The 28 Gallon Itch

[owenj]

Then I had a mushroom go through an MP10 and I just can't count how many of those I have now.

Lol, this is why I'm hesitant to get regular mushies! I'll never be rid of them if I change my mind

[gena]

Ewww yuck! I HATE how ricordeas smell. I had forgotten they were so bad until I got one at the frag swap and almost fell over when I pulled it out of its container to put in my tank.

 

 

Keep an eye on that little crab in case it starts getting big. I had that one big gorilla crab that shredded my mushrooms. I'm honestly convinced that Atlantis Aquariums must have blue porcelain crabs breeding in their big frag tank since I think they probably hitch hiked on frags. Most of my corals are from there and it seems so coincidental to get 3 of the same kind.

 

 

I never noticed how ric's smell, but I think the smell of acro is quite appetizing

Talk about smelly. Have you ever smelled a firefish? They have a horrible smell when out of water. I haven't noticed it with any other type of fish either, just the firefish.

 

Blue crab and a blue ric! You need a few manly, macho things in there.

 

I must have been in a girly mood when I ordered my last batch form Morgan, cause all of the zoas were pinkinsh and pastel colors.

 

I am waiting for Morgan to get a really, really blue ric as well! I think I have room for one more.

I've gotten some really blue ones from her before. So pretty!!!!! I saw your tank...you did get a bunch of girly colors Your wife is probably pleased with your choices

[xcom]

I absolutely love this tank

[MeepNand]

You should get a neon + sharknose goby pair

Upgrade and buy.

[got2envy]

Talk about smelly. Have you ever smelled a firefish? They have a horrible smell when out of water. I haven't noticed it with any other type of fish either, just the firefish.

Ok...why are u sniffin' your firefish?

[gena]

I absolutely love this tank

That's because we have the same taste in livestock. I absolutetly love YOUR tank

 

Upgrade and buy.

Me????? I would upgrade JUST so I could have more gobies!!!!!!

 

Ok...why are u sniffin' your firefish?

Cuz I'm weird

 

Actually, I first noticed this when I found my firefish on the table next to the tank. He had just recently jumped so he was a little dry, but still alive. Stinky!!!!! The last time was when my purple firefish died I don't intentionally pull my firefish out to sniff them

[pyronus]

I don't intentionally pull my firefish out to sniff them

 

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure you don't. We believe you.

[Spirofucci]

Did happen to catch any kind of buzz? If so, I might give it a try.

[gena]

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure you don't. We believe you.

 

I think I just gave myself a new reputation

Did happen to catch any kind of buzz? If so, I might give it a try.

I might have!!!!! Try it!!!!!!

 

 

Ok...serious question. How many masked gobies should I get? I'm going through truisb2's thread. He had 5 masked gobies in his tank. How many should I get? I'm thinking 3 but?????

 

Right now I have 2 clowns, 2 rusty gobies, and I'll be getting 2 neon gobies. If I get three that will be 9 fish total. Which sounds like a LOT, right????? But they are tiny fish. So, I'm not sure how many masked gobies to get.

 

I'm headed out for my morning walk, but will finish reading his thread when I get back. Hopefully you guys will have some suggestions for me

[jgpico]

3 masked gobies would be awesome! I think that it would be fine but I have heard of groups of gobies taking eachother out until there is only 1 or none left. You could probably make it work though. I am trying to decide whether I am going to do small gobies in my tank. I really want to have a couple mini carpets in the 30 so I don't think small gobies would be a good idea. I also want a rock nem so I'm undecided.

[flampton]

I would go with 4, but then again you said you don't skim, but you have all that macro. Yup I still say 4, it'll help your macro grow faster

 

These gobies are suppose to hang out above the reef so that will be cool if they do that for you, I figure what is a fish for if not to actually see? It is amazing to me after reading all the complaints about Pistols and Yasha's that people still want them. The Yasha is never seen, and the Pistol covers the tank in sand, yeah sounds like fun. ha ha. Excuse me if you like em. ha ha

 

Anyways I noticed you want Christmas tree worms Porites. I couldn't find the Christmas/Porites on the Live Aquaria site. I noticed these, which are in stock, but they only come on rubble...I'd prefer the Porites type myself once everything gets together. Let me know if there is another link or site please

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...&pcatid=541

 

Find any cool Gorgs? I think I've decided on my centerpiece...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemD...amp;ddid=164063

 

which will eventually become this...

