50 Cube SPS Zeo Reef

[kevlow]

A part of Biggles' formula was to hang a media bag of carbon in the sump. I hate to ask the question of if you have tried that. It did not seem that important so I almost did not do it but after two weeks into his system I gave it a try.
I had some culerpa and a lot of green bubble algae. In a couple of days it was fading and within a week it was all gone.

Also, if you do decide to take a break, may I suggest to not totally break down the tank. Leave it running with a small amount of life with very low demand. I did this when my family had several crisis and taking care of the tank was difficult. After a couple of years of just barely running, the tank was very stable, balanced, and clean. When I decided to start back up it was very easy and possibly better then it ever had been before.

I hope it all works out for you.

 

[Wrangy]

Hello mate. Sorry about the tank troubles. I think if you can carry out weekly pruning right before a water change to manage the algae will be the best option short term (or even twice monthly if its not too bad). At some point I think you just need to do a tank restart or even upgrade.

That's the aim for the moment, just get in there once a week and siphon out as much algae as I can. The reason I haven't already done so is because I'm still planning on moving the tank in the near future and to make life easier I will carry it out during that process and kill two birds with one stone!

Dom,
I am very sorry to hear about these troubles man! This hobby can be heart wrenching at times, put that and personal problems into the mix, and it can be overwhelming. As many have already said, hang in there, you will most certainly pull through all your recent issues tank or not related. Sometimes tank issues can lead to re-found joys, perhaps it may inspire a restart? I wish you all the best regardless mate! I have always appreciated the kindness you share with all of us sps junkies
Cheers

Thanks for the kind words Perry they mean a great deal! I'm hanging in as best as I can, simple because I can't let my fish and corals that depend on me down. They're just as important to my cats lol one who had to go to the emergency vet at 4am on Monday morning. I have no intentions of giving up on my animals it's just harder to get to at the moment.

That's unfortunate Dom but it's OK to step away, we will miss seeing your tank updates and your beautiful acros but sometimes you need to take a break. Reefs are very demanding, they want your time and your money and only reward you when things are going well. If you have to, I say break the tank down and work on planning a future upgrade.

Hang in there! :beer:

I won't be stepping away it's just a little hard to face the state of the tank given what it has been and how much joy it brings me. Once I feel the tank is at more respectable level I'll bring some more updates back I love my animals and I just feel bad not being able to give the full extent of care and attention I want to :worried2:

A part of Biggles' formula was to hang a media bag of carbon in the sump. I hate to ask the question of if you have tried that. It did not seem that important so I almost did not do it but after two weeks into his system I gave it a try.
I had some culerpa and a lot of green bubble algae. In a couple of days it was fading and within a week it was all gone.

Also, if you do decide to take a break, may I suggest to not totally break down the tank. Leave it running with a small amount of life with very low demand. I did this when my family had several crisis and taking care of the tank was difficult. After a couple of years of just barely running, the tank was very stable, balanced, and clean. When I decided to start back up it was very easy and possibly better then it ever had been before.

I hope it all works out for you.

I've always run carbon but thank you for the suggestion I appreciate it regardless. That being said the carbon was changed as it was well overdue for it!

If I were taking a break all the corals would go to friends I trust and the fish and clams would be left to their own devices in a minimal setup until I was able to bring things back to the level I wanted. For the moment, I will just have to continue scrapping by on the care I'm able to give, things aren't necessarily dying but they're definitely not at their best!

Thank you for the supportive words though

 

[Wrangy]

I have to say I am a little blown away by the kind words from everyone, they really do mean a lot and have cheered me up greatly over the last couple of days! I even managed to get home yesterday to do some work on the tank thanks to a good shove from my partner as well. I was motivated enough and not distracted by life's issues that I was able to get a decent amount of work done which helps but there's still a long way to go.
- Cleaned the skimmer cup and adjusted it to skim a little heavier.
- Removed a good amount of algae and siphoned a lot more out.
- Fresh carbon (few weeks over due).
- Removed my zoa rack and dipped all the zoa's in hydrogen peroxide and tidied that all up and removed as much algae as possible.
- Cleaned the glass (it's going to need a lot more work, coralline is starting to form like freckles all over!)
- Fed the fish some frozen, made sure everyone was healthy and eating. Tiny copperband definitely seems more interested in the food and the frenzy that comes with it but still not picking or eating it. He's also not shy at all, had my hand in the tank and he was swimming around it which is nice unlike the other scaredy cats!
- Siphoned out the little bit of cyano that was starting to form too.

This is what I came home too you can really see what I mean about the f**king c. nummularia!


And after a couple of hours of work, we got somewhere but there's a long way to go still


I know I'm a doom and gloom at the moment but the tank always reminds me that there is a brighter side to life and that things can always prevail some of my corally friends reminded me of that while I was there, zoa's mainly lol




It also seems that while some of the acro's are suffering a little there are still those going strong and they're two of my many favourites, the firetruck and the fireworks (I think I might be a pyro lol)

 

[joshky]

Glad to hear it Dom, just don't let it get you down in the meantime. Focus on your life and maintenance and we'll be patiently waiting for new photos.

edit:

Posted while you were doing your picture update! Wow I see what you mean about the algae, well it could be a lot worse, I mean I know it looks bad but at least it's not dinos.

