BioCube 16: Schitt’s Reef

[ZzyzxRiver]

I just did a polyp count in my zoa garden, and compared to a month ago I have at least ten new polyps!l (total comes to mid 70s). I have mostly zoas with very small heads. For design balanxe, in the future I’m gonna need to get a few that are closer to Bambams or pink zipper size- the teeny ones are cute but I don’t want to develop a squint, haha.

I also looked and my firework cloves have at least 15 new polyps in the last month. Super cool, can’t wait until that island is a big puff of firework!

Today I saw the cleaner shrimp sticking its mitts way down into the YWG’s mouth. Brand new behavior I haven’t seen from them yet!

 

[aztoza]

I just did a polyp count in my zoa garden, and compared to a month ago I have at least ten new polyps!l (total comes to mid 70s). I have mostly zoas with very small heads. For design balanxe, in the future I’m gonna need to get a few that are closer to Bambams or pink zipper size- the teeny ones are cute but I don’t want to develop a squint, haha.

I also looked and my firework cloves have at least 15 new polyps in the last month. Super cool, can’t wait until that island is a big puff of firework!

Today I saw the cleaner shrimp sticking its mitts way down into the YWG’s mouth. Brand new behavior I haven’t seen from them yet!

That’s some great growth! Maybe the zoa polyps will get a little bigger the older they get? Figured out my zoas have zoa pox =/ they seem ok for now, I’ll leave them in in case they can fight it.

Is there a secret to the clove polyps? Want to add but they’re expensive and many people it seems can’t get them to live for the long term.

I wish my fish would let the poor shrimp clean them haha. Very cool.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

My understanding is that while they vary slightly with conditions some morphs do run larger than others. Both are really cool to me but I don’t tend to see as many big ones in stores and I’m afraid if the palys that I see.

The secret to cloves is to put them on their own rock because they grow so fast. One of the runners I’m watching has gone almost a centimeter in three days. I bought mine for like 20 bucks at reefapalooza—do you have anything like that local to you? Out a Facebook group for your area?

It took like 3 months before I observed actual cleaning behaviors from the shrimp, so maybe they all need to get to know each other for a while first? I think we believe fish are acclimated as soon as they act normally but I’m sure it actually takes much longer for them to really know they have a safe habitat and can let their guards down (to the degree that they ever will). Give’m time and I bet it’ll happen!

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

No news, was just pleased with how fluffy the zoas and blasto were today and David was hanging out in his nook, so I snapped a pic. Sand is gross, I’ve really been struggling to not over feed for some reason LOL

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Early on in its life my tank experienced a spirorbidpocalypse—Ray the Trochus snail was particularly affected. Now you can see how much he’s grown since then by the clean shell that’s emerged below it!

 

[BristleWormHater]

Thats a lot of worms

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Thats a lot of worms

A new round of them just bloomed in the tank, but not at such crazy levels. It’s helpful feedback that I’m over feeding!

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

FTS in honor of the sand sifting star, who is going to be rehomed to a huge tank with a very well established sand bed tomorrow!

(Magnet in the middle of the tank because my son was playing with it LOL)

 

[Fishy Guy]

FTS in honor of the sand sifting star, who is going to be rehomed to a huge tank with a very well established sand bed tomorrow!

(Magnet in the middle of the tank because my son was playing with it LOL)

Tank looks great!

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Weird;
The pulsing xenia appears to have attached one of its branches to a different rock, while detaching its base from where it started. Now I understand how invasive these things actually are.

You can't really tell in the picture but that bit by the right arrow is in the background compared to the left arrow, hanging on by a thread. I want to remove it now, but my husband wants to observe it do its thing before we do. It's definitely interesting, but this coral is sneaky!!

 

[BristleWormHater]

Weird;
The pulsing xenia appears to have attached one of its branches to a different rock, while detaching its base from where it started. Now I understand how invasive these things actually are.

You can't really tell in the picture but that bit by the right arrow is in the background compared to the left arrow, hanging on by a thread. I want to remove it now, but my husband wants to observe it do its thing before we do. It's definitely interesting, but this coral is sneaky!!

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Consider it chopped. It left a big fat foot on the rock where it attached, and I’m gonna have to blast it with boiling water so it doesn’t grow back. I’m ordering my new tank when Waterbox has their Blue Friday sale (November 1st!) so I’ll probably do it during the move over.

Credit to the Xenia, it did not go easy into that good night. All respect to a fighter LOL

 

[BristleWormHater]

Consider it chopped. It left a big fat foot on the rock where it attached, and I’m gonna have to blast it with boiling water so it doesn’t grow back. I’m ordering my new tank when Waterbox has their Blue Friday sale (November 1st!) so I’ll probably do it during the move over.

Credit to the Xenia, it did not go easy into that good night. All respect to a fighter LOL

You're getting a peninsula tank right? How many gallons is it, I forgot. Exited for the upgrade though!

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

I misunderstood what peninsula meant, so no. Regular waterbox 50.3 AIO.

The Xenia will not be making the trip over to the new tank! I’m planning on keeping the biocube and maintaining it as a macroalgae tank instead. Maybe make a few bucks on here/FB marketplace, maybe just enjoy the pretty plants. Maybe change my mind and sell it later, lol.