I just re-read my old R2R thread from page 1 to 5, and suffice to say, I've had a rollercoaster of an experience with this tank. A pattern I've noticed is fish surviving for 5-8 months before disappearing without signs of disease, a continuous cycle of different algaes, and a vicious cycle of acropora being wiped out by factors outside of my control.
Let's start updating this again. I've been sailing on automation for the past few months, and I'm ready to get back into the thick of it.
First thing's first, casualties. Both remaining clownfish and a filefish mysteriously passed since the last update in February. No signs of disease, just dead one day, leading me to think flukes are the culprit.
Same deal with my giant purple urchin. Just stopped moving and shed all his spines, both other urchins are fine. I think it was old age, he was grapefruit sized.
I bought a hectors goby last month that I have not seen once since adding. I suspect he's still there though as there's a spot of sand near a rock that stays suspiciously clean.
I lost an acro frag in the rockwork directly after purchasing it, same deal with a monti. System is currently acro-free, I may keep it that way.
Lumped in with casualties, I have sold several colonies from the tank. The green shroom rock, the acan, and one of two larger chunks of my Caulastrea. I'm seriously working to clean off the sandbed and get it nice and white again.
Ecosystem health:
Hair algae has begun its rapid colonization. My starry blenny and chocolate tang occasionally nip at it, but I have to pull it out first. They don't eat the strands. Diatoms of one form or another have also taken their hold, but I'm not particularly worried about those.
Microfauna is at an all-time high, thanks to additions from Florida. The water is full of mysid shrimp every night, along with larval hermit crabs from my thinstripes, and the glass is populated with immense diversity of copopods and their ilk. Weird little filter feeders hang from every cave ceiling, notably miniature tunicates, yellow, orange and blue sponges, and bivalves.
Coral extension & coloration is phenomenal, no doubt aided by bi-nightly feedings. Everything gets a taste, and it shows.
Additions:
Since the last update, I have added (in order):
Chocolate tang (mid spring)
serpent star (late spring)
hermits from FL (late spring)
Ornate brittlestar (this month)
x3 yellowband possum wrasses (two days ago)
x2 blackcap grammas (two days ago)
Blue linckia starfish (two days ago)
Total stock list, not including coral:
Sargassum triggerfish
x2 blue bird wrasse (juvenile)
Pajama cardinal
Starry blenny
Chocolate tang
Hector's goby? (not seen since addition)
x3 Yellowbanded possum wrasse
x2 Black-cap gramma
Tuxedo urchin
Pincushion urchin
Serpent star
Ornate brittlestar
Blue Linckia
Tigertail sea cucumber (hitchhiker!)
Emerald crab
Myriad hermits
CB Squamosa clam
Myriad snails
Flame scallop (5 months!)
So here's my dilemma. The tank is a pretty bare slate right now, so I can take it any direction. I've wanted to try a Heteractis Magnifica for years, and I do have a rock that I got specifically with that in mind, so that's one way I could go.
I could get back into sticks, which were amazing, and focus on a higher energy reef environment.
Or I could keep it going with this lazy reef feel, stock up on softies and gorgonians, and let it be an easy rider sort of tank.
All three options are appealing, so I just have to decide which direction I want to go. I miss my Pink Caddy and Rainbow Tort, so I'll at least get a new frag of each of those. Other immanent additions are a small school of scissortail darts and some sort of rabbitfish, most likely a coralinus.
Thank you all for tuning in. I've literally never updated this thread before, but why not start now? You local reefers deserve to see my tank more than some randos online.
Photo dump immanent.
www.reef2reef.com
I'll keep both threads active of course, but it makes more sense to run it on here than R2R.