 

Unfortunately the waiting is the hardest part. Especially on pieces like this. This gorg is illegal to have unless it is fragged. In fact here in Florida you need to maintain acquisition papers or you could be arrested for being in possession of it. Thus Diver's den is one of the only places I trust to acquire it. First come first serve though.

[gena]

3 masked gobies would be awesome! I think that it would be fine but I have heard of groups of gobies taking eachother out until there is only 1 or none left. You could probably make it work though. I am trying to decide whether I am going to do small gobies in my tank. I really want to have a couple mini carpets in the 30 so I don't think small gobies would be a good idea. I also want a rock nem so I'm undecided.

I'm either going to get 3 or 4 (Flampton's recommendation below). I'd be concerned adding pygmy gobies with a maxi as well. I do have a few rock anemones, but apparently these aren't as sticky as the typical rock nems. So far so good with the ones I have. I'd love to see some small gobies in your tank

 

I would go with 4, but then again you said you don't skim, but you have all that macro. Yup I still say 4, it'll help your macro grow faster

 

These gobies are suppose to hang out above the reef so that will be cool if they do that for you, I figure what is a fish for if not to actually see? It is amazing to me after reading all the complaints about Pistols and Yasha's that people still want them. The Yasha is never seen, and the Pistol covers the tank in sand, yeah sounds like fun. ha ha. Excuse me if you like em. ha ha

 

Anyways I noticed you want Christmas tree worms Porites. I couldn't find the Christmas/Porites on the Live Aquaria site. I noticed these, which are in stock, but they only come on rubble...I'd prefer the Porites type myself once everything gets together. Let me know if there is another link or site please

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...&pcatid=541

 

Find any cool Gorgs? I think I've decided on my centerpiece...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemD...amp;ddid=164063

 

which will eventually become this...

 

Unfortunately the waiting is the hardest part. Especially on pieces like this. This gorg is illegal to have unless it is fragged. In fact here in Florida you need to maintain acquisition papers or you could be arrested for being in possession of it. Thus Diver's den is one of the only places I trust to acquire it. First come first serve though.

4 sounds like a good number I feed my tank quite heavily and with each test I show 0's across the board. I do not have a phosphate test though. Maybe I should look into one of those. Not sure which brand is the best to get though.

 

I have a noticfication set up with Live Aquaria for the Christmas tree worms with porites, and sure enough I got the instock notice this morning. However, I was just at my LFS yesterday and he tells me he can get a small rock of that in, most likely next week. He was just at his supplier and they had 6!!!!! Next week, they'll probably have 0 I know they come from Indonesia and the Caribbean. I hope the ones he can get aren't the Indonesian...but maybe it doesn't make any difference as far as looks. I'll take what I can get.

 

I haven't found any cool gorgs. I want the one truisb2 has!!!!!! If you ever come across that, let me know. It's the big fuzzy yellow with purple stem one.

 

That will make an AWESOME centerpiece!!!!!!!! Super nice choice!!!!!! Your tank has epic written all over it!!!!!!! Sounds like a TOTM in the making

 

In tank news......

 

I'm switching salt again I was using Brightwell's Neomarine. It's a fine salt, but expensive. Since I no longer keep SPS, I figured I could go cheap, so I started switching to Reef Crystals. Then I was reading on another reef site about the major troubles people were having with Reef Crystals and it scared me. So, I discovered my LFS carries Red Sea Coral Pro and has it in stock all the time. I picked up a small bucket yesterday. Hope my tank doesn't hate me too much for doing another (gradual) salt switcheroo on it!!!!!!

