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Unread 11/08/2017, 10:03 AM   #26
illumnae
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reefmutt View Post
I recently finished a fluconazole treatment. Worked like a dream! Although cyano followed pretty quickly.
I found it had some long lasting effects.. film algea was dramatically reduced for many weeks after treatment and I also had a die off of cheato. Not complete but significant.
That fluconazole certainly has some underlying effects on the system that aren’t fully understood.. but in general it’s pretty positive..
Did it affect nutrient levels in your tank?
The fluconazole no doubt works well. I noticed cyano in my tank too but it's restricted only to growing on the dead strands if bryopsis and hair algae. I think it's feeding off the nutrients being released by the dead algae. No outbreak of it (knock on wood!)

My chaeto was entirely out competed by caulerpa and hair algae in my refugium. The fluconazole killed off all my caulerpa too. I'll need to repopulate the refugium after treatment is over. I did notice nto needing to clean the glass too!

Nutrients wise I noticed phosphate rise from 0.03 on day 1 to 0.08 on day 3. I continued dosing carbon via TM Bacto Balance and nitrate actually zeroed out, probably due to the increase in phosphate. I dosed calcium nitrate and installed an ultraphos reactor and nutrients are now back to normal.

Corals aren't visibly affected but growth seems to have slowed abit based on slowly rising kh levels.

Quote:
Originally Posted by insaneDynamix View Post
Hey man ... that's a real cool tank.

I'm unable to view videos ... unsure why. But I would sure appreciate more fish pics.

Can you elaborate more on your nutrient export and NO3 dosing ?
Thank you! Camera is still not back from repairs. I'll try to get more pictures when it's back.

Not taking into account the abovementioned temporary measures due to the fluconazole treatment, my nutrient control is just 2ml daily dose of Tropic Marin Bacto Balance. It has been keeping my nutrients stable at 0.2 nitrate and 0.03-0.05 phosphate. I used to dose nitrate whenever it hit 0, but after awhile nutrient ratio balanced out and I didn't need to do it anymore


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Unread 11/08/2017, 04:30 PM   #27
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Thanks for that info. I love the new scape btw. It looks totally gorgeous.


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Unread 11/09/2017, 12:57 AM   #28
illumnae
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Originally Posted by insaneDynamix View Post
Thanks for that info. I love the new scape btw. It looks totally gorgeous.
Thank you!


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Unread 11/13/2017, 11:18 PM   #29
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Man I love the mexhanical light bar idea, everyone I see one I get so jealous. You have a beautiful tank my friend.


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Unread 11/14/2017, 03:51 AM   #30
illumnae
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Thank you for your kind comments.


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Unread 11/14/2017, 07:44 AM   #31
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So the camera came back from repairs and I was looking at the tank top down to decide which corals to photograph. Noticed a couple of the corals didn't look so hot so I plucked one out and flipped it over... guess what I saw? Yup... bite marks. Removed all the unhappy corals for a dip and yup... the dreaded aefw fell off. Into the bin they went. The other corals in the tank look happy, coloured up and with great polyp extension but I'm not taking anything for granted. My tank is infected.

Absolutely no idea how they got into my tank. Every wild colony was dipped and inspected and every frag came from a clean trusted source. I only have one maricultured piece and that piece was cut well away from the cement base, and also dipped and inspected. No new colonies have gone into the tank for over 2 months.

There's no way I am going to be able to do the 5 week dip routine. I have well over 50 wild colonies and 20 frags, all well encrusted on the rocks. Ripping them out to dip will likely kill them anyway. I plan to just stock up on natural predators of the flatworm and keep them in check using KZ flatworm stop and coral booster. Will not share any frags from trims - they go straight into the bin. Hopefully the tank will do well with the pests under control for a couple of years till its time for an upgrade... next planned upgrade is in maybe 3 years. Will restart from scratch and just transfer the fish over at that time.

Feeling totally deflated at the moment... Things were going so well and the tank was just starting to look good.


