Turtle's Fairy Tale

[SashimiTurtle]

Took this before lights out. I'll get a better shot tonight. I put a sock in the sump to catch the stirred up sand and detritus. Should be clear by the time I get home.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Ok, long overdue update time. Tank looks better after a water change. I'm contemplating sending off an ATI ICP test to see what is causing the decline in the tank after a few weeks. I'm wondering if I don't have something environmental affecting the water... Until then, I'll just have to keep up with the biweekly water changes so things don't die. I've been slack on testing also. Haven't really tested anything the whole month of September. Going to fix that here soon and do the whole water treatment lab rat thing.

Excuse the glare, can't get good FTS pictures until after dark. I moved the acan garden around to the right side of the tank. My wrasse were trying to bury them and the snake eye acan got pushed halfway under the trachy. Nobody has been digging in this area, so they should be good... The zoas are all doing great. My favorites are the pink zippers, the star gazers and the jungle juice. The star gazers have gotten really long skirts on them. Probably the flow from the gyre.

I think I've decided to just focus on LPS and maybe keep just a few easy SPS. That seems to be where my skills and effort level is at the moment. There are a few favia and echinata that have caught my eye recently. Now just to figure out where to put those types of corals... I'm also considering adding an anemone. The inside of the branches looks like it would be a great spot for a BTA to attach its foot. Maybe my clowns will call it home instead of the trachy. Yes, they have been rubbing on it some. It doesn't seem to mind and they leave it alone for the most part. Just a quick snuggle every so often then they are back to exploring the tank.

Cleaned about 2 gallons of chaeto out of the fuge. Its sitting in a 5g bucket. I thought about offering it to locals, but nobody is close so I'll probably toss it.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

JF Stargazers

JF Jungle Juice

Pink Zippers

 

[Janci]

Softies, LPS and fish are looking good!
What a bummer for the stylo

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Softies, LPS and fish are looking good!
What a bummer for the stylo

I'm hoping they will recover. The birds nest was a goner. No flesh left at all. It's either the fluconazole I used to get rid of the bryopsis, or something in my house is affecting the tank. I just have to keep up with the water changes. In any case, I'm liking the colors I'm seeing in LPS more than acros anyway, and they dont have the headache associated with keeping them.... things like dragon soul and fascination favia.

 

[Fudsey]

Did you use the Fluconazole from FishLife? When I used it it didn't affect my bird's nest, but not saying it was/wasn't your cause.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Did you use the Fluconazole from FishLife? When I used it it didn't affect my bird's nest, but not saying it was/wasn't your cause.

Yep, I'm not saying it was my cause either. I have no clue until I send off an ICP test. I was supposed to do a WC on the 15th and it was the 30th before I got around to one...

 

[Scurvy]

I picked up some stargazers a few months back. For a guy thats not big into zoa’s I like them a lot.

If you feel up to mailing some chaeto i will need some here pretty soon.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I picked up some stargazers a few months back. For a guy thats not big into zoa’s I like them a lot.

If you feel up to mailing some chaeto i will need some here pretty soon.

I got you...

 

[NY_Caveman]

Ok, long overdue update time. Tank looks better after a water change. I'm contemplating sending off an ATI ICP test to see what is causing the decline in the tank after a few weeks. I'm wondering if I don't have something environmental affecting the water... Until then, I'll just have to keep up with the biweekly water changes so things don't die. I've been slack on testing also. Haven't really tested anything the whole month of September. Going to fix that here soon and do the whole water treatment lab rat thing.

Excuse the glare, can't get good FTS pictures until after dark. I moved the acan garden around to the right side of the tank. My wrasse were trying to bury them and the snake eye acan got pushed halfway under the trachy. Nobody has been digging in this area, so they should be good... The zoas are all doing great. My favorites are the pink zippers, the star gazers and the jungle juice. The star gazers have gotten really long skirts on them. Probably the flow from the gyre.

I think I've decided to just focus on LPS and maybe keep just a few easy SPS. That seems to be where my skills and effort level is at the moment. There are a few favia and echinata that have caught my eye recently. Now just to figure out where to put those types of corals... I'm also considering adding an anemone. The inside of the branches looks like it would be a great spot for a BTA to attach its foot. Maybe my clowns will call it home instead of the trachy. Yes, they have been rubbing on it some. It doesn't seem to mind and they leave it alone for the most part. Just a quick snuggle every so often then they are back to exploring the tank.

