msscha's 24 gallon office cube

[msscha]

I have no patience whatsoever! I was going to wait for my lfs to find a pair of mated rusty gobies for me, but decided to risk another live shipment -- went with Sea Life, Inc, after reading good reports on another thread. Also added a lettuce sea slug and feather duster for good measure!

[msscha]

Woo hoo! Happy Day -- new tank stuff ! KP Aquatics (formerly Sea Life, Inc) stuff arrived today, after ordering yesterday morning. The package went safely to the Fedex package store so I could pick it up (outdoor dogs + heat = poor chance live fish lives). Packaging seemed quite sound, with each item in its own heat-sealed bag -- styrofoam on all sides (definitely, the worst part about shipping live goods), cool pack, and animals which all looked alive (and are currently acclimating).

 

Packaging from KP Aquatics (see the +1 on lettuce green sea slugs? They sent me an extra )

 

Feather duster which looked pretty sorry in the bag opened up just 5 minutes into the acclimation process!

 

Rusty Goby Pair -- they are striped looking rather than solid. Not sure if that's a stress reaction or not. Kind of resemble green striped gobies. They are quite cute!

 

Lettuce Green Sea Slug -- they're way bigger than I thought they'd be!

[msscha]

A couple in tank shots! (note: for some reason, my nano mag cleaner is leaving scratches all over the inside of the glass. Or, this tank's material scratches more easily. Whichever it is, I am really quite ticked off about this). I don't expect to see the gobies come out of hiding for a few days. Eventually, if they behave according to description, they'll take up residence in one of the tank cave spaces. There are a few, and I sincerely hope they choose one where I can see them ! And I forgot to mention that I saw the baby limpet! I wasn't sure it had made it through the move. Saw it today near the little yellow ball sponge -- woo hoo!!

 

Feather in situ (I hope it changes direction over the next few days)

 

Lettuce Green Sea Slugs (seriously photogenic!)

 

 

 

Ooh! I was wrong! One of the rusties has made it out of hiding. It isn't a great picture, but it is the little guys first day on the job .

 

Serpent Stair with Hairy Arms -- and you can kind of see the orange tunicate's tubey things (the name of which I am too tired to pick from my aging brain!)

 

FTS -- 8/28/13

[msscha]

Thus far, the new tank inhabitants are all alive -- yay! The rusty gobies are still very shy, having taken up spots in the back of the tank, underneath the body of the finger leather, basically in the dark. I've seen darting for food, though, and confirmed that both are still in the tank. However, if this is the behavior of a "mated pair" then I'm glad I'm not a rusty goby! Rather than cooperation, they seemed to be competing for space and this morning, one chased the other out of a nearby hidey hole. Could be tension following the move or could be that "mated pair" was marketing BS. I know they do hang out in mated pairs b/c I've found mention of them on Reef Central and NR. In fact, they are well known for spawning in the tank. This is what I am hoping for! We'll just have to give them another few days of adjusting.

 

I've also ordered a sicce silent 1.5 pump -- I would like more water movement; the movement went down a lot when I put the splitter in.

 

Green lettuce sea slugs have gone from exploring to squatting -- each directly opposite the other at the water line. I've seen no movement from these positions all day!

 

 

Rusty Goby -- kind of a light orange with stripes -- pic taken with flash b/c they don't come out of the darkness of the cave!

[msscha]

Looking for a sweet underwater photography orgy for the weekend? Try this -- Incredible Underwater Life of the White Sea -- linked to from my fave weather site, weather underground.

[msscha]

Hmm. Cannot tell if there is only one rusty goby still alive or whether they simply take turns darting out for food. The damned stupid bow shape of the front glass makes it very difficult to get a good look in the back. I know I see one...and I sometimes think I see a second. I will see what happens this week, but I think that I am not thrilled with mail ordering livestock.

[markalot]

I bet both are alive. I see mine about once a month.

[msscha]

I bet both are alive. I see mine about once a month.

Yes, the both are -- I made a point of looking for both this morning during feeding time! They are ridiculously reclusive . But pretty cute. My main hope is that they contribute fresh food every once in a while .

 

Today is my tank's 2nd year tank-i-versary !!

[msscha]

Plans for tank today: water change, put in new pump, skim floating scum off top of water, move chemipure elite bag to different spot, move feather duster to different spot. Time and energy permitting, try my hand at deliberate fragging!

[reefernanoman]

looking good!

[Sunar357]

Nice looking tank! Happy anniversary! LOL

[eitallent]

Your new fish are soooo cute! Great FTS shot. I love the way you have it all positioned. Just gorgeous.

 

Sorry to hear that your glass was scratched. I will have to remember to clean mine with a tooth brush under running water. I have been leaving it in the tank. :|

 

Happy tankversary!

 

TGIF!

[msscha]

looking good!

Thank you, en28so!

 

Nice looking tank! Happy anniversary! LOL

Thank you, sunar357!

 

Your new fish are soooo cute! Great FTS shot. I love the way you have it all positioned. Just gorgeous.

 

Sorry to hear that your glass was scratched. I will have to remember to clean mine with a tooth brush under running water. I have been leaving it in the tank. :|

 

Happy tankversary!

 

TGIF!

Amen to that, Sista! Am sooo glad today is Friday -- and payday Friday, to boot! The new fish are cute, when they show up. Both are still there, and they dart out for food like little gold shadows. One is starting to get bold enough to hang out in the front cave of mushroom rock, and perhaps the same one has actually braved the food chase enough to beat the trimma to a piece of brine shrimp! They are getting a bit hassled by the neon, though it isn't big-time bullying. Some day, I'll find a Skipper for my own tank!

