Recent content by Timfish

All the monti's are encrusting. The juvenile colony really isn't growing that fast. However, PO4 levels are marginal which I would expect to affect growth.

Week 18 Found a fresh molt from a Thin Stripe Hermit. These are probably the most robust molts I find in my systems. Thin Stripe Hermits are found along the Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida coasts. They're great scavengers and due to their size much better for helping control...

Week 17

Week 16 Love these rock urchins! They're really good at chewing algae and stuff off rocks, they're spines aren't nearly as sharp as Diadem urchins and they don't pick up and carry off stuff they're not supposed too. Some random pics of some of the fish and a full tank shot.

Yes, here's a link to their tank build: https://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/30505-kimps-in-wall-room-divider-build/

Well, still busy. :/ But here's week 15

One of my "occasional" clients called me. They've been busy all year and hadn't done more than basic water changes and occasionally wiping algae off the glass. Besides one of the pumps not running there was an "obstruction" in the overflow that needed to be removed. :D

Well, a much better picture at least. :) The video on sponges helps add to it. The work done by various researchers showing sponges feed primarily off DOC adds quite a bit. De Goeij's thesis work showing cryptic sponges on reefs remove DOC 1000X faster than the bacteriaplankton in the water...

Had a baby monti show up in one of the systems I take care of! There's 4 different monti colonies that could be the parents, a superman, sunset and 2 we don't remember the names of. Superman Monti Sunset Monti Forgotten Monti #1 (Very fast growing, this is it's second location...

:eek: Just noticed the date of the OP. I'm reminded when my uncle taught me some Swedish he knew - Awha tafoo liam - then had me say it fast. 🤣 But at least those are still good choices for blue fish that won't outgrow smaller systems.

I've never had a problem with them and they're a part of the ecosystem and can't help but think they're helping reduce the microbial load in a system by the way they feed. But if they really bug you, it's probably best to scrap as much of the tube off as you can, not just the portion sticking...

I'd add a trio of Chryseptera damsels. One each, a Azure, Yellow Tail and Springer's. They stay small, are not as aggressive as thier larger sibling species, and are pretty active.

Been thinking about this some more. I stopped using macro algae in refugiums back in 2008 because I didn't see any benefit the times I used (I did have a client in 2010 that insisted om cheato). I can't say diffinitively I have seen a direct correlation between macroalgae and issues with long...

This mixed reef system without a skimmer is the last time I tried a refugium with algae. Curiously, after about a year the macros pretty much stopped growing. If you can find it, Pellette in his review published in Sea Scope, of Ling Sy's miricale mud system, without a skimmer, the same thing...

Sorry! Got busy and fell behind wtih weekly status updates. Here's stuff from week 14: Week 14 Just a bunch of individual pics of some of the animals. Thin Strip Hermit, love these critters. They're great herbivores and quite comical. Their claws have flat edges for scraping algae off...