A mountaineers adventure back into reefing!

[vlangel]

Ahhhh, big problem. Both clowns stopped eating yesterday, and both passed away yesterday. My yellow watchman is doing fine, all my inverts and corals are looking great. All water parameters are great, double checked with my lfs yesterday. Water temps are now steady at 79. Going to do a 100% water change after the water is done. I'm terrified to stock anything else in the tank. It's weird how the acans, zoanthids, gsp, sexxy shrimp, crabs, and snails are doing awesome. Showing no signs of stress or anyrhing.

Don't assume the tank is to blame. I maintenanced tanks for a lfs for years and even with fish that I watched in the store for awhile and then putting them in systems that I knew were healthy and stable there was always a 2 week time span where they could just not adapt and things could be iffy. Shipping and new tank environments and tank mates can be very stressful to fish. I would just hold off awhile on new fish and continue to take good care of your tank like you have been. It's disheartening though and I am sorry for your losses.

[mushumatt]

That is exactly what I am doing, I am just sad about the fish. I plan to pick up the fish on Sunday with my pistol shrimp.

[dpoltsdsu]

Sorry about the fish, that's too bad

[mushumatt]

Just sold my Kessil A150. Ordered a ocean Revive T247 LED fixture. May be overkill for my little 12 gallon JBJ, but it will be great for my 40 gallon breeder.

[mushumatt]

My refractometer was off, got it calibrated at my Lfs. Salinity was off 1.020. Slowly raised it to 1.025. Everything looks much better once I got the salinity where it is supposed to be. Did a 3 gallon water change today, been seeing coralline showing up on base rock and such.

 

My Lfs got in my pistol shrimp and picked him up today and a small snowflake clown that he held onto for me. Picked up two new zoanthid frags today and 5 nassirus snails. I am getting my true black clown in a week or so then I will let everything grow out. Starting to start construction on my new display tank.

 

Also found some star polyps hitchhiked on my liverock. The GSP is spreading pretty quickly.

 

 

[mushumatt]

1/5/2015

 

Temp: 78

PH: 8.1

Salinity: 1.025

Ammonia:0

Nitrate: 0

Nitrite: 0

 

Broke down and got a small emerald crab to deal with the bubble algae. I need a bigger tank!!

 

 

Does anyone have any experience with pistol shrimp. It seems to chase my yellow watchman out of its burrow. Should I be worried? This is my first time with a pistol shrimp.

[mushumatt]

Since I have some time between starting my new job I decided to re aquascape the tank. Let me know what you think. I like it much better, flow is much better as well.

 

Waiting on my new ocean revive T247 light to come in. Going to run that bad boy till I want to upgrade. Going to retrofit the light with current USA moonlights. Starting to design my sump and stand for my new display.

 

12/5/2015 current stock list

1- yellow watchman goby

1- S.A snowflake clown

1- pistol shrimp

3- sexxy anemone shrimp

5- nassirus snails

2- red legged hermits

2- turbo snails

3- turban snails

3- cerith snails

2- nerite snails

2- margarita snails

Multiple different Zoanthids and palys

Green star polyps

Rainbow acan

Blue/red acan

Emerald crab

 

1/5/2015 FTS

 

[mushumatt]

FedEx dropped off my new ocean revive T247 led fixture. Being a Chinese built light I did not know what to expect. I have heard great things about them, and did not need the added flexibility a radion would offer. I will upgrade to the radion when I get an apex controller.

 

Overall shipping seems like a Chinese product flimsy cardboard box, confusing manual, but it was safely packed. The quality of the actual fixture is top notch. Fans are quiet, much quieter then my kessil it replaced. There are some spot lighting effects, but it's only noticeable with the reds. Took me 5 minutes to program the light timer for the blues and whites. Going to be hanging it from the ceiling over the nano. Will mount it in a hood for my 40 gallon.

 

For $150 you cannot beat the price. I have seen nice growth under the kessil. I hope for better results under this fixture. Will have pictures up later today.

[mushumatt]

Should have my new tank up by the end of the year. Getting paid for some work I've done recently and I am disposable cash. May jump on the price drop for the vortech mp40 Wes for the tank.

[mushumatt]

12/16/15

 

Dismantled the tank to remove the pistol shrimp. Took him to the lfs to return him. He stunned the clown, he never recovered, and found him being eaten by the pistol shrimp...

 

When I was there he got in some new rock anemone'a and some new Aussie hammers. I had to pick some up, everything is looking good. The zoas developed some fungus or something been doing some damage to my eagle eyes. I fragged off the death to save the polyps that where healthy then did a hydrogen peroxide followed by iodine dip. Everything has opened up, and looks like the eagle eyes are going to pull through.

[vlangel]

I like the new scape. Sorry the pistol shrimp was misbehaving. I love pistol shrimp but they can be a pain for a multitude of reasons. Hope your zoas bounce back.

[mushumatt]

3/31/15

 

So a lot has happened since the last update. I assume it's based on the small size and I am still getting back into the swing of things. After the clown has killed, I got a rock anemone and a small firefish. After a month or so, the rock anemone got pretty big and I woke up one day to some coral warfare, and my firefish being eaten by the rock anemone. So I gave that to a friend and have been just growing things out until I picked up a small frag of zoas that came in with flatworms. I dealt with that and introduced a small six line that has finally gotten everything under control.

 

Jump to modern day, water parameters have been very stable with a 1-1.5 gallon water change every week. Added a shortcake acro and some more Zoas. Been dipping all my new frags and letting things mature.

 

Current live stock

1 yellow watchman goby

1 six line wrasse

Aussie hammer

Aussie rainbow acan

Unknown acan

Shortcake acropora

Green star polyps

Multiple zoas (Rastas, eagle eyes, and some others I don't remember their names.)

Emerald crab

2 turbo snails

4 turban snails

4 nassirus snails

2 blue legged hermits

2 sexxy anemone shrimp

 

[vlangel]

I see that your scape is totally different since the last time I saw your tank. Sorry about the firefish, that stinks! I always feel bad when something gets eaten because I underestimated the aggression of a tank mate! I guess it happens to all of us. I am glad that all is going well with the tank for you. I am sure the consistent WCs are creating the stability you are experiencing.

[mushumatt]

Vlangel- I needed more room to aquascape as I had to put my new display on hold as we are planning on moving at the end of summer. I am not moving a big tank! The rock anemone was attached and I broke the rock instead of trying to get him off, and decided to trim up the larger rock. Overall I am happy with my scape, it allows me to have even flow and good real estate. The WC are definetly what's keeping things consistent. I may have to start dosing calcium and alk. I am noticing the shortcake acro is using more nutrients then I suspected.