NC12: diary of an L.A. tank

[gena]

i really love this tank.

Cool! I do too It's such a simple setup with easy to grow coral. Can't get much better than that, in my opinion!

[TheNordCelt]

I'm beginning to think I have a worm as well, I feel stupid for not connecting the dots but I've lost every fish that hangs out in the rocks.

[gena]

I'm beginning to think I have a worm as well, I feel stupid for not connecting the dots but I've lost every fish that hangs out in the rocks.

You very well might! I see mine ALL the time. He pops out at feeding time. Just sit and observe when you feed the fish, if it's there...you'll see it for sure.

 

I'm still on the fence on type. I'm pretty certain its a Eunicid but there's a possibility its a Nereid. Mine has really long tentacles on the head. Much longer and finer than the photos I've seen of a Eunicid. Either way, it's bad news so....hopefully I can get it out!

 

I saw this link on another recent thread about predator worms. Once you see your worm....check the photos on this link to help ID it. Good luck with yours! I've had none so far, with my trap

 

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchworms.html

[TheNordCelt]

I should have mentioned this earlier, but I love your tank. How else would some one with the attention span of a flea have made it to page 13

[gena]

I should have mentioned this earlier, but I love your tank. How else would some one with the attention span of a flea have made it to page 13

 

Thanks

I'm my biggest critic so I feel the need to apologize for the 13 pages you read through. Not a whole lot of excitement in there, IMO

 

On another note....

 

I have a gazillion tiny snails in the tank now. Not sure what kind they are yet...but every now and then I hear them getting chomped by my mp10....poor things.

[gena]

7 Month Update with new FTS.

 

The tank is 7 months old today. My one St. Thomas shroom is looking especially ginormous today...so pretty. I love them so much.

 

I have some new additions! You can see the one in the photo...a yellowtail damsel. I can't believe how stunning his colors are. I didn't think I'd like him as much as I do! Very happy with that purchase.

 

The second new addition is an Orchid Dottyback. She's hiding in the rocks right now...which is ok with me. I bought her because I read they eat worms. I'm hoping she's doing some hunting in there right now She's a gorgeous purple/pink. Absolutely stunning fish. She was out a lot more yesterday and still makes an appearance now and then.

 

I got both new fish from Live Aquaria. They are so healthy...I love ordering from LA! The dottyback is not wild caught which makes her even more special. She has a great personality.

 

Still fighting the Hair Algae and bryopsis...oh well. Not letting that get me down.

 

[sstuckey]

Wow, looking good. Keep us posted on the new additions. I'm curious to see how everyone gets along. I've always been terrified to try a damsel even though they're dirt cheap.

[gena]

Wow, looking good. Keep us posted on the new additions. I'm curious to see how everyone gets along. I've always been terrified to try a damsel even though they're dirt cheap.

Thanks! I definitely will. So far things are going pretty smoothly. My clown is definitely letting the new guys know who's boss of the tank. I haven't seen any aggression from the damsel nor the dottyback. The test will be if I add a fish to the tank down the road. Both fish are supposed to be the more mild mannered of their species though. I haven't bought anything new for the tank in so long.....it's so fun to get new stuff

[TheNordCelt]

Cool new additions!

[gena]

Cool new additions!

Thanks! I'm really happy with my choices! I wish I could get a good picture of the Orchid Dottyback but so far every one has been blurry I'll keep trying though. She's absolutely gorgeous!

[gena]

Just got some not-so-great photos of the new fish. But, at least you can see what the Orchid Dottyback looks like! Their colors are so vibrant in my mostly pink, purple, green and brown reef. They glow in there

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly....haven't seen the worm since I introduced the Dottyback. And....I don't just have one worm...I have TWO! I believe they are both a bad variety. One has really long feelers around the head and the other doesn't. The one with the long feelers seems to move slower as well. That one really gives me the heebie geebies!

[TheNordCelt]

Very colorful additions gena.

[gena]

Very colorful additions gena.

Thanks! I wish I was able to do them better justice in the photos...but my skills are severely lacking when it comes to closeups!

 

One of the best things about these two...they are NOT picky eaters. They are eating right from the start. The dottyback is an AWESOME fish. She comes out a lot more now and is always on the hunt! What an amazing fish. I highly recommend them. I think I'll name her Dottie...so original..LOL.

 

Had another kenya baby drop yesterday. I moved that one to the front as well. I guess this will end up being a kenya dominated tank. Should be interesting

[JoelRHale]

Glad to see someone else showing the yellowtail damsel some love they are truly a beautiful fish. I've had them in both my systems and they are always the first fish people point out and love. Your pictures aren't bad, don't be so self deprecating

[gena]

Glad to see someone else showing the yellowtail damsel some love they are truly a beautiful fish. I've had them in both my systems and they are always the first fish people point out and love. Your pictures aren't bad, don't be so self deprecating

They sure are! I love my YTD!!!! What a great fish! Ok...I'll stop being self deprecating

[gena]

Thought I'd update on how things are going. The fish are all doing fabulously. Dottie is really growing! She's nice and plump! Unfortunately I don't think it's from my pest worms..ugh! She's probably just eating bristleworms or pods. Anyways...she looks great.

