Smite's UNS 120s peninsula

[minus9]

Any updates? How's the GHA coming along?

 

[Smite]

Any updates? How's the GHA coming along?

My handles are wrinkled like a kid in a tub. I spent 2.5 hours picking and scrubbing rocks today and it still looks like I hell. I'm getting ready to head out and up my cuc a bit. Open to any recommendations.

I dont want to do it but I may rehome my blue star leopard and moyeri. I think they may be taking out smaller cuc members and more than likely shrimp too. That will also allow me to eliminate that sand trap and I may add a pump to blow along the bottom or the tank from there. I think there may be a detritus trap under my main rock structure? not 100% sure.

Bad news:
Lost my JF Jolt frag
Creme De La Creme RTN, I caught the tip and cut it off but who knows
Same deal with my TSA rainbow fusion
I now have 2 seahares who dont seem to care to touch the GHA or just cant keep up? I'm not 100% sure which. Both are alive and active but seem to stick to the BB and not go on the rockwork.
I'm seeing a few dead larger snails which has me worried none of the cuc are eating the GHA and starving out with the lack of other algaes in the tank.
My chaeto once again has been starved and is gone. I'm going back to old school and dedicating a section of my sump to a refugium to make sure its not my reactor's light of flow. I've got an old par38 lamp that worked wonders in the past I'll be using. I'll also be dosing nitrates and phosphates during lights out and running the fuge opposite schedule to give it a boost.

I'm blown away with how tough this stuff is to remove. I'm about ready to set up a scrubbing station and pull everything, scrub it down, remove the wrasse and den and place it all back in.

 

[Smite]

Do you think it's possible the seahares can't hang with the flow up higher in the rocks? I didn't think about that, it's pretty turbulent up there.

 

[minus9]

Do you think it's possible the seahares can't hang with the flow up higher in the rocks? I didn't think about that, it's pretty turbulent up there.

Sea hares are hit and miss with GHA. They will eat it, but they like variety as well and will get tired of GHA and starve if not feed other algae. Turbo snails are the best at running through it, but don't go crazy or they'll help feed the cycle of nutrients and keep the GHA going.
I feel your pain, as I was in the same boat about two years ago. I probably pulled the rock every time I did a water change. I also ran GFO, but much less than recommended. If you use too much, then your corals suffer. I also beefed up on hermits, which I normally don't use much. Blue legged and scarlet are the best, scarlets being my favorite less murderous hermit. Hang in there, it's a slow battle, very slow.

 

[Smite]

Sea hares are hit and miss with GHA. They will eat it, but they like variety as well and will get tired of GHA and starve if not feed other algae. Turbo snails are the best at running through it, but don't go crazy or they'll help feed the cycle of nutrients and keep the GHA going.
I feel your pain, as I was in the same boat about two years ago. I probably pulled the rock every time I did a water change. I also ran GFO, but much less than recommended. If you use too much, then your corals suffer. I also beefed up on hermits, which I normally don't use much. Blue legged and scarlet are the best, scarlets being my favorite less murderous hermit. Hang in there, it's a slow battle, very slow.

That makes sense. It did seem like they started off doing damage, I saw gha flying around as they were mowing through it, then changed to film algae on the glass. I know my 2 hours knocked it back by atleast 50%. I'm noticing a lot of snails on thier back closed up, not sure what thats about. hopefully I didnt upset anything going at it. I've added a polyfilter pad to my media cup to be safe.

I bought:
5 small turbos
20 hermits (cortez)
and 10 assorted snails they are round shelled, not sure of the type.


Good news:
My lawnmower went for a ride through the overflow and is in my sump! Looking a little skinny but alive and well. I plant to re introduce him after lights out tonight when the flow is lower and hopefully everyone will forget he was ever missing.


I have someone picking up my leopard wrasses on Tuesday. Sad to see them go but really, they were overgrown for my size tank. The moyeri would pace a bit against the glass. I dont plan to add anymore fish, I want to lower my bio-load and see how the system reacts. Also I'll be demoing my wrasse den, hopefully creating more flow and less detritus.

 

[Smite]

I was gonna get scarlets but they were 5.49 a piece or $25 for 5! Is that the going rate for them now? I feel like a I was paying 7-8 bucks for halloween and electric blue legs not long ago.

 

[minus9]

I was gonna get scarlets but they were 5.49 a piece or $25 for 5! Is that the going rate for them now? I feel like a I was paying 7-8 bucks for halloween and electric blue legs not long ago.

Scarlets have been a little pricey, but that seems about right nowadays? Check your magnesium levels, if it's too high, say 1500 or above, then that can cause the snails to slow down.

