Lots has happened since the previous update here. Good news, but also some bad.
Upon returning home from school, I went to work cleaning through much of the tank and getting everything back in shape after the minimal attention it had received while I was away. I re-scaped again, taking many of the GSP infested rocks and moving them to the sump. I thought the system would handle die off well, but I have been battling nutrient issues since. Only recently (past 2-3 weeks) has the cyano left and other less intrusive forms have followed.
Over time, the flatworm population in the system has built up, so I dosed with flatworm Exit. Die off of the flatworms released extreme amounts of toxins and resulted in 120 gallons of water changes and 2 lbs of carbon in the next 3 days to get things back on track. I lost my yellow tang in the panic, killed over the first night due to some poisoning.
3 days after I had dosed flatworm exit, NJ was hit with that crazy storm (microburst?) and I lost power for 3 days. I let the tank sit for the first 12 hours, then began manually aerating with a pitcher. about 18 hours in, we got a generator going to power the return pump and skimmer. By the morning of day 3 I had the lights and powerheads running off generator power as well. I think the 2 day blackout helped somewhat with ending algae issues, but definitely took its toll on corals.
Nearly all of my corals suffered from the flatworm toxicity and subsequent 2 day blackout. Most of my SPS receeded, some up to 80-90%. I have been moving things around and finding spots for corals to recover. Most softies (especially the GSP-Gah!) have bounced back well by now, and the LPS are starting to hit their stride now. The SPS are beginning to regain color and are showing promising poylp extension recently!
Planning on adding a 40g frag tank to this system soon as well as some more fish because the tank is looking pretty empty. Need to do a second dose of flatworm exit to finish them off (will be more prepared this time!) and work on a few of the aiptasia and bubble algae clusters that have popped up over time. There is one peppermint shrimp that has lasted for a few months now and seems to be working on them slowly. Have some pest control to work on.
Very happy the system seems to finally be back on track and doing well though! more pics coming.
Upon returning home from school, I went to work cleaning through much of the tank and getting everything back in shape after the minimal attention it had received while I was away. I re-scaped again, taking many of the GSP infested rocks and moving them to the sump. I thought the system would handle die off well, but I have been battling nutrient issues since. Only recently (past 2-3 weeks) has the cyano left and other less intrusive forms have followed.
Over time, the flatworm population in the system has built up, so I dosed with flatworm Exit. Die off of the flatworms released extreme amounts of toxins and resulted in 120 gallons of water changes and 2 lbs of carbon in the next 3 days to get things back on track. I lost my yellow tang in the panic, killed over the first night due to some poisoning.
3 days after I had dosed flatworm exit, NJ was hit with that crazy storm (microburst?) and I lost power for 3 days. I let the tank sit for the first 12 hours, then began manually aerating with a pitcher. about 18 hours in, we got a generator going to power the return pump and skimmer. By the morning of day 3 I had the lights and powerheads running off generator power as well. I think the 2 day blackout helped somewhat with ending algae issues, but definitely took its toll on corals.
Nearly all of my corals suffered from the flatworm toxicity and subsequent 2 day blackout. Most of my SPS receeded, some up to 80-90%. I have been moving things around and finding spots for corals to recover. Most softies (especially the GSP-Gah!) have bounced back well by now, and the LPS are starting to hit their stride now. The SPS are beginning to regain color and are showing promising poylp extension recently!
Planning on adding a 40g frag tank to this system soon as well as some more fish because the tank is looking pretty empty. Need to do a second dose of flatworm exit to finish them off (will be more prepared this time!) and work on a few of the aiptasia and bubble algae clusters that have popped up over time. There is one peppermint shrimp that has lasted for a few months now and seems to be working on them slowly. Have some pest control to work on.
Very happy the system seems to finally be back on track and doing well though! more pics coming.
