|
Marilyn the jawfish
What a journey with this fish! I added her on Father's Day, into a little cave right up front that I thought would perfect for a jawfish. She didn't move for a couple of days, then disappeared under a rock in the very back. After a week or two of no activity, I saw her motionless tail through a crack and my curiosity got the best of me and I tapped the rock. No reaction so I thought she was dead. (No sign of her eating anything at this point) Decided to get her body out, so I lifted up ALL the rocks only to have her shoot away under a rock on the opposite end of the tank. I was happy because she made a burrow where I could glimpse a shadow of her but that only lasted a couple of days and she disappeared again. One night I finally saw her again when she for some reason kept bobbing and jumping at the waterline. If not for the top, she would have jumped out. I decided to just let her be, and was disappointed that I had added a fish I would never see and likely not survive.
And now, a few days ago, she re-emerged in the very cave I had first put her into, acting like it's her home and accepting frozen food like it's no big deal at all! What. After more than 2 months, I think she's finally decided she's fine with it :lol: (Of course, now she's going to disappear again tomorrow) Moral of the story as always in this hobby, patience is usually rewarded. She has the loveliest face. I named her for Marilyn Monroe in her white dress. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ffba535a_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3cdc41ce_c.jpg |
New fishies are lookin' awesome !! Both recent and throughout the pages.
Lots of people advocate for QT, but just as many feel QT kills fish. So, questions for you Maggie... Where have you bought all of your fish? Have you ever lost any new or residents due to directly adding them to your display? Do you freshwater dip or perform any other treatment/procedure before adding them to your display? Have you ever noticed anything on or from the new fish? Thanks, Greg PS: do you run a UV? |
Hi Greg,
No, I do not QT. No UV. I feel there is always a risk within our hobby and my approach is I try to mitigate the risks and get them into a good environment asap. First I research all I can about the fish’s needs. I check it out as best I can before purchase, do another visual at home, acclimate for about 15 mins, lower the lights, offer a prayer to the sea gods, and add into a quiet corner. All my fish are from JL except for my green spotted puffers (freshwater LFS on Kingsway) and one clown from a Canreefer. I have never lost a fish to disease. Two jumped (long-nose hawk and one of my original puffer pair, which broke my heart) and a lawnmower blenny and pair of pipefish wouldn’t eat. My first tailspot blenny passed away after 2 years, but he was quite large when I bought him and I’m not sure what their life span is. I’ve lost a couple of turbo snails & hermits but otherwise most of my CUC are from when I started 3 1/2 years ago. I did feel a bit nervous adding my only tang, a yellow. Gary is fat and healthy and not obnoxious although he is pushy at feeding time. I feed what I think is a good diet. Main food is my homemade seafood mash, with nori, few kinds of pellets, kelp pellets also thrown in. I’m a believer in feeding well to build up their immunity. I think it also contributes to a peaceful tank. So yeah, I feel I’ve been lucky so far. I’m thankful. |
First off I have to say this
I am right there with you Maggie I have never QT a fish mostly due to lack of space in my time in the hobby I’ve lost maybe 3 fish in acclimation mostly due to stress I’ve never had a disease nor have I followed recommended acclimation procedures. Like you I understand the risks and accept them Now that being said you have an awesome looking tank with some great looking coral and fish keep it up. |
Quote:
|
I saw an ad for a small tank & couldn't resist spending the $30. It's about 25 gal. I had the intention of doing a freshwater planted but then...I thought what about a SW temperate tank instead, hmmm. I have some reservations but I think I'll enjoy the challenge. After cleaning it out, I put in some water & a rock from the DT. Also a xenia to test the waters. It's a little sad but bravely pulsing away. I plan to add some sand & a bit more rock. Need a hang on skimmer, new powerhead & a light if anyone is selling:wink:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8db83638_n.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e6cbb2fa_n.jpg Meanwhile, I've been trying to improve my camera skills with stuff in the DT. I'm lucky if I can focus but it's fun. Hellfire milli has been a fast grower for me: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4aab3780_z.jpg Some coral are starting to resent their neighbours: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4ed47213_z.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8b04a993_z.jpg Orange Passion starting to colour up more: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4f6a5f61_z.jpg Po checking out a patch of algae that I can't seem to get rid of: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e077bc9c_z.jpg I was told this was a type of tuxedo:confused: - should've listened to my inner voice. So of course he grew huge in 3 days. Luckily he is well-behaved and is content to carry around something I give him. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...317fecd1_z.jpg Love my rockflower - such a gentleman! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6d742eb2_z.jpg These two are more tolerant of each other's company: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0eb82702_z.jpg Space Invader feeling hungry: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...76fe0b7f_z.jpg My latest acquisition: a strawberry coral. Hope it will do well, fingers crossed. I mounted it upside down and so far it seems happy.https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d6294c55_z.jpg Marilyn the jawfish is doing well. She is always out when the lights are on, and the other day I saw her shoo away the puffer! Here's a little video clip of her: https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/...1339f231_z.jpg |