 

[Smite]

Scarlets have been a little pricey, but that seems about right nowadays? Check your magnesium levels, if it's too high, say 1500 or above, then that can cause the snails to slow down.

Thanks I'll give that a look now. It looks to mostly be my asternia snails, all freshly laid over not empty shells which is very strange. I'm gonna run some tests and see if anything is out of whack.

 

[minus9]

Thanks I'll give that a look now. It looks to mostly be my asternia snails, all freshly laid over not empty shells which is very strange. I'm gonna run some tests and see if anything is out of whack.

They also have a poor record of righting themselves once fallen.

 

[Smite]

They also have a poor record of righting themselves once fallen.

Right< i'll try and flip a few over. I've seen my moyeri flip tiny ones then move on. It's just alot of them and I just noticed after scrubbing some rock and pulling GHA. Hopefully that GHA wasn't growing and absorbing some toxing ect and I released a bunch during the cleaning.

 

[Smite]

I'm finally starting to make a notable dent in the GHA. It's kinda like whack a mole at this point but I'm getting there. Between the lone seahare and me working back any long spots there is progress. I've also be dosing different strain of phytoplankton from a buddy. One of them consumes silicates, so that could be helping as well.

Corals are getting nice and happy again too. Color is getting better now that I'm able to maintain a little higher nutrients and my polyp extension has returned during the day as well. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to do a nice FTS without seeing gha.

Heres a cool shot of Orange Crush. That blue area is pretty white during the day, newer growth.

 

[minus9]

I'm finally starting to make a notable dent in the GHA. It's kinda like whack a mole at this point but I'm getting there. Between the lone seahare and me working back any long spots there is progress. I've also be dosing different strain of phytoplankton from a buddy. One of them consumes silicates, so that could be helping as well.

Corals are getting nice and happy again too. Color is getting better now that I'm able to maintain a little higher nutrients and my polyp extension has returned during the day as well. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to do a nice FTS without seeing gha.

Heres a cool shot of Orange Crush. That blue area is pretty white during the day, newer growth.

Nice! You beat me to it, I was going to reach out to you and see how things were progressing. That tenuis looks nice!

 

[Smite]

Nice! You beat me to it, I was going to reach out to you and see how things were progressing. That tenuis looks nice!

Thanks. You got a chunk of that, hows it doing?

 

[minus9]

Thanks. You got a chunk of that, hows it doing?

It's slowly growing and starting to base out a little. The colors are nice, but I can see the potential there. Cool piece.

 

[Janci]

Good to hear on the battle on the GHA.
Do you have any idea what might have been the trigger for it to start and now reduce?

 

[Smite]

Good to hear on the battle on the GHA.
Do you have any idea what might have been the trigger for it to start and now reduce?

A few things happened that i think led to the outbreak but mostly overfeeding and TDS creeping up in my RODI and I missed it. I was feeding heavy like I did in my 180g but without the tangs to clean up the rocks for me.

 

[Smite]

you’re my boi blue! Not the fastest but it’s always clean right around him.

here are a few FTS progress shots to n my GHA issue. As you can see there are only a few more problem areas to go. Hard part will be the growth under the main ledge, probably a down side of painting the bottom white. I’ve got algae growing under my rock work.

 

[minus9]

you’re my boi blue! Not the fastest but it’s always clean right around him.

here are a few FTS progress shots to n my GHA issue. As you can see there are only a few more problem areas to go. Hard part will be the growth under the main ledge, probably a down side of painting the bottom white. I’ve got algae growing under my rock work.

The tank is looking great! I suspect with coral growth, the undersides of your rock work will be shaded more and less likely to grow algae. Also, once most of the algae is cut back, various snails will get to those hard to reach places and keep it in check. What snails do you have now? I good mix of trochus, astraea and turbos will do the job. I like scarlet hermits better than others, they seem less murderous than others.

 

[Smite]

The tank is looking great! I suspect with coral growth, the undersides of your rock work will be shaded more and less likely to grow algae. Also, once most of the algae is cut back, various snails will get to those hard to reach places and keep it in check. What snails do you have now? I good mix of trochus, astraea and turbos will do the job. I like scarlet hermits better than others, they seem less murderous than others.

Yeah I had a great snail population but they’ve dwindled down. I added a lot of Cortez and regular blue leg hermits and they are snail slayers unfortunately! I have astraea and turbos along with those micros snails i got from you. They are starting to multiply slowly but surely.

 

[Weasel1960]

Great build thread, tank looks awesome, like the aquascape.