I'm still here...

[kevin4052002]

I haven't been on here in awhile. Swimming is at the peak of its season (districts soon!), and homework had increased a lot. Exams were just finished (straight-A's).

Well, after working at an LFS for a couple months, and looking at the coral tanks from time to time, I finally dropped the SPS idea. I might keep a few pieces still (monti caps are my favorite), but I like to see atleast some movement. Not that I wanted to go completely dull and straight for easy stuff.....which would have made sense.

Best thing that happened before I changed my mind, the anthias started eating pellet.

A couple weeks after adding 30lbs of sand (3.5in bed) and some hermits, and addition of calcium, the hair-algae started to recede. Once that was on its way out, I started to watch the coral tanks a little more closely. I went in to get a few more hermits, and wound up with an elegance coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei). After acclimating it for 2 hours, I finally put it under no lights. Today was the first time under my lights, and it is doing great. I will watch it though, as I've heard many stories of them mysteriously dieing.

Needless to say, I appreciate sandbeds more that I thought would ever be possible.

FTS-chaetomorpha chunk in background. Hair algae isn't 1/4 as bad as it got.

New-er fish

 

[KahluaZzZ]

cool inverts and fishies. Keep your second pic for a pic of the month contest.
Hey d'ya use tap water or RO ?
Actually your tank looks clean so the hair algae looks cool ..it's long..still you have to get some out.
Checked you no3 and po4 lately ?
Hermits would be pleased with all the free food.

 

[kevin4052002]

Nitrates were below 10 last time I checked. Phosphates....well....I didn't even bother to check it. I have used RO completely. I will get that water checked on a TDS meter this weekend.

I kinda wish I would have taken a pic when it covered the rock entirely, all strands reached towards 2" or so. It would have made an interesting TOTM. My brother saw it and thought the algae was there on purpose.

 

[aresgod]

it looks like a kelp forest...that is insane.

 

[Katie217]

yeah i like the algea

 

[Mushroomman]

Some serious algae... but other than that the tank really looks good. Nice decent size elegance too, dont see that every day, try to feed him every now and then, that tends to help.

 

[SALTY WATERS]

Hair algea....? where I don't see any!!!

LOL

That would have surely won the TOTM for worst algea bloom!

You should try to get your hands on a small Sally lightfoot crab, they really like to eat and would clean that up pretty good.

The new coral is very nice and I like the 6line!

 

[KahluaZzZ]

nahh this guy's tank is the winner

( already have posted this image from reefcentral a while ago, but compare )

 

[SALTY WATERS]

Yeah that one is a doozy!

I couldn't imagine my tank like that... it's probably extreamly healthy and all but I just don't like the hair algea that out of control.

 

[demons9872]

kinda not on the same topic but how do you grow that green alge my tangs love to eat it and im sick of buying more live rock with it on it

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

besides looks what are the disadvantages of hair algae? does it do anything?

 

[aresgod]

it can choke corals and other sessile inverts.

 

[kevin4052002]

Mine has sand trapped in it from when I poured that in. It sucks.

Mushroomman - How often? Once a week?
Salty Waters - I thought they got pretty big? If not, I could get one this weekend. I didn't think Emeralds would do much, but I don't want them eating my soon-to-be coralline.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

Kev i suggest you do large water changes. If you decide to use like a load of hermits with the same water and the hair algae disapear too quickly, you may end up with high no3 levels because the hair algae wouldn't be there to use the no3.
Adding more chaeto would help too.

 

[Lorna]

Wow now that is some hair algae and I thought my two or three 50cent piece sized spots was a lot. Need to find a way to get on it before it gets a foothold. It is on the very top rock about 3 inches deep so my Tang & Coral Beauty don't go near it.......

Sally lightfoot crabs eat hair algae? Better tell mine that as she has it all over her. On her pinchers and back......she will be a feed for the tang when she molts.......

 

[Joe Fish]

My emerald crab eats a lot my algae. He also will do everything in his power to rip down the nori sheet. If he does he'll take the whole thing and hide. Now I have to put it up higher so my coral beauty will get some of it. In my tank I have what I thought was hair algae, but it's not green. My blenny and hermits and coral beauty seem to nip at it. It almost looks grey. What is this stuff?

 

[kevin4052002]

Just completed my weekly waterchange a little bit ago, NO3- tested to be at 0ppm.

What calcium do you guys use as an extra buffer? I use PurpleUp, should I switch to some kind of kalkwasser?

 

[SALTY WATERS]

Salty Waters - I thought they got pretty big? If not, I could get one this weekend. I didn't think Emeralds would do much, but I don't want them eating my soon-to-be coralline.

They can get upto about 3", 4" or so... just get a small one!

You should really take out all the LR and give it a scrub in a bucket of SW to get most of that stuff off and then put it back in the tank!

Oh and Lorna, my sally I had before ate it up.

 

[kevin4052002]

Cool. I can pick up a pretty small one Saturday. Do I need to worry about ever removing it?

 

[saltwater4life]

nice tank i like the alge it almost looks good but i'd probbly cut it some and get it growing in another tank