The Garden -- Rakies shallow SPS cube

[Amoo]

That's gold @WallyB

 

[WallyB]

So the best sized tube was a T fitting. It's like 2" tube with a 3/4" Tee LOL, so yeah, just closed the tee. The price was right so I said who cares.

Well it works, and I bet if you drop it in the Tank and it fills up, the T-Cup thing will hold air and NOT SINK.
Patent it!!
Rakie's Float-A-Portal.

 

[Rakie]

Whoa!!! When did the the BUBBLE start? I've never seen that much coverage. At first glance I thought it was the texture of rocks or just dark bubbly plastic structure.

I would suggest an Emerald Crab for Bubble Algae, but that looks like some plucking needs to be done first.

I always have this memory. Probably 25 years ago when I was starting my first Salt Tank.
In a store there was a Tank with a rock, with a Large Bubble Algae on it.
One big bubble the size of a Golf Ball. It was green, shiny, and perfectly round.
"I asked how much?"

like a month ago, covered everything in about 10 days.

 

[WallyB]

like a month ago, covered everything in about 10 days.

Hang on.

You know that Cloudy Bacteria bloom you had.
Could that have been a Bubble Algae Spore Bloom of some sort?? Or something that promoted the Valonia.

I've had bubble algae a few times in my LPS tank. It takes time to spread, but I'm always careful not to pop the bubbles to release spores.
I've never ever seen a rapid bubble bloom like you have. 10 days.

Here is a good read
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php

 

[Janci]

10 days spread is faster then anything I ever read about.
I found bubble algae in my tank the other day, but compared with this, it seems like a small pellet in a 100g tank.
A foxface would be helpful.
Better question is where did it come from?

 

[Rakie]

10 days spread is faster then anything I ever read about.
I found bubble algae in my tank the other day, but compared with this, it seems like a small pellet in a 100g tank.
A foxface would be helpful.
Better question is where did it come from?

Not sure where it came from, basically all the rock started growing it at once, it didn't exactly spread it just all appeared lol!

And @WallyB that could be related, but supposedly the spore thing was disproved and they don't reproduce via spores.

 

[Rakie]

Also yeah.. I was considering a tiny foxface for a little while. It wouldn't be happy for more than a few months but it SHOULD do the job in that time easily... Hard to say. I may try the ReefHD tabs, or Vibrant, or sacrifice some of @mdbannister's corals to the reef gods

 

[AnakinReefWalker]

Your tank is stunning! I'll definitely be following along, just wished I had come across this earlier!

 

[Rakie]

Your tank is stunning! I'll definitely be following along, just wished I had come across this earlier!

Thanks! From here on out it's just clearing some bubble algae and it'll start looking like a tank instead of a frag system again lol

 

[Rakie]

So stage 2 of my coral farm is starting. Shroom cups. Only three species for now, but many many more to come.. Just need to break out the ole razor blade. I'll have 6-10 cups by the weekend.

Stage 3 in the works -- A larger frag tank lol.

 

[WallyB]

Not sure where it came from, basically all the rock started growing it at once, it didn't exactly spread it just all appeared lol!

And @WallyB that could be related, but supposedly the spore thing was disproved and they don't reproduce via spores.

That is good to know (no spore spreading). I currently have Bubble Algae in my LPS tank. Slowly spreading. The Emerald Crab is there, but he likes regular Algae so far.

However from past experience (few outbreaks). Bubble Algae comes and goes.
Something get's it going (like your bloom). Then they exhaust the supply that feeds them and they just vanish. (without any effort except some pruning of easy to get to pieces)
I've never really worried much about Bubble Algae in my system. (don't hurt corals, just doesn't look great).
I haven't seen to many systems without some Bubble Algae hiding somewhere.

 

[WallyB]

So stage 2 of my coral farm is starting. Shroom cups. Only three species for now, but many many more to come.. Just need to break out the ole razor blade. I'll have 6-10 cups by the weekend.

Stage 3 in the works -- A larger frag tank lol.

Cool. Another Frag tank? Isolated, or joined? How big?

 

[Rakie]

That is good to know (no spore spreading). I currently have Bubble Algae in my LPS tank. Slowly spreading. The Emerald Crab is there, but he likes regular Algae so far.

However from past experience (few outbreaks). Bubble Algae comes and goes.
Something get's it going (like your bloom). Then they exhaust the supply that feeds them and they just vanish. (without any effort except some pruning of easy to get to pieces)
I've never really worried much about Bubble Algae in my system. (don't hurt corals, just doesn't look great).
I haven't seen to many systems without some Bubble Algae hiding somewhere.