sorry double post
|
You're tank looks really good. I just read through your whole thread. Can't wait for my new ta k to be running
|
Quote:
|
2nd Year Anniversary
Another new year means it's the anniversary for the current DT, and since I seem to like starting new things at the beginning of the year, I also got a nano tank off the ground:biggrin:
Everything is going well. However, due to increased feeding, tank has hair algae for the first time, patches here and there. I'm considering trying out Vibrant in a very conservative treatment, but I'm a bit chicken so I'm procrastinating as usual. Main tank marks 2nd anniversary. How time flies... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...832d76e9_b.jpg First thing to greet me when I come home through the mud room door:love: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b0c8b15e_b.jpg This is one of my favourite things right now - a Japanese toadstool. It's super bright in whatever light and has great movement. Can't wait for the polyps to grow even longer. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fab3d138_b.jpg So now that I'm an old hand at this (:wink:) it was easy enough to throw together the little tank. It measures 31 x 12 x 16. Throw in some old tank water, sand, rock, bing bang boom - instant tank! Add some soft coral & snails, nothing dies, great, add fish. I moved over my original clown pair that I bought at JL Boxing Day sale 4 years old when I started the hobby. They had been in the sump for a year because the new clown pair, who get to live in the main DT because they like to be hosted by the nem, tried to murder them. I mean she was charging at them with a machete. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1bcd54687f.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e63bc2a1d5.jpg A new couple: Popeye and Olive (tangaroa goby & candy cane pistol). I encouraged them to bond in the sump before the new tank was ready.https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4c6376557b.jpg2https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...97b830f5dd.jpg Didn't buy any fish this Boxing Day, just shrimp, which is exciting as I've never had these before due to the puffers in the main DT. Winston the Wolf: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a7588d1a_b.jpg Sexy trio! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e47b1674_b.jpg I am on the lookout for interesting macroalgae and soft corals for the new tank, especially gorgonians and anything unusual, so please if you have something, let me know! Wishing everyone a happy 2020:biggrin: |
I almost forgot:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d53abcd2c9.jpg Only a few drops left in the bottle, started 4 years ago! It has served me very well indeed. I just bought a new bottle at this year's sale, so I'm good for another 4 years :lol: |
:cry: Sad to find my tuxedo urchin passed away yesterday. Spike was added to my tank on Feb 5/2016, so almost 4 years to the exact day. He was an exemplary member of the CUC and will be missed. He had slowed down a lot recently so it wasn't a complete surprise. Luckily, I will be able to keep him forever because his skeleton is pretty cool. I guess I have to find out how to make it all white?
RIP Spike https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...38e8e642_b.jpg I've had time to play around with the camera... Mirror image https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...00c2b80c_b.jpg Now I know why this is named Jedi Mind Trick...far out mannn https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...807a45ae_b.jpg Hello, I like you https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e006707c_b.jpg Carolinia finally starting to grow. Not sure why I can never capture the yellow colour in photos. It always looks white or beige? :confused: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0051e451_b.jpg I'm really getting up close haha https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...937a9c86_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...10a1acfa_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5c24a4d2_b.jpg |
I'm having a lot of fun with the nano tank (25ish gal). My plan is for it to be a temperate softy tank, so I can keep some interesting critters in it. It was easy to set up, and has not gone through the "uglies." In fact it's got a lot more coraline than my main tank, which hardly has any. The modest little light and hob skimmer are also doing a fair job. I threw in a Cali tort for fun and it's growing well with good colour. I really enjoy seeing smaller lifeforms up close. Unfortunately, with the current situation, I haven't been able to add as much to it as I would have liked.
I can never seem to take a nice FT shot. It's not as messy as it looks in photos https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e1b669c7_b.jpg I love hitchhikers. These sponges came in on a frag and I had to be super careful to glue it to my rock. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...01252146_b.jpg Taking a break from being sexy to groom a friend https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...07c3e548_b.jpg This mushroom decided an asterina was delicious https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0c056d8d_b.jpg Little hermit enjoying his perch https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b21e56cc_b.jpg These two fellas are tiny! So-oo cute https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...69ed8e89_b.jpg Mel likes to dash out at feeding time. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...89eea087_b.jpg Woodstock is fuzzy. So cool. Looks more like a coral croucher than a clown goby? He likes to hide but it's easy to find him in a small tank. He's pretty tiny though https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0f5cc383_b.jpg |
Great pictures and commentary!
|
Thanks Wardog. This is not the tank for you though - no sump, no dosers, no doodads :lol:
|
Checked out most of your build from the beginning last night. You've come such a long way in the hobby. Tank and pics are looking great keep it up!