[msscha]

The new pump totally rocks! 357 gph is definitely better than 247 gph and it is way, way quieter. Very happy about that! There's just the barest hum in the background. Yay . There's a lot more movement in the water, too, making the tank all that more entrancing. Of course, I now regret sticking it in the corner like I did because it is such a p.i.t.a. to work on, but moving it ain't happening soon. Just a couple of pics today.

 

Cleo is over the moon ! She spends hours each day nuzzling her toadstool, loves to push her face in and joyfully wriggle -- then, she pushes her whole body through the hole and starts all over again.

 

Green Lettuce sea slugs have been spending a lot of time at the water line -- and here's why: eggs!

 

 

A night portrait -- I tried one without the flash and it just didn't work.

 

An admittedly lousy FTS, but I was trying to show two things: 1) new movement in water; 2) the very cool sunbeam streaks the water movement made with the cloud of dust kicked up when cleaning out filter sponges and moving the chem pure elite. Didn't really work -- the beam effect was much clearer in real life.

[msscha]

Methinks it's time for fragging.

 

Neon Green Trumpet Coral -- this is the original one I got -- it's already been split once (that piece currently has around 12 heads)

 

Duncan -- I could frag this one, but I am reluctant to. It's just magnificent (lol)! But it's also large and in front. I shall continue thinking on this.

 

Harley out and about -- the harlequin serpent star (a type of bristle star -- did you see CORAL mag's write up on bristle stars this month?) who has a few different places to hang out.

 

Both rusty gobies are habituating nicely! This one hangs out under the mushroom rock, well-camouflaged, but in a visible place -- sort of like hiding in plain sight!

 

This is the big toadstool, just opening up in the morning. The holes that the Cleo swims through are clearly visible. This used to be a solid shroom shape -- according to lfs, as it grows, the crown splits like this.

 

Dr Ducky, sitting next to the magnifying class, waiting to be called to duty.

[markalot]

My Rusty is still hanging out in the back of the tank, facing the back.

 

I only see him when I feed, a yellow streak. He was camped out in front, but I had to rescape and ruined my luck.

 

I love both the trumpets and the Duncans, I can understand the need to frag them.

[msscha]

My Rusty is still hanging out in the back of the tank, facing the back.

 

I only see him when I feed, a yellow streak. He was camped out in front, but I had to rescape and ruined my luck.

 

I love both the trumpets and the Duncans, I can understand the need to frag them.

This morning, my "bold" rusty has remained in his spot in front, and even darted out and ate pellets along with the brine shrimp -- woo hoo! It's mate will briefly join the fray from the mushroom rock cave, but often hangs out in a cave right above the sand bed, behind the duncan, where I'll catch a glimpse of yellow as it streaks out for food, then disappears.

[msscha]

Eggses! There are eggs in all four corners of the tank . I suspect snails and slugs.

 

And a slight more successful "night" shot, taken after tanks lights out/moonlights on, and still enough ambient light in the office to skip the flash. The fluorescence can be seen!

[DannaM]

Wow Laying frenzy !!!!!! Tanks looking awesome

[msscha]

Wow Laying frenzy !!!!!! Tanks looking awesome

Thank you, DannaM. Love the sig quote -- we can be middle age moms together .

[msscha]

I've noticed the trimma goby seems to be slowing down lately. I know -- how can you tell with this goby, right? I checked my picture records to see when I got it, and my first picture of him was on 2/20/2012 -- that's over 18 months ago. If the little gobies' lifespans are only a couple of years, then I guess it would make sense if he were slowing down.

 

First pic below is the first I took of the trimma cana goby. I am pretty sure it is a "he" because of an article in CORAL magazine stating that gender could be determined by the dorsal fin -- males have long ones, which you can see in the next picture. Guess I must be feeling nostalgic this afternoon! The last pic in this threesome is from this afternoon, Old Man Goby with Black Tunicate (or something -- new growth on Mushroom Rock, one of the new pieces of LR)

 

 

 

 

Ooooh -- rusty goby is feelin' bold .

[msscha]

First time fragging! Did not take into account need for sandpaper or dremel to create a nice flat edge. Will be moving frags to plugs this week when supplies arrive and I have time. In the meantime, all the pieces are doing just fine! And mama toadstool is splitting into two heads. Woo hoo!

 

 

[msscha]

I got some proper fragging supplies -- a tube of fix-it stick and new glue, so sometime this week, I'll get the frags mounted properly. In the meantime, the toadstool has completely split, as the odd dark photo shows. It's hard to see the split when it's fluffy! I did this week's WC on Saturday night, and was much surprised to see the chiton out!! It is a lovely pinkish color, and must be close to 1.5" long. It took a bunch of pictures even to get the one crappy shot below (damned curved glass ). I also did a bit of re-arranging -- the finger leather was beating up on the acans, so I moved that slab o' rock to the bottom of the tank. Not ideal in terms of lighting, perhaps, but good for healing. The fat, stubby rock went up top, and I moved a orange and green ric up, too, because it was pretty much eating away at a micromussa. The acan got moved back and up a bit, and I think I may take the baby toadstools and move them down to the sand -- not sure the finger leather will be kind to them!

 

Toadstool Split!

 

Chiton

 

FTS -- 9/23/2013

[markalot]

Looks great, very natural looking. Have you thought about moving those cool Blastos to a more shaded part of the tank to see if they change color?

[msscha]

Right now, the blastos have just sunk into that spot, and I'm afraid that moving them would be harmful. I could try moving some of the bigger pieces -- well, really, just the giant duncan -- to see if that provided some cover. I'll look into that!