Basenji's 3x2 Project - new pics 6/4/20

[pebbles]

Nice to see you still got your toes in the water, Colin.

Love the form on the Dallas. Got a question about the scan though. Is it an echinata and does it need a no go zone surrounding it? Maybe it's nearest neighbours can handle it???

[greeni]

Hi Colin,
Nice update, your tank still looks amazing Are you sure you have a oblique line dotty back? I've had mine for years now and probably seen it twice!

[Basenji]

Nice to see you still got your toes in the water, Colin.

Yeah, I'm still here. It's a hard habit to kick.

Love the form on the Dallas.

The growth form tells a story. It went through:
- a strong growth phase from the original frag,
- through a stress phase (during the power outage that killed my 4 foot tank last year). At this point it went into encrusting mode, hence all the rounded off branches
- now back into growth mode with new branches popping out in odd places
- all modulated with a bit of warfare against the anemones

Got a question about the scan though. Is it an echinata and does it need a no go zone surrounding it? Maybe it's nearest neighbours can handle it???

Everything in this tank needs to be able to stick up for itself. Between the anemones and the corals stinging the hell out of each other, and the clowns who leave me in fear of losing a finger, there is no place for the meek.
I don't stress too much about fussing over coral placement. They all seem to find their own niche.

I can't vouch for the species of the Acan, but the photo is probably a bit deceptive, and it is on its own rock. I can't say that I've noticed it being particularly aggressive, but the frogspawn closest to it doesn't appear to be upset.

[Basenji]

Hi Colin,
Nice update, your tank still looks amazing Are you sure you have a oblique line dotty back? I've had mine for years now and probably seen it twice!

Yep, he's definitely still there. He comes out any time I put food in the tank.
Just don't ask me to take a photo of him.

[greeni]

Hi Colin,
Nice update, your tank still looks amazing Are you sure you have a oblique line dotty back? I've had mine for years now and probably seen it twice!

Yep, he's definitely still there. He comes out any time I put food in the tank.
Just don't ask me to take a photo of him.

Mine's the same Col, darts out grabs some food and gone again! Hey Col lets see who can post up a picture of the dotty back

[Basenji]

Well it's been a long time between updates, but in the interest of proving that there is still life on RTAW, here are a few new pics of Project 3x2.

Tank was started in 2012, and whilst my journal hasn't been updated since 2016, I still have the same 4 fish in the tank as I did back then, and many of the same invertebrates.
The fire clowns are now 11 years old and still as narky as ever. The female drew blood yesterday when I was cleaning the glass. Pretty sure they have eggs hidden somewhere down the back.
Purple tang and oblique lined dottyback are 7 years old, and have proven their resilience.

Sadly lost the really nice red and green bubbletip anemones some years ago, but now have a good collection of brownish purple bubbletips that have propagated from a single specimen added back in 2014.

The Euphyllias have grown nicely. The top one grew from a tiny nubbin sourced at a MASS frag fest way back in the day.
The Acropora valenciennesi "Dallas Warren" is still there doing what it does. Descended from the first specimen that I got from Dallas himself back in 2001.

The tank is running skimmerless these days (pump died, never got around to replacing it).
The AI Hydra lights died disappointingly a while back. Seems to be the way with expensive lighting these days, and I was never really happy with the health of the tank while I was running them. Pretty sure they contributed to the demise of the nicer anemones.

Ended up reinstalling the previous light unit (Maxspect R420R) after refurbing the reflectors and removing the burned out cover lenses (which had caused substantial dimming of the light). Unit has which has run without fault, and the tank health has improved.
I don't bother with any dosing. Water changes are few and far between.

Main routine is just to feed the fish and fill the topup reservoir.
Apart from cleaning the glass, I didn't do any other cleaning in the tank before taking photos, so it is running pretty cleanly and is nicely into a stable self-sustaining groove.

Photos aren't the greatest, but give an idea of how that tank is tracking compared to previous log posts.





Hope you enjoyed the update. Would love to hear from any of the old crowd who still remember me.

[Savage Henry]

Hi Benji,

Nice to see the tank continues and that you have the same fish.

I have the same size tank, but currently have a Yellow Yang, Coral Beauty, pair of Ocellaris Clowns, a Melanurus Wrasse and a Flame Hawkfish. I've been reducing my live rock and corals to make a more simple rockscape and I intend to keep less variety but more of each coral. So, your tank is inspiring cause I wonder if you have less warfare between the corals.

Do you think your Purple Tang has maxed out in size?

I currently have the Maxspect Razor too, but now Channel 2 only works in the central module. I have been thinking of buying a new light, but also worry that if I spend big money it might be a great light, but that it might only last for a few years. I am considering one of the Vertex lights because of have had one of the Illumilux strip lights for some years now and it is still going strong.

As you are no longer running a skimmer, what do you keep in the sump? I am running a sump, but would prefer not to and I am considering keeping a skimmer in the main tank.

Anyway, your tank looks great!

[Basenji]

I intend to keep less variety but more of each coral. So, your tank is inspiring cause I wonder if you have less warfare between the corals.

Certainly easier to manage competition with less species of corals. The Euhpyllias tend to be pretty tolerant of each other. The anemones are are pretty aggressive, but I seem to have been able to manage the demarcation line.

Do you think your Purple Tang has maxed out in size?

Really hard to say. Can't say that I've noticed any significant growth. He eats well, and is settled and happy

I have been thinking of buying a new light, but also worry that if I spend big money it might be a great light, but that it might only last for a few years. I am considering one of the Vertex lights because of have had one of the Illumilux strip lights for some years now and it is still going strong.

There's a lot to be said with sticking with a brand that has worked for you. The most successful tank I've run was under T5 fluorescents, and I still reckon they are hard to beat.

As you are no longer running a skimmer, what do you keep in the sump? I am running a sump, but would prefer not to and I am considering keeping a skimmer in the main tank.

The sump has a heater, a couple of pieces of rock, a return pump, auto topup float switch, and a poor refugee clownfish who was the sole survivor from my 4 foot display after the great crash of 2015. He wouldn't survive in the main display, and I have nowhere else to put him. Looking back through records, I realise I've had him since 2009, so he's up to 11 years old as well.

Anyway, your tank looks great!

Thanks Heny.

[Combatants]

Great update. always good to see successful reef's which haven't followed some of the craziness in the industry