This one made me laugh. Is that a bezerko cyphastrea? Mine has much more polyp extension which conceals the purple base quite a bit. I wish it looked more like yours (if that's what it is). Quote:
|
Thanks for the encouraging words - means a lot coming from you.
Yes it is a Berserko. I’m not sure why but it does not have the nice PE that it did when I first added it. It’s growing well though; was a tiny frag but now has covered the little rock. I’m trying to feed the tank more but it’s hard to get that balance. Any suggestions? (My SPS have decent PE) |
Wish I had some words of wisdom for you! My own PE on a few of my SPS has not been good. In the past and even now, I have often had quite pale SPS. My nitrate tests show zero and so does my Hanna P04 (all I ever get is zero even when battling algae). I don't really trust either result a bunch but I may need more nutrients. I'm going to feed a bunch more and see what happens. Is your cyph on the sand? Mine does well at the very bottom of the tank.
|
I also had pale corals for a while, but after feeding Reef Chili and feeding more, it really improved the colour. I was also having trouble with zoas shrinking, and that seems to be improving as well. I've been following a thread on R2R by a fellow (Bubba) who has amazing SPS, and he advocates feeding generously.
Yes, my cyphastrea is on the sand. I wonder if it's a flow issue. I have sand and so I don't have a lot of current blasting around. |
Sad loss / Vibrant win
A couple of big events in the big tank.
First, a sad farewell to my YWG and pistol shrimp, from my original four saltwater livestock. RIP Snape and Blondie, you are sorely missed and I'm so sad to lose you after all we've been through. At the end of March, I noticed Snape was acting weird. I thought he was sick but realized I hadn't seen his shrimp all day, later confirmed MIA. After losing his buddy, Snape just went slowly downhill. Abnormal behaviour, wandering aimlessly around the open sand, staying frozen in one spot for several days even after lights out, never really eating. He was removed twice for treatment (eg. weird white welts on his body, likely caused by stress?) and the last one to treat a clouded eye (Furan worked wonders). At least 3 times, I thought he was dead only to be proven wrong. Went through terrible indecision over whether to euthanize or give him a chance to rally as he had done before. Anyway, sorry for the long story. I couldn't buy another shrimp during this shutdown and I never thought or heard that a goby would exhibit this behaviour. I guess I could say he died of a broken heart (he was healthy and I think that's why it took him 6 weeks to slowly starve to death). Others might say he was just in shock over losing a bonded partner. Whatever the case, I know he kinda broke my heart a little. First photo together Jan04/2016 after getting them from JL's Boxing Day sale. Snape hadn't turned yellow yet. Man, was I ever excited to see them together lol https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...233f2abc_o.jpg I took this just a few days before he disappeared. Blondie was quite the builder, sometimes elaborate sometimes simple. Here, a piece of rubble perfectly placed in his doorway. Pefection lol. Snape went back to the burrow for a few days and then left again for good. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...799512d0_b.jpg The second event might be of interest to anyone having similar issues. The tank went though a Vibrant treatment and I'm happy to say it worked pretty well. I noticed a small patch of bryopsis, forgot about it, and next thing you know, it had grown into a thick forest everywhere. Coral were being smothered. I followed instructions from reading a long thread on R2R, did some manual removal, and went cautiously. After 22 doses (most of them twice weekly, the whole process was about 2.5 months), it's about 99% clean. Just a few tiny wisps of algae in a couple of places. No effects to fish, coral, etc at all although I had to remove macroalgae from fuge. I didn't take photos (couldn't stand how bad the bryopsis looked lol). It was slow at first and you think it's not doing much; then one day you look at the tank and realize your rock is nice and clean. I mean - clean. Slow and steady is definitely the way to go. I might do a maintenance dosage for a bit and then stop it altogether. |
Thats too bad about the shrimp and goby. Always sucks.
But glad to hear about your good experience with Vibrant. Keep on doing what your doing! Except maybe get that ATO up! |
Sorry that you lost your shrimp, not a goid timing as there is nothinh on LFS because of the virus.
Goid to hear that Vibrant worked on your battle with bryopsis. It didn't work on mine a couple of years ago, however Fluconazole wiped them out. Keep doing what works for you. Keep on reefing |
It does take a leap of faith to try something like Vibrant & fluconazole. You’ll read so many success stories but also others who experienced coral/livestock loss. Every tank is so different. I’m very hesitant to treat the tank, preferring a more “natural” approach, and I was plenty nervous adding that first dose. But the bryopsis was so bad, I felt I had to take a chance. It does cause an imbalance in the tank. I have some cyano & a few small bits of dino for the first time, but I think I can take care of this more easily and let the tank slowly get back to a better place.
|
I am so sorry to hear about Snape and Blondie. I remember watching them for a long time when we came to see your tank and they were such a cool (and busy) pair!
