Wow, it's been a while since I've updated, obviously nobody minds much...
Tank is stable and cooking along basically on autopilot. I change 25% every other wk, though I'll admit the last WC was more like 3.5 weeks because of the holiday. I've noticed my toadstool is the first to show signs of distress when I wait too long, all the polyps were retracted, and a slight film of algae started growing on it. So I took action.
I've been running CPB in a reactor for over a month now, and probably no noticeable change in the tank. Everything that was growing still is, and the couple zoa frags that shriveled prior, are still.
SPS are encrusting and growing more from the base, is that normal?
Exception to the birdsnest and monti(spongode), growing like crazy in every direction.
Still getting average algae growth from the scrubber, but also still seeing growth in the DT too.
Mostly the new macros are growing all over, but still haven't had good pics to post. I have to pull the new growth every WC, which is why I put it off longer than I should. The water part only takes 15 minutes, I just can't do that alone and not the other maintenance so I never feel like I have enough time to do it all at once.
The most recent changes now....
9-2 Added a reg firefish to QT, my oldest boy has wanted one for a while.
10-2 Firefish had a white fuzz. gave FW bath and metrodinazole.
11-2 Firefish seems good eats well through all conditions. prazipro treatment.
11-19 added a red tux urchin and peppermint shrimp to DT
11-25 Added firefish to DT no signs of disease or distress.
I've only seen the firefish about 3 times in the first two weeks, now it's out all the time. I suspect the Tomini (Bob) was harassing it bad. When it finally came out it was pretty thin, but fattening up now, as I've upped feedings to accommodate.
I posted these coral feeding observations in another thread, but applies here also. I have only return flow in the DT between 9pm & 11am, 2 WP25s are shut down with the Blue LEDs at night .
Generally both SPS & LPS PE is greater with the powerheads shut down. Less water force allows for father reach because, instinctively, the polyps aren't at as much risk of damage by the flow .
They can actually capture more mid sized particles with that lower flow. Because the velocity of incoming food is gentler, and Polyps are covering more area.
Kinda like fishing approaches, you can drag a treble hook through the water really fast and probably snag some food once in a while, but sweep a net through and double the haul with half the effort.
I usually feed cyclopeze twice a week after dark, and the dwell time of food, in the water column is better IMO than blowing it into the rocks and at the surface into the overflow. I wish I could get a good pic with my UVs on at night feedings, but I usually see individual polyps grasping cyclopeze or other particles more than during high flow Daytime periods.
That's my observations, anyway.
The fact that bodies of water in general are calmer through the nighttime hours when there is less wind, and tidal water movements, I think are what actually creates the nocturnal feeding behaviours naturally.