Snorkeler's Cube

Yesterday I visited a famous Brazilian veteran aquarist, Mr Joao Basso, he's been in the hobby for some 40 years now (much like Paul B), and in his recent years has experimented a lot with new tank formats and other DIY projects.

One of his recent inventions, about 2 to 3 years ago, is a tank system that has no visible overflow nor return, no visible pumps, uses a small return pump (aquarium volume turnover once per hour), looks super hyper clean and has incredible flow using a closed ...

A few days after my last post, when the new inhabitants had been about 10 or 12 days in the tank and I was happy that everyone was nicely extended, I noticed the Leather coral started to extend less its tentacles and the anemone also wasn't extending it's tentacles...

Strange...

I though of several possibilities, water quality, chemical attack from another coral, under attack from crab?

Water quality seemed OK. My PH, KH and Ca tests were normal (Mg not so ...

Now that water is at acceptable levels, after implementing Balling, I was thinking maybe it was time to try adding some corals again.

Then, guess what, I heard about a guy selling his 86L nano with all inside, thought the price looked good, and bought it.

Got some beautiful looking natural live rocks, two small peppermint shrimp, a nice small leather coral, a few Trumpets, some Zoanthus and Palithoa, a medium Galaxea, a small Xenia and some scattered greenish Mushroom ...

Back in March I added a little anemone to the tank, unsure if it had been a wise purchase, if it would survive or if I would be able to properly feed it.

Well, after a few unsuccessful attempts to feed it small pieces of shrimp I stopped feeding, but the anemone has been slowly growing, apparently just from light and whatever it might be filtering out of the water.

Here is what it looked at the start:

Here is what it looks ...

Long time no post... because long time no good tank maintenance LOL .

Serious now, I've been running the tank on autopilot for a while now....

• Since May 1st, started dosing Balling Plus to move Alk, Ca and Mg up. Just a basic dose of each, to slowly move params up.
• Since late-April feeding with auto-feeder twice a day. By the jungle algae my refugium developed, and the few algae spots that appeared in the display tank, clearly it is too much food...
• ATO refilled weekly,

...

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