Honestly, that's exactly why I'm not worried about it. It'll go, it'll die out, or something will start eating it. Even my tailspot blenny seems to munch on the baby ones from time to time.

Cool. Another Frag tank? Isolated, or joined? How big?

I'm just replacing the one I have with a larger one. It'll be a custom 20x16" so honestly it's only another another 6" of width, but frankly that's like 40% more frag real estate, so it's a nice upgrade still.

 

[Rakie]

Now that I think about it @WallyB, when the Bubble Algae started showing up I dosed a little API Algaefix. Algaefix is known for killing BA, BUT, it starts by making it float off the rocks, then slowly turning white, then dying out. It definitely takes some time, but I only put in one dose... Maybe I should have kept dosing it, because getting some dislodged may have made it spread much more densely since I didn't continue with the treatment

 

[WallyB]

I'm just replacing the one I have with a larger one. It'll be a custom 20x16" so honestly it's only another another 6" of width, but frankly that's like 40% more frag real estate, so it's a nice upgrade still.

Yup. I'll take Bubble Algae over Green Hair (which I actually fear) anytime.

hmm. 40% more real estate in Frag Tank is indeed a nice upgrade.

 

[WallyB]

Now that I think about it @WallyB, when the Bubble Algae started showing up I dosed a little API Algaefix. Algaefix is known for killing BA, BUT, it starts by making it float off the rocks, then slowly turning white, then dying out. It definitely takes some time, but I only put in one dose... Maybe I should have kept dosing it, because getting some dislodged may have made it spread much more densely since I didn't continue with the treatment

You may be on to something. There must be a reason to trigger a rapid spread like that (especially if it's not spore spreading).
That treatment may have spread it by physically distributing the baby BAs.
Why don't you test the treatment in a cup or container like a bucket. (Not in your tank since that would be a massive die off).

 

[Rakie]

The treatment takes a long time, and when they dislodge they float into pumps. They spread physically, so a few small BA going through a tunze gives the whole tank a light peppering of BA.

Yup. I'll take Bubble Algae over Green Hair (which I actually fear) anytime.

hmm. 40% more real estate in Frag Tank is indeed a nice upgrade.

My poor snails are getting hungry enough for me to feed them Nori.. I took a few frags from a buddy that had GHA all over them, he wanted to scrub it off I told him no, my snails would take care of it. Next day they were sparkly clean.

You know you care about your critters a little too much when you're feeding CUC.. And if that wasn't enough, no joke, I thought about you today when I saved about 5-6 big fat spaghetti worms from my water change bucket (sucked out some detritus). You star killer ! lol

 

[WallyB]

The treatment takes a long time, and when they dislodge they float into pumps. They spread physically, so a few small BA going through a tunze gives the whole tank a light peppering of BA.



My poor snails are getting hungry enough for me to feed them Nori.. I took a few frags from a buddy that had GHA all over them, he wanted to scrub it off I told him no, my snails would take care of it. Next day they were sparkly clean.

You know you care about your critters a little too much when you're feeding CUC.. And if that wasn't enough, no joke, I thought about you today when I saved about 5-6 big fat spaghetti worms from my water change bucket (sucked out some detritus). You star killer ! lol

I care about my CUC like you. Especially when my Hungry Emerald Crabs wave to me as I pass by. (Seriously happens)
I put in Nori, and everyone get a bite (Fish, Snails, Crabs)

 

[Rakie]

I care about my CUC like you. Especially when my Hungry Emerald Crabs wave to me as I pass by. (Seriously happens)
I put in Nori, and everyone get a bite (Fish, Snails, Crabs)

Yeah, it's a little annoying to have to remember feeding the CUC. They used to breed until food became scarce.

 

[Rakie]

Gettin' serious about fragging. Cut up a whole bunch of frags yesterday, went to get a reup on some fragging goodies. 1" square plugs from MD on the way too.

Yes, the 99c store happens to be my favorite glue shop. You name it, I like it less than Crazy Glue Gel. I haven't tried TLF glue yet though... Anywho, 99c glue, perfect consistency to me.

It's a little ghetto, but it's a nice secluded area with a blue light so I can see and make clean cuts.

Frag tank filling up... Made a BUNCH of cuts of zoas the other day. Cut up a colony of about 120 pink diamonds

This Eclectus my friend has that I want

Random shot of my friends tank, he never posts, doesn't have a build thread, etc etc. He's showing his $500 efflo in this pic but it's a nice overall glimpse of his tank.