Please note that every zoa was started with 1 or 2 heads with exception to Rainbow hornet (10~) and maybe another had 3-5heads. Buttmunchers had like 10~ and now at 50+.
Still waiting for more growth before I chop anything. I'd like to see my tank fill out first.
Went on vacation and of course something has to go wrong. Heat wave and my idiot brother in law turned off the AC to the house.
Tank was hitting 85-90degrees
When I got home, couldn't get tank temps down for another day until AC kick back in and started functioning properly again. Had to use multiple fans to get the temps down.
Lost a head of my bicolor torch and POTO minion goni is hiding.
Colors of some SPS look stressed.
Just trying to stabilize everything and increase NO3 again.
With the amount of evap, salinity started creeping lower and caught it down to 1.023sg so did a quick water change to bring back upto spec 1.025.
Alk at 9
CA at 440
MG at 1380
NO3 went back down to undetectable! I can't get this damn thing up even if I dose 6 drops of ME Coral Potassium Nitrates. This is on a Salifert NO3 test kit just recently bought. **Stopped dosing NOPOX awhile ago to try to increase this and decided to try to put an even bigger dent turned off the skimmer for now. I may need to remove skimmer until I start seeing detectable levels or get ahold of a HANNA NO3 checker to see if it really is that low.**
PO4 is at 18PPB or 0.055PPT
Salinity is back to 1.025
Color was showing back up in a lot of the corals but this didn't help and show stress on a few. Hoping to just turn it back around. After the water change and temps got back down, PE started popping back out so hoping it was just a bump in the road!
Sorry for the misadventure!
I always found the Salifert NO3 to be hard to read, so I shifted to the Red Sea Pro a while back. It does let you read low measures pretty consistently. As there is no date yet for the Hanna... could be a good solution for now.
Placement of new frags will happen sooner or later.
Happy so far. Colors arent vibrant but working on everything. Most parameters have been stable and just pursuing nitrates increase.
Feel the current lighting isnt the BEST but puts out color and par to my liking.
Now, just continue to feed the tank.
Keep parameters stable and maybe a few frags here and there.
Really want a few different color hammers on the right side.
Either go with scolys or some nice cyphastrea on the sand.
And finish off with a clam.
Gonipora and jawbreaker were moved to dead spot areas on the rockwork.
Recent issue:
Gonipora was very unhappy due to the above described heat issue during vacation but since back home. Lost a head of my bi-color torch but it was started due to increase flow and in a bad spot so got hit with one thing after the next. Likely going to end up losing it. Temps have been stable again. Everything seems somewhat happy with exception to a piece or two.
Overall, most corals are happy, encrusting, growing and nice polyp extension.
Some better shots and improvement on my Dragon Soul. Not a neon or green color but more of a yellow/gold tint. Same with my CC 21 TAILS. Some times shows a hint of green but overall very yellow/gold.
HOLY GRAIL Hammer is looking much better as well. Needs to hurry up and start popping more heads.
Speaking about the Hannah checker for Nitrates, it looks like it will not be available before the end of September. At least that's what these guys are showing:
Found polyclad FW on my torches 2 days ago. Never noticed them before but 2 of my torches looked stressed for some reason. A lot less extension so I uploaded picture and someone with a keen I pointed it out.
Swore it was just coraline algae. Having an explosion of coraline algae and since I didnt notice or see any before (no movement) didnt think no chance. I have dipped EVERYTHING that goes in my tank and somehow got through.
Either way, got nervous as I thought I saw one on a SPS piece so pulled it right away and dipped it.
Nothing fell off as the torches the FW fell right off in a freshwater RO/DI dip.
However, pods did just come right off and I assume thats what I saw.
Now I killed an SPS piece as it has lost color very quick and after a little quick search others say SPS freshwater dips are a NO-NO!!!
Luckily only dipped one and though a decent amount of money, not heartbreaking type of money.
Attached picture of where thr guy saw the FW right below the flesh.