msscha's 24 gallon office cube

[phoenix91]

This morning, the damsel is out and about and Bozette seems a bit less bossy. She still snaps at her and the damsel is still skittish, but we'll give it a couple of days. The damsel is so slender she can fit into all kinds of spots that Bozette cannot, so it's pretty funny to see her zip around. She can also swim backwards! But I do hope the chasing gets better or I will replace her with a blue. Or maybe add a blue? Seems like I'd be pushing the bioload!

 

I have no idea what got the chromis!! the LFS suggested it might be in the filter chambers, and I looked, but didn't see it. I think I would have noticed a big blue fish zipping around.

 

When i thought i'd lost Bingley i searched and searched. He was in the rocks, i've noticed he tends to scoot into his little rock cave at night and if something scares him. Maybe the chromis went into a tiny rock space and either stayed there (and died) or got wedged in. Who knows. I'm glad the lemon seems to be fitting in better.

[msscha]

***beware -- large photo dump within***

Everyone is still alive and happy this morning -- woo hoo! Bozette is still nipping at the damsel -- I didn't get to watch enough to see if she did the same with the chromis, but I don't remember anything beyond a couple nips, and the chromis would occasionally nip back! The damsel is out in the water column, but also slips in and out of rocks all the time, which is kind of entertaining to watch, especially since Bozette can't get her chubby clownfish self into nearly as many places. OTOH, the damsels scurrying is driving the trimma into hiding, and even the GCB shrimp is hanging back.

 

I looked for "lifespan" pics of the yellow/lemon damsel today b/c liveaquaria said they lose their pretty coloring as they age. Mine is not nearly as spectacularly colored as many pictures I've seen, though she does have a sweet face. I'd love it if some blue stripes came out, but I suspect that isn't going to happen. She does have a pale yellow stripe across her body that flashes in the right light. I am still hoping to catch the female trimma and even considering adding a blue chromis, though that would probably be pushing the bioload too much.

 

Will try to take some more pics today! The new leather seems to be doing well, though it wants to lean. The micromussa has tentacles so extended that it looks like a hedgehog! I just got my new lights, so will be changing those out today or tomorrow -- I have a ton of letters of rec to write, but am having a hard time feeling motivated today! Could be that it is break week, and I'm feeling self-indulgent .

 

The Damsel Series -- is she a damsel in distress?

 

Finger Leather

Micromussa sporting the hedgehog look

 

Sideview

 

Brittlestar on glass (I've never seen this before)

 

Toadstool -- trying the 10x mag glass with macro -- need to take when flow is off

 

Rics

 

Zoas

Edited May 10, 2012 by msscha

[msscha]

FTS -- happened to catch both fish looking forward .

 

[HVani]

Looking at your damsel pictures, I don't think that is a yellow/lemon damsel. I think it's a juvi black/ blue fin damsel.

 

 

LiveAquaria

[xDetroitMetalx]

Just a heads up. I bought two Damsels just like that because they were not bought out of the store I worked at for months, I felt bad for them and liked the yellow. The owner told me those species are specifically more aggressive than other damsel species. I said that's fine as they were going to hang out in my Mantis Shrimp tank that I had two years ago. The Mantis never bothered them as it was a smaller species. However, the damsels lost their color as you described and began to beat the tar out of each other one day, obviously a territorial dispute. It only took one day for the larger more aggressive fish to KO the other, I took the loser out and put it out of it's misery as it was beaten up really bad.

 

Sooo, IMO, if you can catch that thing out of your tank I would personally consider it and get something that isn't a risk. My mantis tank was a 20 gallon with far less awesomeness than yours.

[gena]

Awesome update!!!!!!! LOVE all the photos.

 

I agree that it is a green finger leather. I've always loved those! Maybe I can get a frag of that from you someday

 

I hope the new damsel works out ok for you. If not, just get another puppy

[pbjelly]

So, so beautiful! These pix are lovely, and your tank is looking so beautiful.

I don't know about the sinularia, but I have a fiji leather in my tank that gets knocked over about twice a week, and it's doing fine, (not optimal, I know). I think the leather is starting to look happy and settled, and it's a wonderful addition to you tank.

This tank reminds me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v50XkRrp5x8

[msscha]

Looking at your damsel pictures, I don't think that is a yellow/lemon damsel. I think it's a juvi black/ blue fin damsel.

 

 

LiveAquaria

I'll definitely check the link b/c the fin shape on that pic is much more like what I have than what I've seen. Thanks for the info!

