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Unread 10/09/2019, 10:30 AM   #1101
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks Kevin! It's still early days here too, but Crested Butte is pretty high elevation, so in some places it's already past peak. Every year I try to Catch CB at peak wild flowers and peak fall colors. I've never quite hit it but I'm enjoying the effort! The flowers this year may have been the best I've seen.




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Unread 10/10/2019, 07:08 AM   #1102
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That is really beautiful. I loved hiking and fishing in the mountains when I stayed in CO, when I had free time to do it, which wasn't often. I'd love to spend a vacation out there. My wife would like to do it too. I have family that I'd like to visit as well in Fort Collins. I guess I'd better start saving up for a new fly rod!


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Unread 10/10/2019, 10:59 AM   #1103
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I am sorry that it appears the small weak damsel perished. Who knows, maybe it was never going to gain strength even if it had been in QT longer. Sometimes they die just because...

Your fall colors are gourgeous. Kevin said their leaves are falling before turning colors because of the drought and we in SW Pennsylvania think our leaves are falling because we got so much rain in June and July. My flower garden was amazing because of all the rain. The only problem was that flowers that were suppose to be only 12" turned out to be 3 and 4' and have so many blooms that the plants were collapsing under their own weight. Even now many are still pretty however.


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Unread 10/10/2019, 01:04 PM   #1104
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Honestly Dawn, I have no idea why leaves fall early, but your theory could explain ours as well then. We also had a ton of rain early in the year. Corn in our fields were high as an elephant's eye as early as June because of that.

However, we've been in a drought since the end of June. Our rivers are at record low levels now. It's a total change from the past 2 years where we had so much rain that the rivers were always way too high, so much so that it caused problems with game fish species. The spring flooding waters ruined the spawns of smallmouth bass in our upper rivers (so the theory goes, although pollution has played a role in that too).


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Unread 10/10/2019, 06:06 PM   #1105
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chasmodes View Post
Honestly Dawn, I have no idea why leaves fall early, but your theory could explain ours as well then. We also had a ton of rain early in the year. Corn in our fields were high as an elephant's eye as early as June because of that.

However, we've been in a drought since the end of June. Our rivers are at record low levels now. It's a total change from the past 2 years where we had so much rain that the rivers were always way too high, so much so that it caused problems with game fish species. The spring flooding waters ruined the spawns of smallmouth bass in our upper rivers (so the theory goes, although pollution has played a role in that too).
The weather is so weird lately. We were extra dry August and September but when it did rain the rain gauge would register 1 and a half inches over night. That is a lot of rain all at once. We pulled up our basement carpet because it was getting wet more frequently. We have lived in this same house 33 years and the basement went decades without getting wet but the last few years it has gotten wet multiple times. Since the kids are gone we don't need it as a playroom so we are done with drying the carpet.


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Unread 10/11/2019, 10:56 AM   #1106
Michael Hoaster
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Out here we had a very wet spring, which brought the flowers big time. Then we had a very dry summer, which led to some less than stellar colors in the lower elevations. We got our first snow yesterday-about six inches. That's pretty much normal. I usually get my snow tires on by the second week of October. With the snow forecast, I went ahead and got them on early.

On the missing damsel, it's just such a heartbreak, after getting them through uronema. I think if I had been more patient and kept it in QT another week or two, things might have gone better. Another lesson learned. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my advances in the quarantine department. There's still room for improvement!


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Unread 10/12/2019, 02:23 PM   #1107
Michael Hoaster
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Well I'm gettin' after it today! Lots of weeds are getting removed. Right now I'm taking a break, waiting for the water to clear, so I can do more. I'm not sure where I'll end up, but it's looking like a lot fewer macros.

With all my camping trips, I've missed doing my usual weekend tidying, and the tank has gotten a bit unruly. I've moved some more manatee grass around and I've noticed that I need to remove the 'ground cover' macros in order to replant them. So the sand bed may end up stripped clean.

We'll see! Pics to follow…


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Unread 10/13/2019, 09:49 PM   #1108
Michael Hoaster
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Well it's Sunday and I'm finished tidying up. Half the sand bed ground cover was removed, the reds got scalped and made into a more compact grouping. A lot of the ulva got exported. Even the fern caulerpa got thinned a bit. I finally took a chance and tried transplanting a couple of small plugs of the turtle weed, up high on the back wall. I had a real challenge removing the petticoat algae that had overgrown many of the reds. I also removed a bunch of blue hypnea from the barnacle shells. It had overgrown my string of pearls too, so I had to carefully extricate it to save it.

