msscha Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Whew glad the zoas are okay! That has happened to me before too lol. I hate to hear about the blastos I love blastos. Have any idea what's wrong? No, I don't! Both of my blastos now seem unhappy. I moved one from where it kept falling (despite multiple glue attempts) and just stuck it in the sand. It seems a bit better than this morning, but the newer one is clearly dying. I don't know why or what to do about it. I'm not even sure if I should take it out of the tank. That's a cool limpet find! Hope the peppermint shows up. Don't fret yet. I don't know about your rockscape but mine has enough places that my peppermint shrimp and two crabs can all hide where it is impossible to find them. We'll see. I have lots of nooks and crannies, but few true hiding spaces unless the shrimp can dig. I think it's more likely that it molted, became vulnerable, became dead, then became lunch! i've noticed when stuff dies in a reef tank, at least half the time it just disapears :/ Yep! My first fish losses were no-shows in every sense of the word. There one day, gone the next. Go nassarius! Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Shoot...I hate when a LFS changes owners. It usually goes downhill from my experience. I hope yours doesn't. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but the first thing the new owner said to me was "Wow, yeah, I'm feeling really overwhelmed" did not make me feel confident. I ordered a yellow ball sponge from sealifeinc. They got back to me and said they had small ones but just had not listed them yet. I'm going to have one just like you Now to figure out where to put it Lol! Yours will probably stay yellower and healthier in that totally gorgeous tank! I'm really curious to see if yours is going to get bigger -- mine have stayed the same size. I'm glad your zoas were all ok!!!!!! Big bummer about the blastos though I think they are all right. There are 1/2 dozen polyps that have not opened back up -- I think they are still really mad and may have spent the night cozied up to something with toxins. I noticed that when the ricordea touches the duncan, the duncan loses. I wish I knew what knocked it over. The urchin likes to hide underneath the zoas spot. I think the urchin has to go. I don't need another algae eater and it's spikiness interrupts my zen when tank-gazing . Quote Link to comment
gena Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) I really liked my urchins in the beginning, but then quickly learned to dislike them They were always up to no good. Mine died. I did feel badly about that. I think it was either a temperature swing or a salinity swing that did them in. Could have been lack of food too. I only ordered one and they sent me two. I was actually not happy about that...oh well. It's usually nice to get freebies I'll be curious to see how the sponge does for me too. I feed filter foods twice a week, so hopefully it will thrive. Do any of your coral ever touch the sponge? And if so, does the sponge have any reaction to it? The place I'm thinking of putting mine is near a kenya tree which will no doubt occasionally touch the sponge. I hope sponges can't be stung by coral!!!!!! I guess I'll find out. Mushrooms pack a powerful punch. Even when I touch them my fingers tingle! Edited March 13, 2012 by gena Quote Link to comment
RedStang Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Been a while so I had some catching up to do. Sorry for the shrimp, sucks about the zoas and blastos. Blastos may still come though. Mine went all white once but eventually came back and they're doing great. Could try moving them to make sure there's no chemical warfare going on. Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 I'll be curious to see how the sponge does for me too. I feed filter foods twice a week, so hopefully it will thrive. Do any of your coral ever touch the sponge? And if so, does the sponge have any reaction to it? The place I'm thinking of putting mine is near a kenya tree which will no doubt occasionally touch the sponge. I hope sponges can't be stung by coral!!!!!! I guess I'll find out. Mushrooms pack a powerful punch. Even when I touch them my fingers tingle! I overfeed, meaning I use Marine Fusion 2x daily, so everyone gets fed all the time! Currently, my rics are touching one of the yellow ball sponges, but I haven't seen any immediate problem. I'm keeping an eye on it b/c the rics just started getting fat enough in the afternoon to do so. When the little one was next to the acan, it didn't seem to get burned, either. Maybe b/c it isn't actually a coral? Is that silly sounding? Inter-coral chemical warfare makes sense -- and that ric burned the duncan's tips white -- but nearby sponge doesn't seem impacted. The tube corals isn't so happy, though some spots seem less impacted than others. I've even thought about removing the sponge from its rock by cutting the rock out, but have decided that is beyond my abilities . Been a while so I had some catching up to do. Sorry for the shrimp, sucks about the zoas and blastos. Blastos may still come though. Mine went all white once but eventually came back and they're doing great. Could try moving them to make sure there's no chemical warfare going on. I've been out of touch most of the last week, so I know the feeling! The suggestion on the blasto is a good one -- I didn't think it was being touched by anything, but I've got a GIANT pink mushroom that covers everything in a 3" radius when it is fully inflated. As it is now, waving just around the blasto. I will move it, too. The one I moved yesterday is clearly better even if being on the sand is not an ideal spot. Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 I traded a Marineland Maxi-jet 900 for the standard pump today -- good thing, too, as when I took out the standard pump, I managed to break the impeller. Oh well! The maxijet is definitely moving around the water a bit more, though it's also a bit louder. I'll see about adjusting that somehow. But I feel better about the amount of flow, especially since I did not want to add the koralia back in. The blastos are doing better! Redstang was right: there must have been some chemical warfare going on, b/c the one that looked pretty much dead definitely looks a bit better today. I also moved the zoas -- three of the green polyps have still not opened up after last week's dumping over, but the rest of the clump seems fine. I also took out the urchin; when I got into work today (I was out yesterday), the toadstool and duncan were both seriously askew and the urchin was just an inch away. It took a bit more violence than I'd hoped to get it out, but it seems okay. I have it sitting in a tub with an air pump took keep the water moving. The LFS doesn't open until noon, and I am supposed to be at a volunteer position then, so I'm not quite sure if I should try to get to the store early and leave the urchin on the door step or go later and hope it lives through the ordeal of sitting in my car for a couple of hours! Getting the urchine out also helped convince me to move the bottom rock just a bit, exposing an area to cleaning that had been blocked. Rain is ecstatic 'cuz there's a serious build-up of algae in that spot. I think the toadstool might be splitting or halving or whatever it does to grow. I thought that it had been knocked off its frag by the urchin, but it's still attached. It is leaning way over, and there's a shallow line down the stem, extending into head, so I think that means it's getting bigger -- woo hoo! Quote Link to comment
RedStang Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 The blastos are doing better! Redstang was right: there must have been some chemical warfare going on, b/c the one that looked pretty much dead definitely looks a bit better today. I also moved the zoas -- three of the green polyps have still not opened up after last week's dumping over, but the rest of the clump seems fine. LOL, I need to add that to my sig . Glad to hear they're doing better! Quote Link to comment
gena Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 When I swapped the return pump, I had the vibrating with the new one as well. I fixed it by putting that filter floss material underneath the pump. It's almost completely silent now. The floss doesn't get gunked up either, surprisingly. I still switch it out ever couple of weeks just to be safe. Quote Link to comment
RedStang Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 When I swapped the return pump, I had the vibrating with the new one as well. I fixed it by putting that filter floss material underneath the pump. It's almost completely silent now. The floss doesn't get gunked up either, surprisingly. I still switch it out ever couple of weeks just to be safe. I've glues suction cups all around mine and that helped too. Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 When I swapped the return pump, I had the vibrating with the new one as well. I fixed it by putting that filter floss material underneath the pump. It's almost completely silent now. The floss doesn't get gunked up either, surprisingly. I still switch it out ever couple of weeks just to be safe. I read that, too. I have some sponge material, and I'll try that next week. I was so busy on Friday that I just got it installed, was happy to see it worked and flow was noticeably stronger, then was off to the kids' school, the tag agency, the lfs to return the urchin (new guy was there; just not feelin' the love anymore ), and the gym. It cost me $20 bucks more for my freaking tag registration! Turns out the Kia Sedona is 1000 pounds heavier than the Odyssey! That explains why the gas mileage is lower (though only by 2 mpg) and it drives like a truck. I really like it . I've glues suction cups all around mine and that helped too. I'm not sure I'll even be able to get it off the floor of the chamber as is! I was really glad it worked -- it had so many extra parts that I thought I'd bought the wrong one, and this was after I'd broken the stock pump . There are days when I should just stay home . Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 The [sad?] truth is, I miss my tank when I'm away from the office. Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Came in today to find a parasite on Rain's back. Looks like a kind of isopod. This is not good Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Your tank journal is always a fun read. Quote Link to comment
