Josh's SuperReef 65

[StirCrayzy]

I'm ashamed to be so long without an update...
Phone browser has been retarded, and I've gotten really frustrated trying to post things . I usually spend a full day writing up some responses 5 minutes at a time. Too many times chrome has dumped the page and I lose everything, not sure why.
Since I've been summoned, I'll say the tank isn't doing bad in spite of standard summer neglect because of events and activities.
LFS is having a sale this weekend so I'm hoping to finish a WC, introduce royal gramma into DT, and clean out my QT to prep for specialty deals

Just for you Sully, here was last weeks sampling from southern TN.

 

[StirCrayzy]

My twins turn 5 today, the Tank gets a Festive option for their Mario birthday party.

 

[Pat24601]

I love it! Great pic!

 

[StirCrayzy]

Since my QT doesn't have it's own chronicle, I'll give some updates here.
I volunteered some space to babysit some corals for a friend who's moving and has a month in between tear down and setup of his 90 g.
He doesn't know what most of these are so I'll start an ID thread once they all open up and I can get some close ups.
It was late last night and all I had time for was a dip in coralRX, rinse and drop them in the QT.
Not sure whether my trigger will have a taste for them or not...? I cranked up the lights 2 weeks ago to test, and got a pretty large algae bloom. There is a bucket of sand and rock in here from my sump as bio filter. I will probably dust off an old whisper or something so I can run carbon.
We will both be happy if I can keep these alive for a month.

 

[Oxylebius]

How did those corals settle in?

 

[StirCrayzy]

Thanks for the nudge, They've added some algae, since I got them Rather ugly, but healthy.
Problem GHA arrived when I cranked up the QT lights. Never fails.
I expect I'll have them til new year's at least. Only one casualty so far, a small Xenia frag, not sure why, just melted away 2ND week. Params OK, since I use rock and filter in QT.

 

[Oxylebius]

I've always stayed away from Xenia, so I can't offer anything on the melting issue. How long do you leave the lights on? I run mine for 8 hrs each day.

I think it took a good year or so (if I am remembering correctly) for the hair algae issue I was battling to start to settle down and by year 2 I think I didn't have much issues with it after that. No Problems since. I had a random outbreak of cyano a year or so ago that was a minor battle for a bit. Then back to no issues. Only the algae on the glass to scrape off. Anytime I fed dried food I got issues. Feeding frozen has worked well for me.

I like how tall your tank is.

 

[StirCrayzy]

I'm not too worried about the Xenia, the QT is pretty healthy and stable for only being 15g. I wish the algae would go away though. I run those for 10 hrs, on at 10am, off at 8pm but I've lowered Intensity by 20% lately. When the corals go out, I'll have to go lights out for a while to kick the crap .

My upgraded main tank ran through hair algae for the first two years, now Cyano on and off for year 3. I rarely feed more than a couple cubes once per week.
I enjoy the 24" deep tanks, I like the space above rocks.

I've strangely had some fish disappear though, suddenly & randomly . No bodies, no illness, nice and plump
RIP
Yellow watchman a couple months ago. 6ish yrs old
Possum wrasse this month, 3yrs old.
I know this isn't uncommon, but a couple long term fish in a row, makes me suspicious...

 

[Oxylebius]

Sorry to hear you've lost fish. Cryptocentrus cinctus tend to live 5 years or so, might have just been old age for that one. Same with the Wetmorella albofasciata which tend to live 2-5 yrs or so, old age?

 

[StirCrayzy]

Wow, guess I just figured most fish live longer, shame on me for not checking first.

Maybe that's all it was then. Weird that no odd behaviour or anything to give warning. Just gone one day. (Or three).

 

[cracker]

Oxy makes a good point, No telling how old a fish is when You get it.

 

[Oxylebius]

Wow, guess I just figured most fish live longer, shame on me for not checking first.

Maybe that's all it was then. Weird that no odd behaviour or anything to give warning. Just gone one day. (Or three).

Some fish live to over a 100 years old, others 2-3 years or less. Did you know that some species of cuttlefish live only a year. Born, reproduce, and die all in same year. Some people who keep them also keep a separate breeding tank so that they can always have cuttlefish on display in the main tank.

How's it going? Did you decide to replace them?

I've lost a couple of narcissus snails, which I've had over 8 years. Not sure how old they were when I got them. I haven't looked up their lifespan yet, so not sure if that is it or if I need to feed them more then I have been.

