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- Nov 10, 2022
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Tank looks like it is doing really good!!Update 19: Progress
Been a few seconds since my last update, and for good reason. Not much has really changed in the last few weeks. I held off on confirming my fish order because it's gotten really cold in New England. Got to -15 where I was at, so I thought it wise to wait out the storm. Now that it's a little warmer out, I finished the order and am expecting the fish in late February. The only other update that I have is that something has been eating my emerald crabs. I'm pretty sure it's a mantis, so I have my work cut out ahead of me. For now, here's some pictures of the tank and some of the hitchhikers I've got, good and bad.
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FTS. Algae on and near the ocean rock is on the decline, but growing on the other half of the tank with the fake rock.
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End picture. Some macroalgae growth, as well as coralline and sponges.
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Tunicate. Doesn't show in the picture, but actually kind of a lemon-yellow color.
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Bubble algae. This is popping up everywhere, but I need to wait until the mantis is out to add pitho and emerald crabs.
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Pencil urchin. I love these guys, and it does such a good job eating algae. It stays within about 4 square inches of rock, but that area is sparkling clean. It's only a baby now, but I imagine it'll be a formidable cleaner when it gets a little bigger. It has some nice reds and whites on it that aren't visible in the picture.
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Pistol shrimp lair.
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Purple sea squirt. Just noticed it yesterday.
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Shrimp photobombing an astrea snail. The snail is one of two that came in on the rock, and they put my store-bought trochus to shame. They eat more algae, and they don't get stuck on their backs.
My overall goals for the tank have shifted slightly. I want the tank to have a greater focus on being enjoyable and easy to care for, and that means that I may cut out hard corals entirely. That would leave me with just anemones and softies, but it might also allow me to add an angelfish. If I did this, I would also add some invertebrates that can damage delicate corals, such as long-spine urchins and sea stars. Maybe a filefish too, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.