Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

Well, after letting myself go thru the dreaded burn out stage of reefing I've decided it's time to "buck-up" and get back to taking care of my tanks. Many of my corals are not something you can just take to the LFS and hope for the best, so that wasnt an option, and in a way I'm glad. I think most people go thru it after a number of years, or most people I know have, so I dont feel like I'm alone. Have rolled up the ol sleeves and started back on regular weekly cleaning and water changes....the choice was basically let it go and watch alot of beautiful animals die or get off my a** and take care of them.

The difference is noticeable already. A little care goes a long way.

The big issue is going to be getting rid of the aptasia I allowed into my tank that has become a real problem. I'm a little grumpy at me about that.

The aptasia is going to be fun. I had a few small ones in my old 135 setup and used joes juice. The problem was that I couldn't see everywhere in the tank and they would keep popping up. I eventually got them all but it took time.

I hear you, Sue. Mine has come a long way, but has much longer to go until things are back (including Aiptasia and the lovely Bryopsis). Neglect is much harder to reverse than it is to allow.

Drop a handfull of peppermint shrimp in there to help take care of it. I have 4 in my 90. You will still need to take care of the big ones, but they help keep the new ones mowed down. And since the are continuously spawning, its free food for the tank too.

Well, is so bad in a few places I may have to go more drastic and remove some rocks. *joy* I have an interesting green bacteria/algae i haven't seen before that seems to love the sand, and Im at the point of just sucking out all remaining sand i can get to and replacing. This stuff is a yellowish green color and the way it acts reminds me of a cyano type only much thicker and hard to remove. It has gotten on a few of the rocks and is quite damaging to the corals. I have less than an inch of sand for about 3 inches around the glass and I dont think it'll be much of an issue, and the sand under the big rock in the middle of the tank seems ok.
I'm definately going to put in 10 or so scarlet hermits, they're the only hermits I can tolerate. I may do shrimp later, although I've refused to have them for years because they annoy me so. They tend to steal food from the LPS and honestly I'm not sure that silly Tang wont kill them. Of the shrimp, the peppermints are the least annoying and they do get the small Aptasia.
6 years and never 1 aptasia....and now an explosion.

Now this one grabbed my attention. I felt terrible for burning out so quickly a couple of yrs. ago. I felt much better when I read your post Sue. If it could happen to you, someone as deep into it as yourself, then I guess I'm not such a horrible person afterall.
Our new system has the dreaded aptasia showing up here and there. So I guess I will have to decide which route to go soon.
I also have some hair algae to address. I bought a nice size lawnmower blenny from Rich, but the dang thing must not like it, he wont even touch it. He doesn't believe in earning his keep!

Guys I still swear by peppermint shrimp for the Aptasia.

Skip and I both have had the problem and the shrimp cleared it right up.

I love lawnmower blennies, they're full of personality. However, I've never seem them touch hair algae. They will scrape the hard stuff off the rocks though....and are just such a nice addition to a tank.

The only thing thats made me wary of putting peppermint shrimp in there is that yellow tang, he's so nasty to anything I add. I may have to try one and see before adding any more.

Jahdiel wrote:I bought a nice size lawnmower blenny from Rich, but the dang thing must not like it, he wont even touch it. He doesn't believe in earning his keep!

Mine won't eat long hair algae, he just keeps hair algae from becoming long. I've got a Kole tang and a foxface too, both good algae eaters.