My tank was overdue for some attention. Now here's some pics!









Turtle weed against the back wall. It moves well in the current. I want it so much to grow on the wall.



I got a few good ones of the Allen's Damsels.



String of pearls. Kinda rough shape. It was fully engulfed in the Hypnea.






Sawtooth Caulerpa. A freebie mixed in with the turtle weed. I'm trying it out on the sand bed.








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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey

Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

Last edited by Michael Hoaster; 10/13/2019 at 10:44 PM.
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Unread 10/13/2019, 09:54 PM   #1109
Michael Hoaster
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Eye candy!



Three remaining pieces of Codium on the sand.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/14/2019, 04:20 PM   #1110
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Wow your tank is looking really good. You have a neat variety of macros still. I have lost some of mine so I don't have as many but what I have is doing pretty well.


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Unread 10/14/2019, 05:39 PM   #1111
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks Dawn! I appreciate that.

I do have a variety of macros. Now if I could get them all to do what I want!


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/15/2019, 05:43 AM   #1112
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Ha ha, yes getting our aquatic beauties to do what we want is always the challenge. Its a balancing act between aligning our desires and tastes to be more in line with nature but also manipulating nature slightly to accommadate us. Generally I find nature is definitely stronger so I align myself to it as closely as possible and I know that is your philosophy as well. It can be to exhausting and frustrating otherwise.


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Unread 10/15/2019, 07:17 AM   #1113
Chasmodes
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Lookin' good! Is the codium coming back or staying the same? Thanks for the eye candy


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Unread 10/15/2019, 08:00 AM   #1114
Michael Hoaster
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Right on Dawn. This really points to the differences between this version and the last one. In v1, I wasn't sure what I wanted and what I didn't want, as far as macros go. So I let things progress like a jungle. This time around, I'm approaching it more like a garden, in the sense that I know what I want and don't want. So I have a bit more control, but it requires more patience. And you're right, I'm still working with, rather than against Nature, but with a clearer direction, if that makes sense. Nature offers many choices that work, and I'm choosing one.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/15/2019, 08:09 AM   #1115
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks Kevin!

It's hard to tell if the Codium's coming back or not at this point. Now that the weather is cooling, I'm able to keep the water temp below 80 degrees, so I'm hopeful. I'll keep watching it of course. I really like it with the grasses.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/15/2019, 02:01 PM   #1116
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Michael, in the pic with the sawtooth caulerpa; are those all worm tracks in the sandbed up against the glass? If it is that is the most worm tracks I have ever seen and speaks to the abundant life in your substrate!


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Unread 10/15/2019, 04:07 PM   #1117
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks, and good eye, Dawn. Yes those are worm tracks. It's funny, I hardly see the little guys at the bottom of the food chain, until I'm ripping things out. When tidying over the weekend, I came across numerous worms, pods and micro serpent stars. I'm very excited about the stars especially, since I've been trying to get them established for a while now.

Having a great bottom community really helps. That, and my army of snails helps my tank take care of itself, to a great extent. Not having to deal with detritus and algae frees me up to focus on more interesting stuff.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey

Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/17/2019, 10:05 PM   #1118
Michael Hoaster
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I'm enjoying having more of these beautiful fish in my tank! Five neon damsels, and three tuxedo damsels are swimming about, in a pretty low stress environment. Plenty of hidey holes, lots of space, and three feedings a day means these fish are pretty comfy. Plus they can hunt naturally for pods and stuff. It's great fish watching! I'm getting serious couch time. The neons are hanging out in a loose school and are very social. The tuxedos are more individualistic, but they often synch up and interact.

One thing I was terrified about was the chance that the new fish would bring illness into my display. QT seems to have worked, and I see no evidence of any illness. WOOHOO!!!

I was talking with my wife about the fish, to get her input on what she'd like to see next. She told me she liked bigger fish she could see easier. I often forget she doesn't have as good vision as I do, and can't appreciate the finer details. So it makes sense. I like to keep the fish smaller, so they have more room to roam, but I can certainly try to accommodate her too. I think a Herald's Angelfish could work. Before I get one I want to get some more of both damsels. I've been watching how they move and behave around each other, and I think I've got room for a few more. Two more tuxedos and five more neons ought to do it. This would bring me to five tuxedos and ten neons. That would be amazing!


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/18/2019, 10:28 AM   #1119
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Wow, what an active color pop your tank will have with additional tuxedoes and neons. How are your little barnacle blennies in this mix...are they completely ignored by the damsels?