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Unread 11/14/2017, 10:45 AM   #32
Reefstar075
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Awesome SPS tank! Thanks for sharing!


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Unread 12/13/2017, 08:34 AM   #33
illumnae
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These beauties and a few others are coming into my tank very soon! I've been waiting for nice Tigerpyges since January when my last one ate dinos and got poisoned. It's a beautiful Christmas

IMG-20171213-WA0007 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

IMG-20171213-WA0013 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

IMG-20171213-WA0009 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Photo credit to @LemonLemon, who snapped these lovely pictures when the fish just arrived at Iwarna Aquafarm.


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Unread 12/13/2017, 09:50 AM   #34
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First, sorry to hear about your flatworms. Flatworm Stop and frequent basting to blow them into the water column to be eaten by fish can work if you keep at it.

Second, love the tygerpye! You have a very nice collection of fish.


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Unread 12/24/2017, 09:19 AM   #35
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Merry Christmas everyone!




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Unread 12/26/2017, 06:42 AM   #36
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Very nice video. Thanks for sharing.


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Unread 12/26/2017, 11:10 AM   #37
illumnae
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Thanks Bulent! It's hard to find motivation to update my tank online. Noone seems interested, so when I post I feel like I'm talking to myself. Good to know that you still drop in


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Unread 12/26/2017, 11:56 AM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by illumnae View Post
Thanks Bulent! It's hard to find motivation to update my tank online. Noone seems interested, so when I post I feel like I'm talking to myself. Good to know that you still drop in
I understand what you are saying and your feeling. My observation is that less and less people post on reef forums compared to past. People say that Facebook is to blame.

I will follow your tank thread more closely from now on.


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Unread 01/02/2018, 02:06 AM   #39
illumnae
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Quote:
Originally Posted by acesq View Post
First, sorry to hear about your flatworms. Flatworm Stop and frequent basting to blow them into the water column to be eaten by fish can work if you keep at it.

Second, love the tygerpye! You have a very nice collection of fish.
Thank you, flatworm problems are still present but much slowed down. I just threw away another 2 colonies that had bite marks and eggs, but it's been a month since the last time I had to throw anything away. I know it's wishful thinking for it to be gone without any painful action on my part, but I hope it slows down to manageable levels so that I can enjoy my tank with minimal disruption for the next 1-2 years before it's time for another upgrade.

I started off being a "fish person" before I started on any corals, so I'm staying true to my roots - I enjoy collecting nice fish still.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel View Post
I understand what you are saying and your feeling. My observation is that less and less people post on reef forums compared to past. People say that Facebook is to blame.

I will follow your tank thread more closely from now on.
Thanks Bulent, I appreciate that I just get the feeling that my tank seems inferior to others' tanks, as I see other threads with so much traffic but mine gets ignored


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Unread 01/02/2018, 02:23 AM   #40
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Photo dump time! Took these pictures before Christmas, but got caught up with work and preparing the Christmas video, so got delayed in posting them.

Pictures are a little on the blue side this round - still learning my new camera. Will tweak the white balance next time.

First up, here's an updated FTS:

FTS by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

I have quite a number of coral top down shots, so I'll try to categorize them according to source.

1. Sulawesi wild colonies

I got this one as a "Indo SSC", but it has morphed from pink and green with red polyps to purple with red polyps
SPS 23 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

This piece was totally browned out when I got it, but it's since turned into quite a beauty
SPS 17 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Acropora selago? It has a very pretty golden sheen under actinics
SPS 14 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Recent acquisition - looks like it will turn into either a Watermelon millie or a Sunset millie
SPS 12 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Another "Indo SSC" variant - this one retained the green, but the polyps morphed into a very interesting shade of dark pink, not the usual red
SPS 11 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Is this a Paletta Pink Tip? When I first got it, the corallites glowed yellow/orange under actinics, but it seems to have lost that colouration. It paled off recently but is starting to darken up again - hopefully the glowy corallites come back too
SPS 7 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr


