Sniperhank's UPGRADED 55 gal Build

[Sniperhank]

Well, been awhile since the last update. Overall, things are ok...not where I want them but working on it. It has been a struggle as I've been working 60 hour work weeks.
I cleaned the skimmer well and it is doing a great job skimming about a cup a day currently.
Sadly, my plate corals aren't looking so hot. One has a chunk of it dead from cyano that grew over it, from when the clam was blocking flow. The other isn't really inflating well and the largest of the 3 is receding from the mouth. Can't find any issues regarding parameters. Strangely enough, this is exactly where the clam sat...just below where my pocilopora died off as well. Like a dead spot or something. Just strange.
Overall, the algae growth has slowed in the tank. I continue to remove during water changes what I can, but it isn't nearly as much as before.
Another issue at hand, still that green tip birds nest. Just massive and I want it gone. Wish I could get rid of it, but with no local reefers it would get pulled out to die off...which isn't really cool at all. So, it continues to sit there. At the point where it is starting to starve lower corals out of light. I like them more, so sacrifices might be made at some point in the future...just not currently.

[bribo12]

Anyway you can just give it to a lfs??


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[Sniperhank]

Nope. Tried once previously.


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[TheTodd]

That's what I was thinking too. Put it up on Craigslist and see if anyone wants some. If you were local, I'd take a piece.


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[Sniperhank]

If you were local I'd give the whole colony. I have other break off colonies.


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[Macscale]

How big is the colony? Have you tried any forum classifieds?

[Sniperhank]

It's bigger than my head. Way to big to ship. Simply picking it up you frag several pieces off, as with all birds nest.


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[Macscale]

That's ridiculous. Maybe a public aquarium can house it..

[Sniperhank]

It isn't that big. Most of the bottom is dead anyway.


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[Sniperhank]

Water change day was yesterday. I have another round of water set up and ready to go as well, since I was planning on doubling up again this week but didn't have the opportunity to do so.
The vermetid snails in my tank are really bothering me. They are bothering some corals at this point and they just need to go. Considering a 6 line wrasse to see if that will push things back...but with that said, there might be dangers to my coco worm and feather duster that are in the display. Looking for opinions on this as it isn't the first time I've considered this.
I also murdered off an aiptasia that showed up in the tank yesterday. Was neat to see one again after so long...before it gobbled up all the aiptasia-x that is.
Then, once again, back to the green tip birds nest mother colony. Was pretty close to just removing it from the tank yesterday. It survives to fight another day. It is so big that it is shadowing my periwinkle monti, which I like much better. So we'll see what I do with it, as I already have a stack of dried out rock from the 36 out on my porch that it could live with. The smaller colonies are making me mad as well...spend a good amount of time cleaning algae out of them.

[nanoreefz]

Hank do you like the aptasia-x? I've heard it's good but causes them to spread too?


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[Sniperhank]

Aiptasia-x doesn't cause aiptasia to spread. Breaking them will cause them to spread, hence their name glass anemone.

[Sniperhank]

As I have continued working a ton, there haven't really been any neat things to talk about. Tank has been on autopilot, for better or worse. Overall, things are OK...not where I want them to be but are OK.
There was a discussion this week about bubble algae. I basically talked about how, in general, it isn't hurting anything and I let it be until several of them form up and can more easily be removed. As I have noticed they form against each other much better than they do rock. After this statement, here is the gem I found in the back of my tank today.

[BigRedsReefs10]

I don't know if "gem" is the word I'd use , but that's definitely a lot of bubble algae

[Sniperhank]

Well when the best water you can start with is distilled from Walmart, you will have algae. If it is easy to remove like that it is a victory. The red turf and 'cotton candy' that is also in the tank makes me not so happy.
The whole theme of my tank is manageable algae, as it is consuming the nitrates and phosphates we don't want to begin with. One if these days there will be an ats added, rather than the poorly assembled refugium, and that should help. But that is another day with another pump.


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[TheTodd]

I suddenly feel better about the bubble algae in my tank. Not monster-sized like that.


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[bribo12]

I'm guilty of having bubble algae too lol. That's quite the haul there hank


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[BigRedsReefs10]

Originally Posted by Sniperhank

Well when the best water you can start with is distilled from Walmart, you will have algae. If it is easy to remove like that it is a victory. The red turf and 'cotton candy' that is also in the tank makes me not so happy.
The whole theme of my tank is manageable algae, as it is consuming the nitrates and phosphates we don't want to begin with. One if these days there will be an ats added, rather than the poorly assembled refugium, and that should help. But that is another day with another pump.


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Totally agree there, I'll take bubble algae over the turf/hair type algae a any day. And all healthy tanks gave some algae IMO anyway so it doesn't really matter. I've been really curious about ATS lately, been thinking about DIYing something to try. If you do build one be sure to post some pics so we can follow along.

[Sniperhank]

I actually did try to have one built into my return. But it was too weak coming into my tank and was making a mess. You could always ask Greg to see his. Large scale and old school.

[Sniperhank]

Did another water change last night into this morning. Skimmer is still doing well and pulling gunk out of the water column.
While emptying the skimmer,what do I see dulled and starting to reach towards the refugium light? several heads of orange bam bams. They are now residing in the display near another grouping of them.
How awful knowing that zoas sure are great. The bam bams got me stumbled upon an article for black death zoas today and how rare they are. That was kinda neat. Then, stumble upon a WYSWYG where there was a zoa I'd never seen before. Petroglyphs. Totally amazing looking in blue. Maybe some day.
Back to working on the new computer.