Brief Update, will do proper update later.
Sorry for the extended absence. I started working crazy hours in hospital and then I was away for 2 weeks vacation and asked my sis to look after the tank and well a number of things have happened since I got back.
1)All white spot cleared up, no corals seemed affected by it at all, all the fish seemed happy etc
, then a few weeks later I went on vacation, leaving VERY clear instructions but alas; upon my return
2) Half of the trumpet coral has died
and the other half is no longer green in the centre but a purply pink, and although since I got back and have been looking after the tank, no further heads have died; it still worries me that it looks like it's expelled its photosynthetic zooxanthellae.
3) Emerald crab apparently found some algae on my lovely orange zoa rock and seemed to decide that zoas taste good as well, my sis said she caught him picking at a few, anyways when I got back from home almost all the zoas on that rock were eaten/died off. They've started coming back since I've been back but they are a different colour (instead of a rim of orange, the centre is orange with brown edges. Anyone know how that happened???)
4) A few of the torch heads died off and the torch was very much so retracted. Again, it's started coming back out now and no further loses. I think my large powerhead had stopped working while I was away but I yanked it out, gave it a clean and all is well again.
5) Clove coral polyps almost completely died out, only now coming back slowly but at least they are coming back so I'm happy.
6) Tubeworms refused to come out for the first few days I was back but are now both slowly peeping out.
7) The tank appeared to have a massive algae problem, even with 5 nassarius, 4 turbos, 3 hermits, 1 emerald crab etc. I'm still dealing with the algae bloom, might have been from my sis overfeeding. Phosphate remover is in tank but i've noticed red and green algae over the sand and now moving up to the rocks.
8) With the alage bloom, when I returned, the purple gorgonian (sea whip) was almost completely covered in algae with NO polyps out
, I thought it may have been dead but I left it in the tank, cleaned off the algae gently and now parts of it are going purple again with polyps showing so I have my fingers crossed.
9) Lost 2 ricordeas (literally), can't find them in tank, sister cant remember seeing them
Also lost my fire/blood shrimp... again no body to speak of!
ON a brighter note, the fish seem much larger, much better coloured, and happy. The shrimp are bigger too and doing great as are the CUC. The starfish, Patrick, looks amazing and gets into the funniest of places. The toadstool and kenya frags have doubled in size, especially the toadstool which is now HUGE. The wellso is also doing quite well!
Bit upset about the events of the last 2 months, the tank is slowly recovering. Next time I guess it's just better to leave more specific instructions. The only real worry I have now is the trumpet (due to its new pink colouration
and the algae.
I think the other corals are recovering (fingers crossed they will soon look like their normal selves.) The torch has made a great recovery and the gorgonian is so much better than when I came home.
*Bit distressed and disenchanted*