gena Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Came in today to find a parasite on Rain's back. Looks like a kind of isopod. This is not good Oh no! So sorry to hear. Darn parasites! I wonder if prazi pro works on something like that???? Or maybe just a FW dip in temp/pH matching water. I've done that before for flukes. They fall right off the fish. Good luck with this!!!!!! It's always something with these tanks Quote Link to comment
ScubaEthan Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Your tank journal is always a fun read. +1 Glad the blastos are getting better! Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 Your tank journal is always a fun read. Thank you, Metrokat! Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 There are no yucky hitchhikes this morning -- yeah! Rain looks fine, is eating and cruising around. The aiptasia are spreading like mad. Now that the spec grav/salinity is up where it should be, I'll be adding peppermints again . I know the isopod is still in there somewhere! I am just hoping between the rogue pistol (who I've not heard clicking for a couple of days, but have been distracted, so maybe that is no big deal), the gold coral banded (as yet unnamed), and the as-yet-purchased peppermint shrimp that I'll get the pest population back under control. It's funny -- most aquarists go for the huge CUC to clean up algae and detritus. I don't have algae problems, and my minimal CUC (down to 4 snails) does a great job -- too good, given the death of one of the nassarius. But the pest population is something else. There needs to be a "ninja crew" package developed in addition to the CUC! Quote Link to comment
RedStang Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 There are no yucky hitchhikes this morning -- yeah! Rain looks fine, is eating and cruising around. The aiptasia are spreading like mad. Now that the spec grav/salinity is up where it should be, I'll be adding peppermints again . I know the isopod is still in there somewhere! I am just hoping between the rogue pistol (who I've not heard clicking for a couple of days, but have been distracted, so maybe that is no big deal), the gold coral banded (as yet unnamed), and the as-yet-purchased peppermint shrimp that I'll get the pest population back under control. It's funny -- most aquarists go for the huge CUC to clean up algae and detritus. I don't have algae problems, and my minimal CUC (down to 4 snails) does a great job -- too good, given the death of one of the nassarius. But the pest population is something else. There needs to be a "ninja crew" package developed in addition to the CUC! I'm lazy and don't want to reread the thread. What filtration are you using? Any chemical filtration? I've been fortunate with my tank in that I've had no pests since a few aptasia in the first couple of months. Algae on the other hand..... Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm lazy and don't want to reread the thread. What filtration are you using? Any chemical filtration? I've been fortunate with my tank in that I've had no pests since a few aptasia in the first couple of months. Algae on the other hand..... My filtration is pretty standard: the oceanic BC carbon filter, the bioballs, live sand and LR -- and that's it. When I had a cyano outbreak, I used a 1/2 unit of chem pure elite which cleared up the problem gradually over 3 weeks. I put it in the sponge/filter -portion of chamber 3. I just took it out when I put in the new maxijet 900 b/c the detritus collected by the chem pure bag was blowing crap all over the place with the stronger pump. I'll keep an eye on the tank and add another 1/2 unit should the cyano pop back up. I've not had problem with algae since cycling the tank. The turbo and astreas take care of that nicely. My sand bed is peppered with a bit of diatom recently, but diatom is a response to available silica, not nitrates. The silica was in the system before taking out the chem pure elite, so it wasn't doing much for that. Personally, I think Rain -- who sand-sifts as part of his eating strategy -- is the most likely culprit for the silica, but I could be wrong . I've also noticed the lfs is having diatom outbreaks in all of their tanks, too, and I wonder if this is seasonal. My testing kit went bad, so I haven't bothered testing in a few weeks. I need to take a sample in this weekend, see if the new guy knows what he is doing . I also have new macro growing for the first time in months, both new halimeda (which I thought was something else!) and 2 types of red. The turbo has yet to eat them into nothingness! Quote Link to comment
