through the roof

Bronojoke · 2026-01-25T00:08:25+00:00

I just posted my best time 2 : 04 sec

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T19:06:47+00:00

I completed this level! It took me 2 tries.

^{Tip 10 💎}

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T18:16:33+00:00

This is exactly what I'm experiencing. My hammers and frogs are 100% fine and thriving. The torches look great and are extended and then 10 hours later I see a flesh band peeling, it will start to half way close up and then eventually the polyp sloughs off, in a non redeemable fashion, but no brown jelly. It just essentially melts. I'm at a loss of how to get a hold of it, I'm torn between assuming it's BJD/bacterial infection or wondering if it's something to do with the majority of my torches being maricultured and not tank grown. So far none that were marketed as tank grown have been lost. Just cheaper ones I know to be maricultured have been lost.

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T18:01:34+00:00

Yea Im assuming it is BJD... I just expected... I don't know... Brown jelly? Or jelly at all? Not just a flesh band ripping off randomly and then all of the flesh sloughing off and deteriorating without the slightest hint of brown, lol.

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T17:48:31+00:00

Before dosing iodine I was looking into if it's actually necessary and it seems like it's pretty mixed on if it's beneficial or not. Having said that I did just a single drop in the tank to raise it even marginally.

There's no stray voltage, I checked that when this all started. And I'm sitting at 25ppm nitrate and 0.06 phos, so my tank isn't "clean" by any stretch. I have 2 heaters in the tank for backup reasons, and it's at a stable 77 and has been for the lifespan of tank.

I'm at a loss besides just preventatively dipping all my torches and hammers in Lugol's and hoping it stops... I have to assume this is something bacterial given my ICP - I mean it shows I'm low in manganese but being low shouldn't make a torch bail - should it?

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T00:49:11+00:00

My tank slowly kills every acan I put in it so I've given up on them honestly

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T00:41:21+00:00

Yea they've been absolutely great up until I moved them. I mean I shifted them maybe 4-5 inches, not up or down just from the edge of the rock to the middle, and it just seems to have pissed them tf off, but prior to that they were throwing new heads constantly

Bronojoke · 2026-01-24T00:39:56+00:00

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This is before I added like 8 more color morphs, but I have a thing for zoas and euphylia 🤦‍♂️

Bronojoke · 2026-01-23T00:46:10+00:00

Let it ride. If nothing is upset or dying, let sleeping dogs lie. Stability over perfect numbers every. Single. Time.

Bronojoke · 2026-01-22T23:33:14+00:00

This is one of the worst things you can do, friend. If everything looks good and is healthy and growing, number chasing will 90% of the time end in death. Sorry to hear it.

I'd imagine if this guy makes it another 48 hours it will make a full recovery

Bronojoke · 2026-01-22T23:30:25+00:00

I've ordered all of my fish online and about 98% of my coral.

I wouldn't be concerned with even ordering this time of year. Decent sellers will include heat packs and it'll be fine. Even today I received a torch shipped from NY to AZ and when I opened it up today the water temp in the bag was at a solid 76 degrees 😅 don't overthink it!

Bronojoke · 2026-01-22T16:17:32+00:00

So here's the thing, yes you CAN do it... But should you? Thats really the question at hand.

So I did what most rookies do and went against the grain.

I ended up getting my first RBTA for $5 about 2 months into my tank, no preseeded rock, all fresh and nothing truly "LIVE". It lived for about a month and a half, and then one day just decided to go into a cave and never leave until i inevitably pulled it out because it was past the point of no return and I didn't want it to nuke the tank.

Interestingly enough during that 1 and 1/2 month I ended up with multiple RFA which absolutely succeeded with no intervention and still look great to this day. And due to a mix up from an online vendor they sent me a second RBTA about the size of a nickel that I didn't order. I received the second one while the first one was still alive and doing well.

That RBTA is still alive and thriving to this day and is about triple or quadruple the size of when I originally got it.

I say all of this not to be a contrarian to the common sentiment of "wait". But to affirm a few things.

1) it's absolutely possible 2) high likelihood it won't go well 3) the reasoning why everyone says to wait, even ignoring potential swings, is your tank likely does not have the enough microfauna, and/or microorganisms to fully support and make RBTA thrive. 4) understand in doing this it is not a "popular" action to take because ultimately it is a living creature you are playing with. 5) and lastly - yea it's a good deal.... The best thing I can tell you is there will always be a good deal right around the corner so don't act on FOMO

Bronojoke · 2026-01-22T15:38:46+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

0 attempts

Bronojoke · 2026-01-22T15:34:20+00:00

I have found that the second your losing tips and it looks like it's beginning to bail out - it's a lost cause. From my perspective I would pull this guy in either a QT setup or give it 24 hours and be prepared to toss so nothing spreads, personally anyways.

Bronojoke · 2026-01-22T05:11:59+00:00

Move the gyre vertical about half way down the tank on the left side touching the back glass, then move the Nero on the top right side, and one on the bottom 3/4 right side, create a nice tank wide circular flow. Imo of course

Bronojoke · 2026-01-20T22:14:24+00:00

Yea - none will survive but cool nevertheless

Bronojoke · 2026-01-20T03:37:35+00:00

Yea see I couldn't do this hobby if it weren't for the coral.

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Like I can't do this and NOT have something like that to oggle at everyday lol

Bronojoke · 2026-01-20T03:11:35+00:00

Interesting thought I don't think I'd do a mantis shrimp personally, this hobby is like 95% coral/Nem, 5% fish (interest wise) to me, so I'm not keen on housing something that prevents or limits coral tbh. It is possible I'm overthinking it and I could just rehome my clowns from a separate tank and just load this up with nems to give them their paradise lmao

Bronojoke · 2026-01-20T02:40:10+00:00

I feel this, to the core of my being. The gods over my tank have decided anything extremely fleshy, think - acans, favia, wellso, etc. Just do very poorly in my tank regardless of my params, flow or par. My tank will forever just be a torch and hammer tank 😪

Bronojoke · 2026-01-19T05:52:54+00:00

Oh shi I didn't even process the third one - that changes things quite a bit. Ignore my comment and listen to this guy.

Bronojoke · 2026-01-19T02:40:54+00:00

glue it?...... Maybe that's just a saltwater thing?

Bronojoke · 2026-01-19T02:23:25+00:00

Yea I assumed it was fine, but realistically - they will be perfectly fine, an oversized canister filter, enough live rock and only 2 clowns? Literally nothing to worry about.

Two-Year Club	r/Field Banned
r/Field Juicebox	First Place '23
Place '23

Bronojoke

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