Struggle's Cade Reef 900 S2

Struggle · Feb 3, 2023

We’re going to have to setup a QT tank. We bought a couple of colonies of zoas that came in with bubble algae and hair algae that our crabs, snails and fish won’t touch.

It’s completely our fault as we need to inspect better before buying, lesson learned.

Hadla · Feb 5, 2023

Can you post pics of what you think is the oenone fulgida? They’re little jerks and you want to remove them asap!! If you see empty snail shells covered in clear mucus, that’s the work of them.

Struggle · Feb 6, 2023

Hadla said:
Can you post pics of what you think is the oenone fulgida? They’re little jerks and you want to remove them asap!! If you see empty snail shells covered in clear mucus, that’s the work of them.

I tried to get a photo but it was very blurry and I haven't seen them again. If I ever catch one or can get a good photo I'll post it here and tag you in it.

Struggle · Feb 6, 2023

Received the Triton ICP results over the weekend and everything was in range except for the below.

Element	Name	Analysis	Setpoint	Unit	Warning level	Group
K	Potassium	372	380 - 480	mg/l	yellow	Macro-Elements
I	Iodine	11	30 - 90	Âµg/l	yellow	I-Group
Fe	Iron	4	0	Âµg/l	yellow	Fe-Group

I'm waiting until I get the ATI results back on both the saltwater sample and RODI sample to see if it registers Iron as well before doing any thing about it. In saying that, I have no idea where the Fe is coming from but will try to manage it with a water change if it's a true issue.

Struggle · Feb 7, 2023

Received the ATI results last night with the below out of range.

Symbol	Value	Calculated reference value	Difference	Actions
Minor elements
Silicon	8.52 µg/l	95.45 µg/l	-86.93 µg/l	View
Iodine	31.27 µg/l	62.04 µg/l	-30.77 µg/l	View
Manganese	u.	0.95 µg/l	-0.95 µg/l	View
Zinc	u.	1.91 µg/l	-1.91 µg/l	View

RODI sample came back all clear so I am going to ignore the Iron reading in the Triton test for now and let the tank settle some more before making any changes.

On a side note the medium Foxface has disappeared for about 5 days now. I’m hoping he miraculously reappears but I’m not holding my breath. I think he ate half a sheet of nori all by himself and may of had digestive issues from it.

There’s possibly a sniper hermit crab running around that took out one of the Astraea snails to upgrade his house. To be fair to the hermit crab it could have been one of many things in the tank that took the snail out.

The rest of the fish seem to be doing well with all of the corals opening up, extending and appear to be actively feeding.

Struggle · Feb 15, 2023

Decided to pick up a few coralsalnog with a Foxface and Anthias on Saturday and that was a mistake on my end. The Foxface is holding his own for the most part but the Anthias dove straight into the rocks and was severely picked on. If we add anymore fish we’ll have to get an acclimation box which is what we should have done in the first place.

Tested the water on Sunday and nitrates looked ok with phosphates being a little, ended up performing a 30% water change.

Sent off a ICP test today to see what the parameters are after the recent water change.

The new corals are starting to adjust (if the crabs would stop crawling over them) and open up more everyday I’m really surprised at how much the torches in front have grown. They’re withdrawing now since the lights are dimming down but when they’re fully extended they’re about the size of a grapefruit.

Struggle · Feb 24, 2023

Thought I’d share a photo Michelle took this morning from the left side. Everything seems to be doing well so far. I’m just waiting for the other foo to drop . Sent in another ICP test and will share the results / comparison later this weekend.

Struggle · Mar 7, 2023

The ICP results were very similar to the previous results. Iodine is almost nonexistent so I may try to add a little and see what happens. All of the corals look to be fine and are growing.

On a side note I think there’s something taking out my fish or they’re all getting stuck in the same crevice, which isn’t likely. We’ve lost about a half a dozen and we’re out of the fish business until we can find a predator to eat crabs and shrimp. So far we’ve lost (1) mandarin, (1) Anthias, (2) tangs, (1) fox face and another fish.

If anyone has a suggestion for a predator I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions.

Struggle · Mar 26, 2023

Everything seems to be moving forward nicely except for our rock work. We bought some larger colonies and found out that we did a horrible job of epoxying our rock together. We’ll be redoing our rock work and cutting up some of the acro colonies this week / next weekend. I still need to organize the fish room as well…