Blaxsun's Abyss: Red Sea 750XXL

[blaxsun]

Dec 12. Cucumber in Action
A short video clip of the largest black sea cucumber in the tank, "Turdeau" (if you're Canadian, you'll immediately get the inference). Ever wonder how I achieve 50+ fish? This guy (and his 4 cohorts) are the main reason. They can move sand like nothing you'd believe! @Susan Edwards - you'll have to get some video of "Dave" in action!

Unlike our prime minister, this one isn't full of crap!

 

[Susan Edwards]

Dec 12. Cucumber in Action
A short video clip of the largest black sea cucumber in the tank, "Turdeau" (if you're Canadian, you'll immediately get the inference). Ever wonder how I achieve 50+ fish? This guy (and his 4 cohorts) are the main reason. They can move sand like nothing you'd believe! @Susan Edwards - you'll have to get some video of "Dave" in action!

Unlike our prime minister, this one isn't full of crap!

awesome! Will watch for Dave out and about. I do see him moving more now. Funny that it took him several months before he really started moving haha. I have this one video of him. My new blue- dot sleeper goby is out all day now. Sad that the 2nd one went in and disappeared but after 3 shippments (6), I guess I'm happy 1 survived...

a bit long, and he is certainly slow....

 

[Projects with Sam]

awesome! Will watch for Dave out and about. I do see him moving more now. Funny that it took him several months before he really started moving haha. I have this one video of him. My new blue- dot sleeper goby is out all day now. Sad that the 2nd one went in and disappeared but after 3 shippments (6), I guess I'm happy 1 survived...

a bit long, and he is certainly slow....

not going to lie... double-speeded that one

 

[blaxsun]

Dec 13. The Crew
After adding the new cleanup crew I decided to go back to 2021 and "re-inventory" all the cleanup crew that I'd added to the tank and adjust for known fatalities (not that many, surprising all things considered). Here is the current "alive and kicking" list (and yes, many of them have names). The grand total surprised me: 254.

• 1x Sea Squirt ("Squirtle")
• 5x Black Sea Cucumber ("Turdeau", "No. 2", "Dr. Evil", "Fat *******" and "Mini-Me"
• 1x Pink & Green Sea Cucumber ("Absolem")
• 1x Trochus Snail XL ("King Trochus")
• 1x Hermit Crab XL ("Nigel"); not sure what he is, but very peaceful
• 2x Blue Tuxedo Urhins ("Eeny", "Meeny")
• 1x Sally Lightfoot Crab ("Gordon Lightfoot")
• 1x Decorator Crab ("Herbie" or "Crabzilla")
• 1x Abalone ("Slick"); saw slick out tonight - he's almost 4" in length!
• 2-4x Zebra Porcelain Crab; these guys hide out in the rocks so they're hard to spot!
• 2x Brittle Banded Starfish, 2x Black Banded Starfish
• 2x Spiny Conch
• 6-8x Orange Lip Conch
• 30x Trochus Snails
• 4x Mexican Turbo Snails
• 12x Cat's Eye Turbo Snails
• 8x Orange Spotted Nassarius Snail
• 20x Nassarius Snails (juvenile)
• 40x Nassarius Snails (adult)
• 6x Halloween Hermit Crab
• 20-24x Blue Leg Hermit Crab
• 14-15x Scarlet Hermit Crab
• 15x Algae Eating Hermit Crab
• 24x Ring Cowries

I also collect unknown hermit crabs, so I've got a half dozen or more "unknown" varieties that I've just dropped into the tank at various points. Survival of the fittest! With a year+ of coralline growth many of these snails and crabs are next-to-impossible to find since they pretty much spend most of their time in the rocks and really blend in well.

 

[Susan Edwards]

not going to lie... double-speeded that one

Lol's. Yeah, didn't have time to try to edit it shorter. And Dave and lights were not out to do a new vid tonight.

 

[Projects with Sam]

Dec 13. The Crew
After adding the new cleanup crew I decided to go back to 2021 and "re-inventory" all the cleanup crew that I'd added to the tank and adjust for known fatalities (not that many, surprising all things considered). Here is the current "alive and kicking" list (and yes, many of them have names). The grand total surprised me: 254.

