★★★ Project " GENESIS (II) 2020 " ★ [ Re-Engineered / REBOOT ] ★ SPS 110G ★★★

[sam.veilleux30]

Day after HARLEQUIN Shrimp added
[ ( ASTERIA STARFISH ) on the RUN !! ] Weird

This is something I've never seen before.

Sure the Asterina Starfish would climb on the Glass, in flow areas, and usually at Night.

Today, the day after the Harlequin Shrimp was added, there were Tons of Asterina Starfish, up high on the glass (During Lights on). Like they sensed the Harlequin Shrimp Hunting them.

What is even more odd to support this theory, is lot of new Asterinia's, and they are very white colored versions of them. Possibly they were in darkness in the rockscape and didn't accumilate pigment. DId the Harlequin scare them out?



I wonder if the Starfish actually talk Chemical Signals to warn each other of a predator.

Same thing happened to me the last time i added an harlequin.
on a side note: not sure it was related but after a while, when the asterina population was barely visible i end up with a lot of worms on the scape.
The kind that build calcarous tube, it was becoming painful to handle the rocks.
My theory is either the asterina were doing predation on them or they now had more food available.
Not sure.

the morning after the introduction

 

[sam.veilleux30]

How's your "papi chulo" doing?
Mine is kind of meh since a few months, stn from the base, not certain about the cause.
I did an icp and the result came back with high silicates and aluminum and a few trace on the low side.

 

[WallyB]

How's your "papi chulo" doing?
Mine is kind of meh since a few months, stn from the base, not certain about the cause.
I did an icp and the result came back with high silicates and aluminum and a few trace on the low side.

I lot my original Papi Chulo.

But after months of watching online I finally got a very small frag. Seller had a small colony so wasn't willing to give much.

Tiny, but precious. Hope it does well. It's the center piece of my whole scape.

Hope your papi get's better. I had same thing on my ICP tests. Silicates and alluminum, but very low not harmful levels. That was ages ago, which makes me think. Tank is doing well, I should do a ICP test. They are not always about testing when things are wrong. It's good to catch a fingerprint of the tank when it's doing well.

 

[WallyB]

Same thing happened to me the last time i added an harlequin.
on a side note: not sure it was related but after a while, when the asterina population was barely visible i end up with a lot of worms on the scape.
The kind that build calcarous tube, it was becoming painful to handle the rocks.
My theory is either the asterina were doing predation on them or they now had more food available.
Not sure.

the morning after the introduction

Thats good to know. I rather have asterina than those worms.

My Harlequin didn't get them all, and slowly they are making a comeback.

I don't mind having a few. The Harelquin is in the other Tank Munching. When he cut's down the population he goes back into my SPS tank. He comes out when he's hungry. Easy to scoop up with a net, so I can flip him between my tanks.

 

[WallyB]

Clown Trigger still in QT.

My clown trigger not ideal for any of my tanks, so he simply will stay in the 10G till he will have to be returned.

He has gotten a bit bigger since I got him and he is slowly changing shape and features as he becomes a adult.

He is easy to feed since he Loves Pellets.

 

[sam.veilleux30]

Never had a trigger in my 15 years of reefing…

 

[damselindistress]

Tank Update with SPS Catalog

I haven't taken a photo and labelled my Frag in ages. I stopped doing that since SPS would die and the effort was a waste of time.

However things are very stable and even a recently bought Strawbery Shortcake is hanging in there alive for a few weeks, so things are just right.

I don't have all the name of every SPS, but pretty close on the most of them.

With the growth nice and steady, it's becoming obvious I placed the frags a bit to close.

I can live with this kind of future problem. Much better than removing bleached SPS frags.

This is fantastic and also your forest fire looks like a tiny uterus + fallopian tubes

 

[WallyB]

OMG.....My Cown Pair just have laid a bunch of eggs!!!

This is totally new to me.

I noticed the clown pair spending odd time around an empty rock area.

Here is why....

And a little closer.

Time to read up what I can do other than observe.

 

[WallyB]

This is fantastic and also your forest fire looks like a tiny uterus + fallopian tubes

Haha!!

