Oxy's RSM250

Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
So this has been happening lately.





A little closer view shows the duncan's tentacles attached to the green slimer acro.





I broke off the tip of the green slimer and thought I was done with it. Came home yesterday to the entire bottom of that green slimer branch engulfed with Duncan tentcles. Didn't snap a pic, was in a hurry. But, today I will need to brake off the entire branch.

You can see the dead area on the green slimer's branch on the pic below. The underside in two areas are dead.



Coral competition for space is happening in my tank. Duncan 1: green slimer 0.
 
StirCrayzy

StirCrayzy

Well-Known Member
I have mixed emotions on competition, wonder how many folks just let em go, and see what happens?
I wish I had that problem to deal with. ;)
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
@StirCrayzy I actually let it go for now. Didn't have time to dig into the tank. The whole underside of the coral branch is dead from the duncan touching it everyday.
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
@tangerine3486

Thanks! The better pics are from the cannon lsr, but it is easier to snap a pic on the cell phone and get it posted :)

The tailspot is a character. Give it a shell or empty urchin test and the fish will make it its home.

The wrasse is a none stop swimmer, the most active fish in the tank.
 
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Stackhous

Stackhous

Member
A really beautiful tank ur giving me hope with max c250. R u using the stock protein skimmer n what r u using in the sump part like carbon n stuff. Is everything stock like the pumps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
@Stackhous I am using the stock skimmer. Only carbon for chemical filtration, mainly for the purpose of preventing allelopathy between corals. No, ceramic or other media. And dosing chemicals. For the first 3 years or so I did water changes weekly, mainly to keep phosphates low. I dose Alk, Mg and Ca. I have to for a tank full of sps.

You can absolutely keep sps in a RSMax tank. Major items to keep an eye on are current, lighting and water chemistry. Keep up on water changes (and dosing when water changes alone won't cut it). Make sure you keep good flow. I added a wave maker pump when the corals grew to the point of limiting flow to each other. And keep on top of replacing your T5HOs (yes, these grow amazing corals).

I have always been a less than more aquarium keeper. I have also read everything I could find, being well informed goes a very long way in keeping a healthy tank.

For the last year I have been experimenting, which I don't recommend if you haven't been running your tank for a few years, as you need to make sure you have a mature tank and phosphates under control. But, I have been experimenting with dosing all chemicals and limiting water changes. I also test what I dose so that I can keep params where they need to be and constant. Most corals seem fine with it. Acros so so. Less growth overall (you can't beat water changes to give the corals all they need for fast growth).
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
StirCrayzy said:
Looks awesome as usual Sue !
How's the water change experiment going?
Click to expand...

Hello!

Well, things are going fine. All corals are growing. The only issue is that there is some element that is limiting and it only seems to be affecting the corals in the Pocilloporidae family, which include Stylophora, Pocillopora and Seriatopora. I have species of all three in my tank. They have been slowly and I mean slowly dying from the bottom up (over the year about an inch or so total, so slowly). All other corals including 5 acros are fine. So, I determined that I will need to do water changes about every month to keep the Stylophora, Pocillopora and Seriatopora happy. I went over 8 months w/o a water change, it was amazing!

The monti caps are a pain. They grow way too fast. Have to keep the monti caps trimmed weekly to keep them from taking over. And any little piece that falls ends up growing. I have them all over the tank now.

The acros don't grow fast enough. And many other corals overtake them. I have to constantly trim back any coral near the acros. All other corals are just too aggressive, even if not considered aggressive under normal circumstances, the acros just don't fight back.

I also have a tiny green stylo which started growing on my wave pump. I didn't put it there. My pocies were the only corals that I had that would reproduce and begin growing in new locations in the tank up until now. But, apparently I have a stylo that is creating new starts as well. God knows why that little coral would decide to grow on a pump that runs 12 hours a day, and a pump that kicks on and off 12 hours a day as well. Rocky ride for that coral. I attached a pick, hard to see due to the light reflections and angle (I turned the pumps off for the pick). You can see the neon coral, about a quarter of an inch in height on the pump.