Cleaned about 2 gallons of chaeto out of the fuge. Its sitting in a 5g bucket. I thought about offering it to locals, but nobody is close so I'll probably toss it.

Looking good! Still think you got a beautiful pair of clowns. Remind me are your branches secured? I only ask because an anemone could disrupt them if they are not.

 

[Sipec]

JF Stargazers

JF Jungle Juice

Pink Zippers

I think those jungle juice zoas may be eagles eyes actually, I have eagles eyes and they look the same
I love the trachy! If only I had a bigger tank I might get one...

 

[Sipec]

Very appropriate, I think

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I think those jungle juice zoas may be eagles eyes actually, I have eagles eyes and they look the same
I love the trachy! If only I had a bigger tank I might get one...

They were sold to me as Jungle Juice. WWC Whammin Watermelons look identical as well.

Looking good! Still think you got a beautiful pair of clowns. Remind me are your branches secured? I only ask because an anemone could disrupt them if they are not.

Can you believe they were trade ins? Absolutely beautiful and completely passive. The only time Bonnie has shown agression was towards a small coral beauty last year and when I moved all the rocks around and stressed her out. Other than that she just nibbles on my fingers looking for food.

Some are glued, some are not. I'll add some epoxy if I get a BTA.

 

[Brew12]

Yep, I'm not saying it was my cause either. I have no clue until I send off an ICP test. I was supposed to do a WC on the 15th and it was the 30th before I got around to one...

I'm really hoping it is just your tank needing time to age. If your test does come back with anything questionable, feel free to send samples of whatever my way and I'll get them tested again.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I'm really hoping it is just your tank needing time to age. If your test does come back with anything questionable, feel free to send samples of whatever my way and I'll get them tested again.

I don't think it's anything in the tank. It may be just new tank syndrome, but I have an idea it's something else.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

What is left of the purple stylo looks good today. I'm going to do another water change here in another day or two.

The JF Project X stylo took a little more damage. Hopefully it bounces back. PE is good on what has flesh still.

 

[Janci]

I'm hoping they will recover. The birds nest was a goner. No flesh left at all. It's either the fluconazole I used to get rid of the bryopsis, or something in my house is affecting the tank. I just have to keep up with the water changes. In any case, I'm liking the colors I'm seeing in LPS more than acros anyway, and they dont have the headache associated with keeping them.... things like dragon soul and fascination favia.

I had a style frag as well which was struggling at the beginning but pulled through after a while.
I hope yours will do the same.

Do LPS also come with those crazy names as they give to SPS?
;Muted;Muted;Muted

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Do LPS also come with those crazy names as they give to SPS?
;Muted;Muted;Muted

Lol, yep... just a few I'd like.

Dragon soul favia

UC Fascination favia

Space Invader pectinia

BigR Gumdrop acan echinata

 

[SashimiTurtle]

A little experiment that hopefully turns into a full time hatchery. My new 5g brine shrimp hatchery/grow out. This cost me nothing but water and salt to put together. I had everything else in the closet from previous set ups.

The tank is a 5.5g Top Fin(I think?) with a little LED in the hood. I had a spare preset heater that actually holds close to 78° and I sanitized the sponge filter I used in the QT tank.

Lights run 24 hours for now, probably will keep them that way because of the weak LEDs. Altho, they did grow fresh water wisteria, anubias and java fern...

The chaeto still contains some copepods, amphipods and I saw an asterina in that bunch. I'm not purposely growing pods, yet. I wanna get set up for phyto first. Brine can be fed with baby food. Yep, pureed sweet potatoes and peas mixed with a vitamin supplement, if desired, and RODI.

Hopefully this is successful long term and self sustaining, meaning I don't have to constantly set up more brine shrimp to hatch. Once I get more experience with this, then comes phyto and pods. The black leopard is still doing great, but pays no attention to frozen like the normal leopard. Buying a bottle of pods every month is going to get expensive.

Plus, maybe I can turn this into a little side money for frags... phyto, pods and brine shrimp anyone?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I'd say the hatch was a success... just 1/4tsp of eggs and this tank is full of baby brine shrimp now. Yes, everything floating is a brine shrimp. The eggs are on the bottom.