Waterbox 20 reboot

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Any new FTS?

 

[Thunderrap]

Any new FTS?

You caught me on a WC day LOL, I took a couple after I turned all the pumps off and I'll get some better ones after the tank settles from the change. Please ignore the bad bubble algae outbreak, I'm working on getting it cleared up. Thankfully the worst of it is behind rocks and such to where you can't see it. 3 weeks in on Vibrant and it doesn't seem to be doing too much, I've manually removed it from a few rocks that I can get out and I think my 6-line wrasse killed my emerald crab .

 

[Thunderrap]

Here are some less blue pictures of my tank:

 

[ScottW]

I just started a 20 WB myself, great photos, glad to see the progression. Great job!

 

[Thunderrap]

Made a couple of additions today to try to help with the bubble algae and the 2 aptasia (that I can see) that are in there, couldn't get a pic of the peppermint shrimp but here is a pic of my emerald crab:

 

[Thunderrap]

@jopo4343 I hope I've attached this right but here is the light schedule that I'm using

 

[Thunderrap]

Bubble algae "seems" to be subsiding a little bit, not sure if the Vibrant is starting to work or the emerald grab is feasting. The aptasia doesn't seem to be going away at all though so I hope I didn't get a defective peppermint shrimp! Also thinking about adding some GSP on the back wall to make a little GSP garden for a backdrop instead of the black back of the AIO.

 

[Thunderrap]

So I'm trying to get my back wall of GSP going but I think my tank is the only one in the world that can't grow GSP?!?!?! Seriously though, I bought a frag about a week and a half ago or so and followed some youtube videos on how to "frag" it so I could get it into smaller pieces to glue to the back of the wall. After that, they haven't opened up almost at all since then. I've listed my parameters too just in case but I can't imagine they are the issue as my other corals are doing great.

Parameters as of this afternoon:
Salinity - 1.026
pH - 8.5
nitrate - 5
Phosphate - 0.02ish
Alk - 9.8
Calc - 417
(need to get a new Mag test kit)

 

[Thunderrap]

Major Changes to the tank removed the fish that I had so I could get a peppermint shrimp to take care of the aiptasia problem that I had and worked for the most part. He ate the smaller ones and I used Joe's Juice to take care of the bigger ones and everything seems good so far. Bubble algae seem to be almost non-existent now, I'm not sure who to give the credit to, either the emerald crab or the Vibrant but it is gone! Now I'm planning on restocking my tank with some fish and I'm going to plan it out a little better this time. Here is what I have in mind so far:

YWG or Orange spotted goby w/ tiger pistol shrimp friend
firefish or purple firefish
Royal Gramma
1 more but I'm not sure leaning towards an azure damsel but open to suggestions on what a last smaller one might be good with the others.

 

[Thunderrap]

This might be more of a rant but I just don't know how else to get it out, right now I am very frustrated with my tank. I'm not fighting any out-of-control algae, dino's, or anything crazy like that it's more of just bad personal choices. Being my first tank I know now what I would do differently:

1) I wish I had never put pandora zoanthids in my tank, they have taken over the major part of my aquascape and I don't know of any way to easily get rid of them and sadly I also like the other zoanthids that they share a rock with. I tried to kill some of them with Joe's Juice but they just closed up for a few days and then opened back up.

2) I'm pretty sure the peppermint shrimp I put in my tank to take care of aiptasia went rogue. Not only is some growing back but he's not even bothering with it and I'm fairly certain he is digging at my blastomussa's. They used to be open and happy and shortly after he went in they've started being more closed. I know it wasn't the emerald crab I had in there as well as I removed it and put him in the back chambers of my AIO.

3) I don't know if my tiger pistol shrimp is still alive, I haven't heard him snapping in about a week. My yellow watchman goby is coming out, grabbing food, and staying generally near the burrow they finally ended up at after clearing out underneath my entire large rock structure but I'm concerned something happened to him and I have no easy way to tell if he's still alive.

I have a 15gal peninsula tank that I could probably get set up and transfer everything over to while I reboot my 20gal tank and put a little more thought into it but I'm trying to think if it would be worth it and how could I get some of the zoanthids moved back over once I do get it cycled and ready?

 

[Matt Miller]

This might be more of a rant but I just don't know how else to get it out, right now I am very frustrated with my tank. I'm not fighting any out-of-control algae, dino's, or anything crazy like that it's more of just bad personal choices. Being my first tank I know now what I would do differently:

1) I wish I had never put pandora zoanthids in my tank, they have taken over the major part of my aquascape and I don't know of any way to easily get rid of them and sadly I also like the other zoanthids that they share a rock with. I tried to kill some of them with Joe's Juice but they just closed up for a few days and then opened back up.

2) I'm pretty sure the peppermint shrimp I put in my tank to take care of aiptasia went rogue. Not only is some growing back but he's not even bothering with it and I'm fairly certain he is digging at my blastomussa's. They used to be open and happy and shortly after he went in they've started being more closed. I know it wasn't the emerald crab I had in there as well as I removed it and put him in the back chambers of my AIO.

3) I don't know if my tiger pistol shrimp is still alive, I haven't heard him snapping in about a week. My yellow watchman goby is coming out, grabbing food, and staying generally near the burrow they finally ended up at after clearing out underneath my entire large rock structure but I'm concerned something happened to him and I have no easy way to tell if he's still alive.

I have a 15gal peninsula tank that I could probably get set up and transfer everything over to while I reboot my 20gal tank and put a little more thought into it but I'm trying to think if it would be worth it and how could I get some of the zoanthids moved back over once I do get it cycled and ready?

I'm no expert but since your tanks already cycled you could use the rocks you want to move to instant cycle the peninsula. Then you could take your time and move/keep what you want.

Then you still have the option to change your scape or adjust anything else you may have wanted to modify. You could scrape off the zoa's you want to keep, or maybe break the rock and keep the ones you want.

I had a peppermint shrimp that ate all my rock flowers so I don't trust those little jerks.

 

[Thunderrap]

I'm no expert but since your tanks already cycled you could use the rocks you want to move to instant cycle the peninsula. Then you could take your time and move/keep what you want.

Then you still have the option to change your scape or adjust anything else you may have wanted to modify. You could scrape off the zoa's you want to keep, or maybe break the rock and keep the ones you want.

I had a peppermint shrimp that ate all my rock flowers so I don't trust those little jerks.

How did you get your peppermint shrimp out? I’ve tried using a bottle trap but he’ll never actually go in.

 

[Matt Miller]

How did you get your peppermint shrimp out? I’ve tried using a bottle trap but he’ll never actually go in.

I think I just got lucky with a net honestly