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My Nano Reefs Part Sixteen - 6/12 to 9/12
Last Updated: 10/20/12
On 6/1/12, I did the usual. I calibrated the pH meter. The turbo snails seem to finally be
making some headway on the algae. Most of the cotton candy algae (pink hair algae it looks like
to me) is gone. The thick, hard-to-remove green algae is slowing being reduced.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 81.4 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.46
6 Gallon Tank: 79.4 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.49
Make up water: 77.6 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.65
On 6/7/12, I removed a dead Astraea snail from my 6 gallon tank. There is only one left.
On 6/8/12, I did the usual. I tried to use some reef epoxy to re-stick the red zooanthids, brain
coral, and tree coral. Only the last was a success.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.2 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.49
6 Gallon Tank: 79.7 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.54
Make up water: 77.3 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.75
On 6/13/12, I bought a replacement Astraea snail for the 6 gallon tank. Now, there are two
again.
I also put two red tip hermit crabs in the 6 gallon tank. The tank was a bit dull as the two sexy
shrimp and Scary the crab hide most of the time. I wanted to add a little action. One of the new
hermit crabs is small, and the other is slightly larger. They started climbing the green star polyps
like a jungle gym. I put in half a dozen empty shells of various sizes for them to use as this tank
had no empty shells they could use.
On 6/16/12, I did the usual. One of the cerith snails in the 12 gallon tank was in the sump (filter
area in the back) again. I don't know how he squishes back there but there's no food in there for
him. I moved the smaller of the two turbo snails to the 6 gallon tank. The 12 gallon tank is
pretty much free of cotton candy algae (pink hair algae) now thanks to the turbos! There is a
little among the macroalgae where they can't get it. The 6 gallon tank is full of the pink algae
and other algae so, since the Astraea snails don't do much of anything, I put the smaller of the
two turbo snails in the 6 gallon to see how he does. One of the new zooanthids in the 6 gallon
tank is now 100% dead. A few of the others are worsening as well, and I'm not sure why.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 78.6 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.32
6 Gallon Tank: 77.4 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.43
Make up water: 77.4 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.55
On 6/22/12, I did the usual. I tried to calibrate the pH meter twice but it failed. I may have to
buy new calibration solutions; the ones that I have are six months old (and should still be
good!). In this last week, all of my brown zoos in the 6 gallon have died. It was very fast. With
another colony dying last week, I wonder if one of those nudibranchs got in that tank too? I sure
hope not. I haven't seen any. While I was draining the 6 gallon tank, the power went out! A
great time for a brown out! I called BGE, and they said it would be out for three hours but,
luckily, it was only out for 25 minutes. The green star polyps were partially dried out during that
time but should be fine. I finished the tanks with the power back.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.5 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.41
6 Gallon Tank: 80.2 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.45
Make up water: 79.0 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.69
A derecho hit us on 6/29/12. As a result, we had no power for three days, and Fireman died. For
more on the derecho, read my June pond blog and July pond blog. I got a generator to run the marine pumps on
7/1/12. The Maxi-Jet 600 pump in the 6 gallon tank was not working so I replaced it with a new
one (I keep spares thankfully).
We got power back on 7/2/12, and I managed to change the water in the marine tanks. I had new
pH meter calibration solutions but the meter still will not calibrate. I guess I have to give in and
buy a new one even though I have zero income. I have the heaters off. It's near 100 degrees F
outside! The power came on at 1 pm, and I had the make up water stirring by 1:50 pm. The RO
water had been made three days earlier. As if things aren't bad enough, I saw an
Aiptasia anemone in the 12 gallon tank. I've never had them there before. It must
have come with the new corals. I'm saving that problem for later.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 83.4 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.45
6 Gallon Tank: 81.8 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.47
Make up water: 76.6 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.54
On 7/5/12, I saw another Majano anemone on that same stick piece of dead coral on which there
are a few zooanthids in the 12 gallon tank. I took it out and used scissors under freshwater to
scrape it off. These guys are pretty hardy! The zoos didn't get any freshwater on them as they
were further down the stick.
On 7/7/12, I did the usual. Both tanks are almost free of nuisance algae thanks to the turbo
snails. Many of the zooanthids have died off in both tanks. I have no idea why.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 79.7 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.51
6 Gallon Tank: 77.3 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.50
Make up water: 73.4 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.52
On 7/14/12, I did the usual. I saw not only the Aiptasia anemone in the front of the
12 gallon tank which retracts in to a hole so I cannot get it but another on the back side of the
rocks. I never could see it before due to all the algae but, now, the algae is gone.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 79.8 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.45
6 Gallon Tank: 78.6 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.47
Make up water: 72.7 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.55
I bought a new fish for the 6 gallon nano reef tank on 7/17/12. They only had one goby, a yellow
clown goby. He was anorexic. The kid said the fish had been there a month and did not even
want to eat live brine shrimp. I'm taking a risk and hoping that I can nurse him back to health.
At the store, he was in a little 6" x 6" cube (ganged in to a bunch of them so the water hopefully
wasn't too bad) with nothing! Rico is exploring the tank as I type this.
I have not seen Rico since right after I put him in the tank! Where could he be! All I can think
is that he died and was then eaten by Scary. Scary has not eaten the sexy shrimp which are
smaller than Rico. Scary is not that big but the only possible predator in the tank. While
looking for Rico, I found eggs on the back wall! After looking at snail photos on-line, I found
them to be nassarius snail eggs. The internet says I shouldn't expect babies though which is
probably good because there are hundreds and hundreds of eggs!
