This is what reef neglect looks like

[SushiGirl]

OMG flatworms! Wow, what a mess to come home to! The front glass LOL.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

I added a handful of hermits. I also started noticing that if I look at the tank length-wise the back looks quite green where the front is white. I am not sure if it is humic acids or phytoplankton yet. I have had phytoplankton blooms in the past... If it gets worse I suppose I will need to buy a UV.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kOiFzIt3lfwcAnVUix4p09MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hPaKBBvSjyI/UCvBdb9IYZI/AAAAAAAAALo/W0aTla5NGHQ/s640/IMG_1164.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/104384727186653047787/Neglect?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Neglect</a></td></tr></table>

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

The mylar I ordered arrived today. I lined the cube's canopy and furthered the makeshift on the other one. It looks quite a lot brighter, but I expected a bit more. I am surprised I haven't seen anything on the forums about it before honestly, it is so much cheaper than a proper reflector.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ETvV7M8wh_LN69f5Tn_7wNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ptJIOAcRIkg/UC1QeEV1cZI/AAAAAAAAAMY/jhpzr1Nvj_0/s640/IMG_1169.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/104384727186653047787/Neglect?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Neglect</a></td></tr></table>

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I'll try to remember to get a picture of the cube after the sun goes down. It is hard to photograph in that room with the glare.

 

[Sosa29Reef]

Awesome lol insane how much can happen in 5 months in an ecosystem....

 

[DCBB]

Awesome recovery ,,, good job

 

[Crazyfingerz]

Are those bulbs on your sump or main display?

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Same bulbs on both sump and display.

Sent from my T9295 using Board Express

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Added even more lights.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kJLxV-z0Na7dbUNY6UQUcNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d9hVWMFAV6I/UDJ2XqbkMRI/AAAAAAAAANs/YfuqZsXgvBo/s640/IMG_1175.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/104384727186653047787/Neglect?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Neglect</a></td></tr></table>

The xenia are starting to pulse again.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3591klpE2xI?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I turned off the flow for a while to see what happens and the mushrooms seem a lot fuller. I threw in a dry rock from the basement and it caused some algae to grow on the glass.


In the cube things are still not so good. I still haven't added more lighting and the frogspawn are still dropping polyps.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Mylar has been mentioned before. Its just not as effective or durable as a real reflector.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

I added some lights to the cube (3 additional 20 watt bulbs), still looks bad and dim though. Maybe I will get some halides for it... The things that still look healthy in that tank are the fish, gorgonians, and button polyps. The water is pretty cloudy, maybe I should run the diatom.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vUkEmd-vguqW0gtrpNhLu9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--lsLUpixuNI/UDQM2gdlEsI/AAAAAAAAAOI/0XFT7GxS5k4/s640/IMG_1184.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/104384727186653047787/Neglect?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Neglect</a></td></tr></table>

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[insanefishguy]

I'm not a big fan of all the "designer" clowns, but for some reason, I love the naked occelaris.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

I don't really like designers either. I originally got her as a mate for my black clown because she was only $10 or something. The pet store couldn't manage to sell her. Obviously enough after being at the pet store for so long it was female, but I put her with the black one anyway since she was so small. Didn't work, she almost died, but now she has a 60 gallon so whatever. I still don't think she is paired, she never swims with that other clown, but at least they don't fight.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x8JVbTYefy84bgVTVXOAfNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sjM99AG5Tc0/S1iHgc7MOSI/AAAAAAAABFE/ZMysl6zbNwI/s640/IMG_0366.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/110191504718179578856/Clowns?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Clowns</a></td></tr></table>

 

[insanefishguy]

$10! Wow

 

[bugs713]

Looks like the tanks at my local Petco's....

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Removed all the caulerpa prolifera from the sump. Didn't really have a reason, I am just kind of curious what will grow in its place. Probably bubble algae, but who knows really. I think after I move the tank to my new house in a couple of weeks I will use the sump for frags. I know that is a bit optimistic, but we'll see how it goes.

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[Joe Pusdesris]

I added a really pretty kole tang. I just couldn't resist at the store. Now my black clown is doing her best to kill the poor thing. I really don't know what to do about the aggressiveness of this clown. I even had her kill a damsel once... I put a clay pot in hopes that she would just use that as her territory rather than the entire 70 gallon tank, but it seems not. This kole tang seems to be a fighter though, we'll see how it goes...

I got another fluidized sand bed filter cheap from someone breaking down their tank. I really like these things. For some reason this one has been getting clogged a lot more than any of the others I can remember, I guess I never ran them with such large grains, but that's ok. I will use it like mechanical filtration and clean it out every few weeks.

Lastly, I started an experiment with peroxide. On another forum someone suggested that it can act as a mushroom growth stimulant, so yeah. Seems to be working well already!

I think I am going to ditch the little skimmer when I move, it isn't doing anything.

 

[insanefishguy]

Can you give some more info on the peroxide growth stimulation?

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Well, I took a mushroom rock out, poured 3% peroxide on it and left it until it stopped fizzing (a few minutes), then put it back in the tank. After 1 day 5 mushrooms became 6. I will provide updates if more of them bud off.

We don't know the true cause, but the current theory is that metals stimulate rapid reproduction in mushrooms and the peroxide is working to strip the metal ions out of organic molecules.

Here is the discussion:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=268706&st=860&start=860

 

[SushiGirl]

Or it could be a survival mechanism. Things tend to reproduce if they think they're going to die out.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

I think they will usually reproduce sexually in that case. It doesn't make much sense to bud and stay in the same place if an animal's life is in danger.