Wankreas' Cube~ (going going...)

[wankreas]

Also, here's a decent (older) pic of The Gobes...too bad you can't see his buddy

 

gobes! by wankreas, on Flickr

[ScubaEthan]

Wow I am super jealous of that rock. It's sooo cool and unique. The tank looked good before and now!

[gena]

I missed the FTS the other day

 

It looks fantastic!!!!! Love the new firefish too

[wankreas]

Wow I am super jealous of that rock. It's sooo cool and unique. The tank looked good before and now!

 

Thanks! The rock came with the tank when I bought it back in 2007 I will try and dredge up what the tank looked like waaaay back in the day! It's super hilarious.

Also, I get a little jealous every time I see your avatar! I wish I was underwater right now *pout*

 

I missed the FTS the other day

 

It looks fantastic!!!!! Love the new firefish too

 

Thanks Gena! Everything seems to be growing in nicely!

I think the only thing that I have yet to get is a Montipora capricornis but I haven't decided what colour I want yet...

[gena]

Thanks Gena! Everything seems to be growing in nicely!

I think the only thing that I have yet to get is a Montipora capricornis but I haven't decided what colour I want yet...

Have you checked out Spirofucci's tank? He has a triple monti frag (green, red, and purple) that he got from Vivid Aquariums. I suggest that!!!!!

[wankreas]

Have you checked out Spirofucci's tank? He has a triple monti frag (green, red, and purple) that he got from Vivid Aquariums. I suggest that!!!!!

 

I will check it out right now! Thanks for the tip.

Also, I will probably have to source one locally since nobody ships livestock to Canada

[gena]

You could always fashion your own!!!! 3 common colors that when placed together would definitely make a statement. I think it would look perfect in your tank!!!!!

[wankreas]

You could always fashion your own!!!! 3 common colors that when placed together would definitely make a statement. I think it would look perfect in your tank!!!!!

 

That is an excellent idea! I will start shopping around

[wankreas]

Uh Oh

 

It would seem as though my new firefish has gone missing. I didn't see him last night before going to bed, but I just assumed he was hiding. This morning he is also a no-show and I am worried.

I have a tight-fitting lid and I checked the back compartment, but there is no sign of him either there or on my floor. I am totally at a loss.

Is it possible that he's just hiding?

Do you think he's been eaten in a late-night pistol shrimp forray?

[JoelRHale]

Uh Oh

 

It would seem as though my new firefish has gone missing. I didn't see him last night before going to bed, but I just assumed he was hiding. This morning he is also a no-show and I am worried.

I have a tight-fitting lid and I checked the back compartment, but there is no sign of him either there or on my floor. I am totally at a loss.

Is it possible that he's just hiding?

Do you think he's been eaten in a late-night pistol shrimp forray?

That sucks, I usually give fish a few days to show up before I freak out but it is a possibility the pistol got him. Hope he shows up!

[gena]

It's possible he's just hiding. Are there places in the rock where he hasn't been visible? Firefish are so skittish. I hope he comes out

[wankreas]

That sucks, I usually give fish a few days to show up before I freak out but it is a possibility the pistol got him. Hope he shows up!

 

I hope so too! He's a pretty big fish so it seems a little odd that he'd become prey so easily.

I've checked the nooks and crannies that he typically dives into when he's feeling stressed, but he doesn't seem to be in any of them. I'm keep an eye on the shrimp...I bet the goby put him up to it!

 

 

It's possible he's just hiding. Are there places in the rock where he hasn't been visible? Firefish are so skittish. I hope he comes out

 

He didn't really seem too skittish- he was always out at the front of the tank doin' his fin thing and shaking up the sand with his butt... lol He's probably a she!

I will give it until Monday to make an appearance before I hold a funeral...

[wankreas]

So I waited, and waited, and waited for my firefish to resurface but he has gone to wherever fish go when they die. I still have no idea why, but I suspect the pistol shrimp and jealous-ass goby had something to do with it. Booourns

 

On a good note though, I just got some awesome new frags from a local reefer (Tyree undata, a hot red/orange Montipora digitata and a sweet green acro with hot pink tips). I also caved and bought an Vortech MP10 to make my sps happier. I will post some new pictures soon!

[gena]

So I waited, and waited, and waited for my firefish to resurface but he has gone to wherever fish go when they die. I still have no idea why, but I suspect the pistol shrimp and jealous-ass goby had something to do with it. Booourns

 

On a good note though, I just got some awesome new frags from a local reefer (Tyree undata, a hot red/orange Montipora digitata and a sweet green acro with hot pink tips). I also caved and bought an Vortech MP10 to make my sps happier. I will post some new pictures soon!

Congrats on the new acquisitions!!!!!

 

Sorry you lost the FF. I lost mine recently too. It always stinks when that happens

 

Looking forward to pictures!!!!

[wankreas]

Congrats on the new acquisitions!!!!!

 

Sorry you lost the FF. I lost mine recently too. It always stinks when that happens

 

Looking forward to pictures!!!!

 

Thanks Gena!

Bummer about the firefish for you too A little morbid of a question, but did you ever find the body? Mine disappeared outright- no diatom bloom, no any other adverse symptoms in the tank and no crusty fish body on the floor. I seriously think it was eaten pretty quick.

[gena]

Thanks Gena!

Bummer about the firefish for you too A little morbid of a question, but did you ever find the body? Mine disappeared outright- no diatom bloom, no any other adverse symptoms in the tank and no crusty fish body on the floor. I seriously think it was eaten pretty quick.

I actually pulled mine out before she died. She died out of the tank

 

She was "swimming" aimlessly...actually more like floating around the tank. So, very easy to catch.

 

I've had instances where a body was never found. I'm sure your pistol made a quick meal of yours.

