Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The state of the glass in these photos is a bit better than in my 75 gallon aquarium glass a year ago. When I got tired of scraping it a couple times a month, I bought fifty Margarites snails. In two weeks the glass was not only completely cleaned (I mean 100%), but every other surfaces was clean. Coralline is now the only thing that needs to be removed from the glass (355 days and counting). The snails seem to be gnawing that as well. The funny thing is that hair algae is not on their menu, that I yank occasionally. There is a cost to maintaining this large clean up crew. I need to feed it one 8x8 inch sheet of dried seaweed about every day. I think a snail has an appetites like a dog. You feed it and then it is are off looking something to eat.

I cleaned it earlier today. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Auto Feeding of Herbivore Fish

Last time I went away for several days, this is what the auto feeding of the tang and foxface looked like. It is live Ulva from my refugium and it generally lasts several days without any spoilage. The algae is rubber banded to some old rock pieces that I use over and over.

It also serves to bring more pods, some of which are fairly large, to the display from the refugium as many ride along with it.

I had poor luck with rubber bands failing until I got some high temperature rated silicone bands meant for cooking. They last much better.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Magnifica Update

Anemone looks bad now, and may not make it. It fell on its face a few days ago, eventually righted itself and gripped the local rock, it its mouth is slightly everted and I do not have high hopes. Not sure what its problem has been over the past 6 months, but it has seems to very slowly be drifting to less healthy.

Assuming I find a suitable candidate, I’m planning to get a new anemone, from among magnifica, gigantea, or H. Crispa.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Other than the anemone, the tank is doing well post Chemiclean. The digitata in the middle grew large enough that a branch broke off. Probably from a turbo snail pushing by as they are huge now.

The small rocks in the foreground are the remains of the ulva buffet posted a couple of posts ago. The herbivores picked them clean and they will be refreshed next time I’m away.

As one can see, the front protective grill popped off the left
Powerhead. I need to reattach that. I think the anemone guard pushed it off.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Current stats

Salinity 33.2 ppt. Drifted down due to low salinity in AWC. Will slowly raise.

pH 8.0
Alk 8.2 dKH no changes to AFR dosing
Temp 79 deg F

Some pics:

 

[picea]

That's too bad on your magnifica. I fell in love with the photos of big magnifica colonies hosting hundreds of clownfish in the wild.

It sounds like gigantea is a bit better behaved and pretty happy on the sandbed, so maybe you can snag one with some good colors. I think Corals Anonymous often has a good variety.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks. I had a green gigantea and a blue one in my previous tank and they did well, and would be a good fit for the clown trio. :)

old tank pic:

 

[JayM]

If your cyano returns another option I’ve recently found is the Uv sand sweeper!

It works great not only for Dino’s! But also cyano, GHA, and even aptasia. I’m loving this thing! Works on the glass, rocks/aquascape, sand, even pumps. Only wish he had a smaller version to be able to get into more places with it easier.

Interesting. I wonder if it works on mushrooms? They've become a plague of epic proportion in my tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Magnifica Treatment

I really hate to have to do it because I’m afraid it might break up the clown trio I have been working to sustain, but the magnifica looks terrible and it is going into a Cipro hospital tank as soon as the water warms up. It looks the worst it has since before the original Cipro treatment months ago.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Homeless clowns:

Anemone in 20 gallon tank, with 5 gallons of water, egg crate across the middle, heater, INKBIRD sensor, powerhead and grounding probe on the other side. Water contains about 1/4 of a 500 mg cipro capsule.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

For once, the anemone was gripping strongly to the rough rocks behind it. I rocked it back and forth gently a bunch of times and it finally released. I sure hope that motion did not hurt it.

 

[jonelder68]

For once, the anemone was gripping strongly to the rough rocks behind it. I rocked it back and forth gently a bunch of times and it finally released. I sure hope that motion did not hurt it.

Wishing the best for your nem I know you really care for it.

 

[jonelder68]

Interesting. I wonder if it works on mushrooms? They've become a plague of epic proportion in my tank.

I bet it would. I’ve been using it on a few tiny aptasias as well. I tried F aptasia but afterwards more popped up. With UV sweeper I haven’t found any since using it 2-3 weeks ago.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Good Lord. I found a build that I would love to follow. But 147 pages of catch up?! That's brutal!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

RIP, Magnifica

Well, the Magnifica did not make it. I really do not know what the ultimate problem was, but the upside is that readers of this thread don’t need to wade through post after post about it. This is the last, sad post.

I’m not sure what I’ll do going forward. The clown trio is swimming together nicely, and I’ll be watching for a suitable
Magnifica or gigantea for them. The tank was designed around getting a magnifica, but I can adapt.

 

[vlangel]

RIP, Magnifica

Well, the Magnifica did not make it. I really do not know what the ultimate problem was, but the upside is that readers of this thread don’t need to wade through post after post about it. This is the last, sad post.

I’m not sure what I’ll do going forward. The clown trio is swimming together nicely, and I’ll be watching for a suitable
Magnifica or gigantea for them. The tank was designed around getting a magnifica, but I can adapt.

Sorry Randy, I know you really tried to make the nem happy and comfortable.

 

[dwest]

Sorry Randy. My guess is that the clownfish will move to the elegance soon.

 

[Tradevg]

RIP, Magnifica

Well, the Magnifica did not make it. I really do not know what the ultimate problem was, but the upside is that readers of this thread don’t need to wade through post after post about it. This is the last, sad post.

I’m not sure what I’ll do going forward. The clown trio is swimming together nicely, and I’ll be watching for a suitable
Magnifica or gigantea for them. The tank was designed around getting a magnifica, but I can adapt.

Sorry to hear that @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Sorry to hear that @Randy Holmes-Farley

Thanks. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Upcoming Corals

I am planning to get a couple of largish hammer colonies (yellow and rainbow) from Dong at Acrogarden (a local coral farm). These aren’t wysiwyg pics, and I cannot be sure how they will look in my lighting, but these are the pictures Dong shows in his sales thread at Boston Reefers:

FS - Livestock - Yellow Hammers sale, $5 a head

Yellow hammers, see photo. $5 a head, from double heads frag to 20 heads colonies available. Pickup in Concord MA 01742 978-505-8232 Dong

bostonreefers.org