Tank Journal Archive

daveH · Feb 4, 2013

The red goni is coming good. I've been target feeding with rotifers every couple of days and it's about half extended now, which is a big advancement over how it looked a couple of weeks ago. :) :)
I still seem to have a continuing problem with my zoas. They always seem to attract algae. I've never been able to keep a nice clean patch of zoas, any algae I have in the tank goes straight to them. I end up having to brush or pick off algae to stop the patch from being crowded out. :(

Priscacara · Feb 4, 2013

Good to hear the goni is improving!

daveH · Feb 4, 2013

Thanks, it's good to see a coral come good. Actually everything is looking good at the moment.
I think the chiller really seems to help things remain more stable, I certainly hardly need the ATO anymore, not having fans blasting away has cut down the evaporation I was having.
So with everything going so well I guess it's only a matter of time before it all turns to shit.:confused:

daveH · Feb 14, 2013

Well . . . just a small amount of shit. :(
My Turban which was doing so well, is now in distress. Nothing has changed in the tank, the parameters are even more stable now with the chiller. All the other corals are looking great.
It's polyps are all receeded. I've been target feeding it with rotifers to see if that helps. It's in the same position it was when I put it in.
But it's now also releasing stress strands a fair bit of the time.
The only thing I can think of is that my blenny likes to to lay in it every so often, maybe this is pissing it off.
Any suggestions anyone??
While I'm here, my female clown has become a really agro little arsehole. Bites me if I put my hand in the tank and if I try and place a coral or a rock near their area she gets her nose up against it and swims like buggery and pushes or knocks it out the road. :mad: It's amzing how much strength she has and how clever she is in finding just the right spot to turn something over.
She gave the blenny a hard time for a while, but he's given her a few good nips and she keeps her distance now.

chimaera · Feb 14, 2013

daveH said:
While I'm here, my female clown has become a really agro little arsehole. Bites me if I put my hand in the tank and if I try and place a coral or a rock near their area she gets her nose up against it and swims like buggery and pushes or knocks it out the road. :mad: It's amzing how much strength she has and how clever she is in finding just the right spot to turn something over.
She gave the blenny a hard time for a while, but he's given her a few good nips and she keeps her distance now.

Mine is the same. First couple of times it happened last week I yanked my hand out of the tank and water flew everywhere, little shit! Hassles the hell out of my porcelain crab too (though he can move .. just seems to choose not to haha).

daveH · Mar 7, 2013

Remember my red goni that was all closed up in January, well look at it now :).

and the bt elegance that refused to open months ago.

Both are doing so well now.

If only I can save my Turban :(

leodb89 · Mar 7, 2013

loving this TJ :)

Luke · Mar 7, 2013

Looking Great Dave .... love that goni :)

Priscacara · Mar 7, 2013

Great comeback, good luck with the rest!

chimaera · Mar 7, 2013

daveH said:
Remember my red goni that was all closed up in January, well look at it now :).
View attachment 12725

Congrats. My red goni was open for a week but so far has been closed for 2-3 weeks ... starting to worry it won't make it. Did you move yours, or just leave it be?

daveH · Mar 8, 2013

chimaera said:
Congrats. My red goni was open for a week but so far has been closed for 2-3 weeks ... starting to worry it won't make it. Did you move yours, or just leave it be?

I kept it in full light with a gentle water flow but the main thing that helped was to target feed it every second day with Rotifers. This seemed to help the most.
I hope yours opens up, they are a really great looking coral when they are fully happy.

chimaera · Mar 8, 2013

Even though it was closed up you target fed it? Hmm I've tried a couple of times but figured it wouldn't be eating if it was closed. Thanks, will give that a more concerted effort.

aussieant32 · Mar 8, 2013

dave my clown is a a bastard as well! Has broken my skin twice! I keep saying to myself it isnt their fault, they are protecting their territory etc but that is wearing out :P

daveH · Mar 8, 2013

chimaera said:
Even though it was closed up you target fed it? Hmm I've tried a couple of times but figured it wouldn't be eating if it was closed. Thanks, will give that a more concerted effort.

Yep, turned the pumps off to make sure the food would stay on the coral. Is the red surface of the coral still intact?
Mine was starting to get attacked by my peppermint shrimp which made me think it had died, but the red surface was still OK and it came back.

daveH · Mar 8, 2013

aussieant32 said:
dave my clown is a a bastard as well! Has broken my skin twice! I keep saying to myself it isnt their fault, they are protecting their territory etc but that is wearing out :p

Yeah, there's been a couple of times I've wanted to grab it, run out the front of the house and throw it on the highway :confused:

aussieant32 · Mar 8, 2013

mine got threatened with my feeding pincers yesterday.. :P

chimaera · Mar 8, 2013

daveH said:
Yep, turned the pumps off to make sure the food would stay on the coral. Is the red surface of the coral still intact?
Mine was starting to get attacked by my peppermint shrimp which made me think it had died, but the red surface was still OK and it came back.

Yeah still full red surface - will try the pumps off feeding over the weekend.

Cheers

daveH · Mar 10, 2013

Time to get rid of a piece of rock. I've had a really nice shaped piece of rock for about 6 months or more and it just won't stop growing short tuffs of green grass all over it. I've taken it out a number of times and scrubbed the b'jesus out of it but it just grows back the same.
My other rocks don't have the same problem, probably because they are covered in coraline.
Might go shopping for a new piece and turn the other piece into a door stop.

daveH · Mar 19, 2013

chimaera said:
Yeah still full red surface - will try the pumps off feeding over the weekend.

Cheers

Any luck with the red goni?

chimaera · Mar 19, 2013

daveH said:
Any luck with the red goni?

Ugh not totally. I moved it from my main tank to the smaller one ... I am concerned at the lack of nutrients in there, seems to be affecting some zoas and acans too. Phosphate has always read 0, so I wonder if I am stripping a bit too much out without replacing.

Since the move, I have been feeding quite regularly with reefroids and phyto, pumps off. It's been showing a LITTLE more extension, and still not receding from the skeleton, so I hold out hope that the food is being taken in to some extent.