Hermie's 23 Gallon Nano Build
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Update 8/23:
- 6 gallon water change
- Salinity was a bit low 1.0235 so I added extra salt in the water change to try to get the salinity up to 35ppm (1.026)
- Removed about 1 litre of black substrate + scrubbed some rock
- Now missing a blue leg hermit crab... I think it was killed or died...
I saw the puffer eating either a crab or a molt, but I could not tell what it was. I now only have 1 hermit crab left in the DT (blue leg), and 1 in the 10 gallon QT (red leg).
- Applied H2O2 to a favia frag and then seachem reef dip to remove hair algae
- I think the cowries are slowly making an impact on the nuisance algae, however they are very, very shy and do not like to come out until the lights have been out for a few hours
- The refugium chaeto is growing so dense with various algaes that it's blocking light from reaching the bottom of the refugium. I placed a clear plastic bottle in the middle of the chaeto so that light can shine down through it, and it seems to be working great.
- The Shoal grass in the DT doesn't seem to be doing much right now, however pretty much all the roots were removed from the rhizomes before I planted them, so I expect them to still be in recovery mode.
- Going to add 2 scoops of chemiclean tomorrrow, once the tank/inhabitants get settled after the water change.
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Happy to report that the blue leg hermit crab showed back up! It's now molted again and it continues to be my biggest blue leg hermit crab. I added a larger shell for it in case it wants to try a new home. The funny thing is that while this crab was molting, the smaller crab took its shell and when the larger crab emerged, it had to take the smaller shell.
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Update 9/2:
-Fed corals mysis last night, they all responded well
-Cleaned off glass and added fresh poly floss
-Added a pincushion urchin today, it's about half the size of the first one added (tank now has 2 urchins):
-Fed corals mysis last night, they all responded well
-Cleaned off glass and added fresh poly floss
-Added a pincushion urchin today, it's about half the size of the first one added (tank now has 2 urchins):
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9/3:
Alkalinity tested: ~8
I was considering starting kalkwasser in the ATO but I will continue to hold off until I test Alkalinity in the 6-7 range... I have yet to test that low since starting the tank.
Alkalinity tested: ~8
I was considering starting kalkwasser in the ATO but I will continue to hold off until I test Alkalinity in the 6-7 range... I have yet to test that low since starting the tank.
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Update 9/11:
Alkalinity tested: 7-8 dKH (closer to 7)
Alkalinity tested: 7-8 dKH (closer to 7)
- Going to add Seachem Phosguard back into the sump tomorrow.
I think my phosphate levels are causing my algae/coraline problems. Need to get the levels down. I am just worried the PhosGuard will suck up all the silicates and the sponges will suffer. We'll see.
- Corals are all doing well. LPS are all having great polyp extension and one of the chalices has grown a tentacle (first I've ever seen on it. The Plate Coral and Mushroom don't seem to have grown much, but they are doing "well."
- The original pincushion urchin is now at least twice the size as when I got it. It's really doing great, however I'm afraid it may get too big for the tank.
- I've started seeing bristleworms in the sump and the display, however they are under an inch in size. It's taken 9 months for them to start establishing a visible population. Must have come in with a frag or something... not sure. Not a bad thing just not something I "knew" I added.
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10/5 Update:
- Added 5 lbs of rock
- Added two corals (GSP and a small psammocora frag)
- Alkalinity (dKH): 7 to 8
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pictures update 10/12:
FTS (new rock added to the left)
closeup on coral placement:
counter clockwise (dendro/sun coral), platygyra, plate coral, favia, chalice, favia, cyphastrea, chalice, mushroom, sponge, GSP, favia
good growth on this favia, tissue finally "Drooping" down to the tile it's mounted on:
chalice that's been through a lot and is finally recovering/growing:
montipora (digitata?) that I have big hopes for, the mother colony was encrusting and branching, looked cool!
gsp on rock:
favia creating new heads (1 splitting into 3):
harvest psammocora I just got, it had a rough start with the puffer but now it's growing and extending polyps:
stoked about this, branching hammer:
candy cane growing new heads in at least 3 places, total about 7 heads.
star of the tank, green spotted puffer
new hammer coral, branching, 3 heads:
(had an aptasia polyp on it that I lit up with a torch and then covered in super glue and reef epoxy.)
montipora frag I got with the hamer coral:
FTS (new rock added to the left)
closeup on coral placement:
counter clockwise (dendro/sun coral), platygyra, plate coral, favia, chalice, favia, cyphastrea, chalice, mushroom, sponge, GSP, favia
good growth on this favia, tissue finally "Drooping" down to the tile it's mounted on:
chalice that's been through a lot and is finally recovering/growing:
montipora (digitata?) that I have big hopes for, the mother colony was encrusting and branching, looked cool!
gsp on rock:
favia creating new heads (1 splitting into 3):
harvest psammocora I just got, it had a rough start with the puffer but now it's growing and extending polyps:
stoked about this, branching hammer:
candy cane growing new heads in at least 3 places, total about 7 heads.
star of the tank, green spotted puffer
new hammer coral, branching, 3 heads:
(had an aptasia polyp on it that I lit up with a torch and then covered in super glue and reef epoxy.)
montipora frag I got with the hamer coral:
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Wow I am just realizing that monti frag is bleached lol! I didn't realize it when I got it. I feel kinda stupid now, but it was my first monti/sps.
Also wanted to say that all my frags are in the substrate right now because I am waiting for the rocks to lose their turf algae. I do manual removal and now that I'm lowering phosphates the algae isn't spreading. Once the rocks are "cleaner" I'll mount the frags on them.
Also wanted to say that all my frags are in the substrate right now because I am waiting for the rocks to lose their turf algae. I do manual removal and now that I'm lowering phosphates the algae isn't spreading. Once the rocks are "cleaner" I'll mount the frags on them.
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Thanks for sharing, boy, me want, comrade . Hahaha
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special video for you comrade lol
the polyps say, "hello!"
next time I'll clean the glass! ;Hilarious
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Look like yellow sun cup corals. Before you know it, you will notice little yellow dots everywhere and those are gametes . In other words little babies. For some reason the yellow ones spit out little babies, lot quicker. Thanks for sharing, comrade
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one of the new hermits from the QT, c. antillensis
random update pic on chalice, wish I knew the species:
plate coral tentacle dancing,
favia being a favia,
gsp starting to fuse around the exposed rock:
"the brain"
candy cane doing very well
random update pic on chalice, wish I knew the species:
plate coral tentacle dancing,
favia being a favia,
gsp starting to fuse around the exposed rock:
"the brain"
candy cane doing very well
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Bea
Beautiful, and excellent pictures, comrade
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Alot of documentation, comrade
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