Caleb's first reef tank

[Imrahilwjz]

We're home from our trip, tank definitely gained some more green over the week we were gone. All 3 glass faces had a layer that required a scraper to remove as well as whitish/clear things on it that needed the scraper from my flipper to get removed. Not sure what these things are, maybe a sponge of some sort? I'll add a picture of an attempt to capture them but not 100% sure what they are. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Snail eggs?

 

[Imrahilwjz]

Sorry. Kinda late to the party with those posts

 

[Impunitus]

No worries! Better late than never :)

I do not think they are snail eggs, thinking some sort of hydroid. I do not have nernites in here, at least not ones i placed so I know no eggs from them.

Some of those anemones have died or been eaten, but some are still hanging around. Just trying to pull my phosphates down and get the stuff I have growing out. The GSP rock is absolutely growing, but want to see the duncan looking happier and getting more heads, as well as the mushrooms wanting to split.

The SPS I do have I hope to just keep at this point. Any growth from those will be great, but trying to get the water to a point where they'll be happy. I don't have what I would call a crazy algae problem right now, but maybe I'm just balancing on a fine edge there.

 

[Impunitus]

I've been thinking if I want a protein skimmer. I think it would be beneficial, but also don't want to overdo it. My second problem there is getting a skimmer that will fit in the remaining AIO chambers I have. Which are the smaller one of the left and middle if I was going to place it with the return pumps.

Size is a big factor. I was looking at the Skimmer Shark 150 and 300 but even the 150 is just slightly too large for my compartments.

Thoughts? The more I go on with the AIO, while I to like it I'm also kicking myself for not going with something that has a proper sump and more space for all this lol...

 

[tbrown]

I like IOAOI skimmers and they have a couple of small footprint ones that might work.

 

[Impunitus]

I like IOAOI skimmers and they have a couple of small footprint ones that might work.

Thank you for the recommendation! They have a few options that I'm looking at but I am leaning towards this one below. Its small and simple enough to set up. Just a pump that needs power and I'll probably get a sensor for the cup to make sure it can stop the skimmer if cup gets full for whatever reason.

Amazon product

Was also looking at this one below.

Amazon product

I believe I have roughly 50-55 gallons of water in the tank, but I'm not really 100% sure. Both would fit in my return compartment but think the first is the better option for my usage

 

[Impunitus]

Watched the F1 race this morning (I passed out waiting for it last night!) and did my tests. Looking for some input/guidance on what I should do here. Used the Hanna cause the Salifert was reading lower than yesterday, and I was expecting a rebound like we saw earlier this week.

Phosphate: 0.18
Nitrate: 5.0

Should I just keep letting the GFO and what is left of the carbon ride or pull it? The carbon has been in for almost a week, and this bag of GFO is the replacement I put in Friday afternoon. Lighting period on my fuge is 14 hours (6PM-8AM).

I am feeding twice a day right now, and keeping it to vitalis pellets. I do a small part of frozen brine shrimp/mysis every other day as a bonus feeding. These guys are also constantly hunting pods either on the walls or in the water column throughout the day.

 

[tbrown]

Watched the F1 race this morning (I passed out waiting for it last night!) and did my tests. Looking for some input/guidance on what I should do here. Used the Hanna cause the Salifert was reading lower than yesterday, and I was expecting a rebound like we saw earlier this week.

Phosphate: 0.18
Nitrate: 5.0

Should I just keep letting the GFO and what is left of the carbon ride or pull it? The carbon has been in for almost a week, and this bag of GFO is the replacement I put in Friday afternoon. Lighting period on my fuge is 14 hours (6PM-8AM).

I am feeding twice a day right now, and keeping it to vitalis pellets. I do a small part of frozen brine shrimp/mysis every other day as a bonus feeding. These guys are also constantly hunting pods either on the walls or in the water column throughout the day.

5 nitrates is borderline low in my opinion, but you're going to get differing opinions. I usually try to run around 0.15 to 0.2 phosphates also so...

 

[Impunitus]

Happy Friday, hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Some updates to share, and a question as well because I have some concerns with my hammer.

Tested phosphate throughout the week and tested nitrate/phosphate/alk today. This is also after feeding a very small amount of LRS and some algae sinking wafers for the CUC today.

11/24 - Phosphate .20
11/25 - Phosphate .26

Today 11/28
Phosphate .19
Nitrate 11.9
Alkalinity 7.9

A pretty sharp change in my alkalinity considering it was 8.9 on 11/19, so 9 days ago. I was not seeing consumption like that prior, and believe this, or potentially my phosphates swinging down rapidly like this may has stressed out my hammer. I already lost a head, and have another detaching right now. This loops like polyp bailing, I do not see anything that would make me think BJD from my research. The one empty head was just gone one morning, and the head that is shown in the video below is basically completely detached from the skeleton at this point.

I did notice my pH didn't climb as high yesterday as it normally does. I was cooking / hosting so the extra bodies plus kitchen activity I assume are the contributors there. Wouldn't call it an issue but just a difference to share that I'm sure others could see as well.

Let me know your thoughts on the hammer. I have AFR, I just hadn't needed to start dosing it as I wasn't seeing consumption. I can start with 5ml and track change over time. Just don't want to lose all the heads on my hammer now :(

 

[tbrown]

Flow looks good, PE looks great. How's the flesh band?

