OrionN's 320 Reboot

[Cthulukelele]

Happier and happier with this clam. The Nick’s Purple Passion is also an outstanding coral. The Dino in my QT system is given me problems. Don’t know how to get rid of this.

The top down coloration you can get on a very happy clam is hard to beat! Looking great!

 

[OrionN]

How fast does tiny Tusk grow? Mine was only a little over 1 inch. ~1.25 inches. Only slight longer than 1/2 the length of my smallest of my three yellow tail damsels. So small that I had to keep him in my acclimation box instead of release him into my DT system. He is almost 2 inches now, larger than the largest yellow tail damsel, after 4 weeks. These pictures were taken in early morning as the light ramp on. No breakfast yet, so the Tusk and the Tang stomachs are still empty. I am glad the Convict Tang is doing well, already much less emaciated than when I first got him. This is the second Convict that I tried. The first, like most Convict Tang, never eat and died after a month or so. I hope this one is going to be different. He already makes a different on the hair algae level in my QT. He does not touch the Nori, which he was eating at Petco.
The other two Tusks went to my friend tanks. All three are doing well. I feed my Tusk twice a day, before work and after work. I have to keep the light in the QT longer so I can feed him completely full twice a day. Even at this young age he already learns to beg for food whenever I come into the room during the day on the weekend.
the last picture was size comparison picture with my new Convict Tang I got from Petco a few days ago. The Sixline wrasse is a permanent resident of the QT system. I got to get him into my DT's sump. He, and the three yellow tail damsels, are going away present from one of my reefkeeper friend when he goes out of the country.

 

[OrionN]

My Green and Gold Noae clam without the distracting LED color artifact.

 

[OrionN]

I have to add a defused to get rid of the color artifact of LED on pictures.

 

[OrionN]

This is my wall of shame in my QT system. No snails and no herbivore. I am putting my 2 inch Convict Tang in my QT. Hoping he will take care of this. He is really put a little dent in it. Does not even touch my Nori Clip for him. He was eating Nori at Petco. That was why I got him, knowing how hard it is to get Convict tang to eat. I think he will be great for my QT and eventually my DT

 

[OrionN]

My Red Mangrove is the same in my tank since I put it in there. The leaves are green still, the shoot still live but no grow what so ever. I am hoping that it is acclimation to the temp and conditions and that it is sending out new roots and just take it time growing. Keep finger cross. Meanwhile the black mangrove is just hunky dory, growing like gang buster.

 

[gobybryant]

My Red Mangrove is the same in my tank since I put it in there. The leaves are green still, the shoot still live but no grow what so ever. I am hoping that it is acclimation to the temp and conditions and that it is sending out new roots and just take it time growing. Keep finger cross. Meanwhile the black mangrove is just hunky dory, growing like gang buster.

I’ve had red mangroves in the past and it just seems like some grow at a moderate rate and others have extremely slow growth. Wish I knew why but that’s plants for ya. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[OrionN]

3 days worth of grown (edited 3 day. I was looking again and the picture were from Wednesday, 3 days ago)
My Miami Orchid tip on Wednesday

today, Saturday. The polyp extension is a little bit more but the tip has noticeable growth

 

[OrionN]

I got AcroFever relapse over the last several months, an exacerbation of my chronic disease, and start to pathologically collect SPS again. The prices of these SPS is really a huge sticker shock to me since I have not bought any for many years. I always able to feed my habit with trading, but I really have nothing good to trade now.
Anyway, a few friends have been feedign my habit. One of a frag I got is The Miami Orchid. I have been document it's grow since 2/1/2023. Here are picture of 11 days worth of growth of this fast growing Acro.

Miami Orchid 2/1/2023

Miami Orchid 2/11/2023

 

[OrionN]

I damaged the tip of my Miami Orchid and it exploded in growth. This is only 18 days from previous picture. The growth in this tank is phenomenal.

my Odd trio
The two clownfish are beautifully shaped and color, different species and my small Green Gigantea.
i am paying more attention to my QT system and it is much cleaner, although there were no problem with the tank health before, it was a messed in term of algae growth.

 

[OrionN]

My male Mandarin. Out going and beautiful. I will enjoy having him, unlike my last male which was so shy.

My "getting fat" Convict Tang

 

[OrionN]

A few new pictures today. My Derasa, male Mandarin and my Convict tang.

 

[OrionN]

My Black Mangrove is growing out of the slot allowed for it and will need to be prune soon. The sump has extensive root system. There is no way I can move it out of the sump mow without causing extensive damage to the root system. The trunk is about 1+ inch. The shoot i documented since Dec 2022 is now 21 inches tall and at the orgin about 1/3 inches in diameter. It all ready has a numbers of side branches.
Below are a few pictures of this mangrove.

 

[OrionN]

My Mandarin is really outgoing. He is about strutting back and fore in front of the tank all the times and always put in a display whenever I am in front of the tank.
I can take numerous pictures of him in full display. He seem to love to show off for the camera

 

[OrionN]

I was doing water change today and took a picture of the root system of the Black mangroves. The Red mangrove can be seen there. It has not grown 1 mm, not 1 iota, since I put it in there several months ago. I am not sure why this is the case. The Black mangrove exploded with growth while the Red mangroves just stagnant.

 

[OrionN]

I have been collecting SPS to restart my tank in the near future. Keeping them in my 40 gal breeder system until I can add them to my DT in the ear future. I will only add frags to my DT and keep the initial frag/mini colony in my 40 gal system.

 

[OrionN]

I am happier with my frag tank. The Dino is receding but not gone. All I did was manage the heck out of it, like 50% water change weekly. Eight snails, 1 tang and one conch (fighting conch). Lots of good SPS growth and coloration. I use IO water, just the regular IO, and add Ca and Alkalinity to the tank. The female Percula given to me by a good friend really color up really well in my Gigantea. She is ăn fully Onyx Percula now. She paired up with a Black Snowflake great and should start to lay eggs soon. My female Mandarin was thin a few weeks ago but start to have early EGD in her abdomen and should also spawn in a few weeks.

 

[OrionN]

My Turks is growing and color up. When I got him we was about 1.25 inch and cannot eat a whole small Mysis. I have to shave the mysis block to get them to bite size for him. Now I chop up shrimp and fish to about columns of about 2 min width and he chomp them down fine. A few of these and he is full. He is about 2.5 inches now, so about 8 time (mass wise) from when I first got him. I will get better picture later but the iPhone picture this morning show green coloration on the dorsal part of his body.

Here he was when I first got him.

 

[OrionN]

My Convict Tang is doing well.
When I first got him

Current picture Just now on 3/25/2023. I am not sure why his coloration have gray area in between the black bands. Maybe he will turn completely silver with age. He is only 2.5 inches

 

[squidarcher]

Is there still anything in the DT? what about the nems?