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Unread 01/02/2018, 02:34 AM   #41
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2. Australia wild colonies

A very very interesting deepwater colony. When I first got it, it was red with neon green highlights. It is now purple, but has retained the highlights.
SPS 13 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Very nice colony - Acropora nasuta? It has a mint green body with purple corallites and blue polyps. I have another similar colony under high light that has the same mint green body with purple corallites, but the polys are purple too instead of blue
SPS 9 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Classic SSC. It turned entirely red for awhile, and is now starting to get the green back. I was told that I'm keeping it under too high lights and too low nutrients, hence the loss in green and predominance of red
SPS 6 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

Not sure what this is, but it reminds me of snowflakes! Very Christmassy look
SPS 5 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

I call this my "Aussie Pikachu" - bright yellow with red polyps
SPS 4 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

A "Rainbow" millie from Australia. When I got this colony some tips were showing blue in addition to the orange/red body and green polyps. You can't see it from the picture, but the corallites are now turning gold
SPS 3 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr


3. Tonga wild colonies

Recent acquisition from a long awaited Tonga shipment. Bought it as a "Rainbow Nasuta"
SPS 2 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

From the same recent shipment, a different colour variant of the above colony - this one is pink with blue tips and red polyps. This piece is still not very stable, so I'm closely observing it
SPS 1 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr


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Unread 01/02/2018, 02:35 AM   #42
DiscusHeckel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by illumnae View Post
Acropora selago? It has a very pretty golden sheen under actinics
SPS 14 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr
Nice pictures. Yes, I agree that the above coral is likely to be A. selago. It should exhibit much deeper green pigments though.

I used to have a frag a long time ago, but lost it.

Have you ever considered getting frags and growing them to colonies? I find this more satisfying than creating an instant reef.


Attached Images
File Type: jpg Selago.jpg (8.1 KB, 37 views)
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Unread 01/02/2018, 02:43 AM   #43
illumnae
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4. Sabah wild colonies

Sabah wild SPS are notoriously difficult to keep alive, so I'm glad that I managed to keep a couple of colonies.

This one was another totally browned out colony I took a chance on - it stayed brown for months, then finally recently coloured up
SPS 18 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

This tort/echinata/bottlebrush was neon yellow when I got it. It's now neon green, but has regained some yellow at the tips. Hoping to be able to get it back to its original yellow glory
SPS 10 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr


5. Frags from local frag seller - Fantasy Corals

These are frags purchased from a local frag seller, so they are all labelled with his trade names ("FC" stands for Fantasy Corals)

FC "CRT Rainbow"
SPS 25 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

FC "Superman Acro"
SPS 24 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

FC "Rainbow Shabert"
SPS 21 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

FC "Jubilee"
SPS 20 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

FC "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
SPS 19 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

FC "Sweetie Pie"
SPS 15 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr

FC "Ultra Walt Disney"
SPS 8 by Yi Xiang Lye, on Flickr


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Unread 01/02/2018, 02:51 AM   #44
illumnae
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel View Post
Nice pictures. Yes, I agree that the above coral is likely to be A. selago. It should exhibit much deeper green pigments though.

I used to have a frag a long time ago, but lost it.

Have you ever considered getting frags and growing them to colonies? I find this more satisfying than creating an instant reef.
Wow I really like yours! It has rainbow hues and blue polyps

Here in Singapore we get wild colonies in abundance - primarily from Indonesia (Bali mostly and sometimes Sulawesi) and Australia, but also from Fiji, Tonga and Sabah. Frags tend to come from these same shipments I have access to, and cost almost as much as a colony (or with some frag sellers even more than a colony) so it usually doesn't really make sense to get frags over colonies.

We also get maricultured mini-colonies/large frags, but I tend to prefer the wild stuff over mariculture, partly due to fear of pests and partly due to hating the hassle of chopping off the cement bases.