I feel bad that you had given me medications that you may have needed for Snape. :sad: Pictures don't do this tank justice, it is really beautiful and meticulously cared for. |
Sorry for your loss, and glad to hear about the Vibrant!
|
Thanks for understanding you guys - my husband/daughter try to make an effort but I know my hobby is a bit of a mystery to them lol. It was hard to lose this pair. I remember I had to peek around the door the first few weeks as they would hide if I came near. So exciting those early days when everything was a wonder.
Justin, don’t feel bad. The meds weren’t an issue. I really feel the only chance I had would have been to get Snape a new shrimp which sadly was not possible. (Not sure what the life span of this type of shrimp is.) Snape’s symptoms were all borne out of his stress, even the clouded eye (which the Furan easily took care of). He didn’t want to eat. He was young when I got him so basically he had the shrimp most of his life. Btw how’s your puffer? Hope he’s well. Warren, the Vibrant treatment reminded me of your tank because I was wondering if it would work on bubble algae. (Sorry to bring that up lol). I saw one big single bubble on a rock & left it there to see what would happen. Different algae disappeared but not the bubble, and finally I manually removed it. |
Quote:
The puffer is good, she ended up being named Moana haha, and I say 'she' because right after Moana recovered from internal parasites, she laid eggs! Thousands of tiny eggs. Thank you again, without the meds she wouldn't have survived. |
Quote:
|
It's been a bit quiet around here...
Well, 2020 has been lousy all around so far. Aside from all the troubling stuff going on in the world, my tank has not been at its best. The first two years breezed by seemingly without a care in the world. This year, I had algae issues for the first time, and lost fish:sad:. However, after endless days of blowing the rocks & vacuuming the sand, the tank looks presentable again. There are spots of green cyano that still pop up, and a couple of my SPS lost some branches, but all in all I'm feeling optimistic. Here are a few shots of the fellows that keep this hobby fun... My anemones do weird things to confuse the clowns. During dinner, when powerheads are off, the main disk swells up to a crazy size and the tentacles shrink to skinny little things. Clowns hate it and feel exposed. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9e33e3c6_b.jpg At night, sometimes they do this, which drives the clowns to distraction https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...00cdb6bf_b.jpg I got bored or something, so decided to do this. Hope it will cover the statue completely one day https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d99e1d8f_b.jpg Petey looks pretty sharp, I think. He is a model citizen.https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7c98e1f2_b.jpg Gary checking out the new gorgonian. He always photobombs https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...db6cf30d_b.jpg Gotta love this guy. Walt is the best looking fish ever (in his own mind)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...61bc48de_b.jpg |
I'm really smitten with my new coral, a Sunset fungia from Canada Corals. He opened up right away and has such beautiful colour. This might kick off an LPS obsession. I hope he continues to be pretty low maintenance.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...13967786_b.jpg |
Covid Year wrap up
So as we're (hopefully) at the tail end of Year of the Covid, I thought I'd do an update. It was not a great year, and it culminated with the loss of Dash, my 16 yr-old dachshund just a couple of weeks ago. Very humbling dealing with loss, algae, etc but things are looking better, and overall, the tank is not doing too bad. Added a couple of new frags last week and fingers crossed. Still a ways to go.
New lights! Reef Breeder Photons. Haven't cleaned up wires yet, but I like the lights so far. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2b26dfce_h.jpg I lost a few SPS including 3 large colonies, but others are ok. This Rainbow Loom needs to regain colour but I'm happy it hung around https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8c053afb_h.jpg Fish are happy. I am learning though, that as they are a fair bit larger and more established, they're not as nice to newcomers. I do need to add some fish though, as I think the bioload is low. Need more fish poop! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cd25328b_c.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...407be825_c.jpg Canada Corals has brought in some of the nicest gorgs recently, and I was lucky to nab a few for the little softy tank. Here are a few favourites. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...45c5cc0e_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9fbaca7a_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c3a8416d_z.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d45245a2_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...23e6dbe6_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e9d702b15d.jpg Canada Coral also had a spiral coral, which I had never seen before. It's a black coral so its skeleton is jet black, which you can see at the very bottom. So cool looking https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9f5cee76_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...02d22ff1_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b0416db_z.jpg Still really enjoy my little softy tank as it lets me see moments like this. Tiny urchin and tiny fish meet up https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a6a5890_h.jpg Wishing myself and everyone a better reefing year! "My heart has joined The Thousand, for my friend stopped running today" Good night Dash...miss you https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...73088750_z.jpg |
Best friend loss is hard. Remember the things that made u smile and your water buddies love u2
|
| All times are GMT. The time now is 11:00 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.