The fireworks acro is seriously something I would love to own, that is a thing of beauty man! If I ever saw one of those being offered here I'm sure it'd set me back a pretty penny...

 

[markalot]

Looks healthy to be. Tangy McTangface or a Foxface if it keeps you in the hobby, IMO. You may have to remove them in time but a yellow tang eliminated my Caulerpa issue in about a month of slow grazing. He was a teeny tiny thing as well.

 

[mhucasey]

Yes, I agree. A tang will thank you for the feast!

 

[Wrangy]

Glad to hear it Dom, just don't let it get you down in the meantime. Focus on your life and maintenance and we'll be patiently waiting for new photos.

edit:

Posted while you were doing your picture update! Wow I see what you mean about the algae, well it could be a lot worse, I mean I know it looks bad but at least it's not dinos.

The fireworks acro is seriously something I would love to own, that is a thing of beauty man! If I ever saw one of those being offered here I'm sure it'd set me back a pretty penny...

haha thanks, hopefully once things settle back down into some sort of routine they get better and I can take pics again

I did have some cyano on a corner of the zoa rack but that was due to the amount of **** that gets trapped under there and I siphoned it all off so hopefully it won't be back lol

It really is nice It's the ARC Fireworks or BSA Titan Fire lol both the same. You can get a half inch frag of Jason Fox Corals (who is wickedly over priced lol seen the Homewrecker? :lolspin: ) for a measly $400 :eek1:
http://www.jasonfoxsignaturecorals.com/product_p/acr-v780.htm

Looks healthy to be. Tangy McTangface or a Foxface if it keeps you in the hobby, IMO. You may have to remove them in time but a yellow tang eliminated my Caulerpa issue in about a month of slow grazing. He was a teeny tiny thing as well.

I must have a really dodgey tang then haha mine picks the stuff very occasionally but cares very little about it :deadhorse1:

Yes, I agree. A tang will thank you for the feast!

Unfortunately I won't be able fit a foxface or yellow in the tank, it's probably pushing it a little bit given my bellus and kole already and I'd hate to kick up fish problems on top of the algae lol I'll continue being the yellow tang for the moment and hopefully sort it out soon lol

 

[marcusbptan]

Hey Dom,

Re Caulerpa .... Would you consider a collect urchin? I've had very good experiences with it. It munched through my caulerpa issue. Moreover, they will strip any coralline and nuisance algae on LR and the glass pane as well.

Cheers
Marcus

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Hey Dom,

Re Caulerpa .... Would you consider a collect urchin? I've had very good experiences with it. It munched through my caulerpa issue. Moreover, they will strip any coralline and nuisance algae on LR and the glass pane as well.

Cheers
Marcus

The problem with caulerpa sp. is that even if you remove it, it is likely that it will come back because its roots will be inside live rock. If the algae is restricted to a few rock, then I would sacrifice them. Otherwise, regular pruning and/or using herbivore fish may be a long term solution to keep their population in check.

 

[plyle02]

Hey Dom,
Some good advice here, I just went through green cyano, we all have issue man. This stuff will be hard to remove, like Bulent said, it grows in the lowest of nutrients. You may have to pull the rock and replace, move the corals to a temporary tank, clean the display, and put new rock and sand in, if you want sand. You can cook the rock and re-use or sell privately down the road. I know it is a tall order to remove the corals, but you could also take advantage and clip and dip, treat this as a do over, I know it will inspire you mate Otherwise, keeping algae eating fish will hopefully hold it back. Good luck and keep us posted.
Cheers,

 

[reefmutt]

Dom, don't you have a bristle toothed tang? They don't eat macro algea really..
Get yourself a real tang or a rabbitfish.. Then remove him after he's done. Give him away if you don't want a big tang in your tank... It will be well worth the expense..

Also, I don't know what kind of spy satellite camera you have but your shots alway blow me away with their crispness and vibrancy.

We will NOT accept your resignation so don't even consider it again!!!

 

[scrapz]

[/URL]

Beautiful pic, it sold me. Going to pick up my piece soon. :lol:

 

[Ross33]

Beautiful pic, it sold me. Going to pick up my piece soon. :lol:

Don't give up man, there are tons of people that would kill for those kind of colors!

 

[Wrangy]

Hey Dom,

Re Caulerpa .... Would you consider a collect urchin? I've had very good experiences with it. It munched through my caulerpa issue. Moreover, they will strip any coralline and nuisance algae on LR and the glass pane as well.

Cheers
Marcus

The problem with caulerpa sp. is that even if you remove it, it is likely that it will come back because its roots will be inside live rock. If the algae is restricted to a few rock, then I would sacrifice them. Otherwise, regular pruning and/or using herbivore fish may be a long term solution to keep their population in check.

Pretty much the reason I haven't tried anything overly drastic or bought anything for control. When I get rid of this stuff it's for good lol no coming back and no roots anywhere!

