Markkazdad's Aqueon Evolve 2

[markkazdad]

It's been about 5 weeks. I added CUC yesterday, did a 2 quart water change today and tested parameters (ammonia seems a little high, close to 0.25). This morning I was concerned because the damsel seemed to have very faded blue; its body was almost yellow and translucent from some angles, but it was eating, and now that the lights have been on a while, he is bright blue again.

I do seem to have an algae problem though. I think this is hair algae. I'm not sure if the CUC will eat it or not. I'll be doing reduced lighting for a few days due to my needing to sleep during the day, so maybe that will help.

Should I do another partial water change tonight or tomorrow since I added so many snails yesterday? The damsel has been in here about a week. It's possible I'm overfeeding it.

Questions and suggestions always welcome.

FTS:

Yellow showing through blue:

Algae:

Parameter test:

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

The damsel is dine I would think. Most all fish are like that in the morning.

I would do a water change if I were you.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I second the water change.

The hair algae looks like Bryopsis. I hate to tell you, but not many things eat Bryopsis. Some Mexican Turbo snails will eat them if they are not fed for awhile. Some lettuce slugs eat them as well, but finding the right one is not easy. I see that they are growing on glass surfaces. Does the rock have some, too?

 

[markkazdad]

I think it is only on the glass. I may have to lift the rock out to clean it. Even the mini magfloat is too thick to squeeze around the rock.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

You may find them on the rock, too, if the glass surfaces are covered up.

I hear that some people had eradicated bryopsis by raising magnesium level to 1600 ppm or so with Kent Tech M.

Since your tank is so small, it is not going to be very costly to treat it with Kent Tech M. However, you need to be very careful not to raise the level very high at once. Not only you don't want to give your livestock an osmotic shock, but many magnesium preparations also have a tiny amount of ammonia as a byproduct of manufacturing process and affect inverts adversely if dosed in a high amount at once.

When I started my 15 gallon tank many years ago, a tiny bryopsis sprouted out of my rock. I was kinda fond of it because it looked like a Boston fern. I had a few astraea snails and a Mexican turbo snail with a pointy shell. When they run out the supply of all the algae to eat, the Mexican turbo ate my Bryopsis. I was rather sad about it. Ignorance was a bliss. If I knew about it then, I am sure that I would have been panic stricken about it.

 

[WesW]

The tank is looking good. Hopefully the hair algae is just on the glass and not the rocks.

If it does end up on the rock, what do you guys think about removing the live rock and dripping hydrogen peroxide on the parts of the rock that have bryopsis? Or dipping the infected rock in a very diluted H2O2 dip? You would also need to lower the nutrients in the tank so it doesn't come back.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

You can try H2O2 or vinegar right on the bryposis on the rock if you can take the rock outside of your tank. The key is to find and kill the algae early before they proliferate in your tank.

You need to keep the nutrient load low by changing water and not feeding the fish. The API nitrate test is not accurate in the low range. Any level under 10 typically shows up as almost zero. The low reading can be the result of the algae consuming the nitrate, too.

 

[impur]

I don't think that is bryopsis, though its hard to tell in the pic. I get an algae like that growing on the glass every time i setup a new tank. In the past my tang took care of it. I also got it when I setup my 29gal biocube about 3 or 4 months ago. I just removed it when i cleaned the glass and it never came back after adding my CUC and some corals.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

It's hard to say if it's really bryopsis or if it's derbesia without looking at each strand. Some of them look to me like they have fern like or furry strand. Does any of them look furry or have fern leaf like strand?

 

[markkazdad]

It's hard to say if it's really bryopsis or if it's derbesia without looking at each strand. Some of them look to me like they have fern like or furry strand. Does any of them look furry or have fern leaf like strand?

Here's a closeup I made this morning. If it is still too blurry, I will try again with the pump off and maybe a different lens or camera settings. I only see it on the glass.

 

[impur]

Darn, yah that looks like bryopsis. I would try to remove it by hand as often as you see it. Maybe you can keep it at bay before it gets a stranglehold anywhere.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Looks like Bryopsis to me...

 

[markkazdad]

Looks like Bryopsis to me...

Before I even had time to look up bryopsis, I took a look in the tank, and those long strands are now all gone. I guess something ate it!

I don't know if that counts as being patient, or being lazy, but I'll take it.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

That's great! Bryopsis is the toughest alga to get rid of. I am glad that your lawn mower on the glass wall is working hard. What kind of snail is that one on the glass?

 

[markkazdad]

That's great! Bryopsis is the toughest alga to get rid of. I am glad that your lawn mower on the glass wall is working hard. What kind of snail is that one on the glass?

J. deereus

Seriously, if you mean the big round snail, I believe that is an Antillean nerite, Nerita fulgurans. I ordered a 15g "quick crew" from reefcleaners, split it between my 10g and 2g and had enough leftover to give some of each kind to EmilyXLC.

The description on the reefcleaners page says:

"We are currently offering the longer lived and quite hardy Antillean Nerite. (Nerita fulgurans). It grows to a nice size, and consumes a good deal of diatoms, cyano, algal detritus, and film algae. It will also consume some fine hair algae. A nocturnal herbivore that will feed more often at night, they tend to need some time to adjust to the limitations of the aquarium during their first week."

I would say that's right on since the algae disappeared while I was at work over night.

The Nassarius are much more active and fun to watch though.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Thank you for the info.

Nassarius are good snails. I love the way they bury themselves in the sand and stick their proboscis out.

Nerite periodically come outside of the tank because many of them live at a tidal zone. You might find it on the outside of the water or on the outside surface of the glass.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

I think it is only on the glass. I may have to lift the rock out to clean it. Even the mini magfloat is too thick to squeeze around the rock.

Thi is the exact reason i did this DIY mag slim https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/92995-do-yourself-magslim-easy-way-clean.html

 

[Young Frankenstein]

If you have visible algae, you dont neet to test for phosphates and nitrates, even if you read zero, they are there and consumed by algae. You need to take action, refugium, reactors etc.

 

[markkazdad]

If you have visible algae, you dont neet to test for phosphates and nitrates, even if you read zero, they are there and consumed by algae. You need to take action, refugium, reactors etc.

I have an in-tank refugium populated with algae to consume the phosphates and nitrates.

 

[markkazdad]

Nassarius are good snails. I love the way they bury themselves in the sand and stick their proboscis out.

That's exactly the behavior I enjoyed watching this morning. op2:

Nerite periodically come outside of the tank because many of them live at a tidal zone. You might find it on the outside of the water or on the outside surface of the glass.

You don't say. Sunday morning I found the one with the asterina passenger (from my tank, not reefcleaners) had climbed up over the lip of the aquarium into the inside of the Eclipse hood. It appeared completely dry, but firmly attached. I wet it down with some tank water using a turkey baster (note to self: the water will run out between the edge of the hood and the tank, so put a towel down next time :doh. Then I was able to pop it off and put it back in the tank. The asterina immediately fell off. Sunday evening the snail was still alive, but I forgot to check for the asterina. (Note: This paragraph is about my 10g, not my Evolve 2.)

Here they are making a break for it: