malacoda

Sounds like, as of two days ago, the overall ban has indeed been lifted. It seems that what has not yet been confirmed or clarified is how soon exports will be allowed to resume: https://reefbuilders.com/2018/10/03/indonesian-corals/

If the rock the algae/corals are on can be removed from the tank, you could take it out an use a syringe, eyedropper, etc. to hit the algae with some hydrogen peroxide. Depending on what type of coral it is, the edges of the coral that come into contact with the peroxide might get a little damaged (some corals are very tolerant of it, others very sensitive). But if the algae is already starting to damage and over take the corals, it may be worth the risk.

If you do decide to bring it down with something like Phosguard (my preference for my 24g) or any other synthetic additive, you might want to start out with 1/2 or even 1/4 the of recommended amount. Other than slow growth and a bit of GHA, it sounds like your tank happy and doing well. Better to go slow and let it adapt than risk shocking the corals with a sudden change. An algae turf scrubber, such as Alan mentioned, wouldn't present the danger of such a sudden shock. Either would work for helping with phosphates, just start out easy if you choose synthetic measures.

Eheim. I've used mine while away on several trips that have ranged from 2 days to 23 days. No problems yet. I just load it with pellets and put a freshly charged set of AA batteries in before leaving. Two suggestions you do end up getting an Ehiem: 1. Follow the directions for programming it word for word the first few times you use it. It's VERY quick and easy to set up - just three buttons. But you must cycle through all 4 feeding cycles during the set up - even if you only plan on feeding once or twice per day. Otherwise, the feeding cycle you programmed you entered might not register as complete and won't become 'active'. 2. if you feed pellets that are 2mm or smaller, don't fill the drum more than ~40% full. Otherwise, as it rotates, some of the pellets will slip through the vent screen and get into the motor. Could create the potential for it to jam.

I believe Capital Aquariums in Manassas carries LRS fish eggs. Probably worth calling first to see if the still stock it.

There really aren't any fish that are small enough for a nano that consume enough algae to have any real impact on keeping the tank 'clean'. Some blennies - tailspot, sailfin/algae, etc. - will nibble and pick at algea ... but their too small to have any real impact. You're best bet is snails and other CUC.

+1 Given how much money you most likely have invested in both your tank ... and your home ... spending $500-$800 to have an engineer provide a properly calculated plan of what should be done is a small price to pay to ensure both the tank and your home continue providing you joy instead of misery in the years ahead.

Wow. Looks fantastic. What routine do you use to keep the all the NPS corals well fed in a 20g without having nutrients build up?

Doesn't have to be 'offspring' of a coral that you intentionally put in your tank in the past. Could be a completely new type of coral from a planula (i.e. fertilized coral larva) that came in on frag plug, rock, etc. that has just recently begun to grow. I have an unidentified sps that didn't appear until more than 15 months after I initially put my live rock into my tank ... assuming it came in on the live rock versus another frag.

Forgot to mention, if you don't already have one, you might want to keep a screen on the tank. If they don't find a suitable nook in the rock work to call home, they'll sleep vertically against the glass where two panes meet. And if they get startled while sleeping in that vertical position, reflex may kick in and they'll shoot straight up out of the tank. Lost my green canary that way. Wife turned a hall light on very early one morning and the sudden brightness shining into the room and onto the tank spooked it. Found on floor a few hours later when I went in to do the morning feeding.

Totally off topic, but ... that picture should win an award of the year for optical illusions. At first glance, the reflection of the step ladder doesn't look like a reflection, it looks like an actual step ladder inside a really big aquarium. While not intentional, a very cool visual effect.

