good luck with the algea...

Yeah, once I get a seahare in there we should be good. I think when I started the reactor before I left for my 2 week vacation there was a phosphate spike.

Things got out of control when I didn't do anything for 2 weeks. (as if I could have...)

I'll just rip a lot out tomorrow.

On the bright side my little all red mini carpet nem is doing well and has stayed in one place for over 2 weeks now. I think he may be preparing to split!

Try a chiton. They are awesome hair algae eaters.

New pics?







LMK if you have an ID for this guy. The eyes are actually yellow but look green here.

I just read through this whole journal and wow! Your truly amazing 7 I want to own a few if those stars when my tank gets stable.

Thanks! I'd like to own a few again too if I can find them. I want those exact ones because I know I can take care of them.

did i miss in the journal that you lost them? they died? what colors are easier to handle? also the basket stars...are those easy to care for?

Yeah I didn't really post about it because I was just so mad I wanted to forget about it. I lost them presumably from a nitrate spike. They are very sensitive to water quality changes. I wouldn't say any specific type of feather star is easy to care for since we can't really pinpoint exactly what each one eats. All I know is, that specific type I had before was eating something in my tank. Those feather stars and basket stars are really an expert only type thing for that reason. If you insist on trying to keep featherstars, do yourself a favor and DO NOT get any all red ones. No idea why, but they always die.

The basket stars are a little easier because they will eat some finer foods but are still harder to keep than the average serpent star. Also they get to be up to 2ft in diameter. I had a friend who was going to take him if he got that big. I lost him when I lost the feather stars.

just a few more questions for you lol

do you like dealing with divers den?

if my store has a yellow or orange basket star when im ready and tank is stable would that be my best bet?

Divers den is ok but you need to research what you are getting before you get it since they do not always have correct info.

Are you talking about feather stars? There is no bet bet with feather stars. The way came to find a type of feather star that would live in an aquarium was that the first one I got came from my LFS's wholesaler's display tank and had already been there for over a year when I got it. That is what I suggest looking for- an already established specimen. Then when more of the same kind came in I already knew what i was dealing with.

Okay.cool well thank you so much. btw they had some cool stuff in DD last night.how you didn't miss out

I'm saving up for something. Not sure what it is though. When I see it I'll know. I might get a super nice cynarina I found.

And you're welcome.

They had a candy basslet on there

I haven't saved that much yet. I'd love to have one of those one day. I was liking the pair of aurora gobies they had the other day too.

Don't know if I saw those. Why not get a ORA mandarin?

Me too.

Yeeeeeee!!!!!


Still not 100% on whether they will go in this tank or the lagoon.

I have always liked those!

Me too but I never actually saw them for sale before! So excited!

i found the thief! ha.

-i have been bugging them for months to get a trio, but they were too much $$$ or they would have been mine.

haha, so you were the one that snatched those. i considered it. maybe next time once i see if you kill em or not.

I was actually expecting them to be more.

And truthfully I thought they were going to be something else that was mislabeled. They have been mislabeling a lot lately.

Do they respond to you bugging them? I would ask them for stuff but one time a long time ago I asked and they were just like "sorry but we don't do special orders" or something like that.



Thanks for the vote of confidence.

their first email response seems to be a default, they say the same thing every time. it's something along the lines of......... we do not carry this species at the moment, but we are always looking to expand..... unfortunately we do not know when we will add these.........blah, blah, blah.

yeah...i'm sure they get hundreds of emails a week like that.

What is the name of the fish pictured?

So is there a second response? Or that's just how they leave it? I bet that's the email they sent me.

I wanted those BAD! Glad you got them Bongo!

Blue Eye Dart Goby (Tryssogobius colini)



Ha thanks. I totally freaked out when I saw that it was actually Tryssogobius colini. I was so surprised no one else snagged them by the time I actually checked out.

-if you respond to the default, they will just tell you that they can't help you any further and will tell you to keep checking the site.


my lfs ordered me 3 and only 1 survived. i am picking him up tomorrow.

Good luck with the one. Maybe see if they can get more so he can have a friend.

Now we have to find that goby with the pink eyes...

well i already have the one, so i will have 2. they will order more, when they become available.


-i know!!!!!!!!!! i have soldiers on the lookout.

Me too.

Good luck with those minis. They're awesome btw. Wish I could sit home from work and feed them all day.

They're going to be fat little bugs when I'm through with them!

Haha this is the reason I wish my 125 is up. All the rare gobies I'm missing.

Can't wait to see them man.

I have no doubt on that. If anyone can pull it off you and few other are probably those people. You seem extremely diligent in you critters care. Good luck and I'll be following.

Thanks man. I try not to buy things I know I can't care for. Like the bongos. Without my old LFS I don't know If I'd be able to get them food when they need it. It kills me not to be able to get them. I might actually get one to try and see if it will eat a choco chip star. Then i could probably do it if they would eat choco chip stars (maybe even frozen).

I had trouble with my harlequins eating frozen stars. I tried bits and pieces when I first got them in fear of tank pollution. They need raw fresh food IMO. How hard was it to keep up an atina population a couple bongos?

When I had ~7 they once went through about (and I mean ABOUT) 400-500 stars- in slightly under two weeks. Not sure how that breaks down but when I had two bongos I had to get more every week. And I used to be able to get about 30-50 a week.

The 400-500 came from a super nice guy at my LFS's wholesaler who was a fan of bongo shrimp and collected stars from their tanks for like a month or so at a time.

That's out of control. No f'way! Do you think you where over feeding way past there needs?

NO! They mowed through the things like nobody's business. If there were any asterinas in the tank, and you found a bongo shrimp hiding, he would be 100% holding a star at all times. They seemingly ate 24/7.

I think most shrimp will eat continuasly if given the opertunaty. My harlequins can go through like 5 21/2" choco chips a month but they don't need it. I only feed like 2-3 a month and there big and growing great. As far as your your micro bongos go they need the "recommended" amount of food for a harlequin? Your feeding about 5 stars per shrimp every two days?

All I know is that when I didn't get any more after one week I lost two of three. I think they are like seahorses in that they have a super short digestive period. But then again seahorses just pass everything straight on through...

Well I got the little gobies today but they were not doing too well on arrival. They were very weak, just resting on the bottom of the bag. The temp was fine and acclimation went okay (2hrs) but they were still weak. I put them in and immediately my mommy cardinal went to check out the new white thing and the new white thing (one of them) freaked out and went straight for the rhizo. So- buyer beware- these gobies are not the smartest of fish.

The other two went into hiding and I found one who is resting on the bottom but is looking around. Hopefully he is going to get stronger. The other went to hide in the back and I saw the female cardinal out front and the male is holding eggs so I know he didn't eat or try to eat the little guy. I offered every food I had to see if they would eat but the one I could see was interested but didn't take anything. This is a bit frustrating. Oh and another thing- when I put them in, some scales fell off. Not from being touched, just as they swam down. I used a baby fish net to put them in so I know it was gentle on them. There were a few scales in the bag too but not many. Like one or two. And they are very very tiny BTW.

If I see another trio I might consider getting them for my seahorse tank which has a pair of banggai cards but I doubt they would eat the little guys. Plus there are NO STINGING CORALS!... in that tank.


On the bright side my rhizo is happy...

That's a super awesome tank!

Thanks man!

Aww sorry to hear man. I hope the remaining ones do well for you.

wow! that really sucks.

It's not looking good. Haven't seen any of them today.

That stinks dude sorry to hear. I was hoping to see them do well.