come out of his cave. It took a few days for him to be gain enough courage to explore the tank. Then my friend visited, and that was too many 'vertical sharks' in the room for the goby. It went into hiding for another week or so. lol. He has become very bold now and begs for food around tank feeding times (still scared of the algae scrubber).

It has been quite a journey. I battled dinos twice in one year and had months of only bad things happening in the tank. Those experiences have made me more confident now and gave me a better understanding of things.

Yeah I had a bullet goby for a minute but it was a little vandal who loved getting big mouth fulls of sand and spitting it into the blew l wavemaker or directly into the mouths of coral and I was constantly chasing after it.

Later caused a bacterial bloom too.

They are tricky critters.

Acros · Apr 5, 2022

Baby trochus or baby Mexican turbos? The turbos have been in the tank for only 2 months now. Trochus snails were added in May 2021 (unfortunately all of them perished during my two dino outbreaks, last one died around mid Jan 2022).

Acros · Apr 28, 2022

I realize that the tank is coming up on its 1st anniversary in about a week. It is a mixed feeling; I feel good as the tank has been rock solid since Feb 2022, and all my corals have been growing. However, the overall progress is nowhere near what some of the other one-year-old tanks have. Regardless I am thrilled and enjoying it.

Thank you all for the support and guidance throughout this journey. I will upload a full tank shot next week.

rmorris_14 · Apr 28, 2022

jamesdomini4 said:
I realize that the tank is coming up on its 1st anniversary in about a week. It is a mixed feeling; I feel good as the tank has been rock solid since Feb 2022, and all my corals have been growing. However, the overall progress is nowhere near what some of the other one-year-old tanks have. Regardless I am thrilled and enjoying it.

Thank you all for the support and guidance throughout this journey. I will upload a full tank shot next week.

Congrats at your upcoming anniversary. My progress is very slow as well. I get tank envy and then feel kind of “self conscious”, let’s say of my simple setup. I try to remind myself, that we all have to go at our own pace. For me it’s about stress management. I don’t want to move forward with something new until I feel confident about what I currently have. Also, something is always coming up to deal with lol. The fact that you have maintained stability for the last year is no small feat. Take pride in that! Can’t wait to see the full tank shot!