Maggie's Mixed Reef Build V3, now a 75!

[Mhamilton0911]

So, I'm cleaning up the massive Xenia in my tank and I uncovered some zoas they overtook. Literally growing ON the zoas. I've pulled several attached xenia clumps off them, most pull clean but a couple spots the xenia left some skin on the zoas. Zoas look unaffected but now much happier they have light again. Wow. Xenia is pretty determined to take up real estate.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Snail tried to make a break for it, found it's trail on the side of the tank and apparently tasted the dog toy on the floor. Yum.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

First time I've woken up to a cloudy tank. I think it was my pistol shrimp digging in an area that he hasn't in a while so mostly debris I guess. All the rocks were covered in fine dust so I blasted them all and changed my filter floss and did a water change. Obviously I let to much gunk pile up in the back and that pistol found it and re distributed. Oh, and I knocked the hose out of the bucket while siphoning out the gunky water and got a few gallons all over my feet and floor. Yummy. It's fine, I'm fine.

 

[danieyella]

First time I've woken up to a cloudy tank. I think it was my pistol shrimp digging in an area that he hasn't in a while so mostly debris I guess. All the rocks were covered in fine dust so I blasted them all and changed my filter floss and did a water change. Obviously I let to much gunk pile up in the back and that pistol found it and re distributed. Oh, and I knocked the hose out of the bucket while siphoning out the gunky water and got a few gallons all over my feet and floor. Yummy. It's fine, I'm fine.

Exactly why I won't have one again. Same with engineer

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Really surprised at all the gunk I let accumulate though, pistol must of had some fun.

He hasn't killed any corals yet so he's got a pass for this time.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Photos
This pretty mushroom split a few weeks ago and both these look to be splitting again.


Really cool colors in person, the filter kind of washes it out. So many polyps can't count them all anymore.


Another fav zoa, pretty purple and green.


Again, the colors don't show with the filter but such a pretty teal. Lots of new baby polyps in it!


Some Bam Bam zoas starting to spread now, these were survivors on a mostly doa shipment from nasty weather 2 years ago. Taught me to just wait for nice weather to ship.


Huge zoa colony that's taking over. I've finally started to nip it back. Gonna have to again.




That's all folks!

 

[danieyella]

Looking fantastic

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Do we need to talk about how large I've let this vermetid snail get?? This behemoth is the largest one I've seen, as wide as the base of this hammer. All the others in my system are small and normal looking but this one is on steroids. Gonna have to clip him today, the mucous net is really irritating the hammer.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Lol, my manicure glows, reflection on the glass

 

[danieyella]

Do we need to talk about how large I've let this vermetid snail get?? This behemoth is the largest one I've seen, as wide as the base of this hammer. All the others in my system are small and normal looking but this one is on steroids. Gonna have to clip him today, the mucous net is really irritating the hammer.

I had one in the 4 gallon that was as thick as the little white feather dusters that pop up. It was straight also and I let it go for so long because I didn't think it was a vermetid - It took forever for me to catch it net out. It was huge and weird

 

[Mhamilton0911]

First sun coral... Also hasn't opened yet, is it too bright here? I think par here was 80 or so? Should I try to hide/shade it a little?

 

[danieyella]

Shade it, they take a couple weeks to settle in usually. Don't forget to feed!

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Shade it, they take a couple weeks to settle in usually. Don't forget to feed!

Thought I might have set it too bright. Should I try to feed it while closed or wait until it peeps out?

All the flesh is still there and bright so it still looks good other than closed.

 

[danieyella]

Thought I might have set it too bright. Should I try to feed it while closed or wait until it peeps out?

All the flesh is still there and bright so it still looks good other than closed.

My black sun stayed closed up for about a week, maybe actually 2....

What I do with all of my NPS now is mix up 2 food cups 1 to feed the tank and target feed any LPS in the tank, This helps wake up the NPS. And then I circle back about 30 minutes to an hour later to feed the NPS once they're actually out with the other smaller cup.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Alrighty then!

I'll feed some yummy slurry later and see if it wakes up from the scent, lol. For now I moved it in a shade spot. I'll get the par readings soon to figure out where to place it, what par# did yours like?

 

[danieyella]

Alrighty then!

I'll feed some yummy slurry later and see if it wakes up from the scent, lol. For now I moved it in a shade spot. I'll get the par readings soon to figure out where to place it, what par# did yours like?

No idea, I was clearly super scientific about it

 

[danieyella]

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Darn pistol shrimp will make this task difficult. I do have another of those sand frag stands, that way I can move it and the shrimp shouldn't be able to bury it.

Thanks, your helpful!

 

[Mhamilton0911]

@danieyella

It worked!! I fed the tank and a little while later it's poking out, definitely not all the way open but by lights out it was open more. So neat. I did sprinkle a tiny bit of what slurry was left over but I'm not sure if it ate, one wavemaker came off feed mode so things started flowing.

But, " it's alive!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!"

 

[Mhamilton0911]

So I got the loose zoas that I had chillin' in the Evo banded to plugs. All of them are open so I didn't tick them off too bad.

These grow really fast, I underestimated the ability to take over, I have to whack them back from touching other corals.