 

[Impunitus]

Flow looks good, PE looks great. How's the flesh band?

I'll be honest I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for, or it is very much absent or very receded. Its not thick like what I would expect on a torch (I know hammers are different, but not sure if flesh band on them should look the same), looks to basically be just the polyps on the skeleton and no visible flesh band to my very untrained eye.

Took a video, its very blue but you can see the head that is basically completely detached at this point

 

[tbrown]

Flesh band should look the same on torches, hammers, frammers, frogspawn, octospawn, etc.

 

[tbrown]

Unfortunately I don't see a flesh band on any of those.

@fishguy242 who's the best to talk to about hammers? @F i s h y ?

I'm thinking iodine bath might be in order?

 

[Impunitus]

Unfortunately I don't see a flesh band on any of those.

@fishguy242 who's the best to talk to about hammers? @F i s h y ?

I'm thinking iodine bath might be in order?

I have Polyp Lab and CoralRx one shot packets that came in a combo pack I bought. Would those suffice here? If not, I can grab iodine at the store tomorrow to dip with if that is the better choice.

I'm also going to ping @vetteguy53081. He was super helpful with my wife's clowns and from his post history is super helpful to everyone with fish/coral issues. Is there any insight you can offer for my hammer?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Phosphate still elevated

Happy Friday, hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Some updates to share, and a question as well because I have some concerns with my hammer.

Tested phosphate throughout the week and tested nitrate/phosphate/alk today. This is also after feeding a very small amount of LRS and some algae sinking wafers for the CUC today.

11/24 - Phosphate .20
11/25 - Phosphate .26

Today 11/28
Phosphate .19
Nitrate 11.9
Alkalinity 7.9

A pretty sharp change in my alkalinity considering it was 8.9 on 11/19, so 9 days ago. I was not seeing consumption like that prior, and believe this, or potentially my phosphates swinging down rapidly like this may has stressed out my hammer. I already lost a head, and have another detaching right now. This loops like polyp bailing, I do not see anything that would make me think BJD from my research. The one empty head was just gone one morning, and the head that is shown in the video below is basically completely detached from the skeleton at this point.

I did notice my pH didn't climb as high yesterday as it normally does. I was cooking / hosting so the extra bodies plus kitchen activity I assume are the contributors there. Wouldn't call it an issue but just a difference to share that I'm sure others could see as well.

Let me know your thoughts on the hammer. I have AFR, I just hadn't needed to start dosing it as I wasn't seeing consumption. I can start with 5ml and track change over time. Just don't want to lose all the heads on my hammer now :(

Phosphate still elevated as you want .06 - .1
Other stressors are too much light or flow which will cause them to bend or have polyp bailout or too little flow causing them to shrink or climb towards light or power heads
Also assure calcium not below 400 and if using no pox can alter chemistry making them unhappy

 

[Impunitus]

Phosphate still elevated

Phosphate still elevated as you want .06 - .1
Other stressors are too much light or flow which will cause them to bend or have polyp bailout or too little flow causing them to shrink or climb towards light or power heads
Also assure calcium not below 400 and if using no pox can alter chemistry making them unhappy

Thank you so much!

We have been trying to pull my phosphates down. They had spiked up to .6, so .19 is an improvement but 100% understand this is still higher than desired.

This is an area of the tank with some decent flow, but its not in a direct path of any power heads, so isn't my highest flow area. Pretty subjective but would say medium on a low-medium-high scale.

I do not have a way of measuring PAR. This is in the lower part of my tank, and is off the the left of the light. I run my lights in the AB+ preset at 50%. I don't think I'm giving it too much light, but again I guess that is subjective.

I can move it to the sand on the right side of the tank which is my lowest flow/lowest light area. Just trying to understand what the best approach for this guy may be.

 

[tbrown]

Be careful dropping your phosphates though. Lots of successful reef keepers keep torches, hammers, and other LPS in higher phosphates. It's not always the levels that kill so much as the fluctuations. Most people don't realize that phosphates and nitrates are food sources for the hammer.

 

[tbrown]

Thank you so much!

We have been trying to pull my phosphates down. They had spiked up to .6, so .19 is an improvement but 100% understand this is still higher than desired.

This is an area of the tank with some decent flow, but its not in a direct path of any power heads, so isn't my highest flow area. Pretty subjective but would say medium on a low-medium-high scale.

I do not have a way of measuring PAR. This is in the lower part of my tank, and is off the the left of the light. I run my lights in the AB+ preset at 50%. I don't think I'm giving it too much light, but again I guess that is subjective.

I can move it to the sand on the right side of the tank which is my lowest flow/lowest light area. Just trying to understand what the best approach for this guy may be.

Your flow doesn't look excessive for a hammer. Good, gentle puffing.

 

[tbrown]

Moving it may be an ok idea. I'd say the lack of flesh band is a problem. Sometimes an iodine bath helps heal whatever is ailing it and starts that flesh band regrowth.

@Rocks reef had some success I believe. What'd you end up using Keith?

 

[Impunitus]

Reposition it for the time being. FTS and video of it in its new spot below.

Moved from the left side on the ramp rock to the right side on the sand.

Bonus share, my duncan is looking very puffy/fat after being fed today