280g Inwall

Delphinus · #1 01-21-2011, 01:43 AM

The last week did have a few downers.

On Tuesday I picked up a new Signanus doliatus rabbitfish from globaldesigns. He went into the tank and settled in nicely. On Wednesday I caught my own out of the cube and moved him over. So for a few days there the two rabbits were in the 280g together.

Unfortunately, to catch mine, I had to remove most of the rock from the 115g. When replacing the rock, at one point I noticed that one of the butterflies had swam under a rock and it had shifted and toppled on top of him. It was a heart stopping moment when I noticed just the tail sticking out under the rock squished into the sand. But I was able to get the rock off him and he swam away as if nothing was the matter. But karma caught up to me because I think my dottyback might have been in one of the rocks that was taken out. It's been almost 10 days now and there has been no sign of him.

So I think I likely killed him somehow.

The bad news doesn't end there. I had always wanted a pair of doliatus - I thought I had I read they do better in pairs or small schools. Well, maybe that's true if they're small together. Unfortunately the two started fighting badly. At first I thought, well, there's always this in the first day or two - I'll wait it out and see how it goes. In the past it's always been a sort of magic period of 3 days - after 3 days the aggression settles and things are fine. Well, sadly, on day 3, the smaller one I had gotten from globaldesigns died.

So, that was an error of judgment on my part.

I decided that I could not accept the risk that the larger rabbit could haze the tangs and angels when the time comes to move them over - so I rehomed him on the weekend. The only other time I've had a fish literally kill another - was a sixline wrasse - and I don't miss that sixline in the least now that's he's passed on. Hazing is one thing (because it eventually stops) but when a fish kills another - they're done for me. As much as I love the look of those rabbitfish I doubt I will ever try another now that I know what they are capable of.

Aaaannd, I had a rose BTA in there who had a history of letting go of the rock he was on and letting the current take him to new places. Well unfortunately his luck ran out, on Monday this week I found what was left of him stuck inside one of the Tunze covers. Sigh.

So I'm not sure when I will move the rest of the fish over. Seeing as it was a major rock removing event to catch the one fish - I'm tempted to do them all at once and get the mayhem over with as soon as possible. So maybe on the weekend, I'll see if I have the energy to start chasing fish with nets and see how it goes.

To be moved are 3 tangs (Red Sea sailfin, lavender, and lieutenant), 3 angels (potters and a pair of bellus) and a canary wrasse. The butterflies and eel will stay put until their new tank is ready.

Lance · #2 01-21-2011, 02:03 AM

Looking good my man! I like it.
I sure hope all the troubles are behind you. You most definitely deserve some clear sailing now.

lorenz0 · #3 01-21-2011, 03:51 AM

oooh digging the gorgonians

fishytime · #4 01-22-2011, 02:56 PM

sorry to hear about the dolis Tony......you could try adding a smaller one once your tangs settle in????.....and ya, well.....nems is evil

.....this thing looks amazing with some life in it.....saweet!!!

Delphinus · #5 01-22-2011, 05:08 PM

Thanks Doug! I think I'm done with rabbitfish though. The whole reason I had been attracted to doliatus in the first place was that they're one of the smaller rabbitfish and even still I think mine had become larger than my sailfin tang. After getting used the to the look of these 8 small fish in there right now (2 clowns, the fairy wrasse, the 5 chromis) and seeing them dart in and out of the rocks like you might expect to see on a real reef (it's a neat effect, I should try for a video), putting this 7" or whatever he was rabbitfish in there felt like tossing a 10lb trout into a barrell. So even the small ones are just too dang big in the end. So I think until the day comes I get an even bigger tank (which aint gonna happen soon, if at all) I think I'm OK being done with them for the time being.

I still sorta think them nems is more dumb than evil but yeah either-or I guess, take your pick. The stupid thing is I'm still tempted to try another rose, I just like the look of them even if I can't really stand the clowns that go in them. I technically have two 3/4" sized roses in there somewhere, one is completely lost and untraceable in the rockwork (guess it will show up if it wants to some day) and another in a jar. They were both hidden right in the deepest of pits in the bottom of the rockwork in the 40g so yeah talk about antisocial. Bleached to heck and starved to tiny, at least the one in the jar seems to be staying put so I can attempt to feed it and reacclimate it to daylight but it's probably a tall order to hope anything successful will come of my efforts there but I might as well try. Stupid BTAs.

andestang · #6 01-22-2011, 08:19 PM

Well just caught up with whats been happening and really glad to see how things have turned out for you. Very nice Tony. I too love having a RBTA and just lost mine to a bad incident, had the thing for over 3 yrs so very upsetting. I had my true percs settle in it for most of the time.

fishoholic · #7 01-23-2011, 03:34 AM

Tank is looking good

Sorry to hear the rabbit fish didn't work out

Hope your carpet anemone behaves itself. I got lucky with my RBTA it barely moved from the spot I first put it in and it's doing really well in my tank. I think it helps that it was a rbta that had split and I bought it from a canreef member.