Tank update

Reef Bass

Reef Bass

colors and textures
My 60g flat shallow reef is improving. I went through a reefing low point but recovered. My corals are growing again and I've been able to procure new specimens which are thriving. Happy happy joy joy!

I have made a number of changes since the beginning of the year, which not only improved the health of my tank but lowered electrical consumption as well. Lighting change to LED, updated controller, pumps, protein skimmer.

I am sad that I had to rehome my two biggest bestest fishes, a chevron tang and a one spot foxface rabbitfish. I had the chevron for over 8 years and the rabbitfish almost as long. They broke the number one fish commandment in a reef tank: "Thou shalt not nibble corals". Reef safe for 8 years, then not.

Turf and hair algae are long gone. Aiptasia are present but I seeded a good number of berghia last week. In a month or so I may begin to see results. I've had success with them before.

Pleased to still have the bicolor hammer I got from Grant over 9 years ago. New favorite corals include a purple torch, bicolor frogspawn and pinwheel blue jester fungia. Been picking up some montis too. Obnoxiously bright Rainbow Infusion palys. :)

I intend to provide some pics. I had dialed in white balancing high color temperature lights with my old MHs but LEDs are more challenging. You might be subjected to the usual "too blue" shots until I figure it out.
 
Down front Deadpool trachy. Behind that purple torch. Behind that side view of M. spongodes, Grant hammer, orange skirted zoas and rainbow monti.
 

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Berghia sighting!

I believe this is the 3rd time I have attempted to use berghia to control overly abundant aiptasia. The first time was successful and I was aiptasia free for over a year. Eventually they popped up again from new introductions of fish and coral. The second time was a bust.

Berghia are soft, shell-less and slow moving, which makes them yummy food for fish, shrimp and crabs. The key is getting a breeding colony of berghia going so they can tolerate predation and still have enough individuals to mow down aiptasia. They tend to feed at night.

A typical timeline of berghia use involves addition, and then an often 2-3 month period of "Alright, where did they go? I still have aiptasia. Don't tell me that was another flush of money down the reef tank toilet." And if a colony doesn't get going, that's the end of it.

When things go right, one might catch an occasional glimpse of a berghia at night or in the early morning. Or when turning over a frag on the sandbed. I saw one 2 weeks ago on a frag rack, and then another this morning on a rock. One may spy egg spirals and finally, a sense of "Hey, there are fewer aiptasia on that rock now! And that one too!"

While it's only been about 6 or 7 weeks since I introduced them into my tank, I am optimistic that a breeding colony may be establishing itself.

Fingers crossed.
 
My favorite berghia procurement was years ago from a "local" guy in the east bay via craigslist. I got over 30 for $100. Great deal and plenty to populate my 100g at the time. I have not seen him post any since.

I got these from ReefTown. 13 medium for just over $200 which earns free shipping.

ReefTown says peppermint shrimps are a huge predator of berghia. As such, I suspect a fire shrimp would find them delicious as well.

If you only have a few aiptasia, I recommend treating with something like Aiptasia X. Turn off your pumps and carefully apply it directly to the aiptasia. Let "soak" for a bit. The aiptasia pretty much dissolves. Try not to get any on anything you care about. Yes it's manual, but it's the easiest way to get rid of a few. When you have a whole tank infestation, where many if not all surfaces are covered in them, that's berghia time, IMHO.

If there are no fish, no crabs, no shrimp (no berghia predators) in a tank, then maybe a 3-4 berghia could start a population? My failed attempt was weak with only 6 as I recall and they never got going in my 100g.
 
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Good luck on the aiptasia battle. Best solution which took many try's was a cooperband butterfly but it was a certain one since there are two types if I remember correctly, or at least what worked for me. It cleaned every aiptasia in my 250 bad thing was to keep him alive after I had to buy black worms. He didn't eat anything else.
 
Thanks Jsarrow and Punchy.

Yes, the CBB. Another ally in the aiptasia war. That's great yours was able to clean up your 250. I remember that tank. And the 6" chalices you had while everyone else was drooling over 1/2 frags.

I also had a CBB a while back. It was awesome and quite the aiptasia enthusiast.

I could hold a frag in the tank and the CBB would come over and clean the aiptasia from it while I held it. In the long run it didn't thrive though, which sucked because it was a cool fish with personality. Maybe I should have tried black worms.
 
One of the saddest sights in reefing: a treasured fish wrapped around a Vortech wetside.

Another: bite marks on acros.
 
Hey Yuri. Yeah, the Chevron and his bud Rabbitfish became coral munchers and had to go. I was sad. I even built eggcrate "top shields" that extended over the corals that they loved to "kiss" the most. Light and water got through but fish lips no. The fish seemed to just push them out of the way. My Melanarus (thanks for remembering him, he was awesome!) died a couple years ago. Next time I set up a tank with a sand bed a male Melanarus will be one of the residents.
 
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