On 7/21/12, I did the usual. I tried calibrating the pH meter again, and this time it worked!
Hence, you will see a downward shift in the pH readings below. I replaced the output of the
pump in the 12 gallon tank (not the one in the sump) as it no longer would stay pointed up. I
have plenty of spare parts since I'm using the same pumps in both sumps without those
parts.
I epoxied the pineapple brain coral again but this time a few inches from the usual site so that I
am hoping it will take. The green star polyps at the top of the 12 gallon detached from their live
rock on whence they came years ago. I took a needle threaded with fishing line and ran the line
through the polyps. Then, I put some epoxy on the bottom and buried the fishing line in the
epoxy. I then stuck the epoxy back on the live rock. Since epoxy doesn't stick to the polyps,
this was my best idea. So far, so good.
Rico was no where when I cleaned the 6 gallon tank. He must have died and been eaten by
Scary. I will not put any more fish in the tank while Scary is there.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 79.7 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.37
6 Gallon Tank: 78.3 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.43
Make up water: 77.0 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.60
On 7/28/12, I went to stir up the saltwater, and there was no RO water! It took three years but I
finally not only forgot to make it but forgot to consult my lists which, if I had done, I would have
remembered. Since I needed the sink, I tried to hook the RO to the other two faucets in the area
but none will attach. I had no choice but to wait until the end of the day, after cleaning all the
other aquariums, I made the RO water. I added salt that night to stir and did the marine tanks
the next morning, on 7/29/12.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 78.4 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.38
6 Gallon Tank: 77.8 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.51
Make up water: 76.9 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.54
On 8/4/12, I did the usual. I put some epoxy on the favia coral which had broken loose earlier in
the week. So far, the other two that I redid a few weeks back are holding still. I treated three
Aiptasia in the 12 gallon tank including a huge one that I just found with the
Aiptasia control which is just kalkwasser [calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2]. It had
dried up so I got a cup of saltwater and mixed in some of the dried Ca(OH)2. I did not treat the
two Aiptasia in the 6 gallon tank. I ran the one in freshwater again and jabbed at it
under the freshwater stream but that didn't even kill it! I've done that three times. I will use the
kalkwasser next week on it but I'm reticent because it's so close to the striped mushroom coral,
and tank is small. Perhaps I could do it out of the tank; that should work! I'll let it soak in and
then rinse with freshwater avoiding the mushroom.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 81.8 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.34
6 Gallon Tank: 78.9 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.41
Make up water: 77.3 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.55
On 8/11/12, I did the usual I used the Aiptasia control on two of them in the 6
gallon tank. I let it sit on them while I first cleaned the 12 gallon tank. I don't know how but
the big Aiptasia in the 12 gallon survived! It has only a few small arms but it's
growing back so I'll have to hit it again next week.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.0 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.36
6 Gallon Tank: 78.5 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.41
Make up water: 77.1 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.63
On 8/18/12, I did the usual. I calibrated the pH meter. I squirted one Aiptasia in
each of the tanks
but I don't know if it did any good as they closed fast. It turns out that I missed another one in
the 6 gallon that survived last week's treatment (so they both survived).
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.9 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.26
6 Gallon Tank: 78.5 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.33
Make up water: 76.9 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.51
On 8/25/12, I did the usual. The Aiptasia were back again. I squirted two in the
6 gallon and one in the 12 gallon. I thought the turbo snail in the 6 gallon was dead but, when
I picked it up, its trapdoor moved. The snail is hiding but still alive. The calcium hydroxide got
an animal to come out of that rock that I had never seen before in my tank! It is a small beige
brittlestar, lass than a centimeter when spread open! The poor thing was writhing, probably
from the calcium hydroxide but should recover. He must have been in there the whole time!
The rock is full of holes.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.0 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.37
6 Gallon Tank: 78.0 degrees F, 1.0255 SG, pH 7.49
Make up water: 77.9 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.71
On 9/1/12, I did the usual. The Aiptasia seem to be gone. The turbo snail in the
6 gallon tank was empty; someone had eaten out the body over the last week. ;-(
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.5 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.33
6 Gallon Tank: 79.2 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.40
Make up water: 77.0 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.64
On 9/8/12, I did the usual.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 82.1 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.33
6 Gallon Tank: 79.5 degrees F, 1.026 SG, pH 7.50
Make up water: 77.6 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.64
On 9/15/12, I did the usual. I calibrated the pH meter which brought the pH readings down from
previous. The Aiptasia was back in the 6 gallon tank so I treated it once again.
Some stringy, brown, perhaps cyanobacteria have started to grow in the 12 gallon tank since
there is almost no green or pink hair algae anymore. It sucks up well with the vacuum but is not
welcome.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 81.4 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.25
6 Gallon Tank: 78.5 degrees F, 1.0255 SG, pH 7.27
Make up water: 77.3 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.39
On 9/22/12, I did the usual.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 82.1 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.26
6 Gallon Tank: 79.9 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.36
Make up water: 77.3 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.51
On 9/29/12, I did the usual. I found two Aiptasia on the same mushroom and
worm rock as before in the 6 gallon reef but they had moved. One was next to one of the tube
worms. I treated these two yet again with calcium hydroxide.
The water test results for the day were:
12 Gallon Tank: 80.2 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.43
6 Gallon Tank: 78.3 degrees F, 1.0255 SG, pH 7.48
Make up water: 76.9 degrees F, 1.025 SG, pH 7.48
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