There is 1 frag seller that has beautiful frags and he is the exception to the above. I do get frags from him too (they're featured in the post below yours), but the main source here in Singapore is wild colonies.


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Unread 01/16/2018, 04:35 PM   #45
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Is there any update?


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Unread 01/17/2018, 01:04 AM   #46
illumnae
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Is there any update?
The SPS are still doing well despite the aefw, but introduction of an Achilles Tang caused a white spot outbreak that decimated many of my fish population

I'm now seriously considering going ahead with aefw eradication while running the tank fallow and treating the remaining fish in copper to get rid of the problems in this otherwise flourishing tank.

The plan is to break off all the encrusted frags and colonies from the rockwork and remove the rockwork (to prevent aefw from hiding in the leftover encrusted bits). The fish will all be removed from the tank into a hospital tank to treat with cupramine. I will then use eggcrate to create shelves in the tank to hold the frags and colonies at the light levels that they are used to, and take them out to dip weekly for the next 6 weeks. I'll then reintroduce rockwork and glue the corals back and leave the tank fishless for the corals to take hold, as well as to complete the fallow period to eradicate ich from the tank before reintroducing the fish.

In addition to getting rid of both pests, this also gives me the chance to redo the rockwork - due to the shallow nature of this tank, I find the current rockwork slightly too high to be able to get good photos and videos for updates.

Any reason I shouldn't go ahead with this plan?


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Unread 01/18/2018, 08:21 AM   #47
DiscusHeckel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by illumnae View Post
The SPS are still doing well despite the aefw, but introduction of an Achilles Tang caused a white spot outbreak that decimated many of my fish population

I'm now seriously considering going ahead with aefw eradication while running the tank fallow and treating the remaining fish in copper to get rid of the problems in this otherwise flourishing tank.

The plan is to break off all the encrusted frags and colonies from the rockwork and remove the rockwork (to prevent aefw from hiding in the leftover encrusted bits). The fish will all be removed from the tank into a hospital tank to treat with cupramine. I will then use eggcrate to create shelves in the tank to hold the frags and colonies at the light levels that they are used to, and take them out to dip weekly for the next 6 weeks. I'll then reintroduce rockwork and glue the corals back and leave the tank fishless for the corals to take hold, as well as to complete the fallow period to eradicate ich from the tank before reintroducing the fish.

In addition to getting rid of both pests, this also gives me the chance to redo the rockwork - due to the shallow nature of this tank, I find the current rockwork slightly too high to be able to get good photos and videos for updates.

Any reason I shouldn't go ahead with this plan?
Your plan sounds reasonable. That said, I want to stress that I have no experience with AEFW or whitespot.


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Unread 01/18/2018, 10:16 AM   #48
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Thumbs up

Beautiful tank, well done!
Absolutely love the pigmy Angle. Hands done my favorite species of fish.
I had several pigmy in my old system and plan a couple in my new one as well. Keep up the good work.


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People that have a pest free tank just didn't have the proper food "coral" for their pest QUARINTINE / DIP EVERYTHING
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Unread 01/21/2018, 06:57 PM   #49
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My jaw is on the floor. Sweet corals.


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Current Tank Info: 75g sps reef build in the works.
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Unread 01/22/2018, 12:39 AM   #50
illumnae
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Quote:
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Your plan sounds reasonable. That said, I want to stress that I have no experience with AEFW or whitespot.
Thank you! I currently have some freshwater fish in my QT tank till my office tank is ready - once they complete QT and are moved to my office tank, I will repurpose the QT tank for the marine fish and start this long and tedious process. I hope I don't lose too many colonies/frags in the 6 week dipping process!

Quote:
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Beautiful tank, well done!
Absolutely love the pigmy Angle. Hands done my favorite species of fish.
I had several pigmy in my old system and plan a couple in my new one as well. Keep up the good work.
Quote:
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My jaw is on the floor. Sweet corals.
Thank you very much!


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