 

[StirCrayzy]

I've had a giant nassarius for at least 6-7 yrs too, funny you should mention them. It was the largest one in the batch I got, and I think it was big enough to intimidate the hermits all these years.
I have had a small clown trigger in QT since this summer, as the last addition, buy now I don't know about putting it in yet, because I want to replace the lost goby at least.
Problem of course is that I can't put a goby in QT with the trigger because of aggression, and if I put the trigger in the DT, I'll have the same introduction problem later. Might have to setup the 5g QT for new goby so I can get it into DT first. Or get a divider ?
I don't know, kinda put a wrench in the plan.

 

[Oxylebius]

Try using a fish acclimation box. It has worked well for me and for @Wrangy as well. A divider works similarly to an acclimation box. It allows the fish to get to know each other. And if done in the QT, then you can add the less aggressive fish (goby) to the DT before adding the more aggressive fish (trigger). I'd go for the divider.

 

[StirCrayzy]

Good call, I might have to order one.

Your mention of water changes really made me wonder when was the last change I did.... I think maybe end of September... Since I'm in the confessional, I only feed the tank once a month or so also. Haven't tested since after thanksgiving either, but I do swap the socks once a month, and replace carbon when I see slow outflow.
Good , bad or whatever, you want to call it the zoas monti and hammer are still expanding like crazy and are exhibiting healthy behavior. After the algae choked out some zoas, and toadstool, then the birdsnest and other acros RTN I've kinda lost a bit of motivation. I can't trim my monti anymore because the clowns attack relentlessly. I have to do it at 5am before work, while they sleep, or capture them in the morning and banish them to the sump for the day.

In good news, I have very little algae anymore but still cyano in certain areas. I've tried adjusting flow, but gonna have to get in there and suck some out.

 

[StirCrayzy]

Fail !!!!!! Sunday am woke up to squishy carpet
Like a moron, I forgot to turn the high level water alarm back on after my last sump/ATO overfill.
See if I don't have my phone on me, I forget to set a timer, then when I start the RODI to fill the ATO reservoir, it spills over into the sump which has about a 3g buffer before high level alarm... need more reminders to double check the simple things. Even think I should've got the water timer I thought of years ago...
Doesn't help I had the carpet sensor disconnected trying to wire in an LED for visual alert.
:facepalm:
What an Idiot I am.
In better news, as long as it doesn't start to smell later, wife seems strangely understanding.
This could have gone a long time but since the system runs dead silent 95% of the time, the smallest dripping sound caught my attention when I walked by early am and I investigated.
Overall I think I let about 10 g extra brew into the sump which has about 7g overflow space.( 3 g down past the carpet, & into my crawlspace)
Net result is now sg of 1.020, from 1.026 and a forced 25% wc to begin coral recovery. Nothing looks terrible, just shriveled. 1.026 WC done already, and will probably do a 1.028 tomorrow to move the salinity slowly.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

I hate when that happens. That is why all of my water supply is in the garage. No carpet there to go squish.
Of course I have had pipe blockage cause an overflow of the tank resulting in squishy carpet. No fun at all.
I would try using NSW for your top offs until your salinity goes back up. That is a nice gradual way of raising your salinity.

 

[StirCrayzy]

Thanks for checking out the thread Florida, and welcome to RS!.
My main supply is in the basement near a drain, but somehow some way, the filling into a tank is going to be the Achilles heel of the process .
I really believe EVERYONE in this hobby, no matter how cautious and prepared WILL have a spill at some point, it's Murphy's fault...
I would, do SW top off, but my ato jug is fixed under the stand and directly fed by RO DI . There's no way I could conveniently fill/mix it with anything else. I have to slide the sump over 3" to get it out, not impossible, but highly involved to do.

 

[Basile]

Thanks for checking out the thread Florida, and welcome to RS!.
My main supply is in the basement near a drain, but somehow some way, the filling into a tank is going to be the Achilles heel of the process .
I really believe EVERYONE in this hobby, no matter how cautious and prepared WILL have a spill at some point, it's Murphy's fault...
I would, do SW top off, but my ato jug is fixed under the stand and directly fed by RO DI . There's no way I could conveniently fill/mix it with anything else. I have to slide the sump over 3" to get it out, not impossible, but highly involved to do.

I totally agree with you on that. i just had a new sump made indestructible ; They say. But i know better i'll always check my rear for anything, its part of GOOD maintenance.

 

[mtsully71]

Just making sure you answer this thread and the wife didn't bury you in the back yard

How's the bathroom coming?