[jedimasterben]

Honestly, I would just skip ahead and go to something like regular Instant Ocean or Red Sea salt (not Coral pro). I'm going back to regular Instant ocean after my RC bucket is done. If I need any levels to be elevated, I will dose for it. Since you have softies and macro, you don't need anything fancy.

[Deleted User 4]

Love the gorgs and porcelain crabs!!

[flampton]

According to his TOTM log it is a Plexaura flexuosa

If it is he is getting amazing polyp extension. Maybe it got mislabeled in his TOTM thread, check with Truisb2 and see. The growth shape does look right for a Plexaura sp..

 

btw if it is correct that gorg is available at K+P and Aquascapers. They are supposedly very poor shippers.

 

(ha ha edit: Not K+P or Aquascapers being the poor shippers, the gorgs die during shipping)

[pyronus]

I got my SCUBA cert when I was 13. My first dive ever was on some reef in the Keys that I can't remember because I was 13, and they didn't force us to update our dive log.

 

My best memory of those dives in the Keys were of swimming down the channels of the reef that were filled 1m colonies of playgyra and at the top of the reef were these huge colonies of porites covered in christmas tree worms. You would get close and wave your hand in front of them and they pull back into their burrow, only to pop back out a few seconds later.

 

Damn you Gena, now I'm going to have to start a caribbean biotope.

 

Edit: I keep calling them Platygyra Sp. and its actually Diploria labyrinthiformis that I'm thinking of.

 

[Felicia]

Woohoo! Another diver! Gena, you should seriously take up diving as a hobby. My first ever dive was also in the Keys and man is it gorgeous there. I grew up in Florida, but now that I live in Northern California, I basically do all cold water diving. Diving here is just a gorgeous as Florida, its just very different, but I need to make a trip back to Florida for some diving sometime soon You guys are reminding me how awesome it is!

 

Gena, get 4 gobies! I want to see a little swarm of gobies because that would be adorable and super entertaining. Also, as tiny as all your fish are, I don't think you'll have a bioload issue. I love your idea of doing all little gobies.

 

What was so wrong with Reef Crystals salt? That's what I've been using for quite a while now and you've scared me

[jedimasterben]

People just go ape#### when there is a bad batch (not you, gena, but others around the internets).

[Deleted User 3]

Me????? I would upgrade JUST so I could have more gobies!!!!!!

 

I'm with you. lol I love gobies. I want a citrus clown goby and a green clown goby but i dont feel like I have enough room. I can't upgrade tho! This is as big as I can not-afford-but-afford lol. Once I win the lottery i dream about all the time, then im gonna have a gigantic tank! so I can swim in it!

[pyronus]

Reef Crystals is fine salt. Some people like to pay more for nothing, I would only ever switch salts if you notice a decline in the health of your animals. People complain about residue... how about you rinse your buckets and powerheads...

[Deleted User 3]

I switched to red sea coral pro and my tank likes it alot more than the instant ocean, but that is my tank. I haven't had residue at all with either.

[albertthiel]

Actually, I first noticed this when I found my firefish on the table next to the tank. He had just recently jumped so he was a little dry, but still alive. Stinky!!!!! The last time was when my purple firefish died I don't intentionally pull my firefish out to sniff them

 

Are you sure you did not .... fishy fishy ... just saying ...

[MeepNand]

I don't use reef crystals anymore because it gave alk readings of 15-18 when mixed to 1.026. That was for 2 separate bags that I got months apart.

[pyronus]

I hope you bought a new test kit too.

[Felicia]

Reef Crystals is fine salt. Some people like to pay more for nothing, I would only ever switch salts if you notice a decline in the health of your animals. People complain about residue... how about you rinse your buckets and powerheads...

Ah, yeah I get residue in my water change bucket but I just wash it out. Definitely not enough reason for me to switch salts

 

I don't use reef crystals anymore because it gave alk readings of 15-18 when mixed to 1.026. That was for 2 separate bags that I got months apart.

Weird. I've been using reef crystals for a year now and my Alk always reads in the right range after mixing my water to 1.025.