But there is something quite odd about my Forest fire pieces.

Once a few years ago, my Forest Fire took on another interesting shape.

Unfortunately I never got to see it continue to grow to full potential, since I had a tank parameter flux that killed off that piece.

 

[WallyB]

This is fantastic and also your forest fire looks like a tiny uterus + fallopian tubes

To me the forest fire looked a bit more different....

Now it will never look the same again. LOL

 

[WallyB]

Ok. I think it's more appropriate to show "G-Rated" Corals.

I think my Miyaggi looks like a Dragon or Sea-Serpent.

 

[WallyB]

Possible Cyano Fix (More Flow/Fixed Flow) New Jebao SW20 Pump

The NEVER-ENDING CYANO was starting to test my patience.

I was about to use Dr. Tim's "Re-Fresh" with "Waste-Away" product, however I noticed that two of my Flow Pumps were spinning but no power (This must have happened ages ago, but since the props were spinning I thought they were pushing flow).

My Tank was UNDER-FLOW for quite some time!! Maybe Months.

So while ordering the Dr Tim's stuff, I ordered the Biggest Jebao SW20 in supply.

I put the pump into today and it kicked up a storm for a while, but then things cleared up.
EVEN the Cyano started dissapearing.

I may not have to use the Dr Tim's products.

For reference, I took a couple of photos of tank today (to compare if the Cyano goes away)

[Desk View] Side Shot )

Evening View ( Blue Lighting-Yellow filter)

Cyano Remenants on Rocks

Tank is NOT Super Pretty Perfect or anything, but slowly getting there if I can lick the Cyano Film Problem off the rocks...that would improve things big time. (I hate the Too much RED look when Cyano coats everywhere!!).

 

[WallyB]

Brief Update since it's been a while.

My 110G SPS Tank is awful. Cyano for months, my fault since I kept doing Amino's daily and when things started looking better, increase the Amino doses.

So I stopped aminos "cold turkey" and as I stopped the Amino some of the SPS took a hit. Maybe Sugar widthdrawl.

I think going (NO MORE) Amino's (EVER) should solve the problem but will take time.

I can already tell after a few days, that the Cyano Blooms are not as explosive.
And some SPS looking like improving.

Till it recovers, my Mixed 90 Gallon Kitchen Tank is keeping me in this hobby. DOING WELL.
I decided to move the Clown Trigger into the tank. Couple months ago.
He is doing well, get's along with the Yellow and PURPLE Tangs. THEY ARE A TRIO.

The Clown Trigger is now showing signs of "one of his traits". He picks up stuff like my old Empty Frag Plugs, Dead Snail Shells, and re-arranges the tank. It probably will get worse, so I may need to glue down more corals.

 

[WallyB]

THE BATTLE BEGINS (Taking Back my Tank)


So I noticed a patch of what looked like Hair Algae appearing on one of my rocks.
Closer inspection confirmed my worst nightmare (Bryopsis Algae).

I've been struggling with Cyano for over that last year. Things were getting better with dosing bacteria but this put me over the edge.

Luckily the Arch (Caribsea) was removable, but there could be Bryopis in elsewhere. I see none yet.
I will be treating the tank with fluconazole.

This was the Tank before the Arch Removal. (The Bryopsis in on the Left Arch Center)

This is the Arch when I removed it, showing the Bryopsis.

At least the Bryopsis was in the Center of the rock and didn't spread to the adjacent rocks (I hope).

I carved out any SPS that I wanted to keep, but to be safe I cut each SPS like a fresh cut frag to ensure no bryopsis was put back into the tank.

The ARCH will never go back. I will kill that rock. For now I treated the rock with Hydrogen Peroxide. Scrubbed off all bryopsis. Treated with Hydrogen Peroxide again. 2nd scrub and it's now soaking in fresh water.

Here is the Tank now.

It's actualy a nice Rockscape that has potential for SPS to fill in the space. Plus a fresh new look.
It also eliminates the Large Shadow that was under the Arch.

Not sure what I'll do for the long run, but a total Tank Tear down is one option. Then start fresh.

For now I'll let the SPS adjust to their new locations and start the fluconazole treament to tackle any possible Bryopsis lurking elsewhere in the tank.

