My seven month old Biocube 29gallon

[Nightshiner]

So I've been lurking on several reef forums for a few years. Finally I took a dive and decided on the new Coralife biocube29. Only upgrades I've I've is purchase the Intank filter and fuge. This is my first post and im gonna try to show a progression of pictures from past thru present.

 

[Nightshiner]

 

[Nightshiner]

 

[Nightshiner]

 

[legacy2mj]

looking good! here is my 29 biocube after about 3 months... what are you feeding your clown?

 

[Nightshiner]

 

[Nightshiner]

fish get Ocean nutrition prime reef flakes and formula one reef pellets. i also feed frozen mysis and brine shrimp cubes to give fish a full stomach so i can spot feed the duncan coral which went from two heads when i bought it. it now has 10 heads. i picked up a two headed frag of Tequilla sunrise zoas yesterday.

 

[legacy2mj]

fish get Ocean nutrition prime reef flakes and formula one reef pellets. i also feed frozen mysis and brine shrimp cubes to give fish a full stomach so i can spot feed the duncan coral which went from two heads when i bought it. it now has 10 heads. i picked up a two headed frag of Tequilla sunrise zoas yesterday.

I have zero luck with zoas... they will not open. Iv tried everything and they continue to be the only corals in my tank that will not open, ever... its annoying.
I as well have 2 duncan frags i picked up not to long ago... it is growing heads quick.

I just picked up this orange sun coral today... do you have any experience with them?

 

[Nightshiner]

 

[Nightshiner]

 

[Nightshiner]

I have only lost two things since starting. One small clothes which I think my emerald crab caught and a nice piece of candycane coral which green hair algae overtook before I got my crew of blueberry legged hermit crabs. Who mowed that lawn within a week and it it gone.

 

[reggaedrummin]

Flakes are notoriously high in nitrates and contribute to poor water quality which causes algae growth among other things. What kind of lights do you have? I think you're issues with keeping certain coral might be insufficient lighting and poor water quality. What are your parameters? Sun coral is NPS (non photo synthetic) the yellow variety tends to be the toughest to keep. You must spot feed them daily and usually after lights out though with patience and persistence, you can get them to open and eat with the lights on. Don't allow their feeding needs to cause you to over feed your tank and cause a nitrate spike.

 

[Nightshiner]

I haven't had any algae problems since april. Nitrates phosphates ammonia at zero. I use chemipure elite and phosgaurd in the Intank media filter, with a heaping water of chaeto in the fuge opposite light cycle. I change 5 gallons of water every Wednesday with reef crystals religiously. I'm still using stock lighting for now. I clean the light cover every day and open it on a week to clean inside it. Lotta dust gets in there.

 

[legacy2mj]

anybody have any idea why my zoas are the only thing in my tank that will not open? I started putting iodide in the tank to try and help them, but no result. I moved them to lower light, and still not opening. I dont know what to do.

 

[Nightshiner]

Im far from an expert but when I first got mine they stayed closed then I bought a no of Seachem zooplankton to spot feed and theyve grown and spread quite nicely.

 

[tupes]

anybody have any idea why my zoas are the only thing in my tank that will not open? I started putting iodide in the tank to try and help them, but no result. I moved them to lower light, and still not opening. I dont know what to do.

They do like water a little bit dirty but not filthy. Make sure you don't add anything to your tank that you're not testing or can't test for. "Iodine" just as if you were adding cal. Alk. or mag. you would want to test for those elements just so you don't add to much.

 

[tupes]

Im far from an expert but when I first got mine they stayed closed then I bought a no of Seachem zooplankton to spot feed and theyve grown and spread quite nicely.

IME spot feeding does help to entice them to open. I squirting mine from time to time with baby brine. I also mix a cube of baby brine and mysis shrimp with some coral frenzy and squirt it in the tank once a week just to give corals something different

 

[Nightshiner]

I've been wanting to try coral frenzy. I meant to add that spot freeding doesnt necessarily help them open but seemed to make them happy in long run. Its just something ive figured out with my setup. I also quit using a skimmer and stuck with religious water changes.whether that was a good or bad idea everything is thriving and water is clear so I figure im doing something right.

 

[reggaedrummin]

Yeah just give them time and feed them. How long have they been in there and closed? What's your alkalinity? As stated with the iodine, it's easy to overdose. Don't dose anything you're not testing for. Your salt has a trace level of iodine along with many other minerals and heavy metals all of which can be toxic to you corals if you spike the levels

 

[Nightshiner]

Did a little rescaping and add a new mixed zoa frag.