Jersey's Tale of the Tank..

[MeanGreenEyes]

Thank you again for helping out!! Looks like some lives are saved!

[jersey]

Quick question.. She had a yellow toadstool (I think that's what I was) and it was in very poor shape when it came in. The top was shredded and the flow in my tank dislodged all the frill on the top leaving just the small base. I did take one of the small pieces and stuck it on one of my rocks with a rubber band in hopes that maybe it will take hold and I can at least frag it so she can have it back.

 

Also, she has some sort of xenia looks really bad. It's like it's wilted. I don't know if there is much I can do to save it other then let nature take it's course. I know that they are pretty hard to kill, so I'm hoping at least a small part of it will survive and it can grow out again.

 

She's down in florida for a couple of weeks (not reallys ure how long because she was just so happy to have someone try to help we didn't discuss when she would be back)

 

My goby is not very happy to have another goby in his tank, but hers seems to have realized that and moved it's den to another rock.. When she left my guy filled in her hole. lol

[jersey]

My lil 10g is back to being empty again.. lol She got her corals yesterday and everything was safe and sound for her.

 

I got a gift as well. brown hair algae everywhere! I'm suspecting dino due to the spike in bio load. I pulled the rock and cleaned it with RO and found a patch of blue ochtodes growing out on my giant conch shell / fossil. My goby is VERY happy to have his roommates gone as well. Her orange spot was building dens and he was evicting it as soon as it was just settled in.

 

I'm going to cut back the light for a little while and keep doing large water changes and hope that it is short lived. I also need to organize my plants again.. They are all over the place due to the commotion and I didn't get them in order yet.

 

That little cute dottieback.. was a prick.. lol every time I would have my hand in there picking up corals and whatnot from the previous nights destruction he would swim super fast and smack into my hand. didn't hurt but sheesh.. ungrateful fish!

 

No new pics but I'm sure I will get in the mood at some point this week. a member of our local club is trying to home a cleaner shrimp. Might take him for the 10.. I think that was the only thing my goby enjoyed was his daily cleanings from the shrimp. lol He would swim right up to his little shrimp cleaning station and lay there as the shrimp did his work, then go back to his hole and look grumpy as always.

[jersey]

Couple of quick things..

 

In hopes of helping along the mess in the macro tank I converted 3 mollies over to full salt. I did this over a 24 hour period. I dripped them at about one drop per second and every few hours I checked salinity then I would dump out some of the water that the mollies where in until I reached near identical readings. I thenk bagged and floated them and then let them go. I did lose the one male after a few hours.. Early after release he got stuck to the power head and I released him from it and turned it off, then about an hour later I saw him floating.. So, the 2 females are alive and well after their first day at saltwater fish. They are also picking on the algae a bit too so that's a good thing.

 

Tank still looks like hell, but with constant water changes and lower light cycle I will control it. Thank god we don't have the same issues in the main tank.

 

My wife is so proud of herself.. The cats woke her up for morning food at 5am.. (They are pretty demanding little ####s) She walked by the stand where the macro tank is, and noticed 2 of the snails where on the ground.. She promply put them in the tank, and has been bragging at how "pro tank" she is now, and that she saved 2 snail lives.. I didn't dare tell her that those same 2 snails are suicide and I have to put them back into the tank almost daily.. lol

 

a replacement glass canopy is on the way.. The previous one broke when I pulled it off during the power outage in the storm. This should stop the snail exodus..

[jersey]

So, we had a suicide. Our Pink Spotted Goby went missing and was found under the stand of the macro tank.. Pistol looked lonely so after a proper mourning period (3 days) we gave him a new friend.. A Blue Spot Prawn goby. They paired up after about 2 days and are living happily ever after.

 

Also, added to that tank about 6-7 different macro's and 3 Gold Dust Sailfin Mollies that where converted over to salt water over about 3 days. All are happy.

 

Also got a clean up crew booster kit that was split between both tanks from reefcleaners.org. My wife wanted the Porcelain crabs they have.. last time they didn't ship them, this time they shipped 2 emerald crabs. :/

 

So, we split up the hermits 30 to main tank 10 to the macro tank. Snails where a mix of the regular species which where split 70% 30% between the 2 tanks. The emerals went into the macro tank since I don't want them in the main tank.

 

I ordered the lucky metalic macro from LA reefs and got what looks like a fingernail size portion for $25... Not too pleased. I also got the red palm, red dragons, and a blue scroll. Not impressed with their products at all. I'll stick with GCE from now on.