Well, what do you know... thanks for posting the link. It taught me something new. I'd always been under the mistaken impression that combtooths and fangs (Meiacanthus) were two separate families of blenny. Turns out fang blennies are just one genus of the combtooth family (so all fang blennies are combtooths, but not all combtooths are fang blennies). That said, your fang blenny ought be fine with a cherub and a dottyback. While usually not aggressive toward other fish (except for other fang blennies), they're pretty brazen and tend to stand up for themselves when necessary. As for getting bit, you'd have to really spook it/corner it for it to resort to a bite. Unlike, say, some clown fish, I've never heard of a fang blenny biting someone out of territorial defense or anything like that. While they were a bit curious as to what I was doing sometimes, my canary and blackline fang blennies never acted aggressive when I had my hand in my 24g tank. All in all, IMHO, fang blennies are very underrated fish. They're very active and outgoing, and I think you'll really enjoy the movement and character is adds to your tank.

Not if it's combtoothed blenny... Curious though as I'm not aware of any kind of 'striped' combtooth that has yellow in it. Treesprite, are you sure it's a combtooth and not a fang blenny? Would love to see a picture of it.

About every 12 months or so I order a 'tune-up' kit from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms to revitalize and diversify the micro life in my tank. (Part of of the package I got both times included amphipods.) While placing my last order (about 6 weeks ago) I noticed that they sell the amphipods as an individual item. And they also sell an amphipod 'breeding' kit ... which is basically amphipod breeding specimens and an mat of ulva macroalgae for them live beneath/feed off of. Like most any online livestock order, you will paying ~$30 for FedEx shipping, but it may be worth checking them out.

I purchased TBS rock (and sand) for my 24g two years ago and it was crawling with life. Thousands of little barnacles, feather dusters, sponges, porcelain crabs, gorilla crabs, keyhole limpets, little pistol shrimp, whelks, astrea snails, cerith snails, found a pincushion urchin in the sand, watched a longspine urchin grow from the size of a peppercorn to acorn before I rehome, and a bunch of other life I'm still discovering to this day. Only real pests were the whelks and two polyclad flatworms (no mantis shrimp in my batch). Just picked them out as I noticed them. The rock I got was Walt Smith 2.1 (by request). Since then he has also aquaculture some pukani. And of course, the quarried rock is no doubt still available as well. When you order you just need to specify which kind you want. That said, in terms of my own experience with it, I'd say TBS is about as close as you can get these days to "LRSA".

+1 I don't believe any nano-sized fish has the capacity to consume enough algae to control or eliminate an algae problem. Their occasional nipping may be enough to keep a few stray strands of hair algae from progressing into a widespread problem, but they're too small to put any real dent in an existing outbreak.

I know when the new GHL 2.1 Dosers first came out, there was a batch of units that had an issue with the roller wheels scraping against their plastic covers, but that was resolved quite some time ago. Not aware of any issues aside from that ... at least none that I've personally experienced. That said, most any of the popular dosers will work just fine. The REAL key is to compare them side to see which one has the most appropriate functions/capabilities for your system.

Hope you feel better soon. My favorite coral is my neon green leather. It's one of the first I got, and despite many others in the tank now, still remains the one I appreciate most.

Depending how wide of a 'bowl' shape you're trying to make, you could also use a masonry bit in a drill. Drill a few holes ... to the depth you want ... right next to one another. Then use a hammer (by itself or with an old chisel) to tap out the stuff between the holes.

In addition to Divers Den, I've also had good experiences with BlueZoo Aquatics.

+1 on the GHL Doser 2 ... well, 2.1 in my case. As an added bonus, one of the pumps can be used to ATO or AWC on smaller tanks (e.g. systems that require ~1g or less of top-off per day). The ability to remove my previous, separate ATO pump and use the 4th pump on my Doser was a great space save inside the stand for my 24g.

Not a polyclad flatworm. I've picked a couple of polyclads out of my tank; they're much flatter, more mottled, and don't have anything resembling antennae.

Welcome aboard. Looking forward to seeing your 150g upgrade take shape.

I'll second the wrasse recommendation. Might want to consider a fang blenny as well, very underrated fish IMHO - active, hardy, won't bother coral, and they get along with most fish (except other fang blennies).

Congratulations Alan, Scott, Martin! And thank you so very, very much Tom and Isasc.