• 1x Sea Squirt ("Squirtle")
• 5x Black Sea Cucumber ("Turdeau", "No. 2", "Dr. Evil", "Fat *******" and "Mini-Me"
• 1x Pink & Green Sea Cucumber ("Absolem")
• 1x Trochus Snail XL ("King Trochus")
• 1x Hermit Crab XL ("Nigel"); not sure what he is, but very peaceful
• 2x Blue Tuxedo Urhins ("Eeny", "Meeny")
• 1x Sally Lightfoot Crab ("Gordon Lightfoot")
• 1x Decorator Crab ("Herbie" or "Crabzilla")
• 1x Abalone ("Slick"); saw slick out tonight - he's almost 4" in length!
• 2-4x Zebra Porcelain Crab; these guys hide out in the rocks so they're hard to spot!
• 2x Brittle Banded Starfish, 2x Black Banded Starfish
• 2x Spiny Conch
• 6-8x Orange Lip Conch
• 30x Trochus Snails
• 4x Mexican Turbo Snails
• 12x Cat's Eye Turbo Snails
• 8x Orange Spotted Nassarius Snail
• 20x Nassarius Snails (juvenile)
• 40x Nassarius Snails (adult)
• 6x Halloween Hermit Crab
• 20-24x Blue Leg Hermit Crab
• 14-15x Scarlet Hermit Crab
• 15x Algae Eating Hermit Crab
• 24x Ring Cowries

I also collect unknown hermit crabs, so I've got a half dozen or more "unknown" varieties that I've just dropped into the tank at various points. Survival of the fittest! With a year+ of coralline growth many of these snails and crabs are next-to-impossible to find since they pretty much spend most of their time in the rocks and really blend in well.

Are you a Statisticians or census keeper? Serious hats-off to the organization on that post! I am always surprised by the amount of cleanup crew you have.

 

[blaxsun]

Are you a Statisticians or census keeper? Serious hats-off to the organization on that post! I am always surprised by the amount of cleanup crew you have.

No, but I did say at a Holiday Inn Express recently.

The count is reasonably accurate, within ±5%. At the start of this year I made a point of putting all the new additions on a spreadsheet and slowly working back (additions, deaths, mysterious disappearances...) to get it as accurate as possible just so I know approximately what I have and what I may be low on.

Some of the cleanup crew disappear into the void and I'll rarely (if ever) see them - like when one of the brittle starfish drapes a leg out a crevice onto the rocks. Others like "Gordon lightfood" crab are very eager to be hand-fed (he literally jumps off the glass and clings to the feeder tube).

I may or may not have a pair of emerald crabs (if I do they've kept a very low profile). The black sea cumbers are always the easiest to spot - as they leave a lot of sand in their wake. The tinniest ("Mini-Me") can be really hard to spot because he likes to explore off in the rockwork, so I usually only see the other four.

I lose the occasional snail but rarely find the shell as the several dozen or so hermit crabs quickly check it out to "kick the tires" with one taking it out for a test drive and leaving a trade-in.

The fish were all reasonably well-behaved yesterday - only knocking two trochus snails off the glass and completely ignoring all the other cleaning crew. I usually catch one or two of the fish taking a poke at the nassarius snails as they quickly try to burrow - but I fed them extra portions of seaweed so they were largely ignored. At night it's quite entertaining to see 30+ little "snorkels" emerge from the sand...

 

[Manny’s Reef]

I'm still confused as to how you can get the XF330s to stick on your glass. I've got two XF350 and the same tank as you. They will not stick on my glass. I've sent out to have some custom cradles built because otherwise, no bueno.

 

[blaxsun]

I'm still confused as to how you can get the XF330s to stick on your glass. I've got two XF350 and the same tank as you. They will not stick on my glass. I've sent out to have some custom cradles built because otherwise, no bueno.