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Unread 10/18/2019, 02:40 PM   #1120
Michael Hoaster
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I agree, Dawn! I think I can comfortably accommodate a few more, after watching them for a while. The barnacle blennies are pretty much ignored, until one of them beats them to a food morsel! They're still pretty small so they don't attract much attention. The female is pretty bold at feeding time. Instead of zipping back and forth for one bite, she'll go for two to five bites before returning to her perch. She's also been trying out a new spot on the back wall, keeping her options open.

Now I just need to get enough gumption to disinfect the QTs for another round…


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Unread 10/20/2019, 06:07 PM   #1121
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Not a lot to report today but I did a little…

First, let me give credit to the peppermint shrimp, who finally ate an aiptasia anemone that was hanging around. Yay! I added them for that reason, plus food for the tank when they make babies.

I pulled the barnacle shells out to scrub them off. They were covered in hypnea and I didn't like it. The cluster broke into two pieces. I put them back in the tank and they look different, the way I stacked them, so the fish are checking it out, trying out new shells.

I took two small clumps of turtle weed and affixed them to the back wall with push pins. So far I've not had success getting this plant to grow on the wall, so I'm trying this. At least now I feel confident keeping the 'mother' plant alive, so I can risk small plugs of it. I'm crossing my fingers.

The rescued string of pearls plant is showing signs of new life. I need to find it a new, more permanent place. It's getting bulldozed back and forth by the conch and cucumber. There's another very small frag of it attached to a rock, so I may end up with two.

No work on the QTs.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/21/2019, 11:06 PM   #1122
Michael Hoaster
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I really did cut back the red macros. They were overtaking everything on the rocks. I like the rocks to show. The red grapes especially have grown a lot. So I removed some. I think it looks much better.

I'm not so sure about the fern caulerpa. I'm not crazy about it with the grasses, but I like it on the back walls. So I may be ripping a bunch of that out next. That's how I let the C. racemosa peltata grow in v1 - on the wall only. I'd still like to get some kind of ground cover plant growing, if I can find one I like. The blue hypnea is spreading and auditioning for the role.

I love the codium growing with the grasses, along with some ulva too. I'd like to get one more green on the sand bed - tufted joint algae. It's a freaky one. It looks like it belongs on the Flintstones.

Gradually the back wall is getting covered in green. Besides the fern caulerpa, I was able to get the petticoat algae growing on the back wall, so I'm just waiting for it to grow in. With luck, maybe I'll get the turtle weed to take off up there too.

I've noted several sponges growing from the live rocks, in several colors! The large, unidentified bivalves in the rocks are still alive too. I've noticed tiny fan worms popping up here and there. The tank is maturing as it approaches a year old in five weeks.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/23/2019, 12:37 PM   #1123
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I've had a lot to catch up on since last week! Wow! Your tank must be fun to watch for sure. I was off work on Friday, busy all weekend (fishing, working on my tank), and busy at work the past two days. I finally have time to breath, read and catch up!

Adding the damsels and a Herald's angel will be so exciting!!! More splashes of the brillian color that you have, plus the beautiful yellow angelfish. I remember that you considered dottybacks. Are you still considering those?


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Unread 10/23/2019, 04:56 PM   #1124
Michael Hoaster
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Thanks Kevin!

It is fun to watch. They are really cool damsels! The neons school more than I expected. Adding a few more is the plan. Then maybe a Herald's Angel, then maybe a harem of Fridmani Basslets. I'm not sure about the timing yet. Gotta see how the cash flow goes.

In the meantime, I plan to focus on getting more greens growing on the back wall. Hopefully my push pin trick will work with the turtle weed, and I can get more started up there. I'll wait to fully commit to this method, until after I know it works. That way I don't risk the whole plant.

It's funny, my tank started with more green than red. Now, with fewer grasses, and the reds' growth, I think the reds have just about caught up. I look forward to getting the grasses to come back. I'm just trying to give them everything they need, so when they're ready to take off, they'll have nothing holding them back.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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Unread 10/23/2019, 08:57 PM   #1125
Michael Hoaster
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"I look forward to getting the grasses to come back. I'm just trying to give them everything they need, so when they're ready to take off, they'll have nothing holding them back." -me

I wanted to clarify. From my research, I've learned that seagrasses have a growing season in spring. So I'm not expecting much growth for the next several months. Come springtime, I want them to have comfy conditions and all the nutrients they want for that burst of new growth.

The codium may be on the uptick. I'm tempted to break apart the largest one, to start new plants. I'll wait a bit longer and make sure it's ready to come back.


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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
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Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
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