 

The yellowtail damsel was a little sand sifter for a while. In my newest FTS you can see the sand craters he has made in the front of the tank. I think he was either making himself homes or sifting for pods. He seems to have slowed down on that though..thank goodness. My tank was a mini sandstorm at times

 

Thought I lost one of my brittle stars a long time ago and found the other at the back of the tank today. That's always a happy day when you find something you thought was lost long ago.

 

Had to move a zoa colony because the giant St. Thomas mushroom at the front was irritating it pretty badly. I just moved it onto the sand bed. Not much else going on. Things are really growing a lot now. It's amazing how it has suddenly just taken off with the growth. Still battling the nuisance algae too.

 

9-15-11

 

[gena]

I was in a picture taking mood today

 

My ginormous turbo snail that keeps chugging along day after day. Apparently I have plenty for him to eat in there. He has ginormous poops too...lol.

 

 

Random mushrooms and neon green toadstool (though not very neon under my lighting). Blue managed to get in the shot too...imagine that, a fish photo bombing...so unheard of You can also see my unhappy zoas. They were being shaded by the giant St. Thomas mushroom for too long. Hopefully they will recover. They are very mad right now.

 

 

Blue mushroom. Still waiting and waiting for this to go crazy in the tank. It's taking fo...ev..ah!!!!!!

 

 

My original Kenya tree...love it so

 

 

Far left hand bottom of the tank...where all the unhappy mushrooms I place have displaced themselves to. They are happy now This is also where Squirt spends most of her day. She's actually using these as her host.

 

 

Closeup of St. Thomas and some yellow polyps.

 

 

Closeup gorg and Kenya baby

 

 

Devils hand leather...where my anemone shrimp spends most of it's day.

 

 

Cabbage leather...why yes...I am working on getting rid of that algae...ugh!

 

random palys

 

 

Tubbs blue zoas

 

Yellow star polyps

 

 

I know I just showed one yesterday but had to throw in another FTS

[Rehype]

I heart this tank.

[JoelRHale]

I heart this tank.

 

+1, I also sort of thing the hair algae looks nice. Makes it look really natural.

[gena]

I heart this tank.

 

 

+1, I also sort of thing the hair algae looks nice. Makes it look really natural.

 

I try to keep a positive attitude about it...but I just worry it will try to take over the whole tank. As long as it doesn't get any worse, I can deal with it. I agree that algae does give it a really natural look, when it's not covering every square inch of rock

[knoxvegas]

Always like the updates.

[gena]

Always like the updates.

Awesome

 

 

My kenya dropped ANOTHER baby. This will be the first that I will either trade for credit or sell. It's rubber banded to a rock right now. If the Kenya keeps going like this I'll definitely be making some $ off of it

[gena]

Today is a BAD day. I came home to a puffed up giant St. Thomas mushroom. Looked on the side and saw something PINK in there. Pulled the mushroom out and opened it up and there was Dottie She was completely healthy! I just don't know what happened There was no damage to her at all. I did bring an emerald crab home today, maybe it spooked her into the mushroom. I have no frickin idea. When I left she was checking him out a lot but the crab was just eating algae and waving her off. Like I said, no damage to her body whatsoever. One hour later, she's lunch. I think it's just an overly aggresive mushroom.

 

I have a feeling this was the demise of my Tailspot as well. It's an aggressive mushroom.

 

Anyone want it? It's sitting in a cup. I was so upset I threw it in the trash but fished it out after I came to my senses. It's a beautiful mushroom...it just has a taste for fish.

[knoxvegas]

Sorry to hear about the St. Thomas Shroom. I have one just like yours, so far, it's been OK, with a little tiny baby clown, but someday......who knows?!?

[gena]

Sorry to hear about the St. Thomas Shroom. I have one just like yours, so far, it's been OK, with a little tiny baby clown, but someday......who knows?!?

Thanks knox! I was so devestated yesterday. I was concerned about the fish when I left to pick up my son from school. Nothing like having your fears realized when you come home to a dead fish. As soon as I saw the mushroom so huge, my heart sank. And then when I saw the pink inside....it was awful.

 

I ended up getting the crab out and returning it to the LFS today. I saw him trying to catch the YTD last night and that was it. I have a feeling he spooked the dottyback and she swam into that mushroom. She had zero marks on her so the crab definitely didn't get her.

 

The mushroom was a HUGE one. It's in the photos with the dottyback. It was on the side glass and even in the pics it looks like it wants to eat her

The mushroom is at the LFS too. Unfortunately I still have a tiny clone of it attached to the glass. I'm going to keep an eye on it. When it gets as big as the other, it will be removed. I still have two more St. Thomas mushrooms at the front of my tank. I hope those behave.