 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
chipmunkofdoom2 said:
Things are looking great Oxy. Are you using the stock lighting in your RSM? What T5 bulbs are you using?
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Thank you.

RSM250 stock equipment include: stock skimmer, lighting, and left pump. Equipment added: upgraded right pump, chiller, ATO, 12 channel dosing pumps, and wave pump.

The T5HO light combo has changed over the years. I tend to try a different combo about yearly. Almost all have been from ATI. Currently all ATI, from back to front: Actinic, coral plus, blue plus, coral plus, actinic, coral plus. It is time to switch out three bulbs and I haven't determined what will go in next.
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
@Danreef

No recent pics. I let the tank slide a bit last year, but have recently started to be more diligent. I've taken one large coral out and I'm about to take a second large coral out this weekend. Large meaning about the size a good sized kettle.

I have to because they have overgrown other corals and are hindering water flow. The first coral I took out I had pulled frags off of and put back in the tank to start growing new again. I will do the same for the one I'm pulling out this weekend. I plan to display both on shelves (they are really good sizes and the sun bleached the first one really well).

I lost my blenny a couple of weeks back. He was the same one that you see in my thread back on page 1, post #13 (2013). Haven't looked up their life span, but it had a good life in my tank.

Same old fish: two paired B&W clowns, foxface, wrasse, same old hermit from my old tank that transferred over (had since 2010), and snails (haven't stocked snails in a couple of years).

I need to pop over to your thread to see how things are going for you :)
 
D

Danreef

Well-Known Member
Oxylebius said:
@Danreef

No recent pics. I let the tank slide a bit last year, but have recently started to be more diligent. I've taken one large coral out and I'm about to take a second large coral out this weekend. Large meaning about the size a good sized kettle.

I have to because they have overgrown other corals and are hindering water flow. The first coral I took out I had pulled frags off of and put back in the tank to start growing new again. I will do the same for the one I'm pulling out this weekend. I plan to display both on shelves (they are really good sizes and the sun bleached the first one really well).

I lost my blenny a couple of weeks back. He was the same one that you see in my thread back on page 1, post #13 (2013). Haven't looked up their life span, but it had a good life in my tank.

Same old fish: two paired B&W clowns, foxface, wrasse, same old hermit from my old tank that transferred over (had since 2010), and snails (haven't stocked snails in a couple of years).

I need to pop over to your thread to see how things are going for you :)
Click to expand...

Hi Oxy.... nice to hear from you on my thread and thank for posting this update. As soon as you feel it's time, please post pictures.

I posted a new video from june/July on my thread.

As you, I have some overgrowth coral colonies. Mainly the pink policipora that is in the middle of the tank. It's HUGE, but if I get that one out I will break the branching acropora. Both have their branches interlaced on one side (right side when facing the tank).

I am just letting the tank evolve. I have done ANYTHING to it , beside standard housekeeping (WC , cleaning the fuge and dosing). That's all.

After my last crash, more than 1 year ago, my policy is "what lives in my conditions, welcome, all others can die" I did not replaced or added any new coral since that moment. If one died I say "it is what it is".

I do not have idea of any parameter in my tank, beside Salinity and Alk. As I dose B-ionic 2 parts I only measure Alk.

That is all : 25 % WC every weekend, Dosing 2 parts and standard cleaning.

Cheers
Daniel
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
@Danreef Sorry no pics yet. Been so busy lately with lots of travel (e.g. OR, GA, MO) that has now slowed down. I actually pulled two rather large coral heads out of my tank a little while back and they are on display on my book shelf now. Took frags of both and added them to various locations in the tank. They were blocking light and current and thus killing off other corals in my tank. They just got too big. So, now the tank looks younger with smaller corals in it. Also hacked away at all the monti caps which also got huge! Will clean up the tank a bit and snap some photos soon. I'm about to start in on cleaning up the pumps which I have left without maintenance for over a year now. They need a good cleaning with vinegar. It is always a messy job cleaning pumps.
 
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