[wankreas]

So, I woke up this morning to see my firefish swimming around. Seriously.

I think there must be a thing where, if ever your fish goes missing for more than 2 weeks, it will resurface as soon as you announce that it has officially kicked the bucket. I feel like I've been punked! Stupid fish.

 

On a weird note, it appears that the goby, pistol shrimp AND firefish have been sharing a burrow. Seriously. It's the loveboat in there!

[gena]

That's so awesome!!!!!! It must be really cozy in their burrow

[wankreas]

Another month, another update- so much for my promising increased post frequency!

 

In the last month or so I have done a fair bit of re-arranging, got some new denizens (mostly coral, though I did get a couple of new snails and a very short lived sea cucumber*).

The new coral (the bright orange mili, green and pink acro and undata) seem to be doing well- they acclimated to the light quickly and without bleaching. Their colours are actually more vivid than they were when I first got them (yay for other local reefers and their excellent frags).

Everything is growing in well Check my newest FTS on the first page to see for yourself!

 

Other than that, nothing else is really new and/or exciting.

I finally installed the MP10 I bought (and the sps looks a little happier).

Probably other things I forgot to mention. If I remember I will post it in a bit.

Thanks for looking!

 

* I had gone to my not-so-local LFS because I needed a new CUC member to pick up the slack that my lazy-ass nassarius has been leaving. I had always wanted a sea cucumber of my own and I finally found one small enough to work in my tank... well at least until he would outgrow it and would need to be rehomed. Anyhow, after the slowest acclimation ever, my new cucumber ( lovingly names MC Anus) was sheltering near a gap in the rockwork at the front of the tank with his feeders out. I was sooo happy to see him doing well. The next day I didn't see him at all, but that isn't uncommon, so I wasn't worried. The following day, however, I found him curled in the back corner of the tank and noticed that his back end was a little worse for wear. I decided to move him gently back to the front when I noticed that he had about 4 or 5 holes chewed elsewhere on his soft little body and was half missing and throughly dead. I was so upset that I actually cried. I blame the crabs. Jerks.

[gena]

Sorry about the sea cuc

 

Love the new additions. I especially love the new orange mili!!!!! You've had amazing growth too...wow!!!!!

 

I noticed you haven't been around the last few Fridays. I think you need to fix that

[wankreas]

Hey there!

I have been quite the slacker lately when it comes to updating. I have attached a new FTS so you all can see the progress of my tank. I had a major meltdown in September when my digital thermometer crapped out and a bunch of denizens kicked the bucket in my attempt to cool the tank back down. Most things survived, and I have added a few new inhabitants.

Anyhow, there haven't really been many changes since my last post. My blood shrimp died last month of natural causes (i.e. the other shrimp didn't eat him), and one of my uber huge Astrea snails finally kicked the bucket. Everyone else is A-Okay

Anyhow, I will try and update a little more often!

[wankreas]

Now with bonus new FTS!

I've been having a hard time keeping Zoanthids alive. Also mushrooms. Sometimes they start off well, but they ultimately dwindle down to nothing. I sometimes see some of the 'pods on them, but would that really be enough to cause them to crash and burn? The other 'easy care' things always do fine (the Xenia, gsp, cloves etc.), and the hard-to-keep things do well.

Any ideas?

[SeahawkReefer]

Glad to see u brought your tank back! A couple of questions... how often do you check your salinity? and nitrates? What method do you use to test those params? Instead of rinsing your sponge I would suggest getting some white/blue filter pad instead and changing it out/ throwing it away once used every week at least (if not every few days)... how often are you changing out the CPE? Most problems I've seen have been related to salinity being too high, nitrates being too high, or over use of gfo leading to NO nutrients...

[wankreas]

Glad to see u brought your tank back! A couple of questions... how often do you check your salinity? and nitrates? What method do you use to test those params? Instead of rinsing your sponge I would suggest getting some white/blue filter pad instead and changing it out/ throwing it away once used every week at least (if not every few days)... how often are you changing out the CPE? Most problems I've seen have been related to salinity being too high, nitrates being too high, or over use of gfo leading to NO nutrients...

Thanks for the suggestions Seahawk!

I check the salinity when I do a water change (every week-week and a half), and when I top the tank off. I really try not to vary too much from 1.026. I use a fairly basic (and crappy) hydrometer, but at least I use it consistently. I should probably remember to buy a fancier refractometer when I place my next online order...

If anything, the issue is probably salinity related. I do tend to keep things on the saltier side.

I will try lowering the salinity to 1.024 and see if that helps.

 

As for testing, I try and do it once per month, usually between water changes. I just did one today (since I have been slackin' as of late) and both my nitrites and nitrates are at 0 using the RedSea Marine Lab. I change the chemipure every 5 months 'cause I am lazy and that's when I usually start to notice some minor hair algae growth. I still have reasonable macroalgae growth and my tank is pretty well stocked, so I doubt it's a complete lack of nutrients (though I could be wrong).

 

Thanks for the floss suggestion, but I think I will stick to re-usung the sponges. I would feel bad for having to throw extra stuff away every week.

[gena]

Now with bonus new FTS!

I've been having a hard time keeping Zoanthids alive. Also mushrooms. Sometimes they start off well, but they ultimately dwindle down to nothing. I sometimes see some of the 'pods on them, but would that really be enough to cause them to crash and burn? The other 'easy care' things always do fine (the Xenia, gsp, cloves etc.), and the hard-to-keep things do well.

Any ideas?

Like Seahawk said...salinity can be a major factor. I bet you are running even higher than you might think. Also, check your alkalinity. My mushrooms have been looking great lately since I started dosing 2-part.

 

And welome back!!!!! Your FTS looks fantastic!!!!!