I cut two small squares of 1/16" adhesive foam to attach to either face of the magnet (exactly what you'd find at an arts and crafts store). This seems to provide just enough resistance with the black backing on the back of the tank to keep it from sliding down. It's definitely not as secure as the pair of ReefWave45s (which have much stronger magnets), but unless I knock them off they generally stay in-place. The only reason I use the Maxspect XF330s is because a) I had them and b) I'm able to run them off a cheap IceCap battery backup.

 

[Manny’s Reef]

I cut two small squares of 1/16" adhesive foam to attach to either face of the magnet (exactly what you'd find at an arts and crafts store). This seems to provide just enough resistance with the black backing on the back of the tank to keep it from sliding down. It's definitely not as secure as the pair of ReefWave45s (which have much stronger magnets), but unless I knock them off they generally stay in-place. The only reason I use the Maxspect XF330s is because a) I had them and b) I'm able to run them off a cheap IceCap battery backup.

So you're telling me that the reefwave 45s, rated for less than 3/4", are holding up on their own on your tank?

 

[blaxsun]

So you're telling me that the reefwave 45s, rated for less than 3/4", are holding up on their own on your tank?

The ReefWave45s are rated for 20mm or 3/4" glass thickness, and yes - holding up perfectly fine. I could hit these with a hammer and they don't budge. We are talking about the 45's, yes?

 

[Manny’s Reef]

The ReefWave45s are rated for 20mm or 3/4" glass thickness, and yes - holding up perfectly fine. I could hit these with a hammer and they don't budge. We are talking about the 45's, yes?

Ok you said it sir. I want a video of you hitting your 45s with a hammer!!!!!! And I don't mean a euphillia hammer.

 

[blaxsun]

Ok you said it sir. I want a video of you hitting your 45s with a hammer!!!!!! And I don't mean a euphillia hammer.

Ask and ye shall receive...

Here you can see me moving the magnet up and down - in one instance it slips about an inch below the ReefWave - but the ReefWave still stays held in-place by the magnet on the other end. Sorry, no hammer (couldn't find it - think it's out in the garage).

 

[Petcrazyson]

I am very late but following!

 

[Petcrazyson]

I also saw that your blenny turned blue/black after a while do you think mine will turn the same? Think it be pretty cool. (Also in my fish list I made I have your Midas pic as a representation of a Midas Blenny hope you don’t mind )

 

[blaxsun]

I also saw that your blenny turned black after a while do you think mine will turn the same? Think it be pretty cool. (Also in my fish list I made I have your Midas pic as a representation of a Midas Blenny hope you don’t mind )

Dark purple/blue, but yes - he spontaneously changed over a few weeks. He's been out and about quite a bit lately (he used to make a beeline for his barnacle every time I entered the room, but now he even swims out to greet me).

We've noticed over the past few weeks that he's slowly starting to develop some red/pink hues in his body - so he may be changing color again.

Not at all - I'm sure he'd be pleased.

 

[Petcrazyson]

We've noticed over the past few weeks that he's slowly starting to develop some red/pink hues in his body - so he may be changing color again.

Any pics? Or will I have to wait in your thread like the others?

 

[blaxsun]

Any pics? Or will I have to wait in your thread like the others?

I'll have the camera out tomorrow so I'll try to snag one if I can get him to cooperate...

 

[Petcrazyson]

Favorite one to this day by far

 

[blaxsun]

Dec 22. Blaxun's Abyss: Year-End Review, Part I - FTS
With 2023 just around the corner I thought it was time to update my FTS shot for 2022. I couldn't decide on any one image in particular - so I uploaded all 8 (this way you get to see more of the fish). Apologies for the "fish eye" effect (not sure what happened there). I'll be going into more details on the tank in additional parts, including what new equipment was beneficial (and what wasn't), what supplements I tried any pros/cons, success/failures with certain corals and which livestock (fish and invertebrates) contributed the most to the reef.

I'll be editing the <reserved> posts over the next few days and will be referencing some of the things you see in the following FTS shots in greater detail.

Addendum: I came down with this viral/lung thing going around so I've been hacking up my lungs for the past few days, but hoping to get a lot of the additional parts caught-up as soon as I can...