Any suggestions?

 

[Fudsey]

Fluconazole worked for me in a previous tank, that is the route I would take

 

[WallyB]

Fluconazole worked for me in a previous tank, that is the route I would take

Thanks @Fudsey,

Plenty of other folks agree about Fluconazole for Bryopsis.
My order has arrived and for now it's on the shelf (if needed). I see no other patches of Bryopsis anywhere.

At this point my War and Original Battle is The Cyano, and I won't back down till not a spot of Cyano is left.

I decided to treat the ChemiClean. Did the 48 treatment over weekened. It helped but hardly enough.

So I just started another Dr. Tim Refresh Treatment, and will follow up with Dr. Tim's Waste Away if needed.

I seriously will tear down the tank if it's necessary to rid the Tank of Cyano. 1 year of waiting is enough.
Removing that Bryopsis rock made me realized a tear down and restart wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Just a reference photo (Day 0) of "Refresh Treatment".

Tank water does look super clear. Corals unaffected at this point. Cyano Lingers (even after Chemi Clean)

 

[WallyB]

SPS Tank Water Check

It's been ages since I fully tested the Tanks water Parameters. I only check ALK weekly to adjust dosing.

ALK 7.8 dkH
CALC 450 ppm
MAG 1440 ppm
PO4 0.05 ppm
NO3 5.0 ppm

Things look fine except for elevated Mag. That's probably due to changing Salt from Red Sea Blue Bucket to Reef Crystals.

However for this treatment stage, I bought one bucket or Topic Maurin Pro, to make sure the Water changes I'm doing are best possible.

 

[WallyB]

UPDATE: NEW SCAPE (Low Filler Rock/Arch-Replacement & Turbinaria Raise-&-Twist)

It's been a couple months. Cyano still lingering, and I don't care anymore. It will end one day.

With the Bryopsis Arch removed and killed, it was time to make some adjustments.

I decided to not put back the bulky Arch. It was just too high and cast a shadow on good rock areas below.

I'll find a use for the Arch in a future project, but not in the 110G sps Tank.

I wanted some lower rock area, so I filled in the arch area with a couple of small pieces. much lower.

Also while I had my Hand in the Tank, I decided to tackle the Slowly Growing Yellow Turbinaria. I manage to give the Turbinaria a Twist, to tuck it more into the corner of the tank. That got me some more real estate all around, and lessen the shadow cast below.

This is the New Scape. I have some room for a few new SPS frags. (Christmas gift coming)

This (below) was before. (Note: Current Tank Above. SPS corals have nicely recovered from the Last Damage Wave)

I did start a Bergia Farm too in 2.5 Gal Tank. Goal is to breed them and put into my 3 Tanks.

Very Simple setup.

Do I have enough Aiptasia for the Farm? For Sure!!!

My Frag Tank or Holding Tank is almost nothing but Aiptasia, and other stuff.

Need a closer look at how much Aiptasia?

See the Aiptasia now? That's only one section. Normally I would be grossed out, but this is future. Baby Berghia food.

Also the Box fish (bottom near the Monti), is the coolest fish in the world. So Friendly, he chases me coming to surface.
He has grown up quite a bit since I got him. Very hugry guy. If I pass by and don't feed him, he actually comes to the surface and Shoot jet's of water at me. Freaked out my son one day. Now my son actually visits the Box Fish.

Happy Holidays (Merry Christmas) to everyone if I don't post again, till the New year. Things are busy here.

 

[WallyB]

oh, one more update. My 90 Gallon Kitchen Mixed Tank with the Clown Trigger.

Trigger is certainly getting bigger, but still very polite and friendly with the Purple and Yellow Tang.

However as @Fudsey just posted on his thread, that he removed some GSP like a bannana peel off a bannana.
My Hairy mushrooms are getting too much. I have to remove a torch in the Shroom patch that was being suffacated by the shroom.

The Pair of Clowns love the patch since it's their squishy home. I don't, since a few shroom has migrated to other part of tank.

 

[Fudsey]

That sroom patch is something else ! ! Tanks are looking great ! !