 

Update: holy moly Hravanii, I think you are right. The give away is not so much the fin color, but the eyes! My damsel has BLUE eyes, just like the juvi black/blue fin in the picture. The yellow damsel has YELLOW eyes. Also, it has the pinkish-faint-rainbow color wash across the body, though not the strong stripes on the tail. Fishy variation, I guess. In addition to being labeled flatly "aggressive", this species also picks on soft corals which could explain why it seemed to be nipping about them yesterday? Trying not to be overly imaginative, but hell, catching that fish is going to be a mutha of a task -- it's faaasstt.

 

Here is a pic of what I assume is an adult yellow (cool site all around -- Project Noah) -- grayish body but the fins are quite differently shaped than what I've got.

 

Just a heads up. I bought two Damsels just like that because they were not bought out of the store I worked at for months, I felt bad for them and liked the yellow. The owner told me those species are specifically more aggressive than other damsel species. I said that's fine as they were going to hang out in my Mantis Shrimp tank that I had two years ago. The Mantis never bothered them as it was a smaller species. However, the damsels lost their color as you described and began to beat the tar out of each other one day, obviously a territorial dispute. It only took one day for the larger more aggressive fish to KO the other, I took the loser out and put it out of it's misery as it was beaten up really bad.

 

Sooo, IMO, if you can catch that thing out of your tank I would personally consider it and get something that isn't a risk. My mantis tank was a 20 gallon with far less awesomeness than yours.

That is what I've read about damsels, too. This particular fish was removed from a tank with many damsels in it b/c it was getting endlessly harassed. In mine, she is getting periodically harassed by the clown, too, though they have periods of relative piece, and its nothing like what the clown did when I tried to add a conspecific -- she shook that intruder clown like a dog grabbing a rabbit. I took it back that same afternoon! I'll keep an eye on s/he/it behaviorally -- maturity may wreak havoc, just as you've suggested.

 

Awesome update!!!!!!! LOVE all the photos.

 

I agree that it is a green finger leather. I've always loved those! Maybe I can get a frag of that from you someday

 

I hope the new damsel works out ok for you. If not, just get another puppy

Thank you! Right now, the leather has increased nearly a third in size, the "stems" have separated into three trunks, and the branches are all plumped up and waving a bit in the current.

 

If ever I have the courage to frag, I will let you know!

Edited May 10, 2012 by msscha

[phoenix91]

In that one photo it looks like the brittle star is petting the damsel, she sure is a nice looking fish.

 

Coral looks great now it's opened up some.

 

Lovely FTS, so much colour.

[msscha]

This tank reminds me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v50XkRrp5x8

-- you say the nicest things! "Pastoral" works, too -- I just spent several minutes gazing, feeling serene and happy with the brightness and color.

[msscha]

In that one photo it looks like the brittle star is petting the damsel, she sure is a nice looking fish.

 

Coral looks great now it's opened up some.

 

Lovely FTS, so much colour.

Thank you so much!!

[msscha]

Just did my weekly water change and added a 100ml bag of Purigen into the 3rd chamber where the sponge used to be. This was recommended by the LFS...'course, it was recommended by the same who sold me the prolly not lemon but prolly not good damsel, too! Seems to be a variety of opinions on it. I still have the oceanic standard carbon insert b/c I have found that it catches debris. Do I need both? Will the carbon insert un-do or mess with the purigen? In all likelihood, they are just doing double duty and I could use some filter floss instead to catch debris.

 

I added the new lightbulbs yesterday afternoon. Didn't go LEDs yet. The former LFS owners are opening a new business specializing in tank maintenance and they are going to experiment with a bc 14 and LEDs, so I am going to wait on them before investing. They'll also help DIY (hmm -- is it still DIY if someone helps ?). I do think the tank looks brighter! The duncans love their new spot in the middle. All the heads are bigger and fluffier. The green finger leather is opening up faster, too, which I think means that life is good in its corner. The favias tentacles are starting to come out a bit during the day, too. The ones I see are fairly short, and its color is a really cool purplish-brown with deep-bright green center.

 

Topdown

 

Acans from top

 

Acan Circle

[gena]

Well, if someone helps, I don't think it'd be a DIY anymore It would be a "retrofit with help" Either way, who cares...you'll have an upgrade if you decide to do it!!!!!

 

Love the top down shots

Edited May 11, 2012 by gena

[~LadyBug~]

do you feed the acans? i've been wanting some for ages and finally got a two head frag last weekend, and they're just not very 'fluffy', and yours look amazing!

[msscha]

do you feed the acans? i've been wanting some for ages and finally got a two head frag last weekend, and they're just not very 'fluffy', and yours look amazing!

