Phils 125g

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Alcatraz

Alcatraz

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Have started and canceled this more times than I can count because I'm just not happy with where my tank is and am a bit embarrassed of how it looks. So I thought as I start to do things and get it back on track I'd show things, embarrassing or not.

Over the last year I've come real close to tearing down as I was just burnt out and not happy with the direction I had taken, add in having 2 kids since I setup, plus the lose of my eel which is why I got back into the hobby and things just got crazy. I finally asked myself why and where did it become not as fun and wrote out 3 options: a) tear down and find someone else to take over the wrasse Lovers group on Facebook, b) commit to coral and find the time, c) go back to the beginning and just do you. The more I thought about it having a tank with lots of corals just isnt me right now and may never be, I didnt wanna tear down even though I did highly consider it.

With that Theres no better way than to go back to the beginning where things were fun and the most stressful thing was making sure I correctly id'd the new wrasse I just bought.

Guess it time for the revamp to begin.

Heres a video from before

 
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Mikeneedsahobbg

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Is that a chain link eel? Did you ever have issues with it and the smaller fish like the firefish?

how did you create the Facebook group? It is great by the way.

what are your plans for the update?

what burned you out? Was it losing the eel or the time the tank took from you? What could be changed to make it fun again?

how old are your kids now?
 
Alcatraz

Alcatraz

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Mikeneedsahobbg said:
Is that a chain link eel? Did you ever have issues with it and the smaller fish like the firefish?

how did you create the Facebook group? It is great by the way.

what are your plans for the update?

what burned you out? Was it losing the eel or the time the tank took from you? What could be changed to make it fun again?

how old are your kids now?
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Yes it is. I never had any issue luckily but I also got him when he was super small and added smaller fish right away so he grew up around them, I also paid attention to when he was hungry . I will probably try another at some point but my heart just isnt there yet and if I do I may try Echidna Xanthospilos aka Skeletor.

Plans for the update are to ditch my LEDs as i noticed once i added that's where 90% of my nuisance algae issues began. Going to add another disc golf basket and more macroalgae are tops on my list after acid washing all rock. Then start restocking with hermits and snails then restock with wrasses as I have a yellow tang, filefish, a pair of clowns, a Molly Miller blenny, and Marine betta/comet (all captive breed).

As far as the burnout goes I started feeling last December to early January as it was then I started having algae issues and couldn't get a control on. I was also a part of another smaller group and we had a major issue and I split so that took some zest out of my sails. Shortly after this I lost my eel and was heartbroken as I got back into the hobby because I wanted 1. For 5 years I had feed him often by hand and just developed a bond with, I never feared of being bite while working in the tank. Just a combo of factors that lead to burnout, I'm actually working on a longer post for the Facebook group as I know I'm not the only 1 to experience this and by discussing what some consider personal may help another feeling the same way.

As far as fun it's taken several months of reflection and soul searching. I finally realized that while I may like the big beautiful coral tanks that for now it's just not me, this was a hard realization as its something I've chased the whole time in. I've become ok with this call because I find myself drawn to tanks filled with macroalgaes and think they're just as beautiful if not more and in the beginning I was just as happy and content, I didnt haye your typical tank but it was me. And as much as this hobby is a solo thing I also enjoy interacting and talking with others within and by resharing Kai's fairy wrasse post have gotten back into just being me, I like to help like those that helped me at the beginning and continue to do so.

My son is 3.5 and daughter is 1.5 😀😀

As far as the Wrasse Lovers group goes I started that shortly after my ban from R2R because next to eels, wrasses are a big love of mine. So by creating the group it gave me the opportunity to still talk about a fish I love and connect with others that feel the same or are interested in them. If by 1 person getting help then the time and group is worth it. The group has also been key to me staying in the hobby as no matter how I feel, i feel like i have the support to continue on. But in the end it's a love for these fish.

I'm glad you like the group and hope you continue to follow as there may be a surprise after we complete the resharing of 59 days of fairies.
 
Alcatraz

Alcatraz

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Ever hear that saying, "sometimes you need to look in the mirror in order to face reality", heres just a glimpse of what I'm determined to bounce back from
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ichthyogeek

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Alcatraz said:
Never hesitate to recommend stuff
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There were some...not so nice people on RC, back when I was a high schooler, sooooo....I'm always hesitant nowadays.

Vibrant works really well at getting rid of bubble algae. Like, it takes a while, but it does work. I also tried using a sodium percarbonate dip, but that had the negative affect of bleaching all of the rock. Fluconazole works kinda, but it's pretty cost prohibitive.
 
Alcatraz

Alcatraz

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ichthyogeek said:
There were some...not so nice people on RC, back when I was a high schooler, sooooo....I'm always hesitant nowadays.

Vibrant works really well at getting rid of bubble algae. Like, it takes a while, but it does work. I also tried using a sodium percarbonate dip, but that had the negative affect of bleaching all of the rock. Fluconazole works kinda, but it's pretty cost prohibitive.
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Jessican said:
In a 125g, I’d consider picking up a foxface to help with that bubble algae.
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How about a good acid wash? Been contemplating taking the sand out as well and giving it a good cleaning just not sure how to due to the number of bristle worms in it
 
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ichthyogeek

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I mean, it could work probably. Muriatic? That would definitely kill the algae if it got into all of the little cracks.

As for cleaning the sand: wear gloves, and just siphon the sand into a bucket. Depending on the grade, you can also put the sand through a green net (y'know, the ones that have holes you can see?) to catch the bristle worms as well.
 
Alcatraz

Alcatraz

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ichthyogeek said:
I mean, it could work probably. Muriatic? That would definitely kill the algae if it got into all of the little cracks.

As for cleaning the sand: wear gloves, and just siphon the sand into a bucket. Depending on the grade, you can also put the sand through a green net (y'know, the ones that have holes you can see?) to catch the bristle worms as well.
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I'm gonna have to get some vibrant anyway as I do have a rock with some Kenya tree on it that I would like to keep

Its fiji pink sand
 
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ichthyogeek

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Alcatraz said:
I'm gonna have to get some vibrant anyway as I do have a rock with some Kenya tree on it that I would like to keep

Its fiji pink sand
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Fiji pink could work, but you're going to have a lot of the larger fragments get caught in the net and require some picking through in order to get the bristleworms away from it.

I like the "up and drop" method. You rest the net on something like a bucket, fill it with sand, and pour water on top. Then while you keep pouring water, you lift the sand filled net, and let it drop. This tends to get the sand out of the net (the desired outcome), while minimizing how much water you actually use. There's also the "shake and pray" method, which involves filling the net with sand, and shaking it around (sort of like sieving it) to shake the sand granules out.
 
smsreef

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I’m really excited to follow along and watch your progress.
Like you, I also really love macroalgae tanks. And that bed of caulerpa you had is really cool!
Your yellow tang is gorgeous, Great color! I just got a captive bred. Do you have any advice in coloring them up?
 
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