Hey Dom,
Some good advice here, I just went through green cyano, we all have issue man. This stuff will be hard to remove, like Bulent said, it grows in the lowest of nutrients. You may have to pull the rock and replace, move the corals to a temporary tank, clean the display, and put new rock and sand in, if you want sand. You can cook the rock and re-use or sell privately down the road. I know it is a tall order to remove the corals, but you could also take advantage and clip and dip, treat this as a do over, I know it will inspire you mate Otherwise, keeping algae eating fish will hopefully hold it back. Good luck and keep us posted.
Cheers,

It really is hard to remove and I know first hand how easily it can grow in low nutrients! lol That's definitely what's going to happen when I move the tank, a nice clean fresh start with dry rock lol no live rock pesties at all! Cut and dip will definitely be happening to everything! I'm not risking contamination anew! lol thanks for stopping by Perry

Dom, don't you have a bristle toothed tang? They don't eat macro algea really..
Get yourself a real tang or a rabbitfish.. Then remove him after he's done. Give him away if you don't want a big tang in your tank... It will be well worth the expense..

Also, I don't know what kind of spy satellite camera you have but your shots alway blow me away with their crispness and vibrancy.

We will NOT accept your resignation so don't even consider it again!!!

Yep bristle tooth Kole lol I wasn't really expecting him to eat it lol I just really like Kole's
I've thought about it but a fish of that size and boisterousness would upset my tank balance and my little fish. Also because some of my fish are rare and expensive I don't want to risk any upsets in the tank. Along with moving the tank to me, I can do a fresh restart with Marco Reef Rock and have an absolutely clean system! lol

To be honest it's nothing fancy at all lol a Canon EOS 1100D with the stock lens, a bit of a touch up with software (unfortunately not photoshop lol) and that's all there is I'd love to get my hands on a macro lens though now that would give some great pics!

You won't be getting any resignations any time soon, not after your's and Perry's latest updates! Holy sh*t you two :inlove: lol

Beautiful pic, it sold me. Going to pick up my piece soon.

Thanks mate When it's a little happier and the polyps are a little more orange it is such an amazing coral :inlove: I'm pretty stoked with it as is though lol

Don't give up man, there are tons of people that would kill for those kind of colors!

Thanks mate! I appreciate it and I don't plan on giving up, I'll fight an uphill battle for as long as I can without giving up Thanks for stopping by though!

 

[Wrangy]

With some non-tank good news here. I think I mentioned one of the big issues I've been facing the last two weeks is my little cat, Iggy, has been very unwell. He lost nearly all of his strength in his back legs and wasn't really able to get around very well. We went to vet's, second time in a month as he had a seizure that we had to check up on, and blood tests showed his liver was functioning irregularly with extremely elevated liver enzyme levels (double last time's visit and they were really high then) so off we went back to the specialist and he had an over night trip. After an ultrasound and two liver biopsy's it turns out his liver is completely healthy :deadhorse1: Don't get me wrong it's fantastic news but it doesn't really answer any questions as to what was going on and it wasn't cheap haha.
In the end the specialist recommended a month long course of antibiotics as he thinks it may be an infection and now after 4 days Iggy seems to be improving, he's gained strength back in his hind legs and genuinely seems happier so fingers crossed. This has taken a HUGE amount of pressure off my partner and I as we were both getting up several times a night to take him to the toilet and make sure he was okay. Now he's only waking me up the usual twice a night because he needs to be back under the blankets :rollface:
With both of us being very much a cat people this has just made such a huge difference in stress levels around the house and at least one aspect of life is returning to normal hopefully
Either way, this little cat is still a pain in my arse but he seems much better. Mind you he's only a year old but still the size of an 10 week old kitten, he's a little bit special as he's rather under-developed but here's a few pic's of the silly little bast*rd lol




He's only of the only pet's I've ever owned to actually love driving in the car! He was perched up here nearly the entire trip and has fallen asleep up there on other trips lol

 

[reefmutt]

Thats one cute cat, Dom.
I'm happy to hear he's getting better.
I had a cat when was a kid, then i got allergies.. had fish ever since..
I have a soft spot for cats, though..
he's a real cutey!

 

[mhucasey]

God to hearth at the cat is improving! It's rough when the furry family members aren't doing well...

 

[Wrangy]

Thats one cute cat, Dom.
I'm happy to hear he's getting better.
I had a cat when was a kid, then i got allergies.. had fish ever since..
I have a soft spot for cats, though..
he's a real cutey!

Thanks Matt, I'm definitely happy as well
If I developed allergies then I'd definitely be getting a pair of Bambino's :lolspin: hilariously adorable hairless cat's like the Sphinx!

God to hearth at the cat is improving! It's rough when the furry family members aren't doing well...

Good to hear? lol it's definitely rough and we're both very glad he's improving!

 

[Wrangy]

Some more interesting news! lol The house has been sold, I know have 63 days to get the tank here with me haha nervous and exciting times ahead :eek1: I CANNOT wait to have the tank here!!

 

[DiscusHeckel]

I am glad that the cat is getting better. This is the first time ever that I have heard that it is possible to transport a cat in a car in this way. This is truly unique.