Been a while since any update on my tank, so … A few changes in the last couple months, well, all changes but water changes 
.
I switched out the Iwasaki 50K bulb in favor of a Radium 20K. I like this bulb as well, and will stick with rotating the Ushio 14K, Iwasaki 50K & this Radium until we move / upgrade. I am of the opinion that I will never be 100% happy with a single halide bulb, so best to stop fiddling with it until I can set up a couple VHO with it.
The Tunze 9010 skimmer was ditched. It simply failed to produce, is extremely touchy, very sensitve to low levels of sediment and simply didn’t work for this tank. I’m keeping it for now, will give it a try on another tank. Bought a used Octopus NW couple months back and it appears to be much better suited.
The tank no longer uses any Prodibio, now strictly Fauna Marin Ultralith. I’m giving the FM bacteria Ultra-Bio a second chance. I have a ton of the Prodibio bacs left over, which are doing a great job on my FW planted tank.
The xenia is now under control. I spent a good hour one morning ripping it out of all the crevices. I figure that will be a quarterly task as long as I have this tank. The anthelia & GSP, however, are really irking me. See for yourself in the photos below.
All in all, lots of other things going on so I unfortunately haven’t had too much time to work on the aquarium. I’m making up 10 gallons and will get a good hour or two in this Sunday to epoxy over the anthelia and frag that A. subulata that it is killing.
More later… pics now…
OUCH! Fortunately, the Xanthasia sp. moved to the A. tenuis next door
Looking in Right Side of Aquarium
Looking Down
Worm & Psammocora
Spirobranchus giganteus. Lone survivor after a major salinity incident a couple summers ago
The Lawnmower
:)
As we can see (or can’t see, since I chickened out on posting the full tank shot…), there’s a bit of work to be done… On my quick list are cleaning glass, puimps & salt creep, killing / epoxying over the anthelia, siphoning detritus from sump (which I suspect is causing some loss of color), selling some fragments, re-meshing pump, changing zeolites & carbon, changing tubing on litermeter, water changes….
Or how about that upgrade…
Ava
3 years ago
Hi , this is Ava. I recently bought materials to set up a new saltwater aquarium, but still indecisive on a lot of matters. You seem to have chosen the right lighting and appropriate skimmer for your tank and perhaps you can help me make a decision about mine. I need some advice. Would you be able to e-mail me at CharismaQueen100@gmail.com and help me answer a few questions?
Great post and your blog has amazing photos!
admin
3 years ago
Hi Ava – thanks for the comments. sure – What question did you have?
glassbox-design
3 years ago
Looking Good L. The blue tip stag is a beaut.
LMK how the no prodibio goes….
admin
3 years ago
Thanks eric. That stag is one of my favorite. Easily fastest grower in the tank. Drab overall, cream colored, but the tips are that great blue.
How’s the worm situation? Going to have to go stonemason on that ass? Heartbreaking to chisel off if you have to, but at least your rock scape and placement of corals seems as if it would be more conducive to just pulling out, hacking off & treating, as opposed to a 150lb mound of rocks with coral in all nook and cranny.
Good luck!
jeffry r. johnston
3 years ago
The tank looks good. Time for the big reveal of the full tank shot!
admin
3 years ago
Thanks jeffry… ok, so I’ll meet halfway… how about a small reveal of a full tank shot?!
We’ll play where’s Waldo – who can spot algae growth from overdosing aminos, or brown corals, or an acropora getting slaughtered by Anthelia sp.
The frag rack is excusable though. I need to color up a couple fragments to sell.
Painful
mcliffy2
3 years ago
re: not being satisfied with any one MH bulb…do I hear T5s?
I had the same experience with the 9010, when I tried to run it on my old 125g. I ended up doing weekly 20% water changes to keep my SPS colorful.
admin
3 years ago
Bummer on the tunze for you also, eh? Sucks, I expected much more out of it.
As for t5′s,… once we finally get a move on with new home / tanks build, they’ll be on the drawing board for consideration… actually your build thread is one of my favs in my ‘build ideas’ bookmark folder,…
mcliffy2′s build thread click