Kessil

"The Lab" - Josh and Tiffany's IM Nuvo EXT 200

Update 10-28-23

Next batch of coral in the tank: all the stuff I got from the frag swap, as well as the torches I got from @thephoreefer , the nice chalices from @Invictus , and a purple tip frogspawn from @thesassyindian . So far everything's adjusting well, and the tank's filling in nicely! I put an acro in from the swap as an SPS tester piece, so that'll be a bellwether before we start building up the 'shelves' above the euphyllia/goniopora gardens.

Next steps will be adding:
  • A pair of mandarin dragonets from High Tide Aquatics after they're done with QT*
  • A bunch of QT'd CUC from Inverted Reef
  • Another few torches, goniopora, acans, octospawn, and hammers from CFM, as well as a magic carpet mushroom and OG bounce from @Srt4eric
*: Unrelated tangent, but shout out to AlgaeBarn for upgrading our order of 4 jars of EcoPods to 4 jars of GalaxyPods!

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Update 11-7-23
More stuff in the tank: specifically, a QT'd mandarin dragonet pair from @hightideaquatics and QT'd hermits/turbo snails/conchs from Inverted Reef. Hopefully they'll start attacking the turf algae, but I have to say I've never seen fighting conchs this big before. I made a joke to my wife that they're not conchs, they're chonchs.
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Update 11-7-23
More stuff in the tank: specifically, a QT'd mandarin dragonet pair from @hightideaquatics and QT'd hermits/turbo snails/conchs from Inverted Reef. Hopefully they'll start attacking the turf algae, but I have to say I've never seen fighting conchs this big before. I made a joke to my wife that they're not conchs, they're chonchs.
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It’s different form one I have mine don’t have horns
 
Update, 11-8-23

Well, that could have ended poorly. Our full tilt favia fell off the rock. My wife said, "I didn't like it there; can we move it here?" so I did. Two days later, I realized I hadn't seen the firefish. Then a lightbulb went on and I realized I'd glued the favia over the hole it liked to hide in on that rock.

I moved the favia again, and the firefish is okay. Lesson learned.
 
Update, 11-16-23
Upgraded my XR30 G5 blue to a G6 and put it over the tank. Let there be light!

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Went through my first 'test' with the tank when my wife and I were out of town for almost a week. We came back and everything looks good (possibly even better, honestly). Clean-up crew is starting to make a dent in the turf algae, and getting everything dialed in paid off in spades. Hiccup aside on Nov 10 (and a weird event on the 11th), I'll take that alk stability any day of the week:

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My stepmom fed the tank for us; to maximize failsafe and redundancy, I'm going to start interspersing frozen feedings with pellets/dry food so the tank will still be okay even if I'm forced to be away and she can't watch it.
 

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Update, 11-24-23

Updated the stock list to reflect what is currently in the tank and their names. The mandarin pair have been doing great in the tank, so: so far, so good!

Conchs and nassarius continue to, very slowly, make a dent in the turf algae. I've been working with Inverted Reef on Humblefish, and they've been kind enough to help out with an upcoming custom order of QT'd conchs, dwarf ceriths, and bumblebee snails; so I'll be able to add those in ~3 weeks.

Speaking of additions: we've wanted a sand sifting goby in the tank for a while, but didn't want the more commonly available ones (orange diamond and yellow head sleepers) because of how much of a sandstorm they can kick up. So, after some debate, we went ahead and ordered a Buan's goby from Biota because we think it's pretty cute, and seems to be less...obsessive than the other options. Additionally, since we're doing another round of QT ourselves - and my wife has wanted one almost since we started the hobby - we picked up a fat, healthy-looking bluestreak cleaner wrasse locally.

Given how sensitive wrasses can be during QT, I'll be raising the copper *very* slowly over the next 4 or 5 days until the goby arrives, then following the normal regime of copper power + formalin + prazi + medicated food for the next couple weeks. Fingers crossed!
 
I thought wrasses don’t like copper tho?
My understanding is that wrasses don't like most medication, period. I'm just following the Humble Fish QT guide using Copper Power; specifically:

"There's a reason they are sometimes referred to as "pain in my wrasse". :p These fish flat out don't like being in quarantine; especially a rockless, bare bottom environment. They are prone to flukes and internal parasites/intestinal worms. Wrasses are not a big fan of most medications (so take care never to overdose with them.)

QT strategy: Since these fish prefer to lay on sand sometimes (Leopards will burrow), it is advisable to have an area of sand in the QT for them. (Sand in a glass Pyrex bowl works.) You definitely want to deworm all wrasses using praziquantel. Fairy wrasses, Leopards, Halichoeres spp, Anampses spp, Labroides spp, Thalassoma spp, Pseudocheilinops spp tolerate Chloroquine well; Flashers, Coris spp & Pseudocheilinus spp DO NOT. When using copper, most wrasses seem to do better in chelated copper (e.g. Copper Power) than ionic (e.g. Cupramine). Regardless of brand, raise copper very slowly (4-5 days) when treating wrasses."
 
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