My first acan -- the purple-pink one (light-colored -- where do people get those crazy neon ones??) did okay for the first few weeks, but didn't really do anything spectacular. Then, someone recommended putting them up closer to the lights (I am running stock PCs, so they're not particularly strong). At that point, it really began taking off. They do get fed insofar as I use food that includes zooplankton and cyclop-eeze -- so everything gets fed everyday when I feed. I don't spot feed anything. I think the light placement had the biggest effect. The big one I have was also my very first coral, so it has been growing for 8 months. Compared to some on the Acan thread, that probably isn't very fast! Because I have so many softies in a little tank, I also dose 1/wk with a general coral trace elements stuff (can't think of who makes it -- I'll update when I get to the office tomorrow --it's a purple bottle ). It includes a bit of calcium, strontium, and iodine (other stuff, too). I can't tell that it's doing anything, but I don't want to over-do it b/c the tank is so small and I do change 10% water every week!

[~LadyBug~]

Cool, thanks!

[msscha]

Monday -- astreas are MIA.

 

What is it about weekends? All 3 fish are accounted for, though Bozette seems more determined to hassle the damsel. But my other astrea snail is gone. One of them went missing 2 weeks ago and I assumed I'd accidentally turned it into the lfs with the chunk of LR I gave back. Seemed unlikely, but I couldn't figure out what else might have happened (it went missing after the last rock re-space). But this morning, I found the remaining astrea gone, too! It was here on Friday -- what makes snails disappear?

[ScubaEthan]

oooo nice top down shot! Your reef is so nicely scaped. (I first wrote that in another way, but it sounded too dirty.)

 

Sorry about the astreas. I had that happen to nassarius snails. Lost several in a week or two. I think it was lack of food.

[msscha]

oooo nice top down shot! Your reef is so nicely scaped. (I first wrote that in another way, but it sounded too dirty.)

 

Sorry about the astreas. I had that happen to nassarius snails. Lost several in a week or two. I think it was lack of food.

LOL! I think lack of food may contribute to the astreas, too. There really isn't very much algae in the tank, and after a single weekend of purigen, there is even less than I usually encounter on Monday morning. I'll keep an eye on the macro and see how they do...maybe I should be adding the seaweed again so the turbo has something to eat?

[gena]

I have a good guess as to what might have happened. Astreas fall over and cannot right themselves. Maybe your coral-banded came along for a quick and easy meal?????

[metrokat]

Love the color on that damsel, been eyeing yellow ones myself. And they are suck active fish too.

[msscha]

So the astrea turned back up this morning! Where on earth (or in tank) was it yesterday? The damsel is very entertaining to watch...the yellow stripe bi-secting her middle is becoming a bit clearer. She also is picking at the macro quite energetically, though I have no idea what she's going for! It is SOO funny to see Bozette swim over and peer intently, looking for whatever that "other" fish thinks she gets to eat !

 

The damsel is so fast, I have no idea how I'd get her out of the tank at this point. I am going to look for gender-specific pics of the various species she/he/it may be -- if it really is a juvenile blue/black damsel, then she needs to come out now.

 

Love the color on that damsel, been eyeing yellow ones myself. And they are suck active fish too.

Love the sig pic...a high heel after a hard night!

Edited May 15, 2012 by msscha

[msscha]

Raining outside and I was falling asleep while grading, so stopped to take a few pictures. Don't know why some turn out and some don't -- none of the rics looked good, but the leather and toadstool came out nicely .

 

 

Favia

 

Shroom-scape

 

Duncan

 

Toadstool

 

Camera Hog and Fingerleather

 

Fingerleather Series (last one is nice mirror shot with majano nem -- arg!)

 

Damsel (pale yellow, horizontal line barely visible -- no blue on fins like pics typical of bluefin damsels -- maybe there is a gender difference?)

Edited May 15, 2012 by msscha

[msscha]

Actinic Photos

 

Don't know why I never thought of this before! I must have been inspired by ScubaEthan! Turned off the white PCs and took a couple of pics with just the actinics -- so cool looking! Both the damsel (let's call her Gilda for right now) and Bozette immediately freaked out a bit. Bozette chose a spot near the fingerleather and just kept bobbing up and down; Gilda sort of hid under a ledge. It was weird.

 

Actinic FTS

 

Actinic Finger Leather

 

Actinic Trumpet

 

Actinic Duncan

[pbjelly]

Wow! So many beautiful pics!

I love your toadstool and duncans - you take such wonderful pictures.