RedStang Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 My filtration is pretty standard: the oceanic BC carbon filter, the bioballs, live sand and LR -- and that's it. When I had a cyano outbreak, I used a 1/2 unit of chem pure elite which cleared up the problem gradually over 3 weeks. I put it in the sponge/filter -portion of chamber 3. I just took it out when I put in the new maxijet 900 b/c the detritus collected by the chem pure bag was blowing crap all over the place with the stronger pump. I'll keep an eye on the tank and add another 1/2 unit should the cyano pop back up. I've not had problem with algae since cycling the tank. The turbo and astreas take care of that nicely. My sand bed is peppered with a bit of diatom recently, but diatom is a response to available silica, not nitrates. The silica was in the system before taking out the chem pure elite, so it wasn't doing much for that. Personally, I think Rain -- who sand-sifts as part of his eating strategy -- is the most likely culprit for the silica, but I could be wrong . I've also noticed the lfs is having diatom outbreaks in all of their tanks, too, and I wonder if this is seasonal. My testing kit went bad, so I haven't bothered testing in a few weeks. I need to take a sample in this weekend, see if the new guy knows what he is doing . I also have new macro growing for the first time in months, both new halimeda (which I thought was something else!) and 2 types of red. The turbo has yet to eat them into nothingness! I started doing the vodka dosing thing which seems to have helped significantly. Still scrape the glass occasionally but only once a week or so. Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 Just some pics Hadn't uploaded photos in a while. The first ones are using the camera and the 4x magnifying glass, which is standard operating procedure. Then I experimented with the new 10x magnifying lens. It has a much more limited field of vision and distorts quickly. You can really see it in the picture of the zoa colony. OTOH, it does get some up close shots that are pretty cool, especially if everything in the frame is the same distance away, as in the pic of the yellow limpet. I'd like to try more of these with the current turned off, too. Gold Banded Coral Shrimp Trimma Goby (which is my good side?) Hitchhiking snail (cone snail?) and freaking aiptasia With 10x magnifying lens Trumpet dividing (this isn't the best shot b/c it's not all fat yet, but I won't be here this afternoon) Orange-and-Blue Ricordea Duncans Toadstool Zoas Yellow Limpet Quote Link to comment
gena Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Looks great!!! The second shot of the trimma goby is my favorite!!!! I was thinking your yellow sponge was bigger than that. Maybe I'm just used to looking at mine now. It seems to be doing fine in my tank. They are so cool Quote Link to comment
phoenix91 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Been gone for a while but managed to catch up. Glad to hear the blastos are coming back to health. Lovely pics of your tank and i'm loving that shrimp, i still want one but haven't had a chance to go pick one up. I hope the new shop owners don't let the place go downhill. It's always a shame when that happens. Quote Link to comment
msscha Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Looks great!!! The second shot of the trimma goby is my favorite!!!! I was thinking your yellow sponge was bigger than that. Maybe I'm just used to looking at mine now. It seems to be doing fine in my tank. They are so cool I have 2 yellow ball sponges. The one in that picture is the little one, about 30% smaller than the down at the front of the tank. I'm thankful it's still alive -- when I was last rock-scaping, I scraped a huge dent into its side. The dent was "healed" within a couple of days, but I've been keeping an eye on it. I like the second shot of the trimma, too! I've been trying to get one where the transparent fins are visible, and that one finally got it . Been gone for a while but managed to catch up. Glad to hear the blastos are coming back to health. Lovely pics of your tank and i'm loving that shrimp, i still want one but haven't had a chance to go pick one up. I hope the new shop owners don't let the place go downhill. It's always a shame when that happens. Thank you! I added two peppermints yesterday, and almost immediately, the gold coral banded snapped at one of them. They are supposed to be peaceful tankmates, but one of the knowledgeable workers at the lfs said that isn't always the case. I'm hoping at least one of them survives, b/c it was evident immediately that they were happily munching all over the rock, and I've got both a growing isopod population and aiptasia to control! I just visited your thread a minute ago, so complained about the new lfs owner there. Seriously, I wonder if this guy just thought "hey, I'll run a fish store! The hours are good and the fish are so pretty to look at." Edited March 25, 2012 by msscha Quote Link to comment
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