briight

I haven't posted in a month, but we've seen a lot of changes here with Bright Reef. Here's the highlights...
1. In preparation to move the small reef into the larger tank, we matched water conditions as closely as possible, then basically did a water change in increments over the course of a day. We removed water from the 20 gallon tank, and replaced it with water from the 125, then replenished the 125 with fresh seawater. The water from the 20 gallon went back into the 125 too, as we had room in the sump.
2. The next day, we moved the rock and critters attached thereto, into the larger tank. All the critters were pissed.
3. The pump, a 3 series Little Giant (bought used), started cavitating after being throttled back momentarily to feed the tank, and was running hot and making noises. Brian ordered a new pump, this time a 4 series.
4. While the new pump handled the 8-10 feet of head between the sump and the tank topside, it also overwhelmed our overflow box, and no amount of tweaking would fix the racket from the drains or the water level problems in the tank. We ordered another overflow box, same as the other, and installed it side by side with the other (that's where it fit in between the cross braces on the tank). With a better flow rate match, the overflows were nearly silent, with just a trickling water noise, no flushing or roaring. These overflows have foam sleeves around the drain pipes in the weir.
5. When we moved the reef, we inspired a diatom bloom, and this being an annoying thing, it happened quickly. We went to a semi-local fish store and bought snails. They included a free bonus--flatworms. The store said that the snails couldn't possibly have brought the flatworms...yeah, I know I should've quarantined the snails.
6. The ceriths didn't want anything to do with the diatoms on the rocks, just the glass. We went to our usual LFS, which is 2 hours away: Midwest Coral Farms. Well worth the drive, both for customer service and quality and care of their livestock. We brought home turbos, trochus snails, and a couple of very pretty orange spotted nassarius, as well as a spotted mandarin, a percula clown, and a yellow coris wrasse. No hitchhikers.
7. The turbo snails are real cows and are clearing away the diatoms on the rocks and glass with gusto. The orange spotted nassarius are a type of whelk, are predatory and carnivorous, and shall remain forever in the quarantine tank. I want a smartphone so I can research livestock in the LFS before buying. The orange nasties ARE pretty, and we enjoy watching them boil up out of the sandbed at dinner time, with their vacuum hoses ready to inhale any chunk of meat they encounter. Even the hermit crabs are afraid of them.

Brian said the percula clown looked like an "Andy," so that's what we call him. He's very young yet, and prefers the end of the tank away from the coral, so he doesn't know that there are star polyps waiting for him. Brian also referred to the mandarin as Mu Shu, and the name stuck. Mu Shu also prefers the far reaches of the tank, and at first swam up and down next to the heater. He's found a cave that he likes now, and picks pods off the rocks. Andy has also been feeding nicely, and was tank-raised. Mu Shu was wild collected.
The coris wrasse didn't get the memo from HR with his job description. We don't see him much as he's sacked out in the sand bed most of the time, and has no interest in flatworms. I'm concerned because I haven't actually seen him eat yet, but if I look for him, he pops up out of the bed and immediately disappears into the sand again. I'll give him time. My first choice for flatworm consumers was the melanurus wrasse, but we couldn't find one, so we went with the yellow coris. He has no name yet.
The trochus snails all died, even with careful acclimation, except one. They were eating in quarantine, and after moving to the large tank, then all croaked. All of the other snails are getting fat and making new shell at their apertures.
I am reluctant to use Flatworm Exit, and would rather something ate them, thus the wrasse. I'm still looking for the melanurus. Both wrasses are fairly peaceful with other wrasses, so I wouldn't mind keeping both if they get along. If not, we will find another home for the coris.
Our corals are expanding nicely, growing, multiplying and encrusting ever further over the rocks. The bristleworms have also worked very hard at controlling the diatoms bloom. At first they were creepy, but now I am intrigued by watching them feed.. We have some monsters in there, and they are also reproducing regularly. All of the rock is well colonized with pods and worms, and the sand bed is quite active.
We're working on LED lighting, which will hang from the ceiling. I'm sick of moving the lights every time I need to get into the tank. Lighting is a work in progress.
Film at eleven.