 

I also got a medussa nest, and some other yellow / red macro from ebay. nice guy wrote me a few times asking how they where doing, and advising on care. They seem to be doing ok.

 

I'm planning on moving the Macro's to a 20 long with all the stuff that is in the current 10g macro grow out.. The wife was pretty firm with her NO MORE TANKS statement, but technically this isn't another tank.. it's jsut making taking the 10 down and replacing it with the 20.. It's not like I am setting up the 90 that we have sitting in the garage... yet..

[jersey]

Foster corals.. Take 2..

 

So, a club member posted on the forums that his tank was crashing and he was giving away most of his corals.. All stonies and an nps. I told him I won't take them, but I will hold onto them for him until he gets things in order and if he doesn't take em back so be it.. I'd hate to see someone just give away hundres of dollars worth of stuff just because he is having an issue..

 

So.. in my QT right now are:

 

2 birds nest pink and purple

Acro colony peach color coming back was almost totally bleached last night

Trumpet coral colony

Octospawn, frowspawn hammer, torch colonies

a 8 inch maze brain

Carnation coral

xenia

Various richordia and tonga shrooms

various Monti caps

various encrusting montis.

 

 

So.. Here is what he is having issues with.. He was bare bottom.. Decided to add one bag of dry sand. It was rinsed with RO until clean, and then added to the tank just barely damp.. The next day he noticed everything closed up.. The following day tissue retention and thats when they came to me.. His levels are spot on, no copper in the system (tested) zoa's are open and happy everything else not happy.. fish perfect healthy eating and active.

 

 

He had a sand sifting cucumber that he isn't sure where it went to.. Could the death of one of those crash stony corals? Is there any other tests he should be doing for something other then the basics and copper? I'd really like to see him get things back in order.

 

 

On another note.. We're in the midst of a snail orgy in my tank.. All of the Nassarius snails are in a giants snail ball on the sand bed of my NC 29.. I"m expecting either none of them to talk about fight club, or another round of little white dots all over my glass. The poor Scarlet hermit that they where doing this in front of may need therapy.

 

I really need to get some pics up.. I'm still working on the 20 long macro move.. Wifey says no way.. I say wait until Wed. when she isn't working from home and just do it and deal with the wrath when she returns. I'll have to think this one through a little more.. I like macro's but I like sex also. hmmm.

[jersey]

Picture time!

 

FTS

 

 

This octospawn was a rescue from a club members tank along with the brain, birds nest, and acro.. Unfortunately the only thing doing well is the birds nest.. The brain started getting a hole in it of exposed skeleton, then another appeared, and then a 3rd. I've dipped it, used revive on it, and done everything I can to slow it down, but it looks like it's just going to have to let nature take it's course. The acro bleached out.. My green slimer,

Blue Cali Tort, and Pink lemonade acro's are fine, so I guess it was just too far gone to be saved.. He added sand to his tank and it cashed. We pulled what he thought might be savable but I guess it was too late. REally bummed. It got brown jelly tried to frag the other head off to save it but it receded and is sitting in my macro tank in hopes it might come back, but I doubt it.

 

Here's the acro on day 2.. started to color up again, but it now completly white.. still sitting in there just in case of divine intervention... lol

This is in my 20l not the reef tank.. not sure of what type of Nudi it is.. not hurting anything in there since it's 99% macro algae.

 

Just for those that don't look at the macro forum.. Here are my Salt converted mollies. The babies get fed to my mandarin and what he doesn't eat the other fish do.

[jersey]

Added a couple of things to the tank.. 2 coco worms, and a blue mushroom rock.. I was hoping for it to be as blue as it was in the pictures but it is more blue green like the ones I have now.

 

My wife LOVES featherdusters.. They are her favorite things in the tank... Go figure. We went to my reef clubs christmas party at the president's house, and he has 2 coco worms.. one red and white, andone all red. reefs2go has them on sale for $20 each which is about 1/2 what they usually go for.. I also needed more pods so I figured why not..

 

I picked those up, and also a electric flame scallop which I am pretty sure is the dumbest move I have made.. I don't think it is going to last the week.. hasn't even opened since going in there, but when I tried to take it out it clamped so I left it. I don't know much about them which is pretty rare for me when making a purchase for the tank.. I usually study up and prepare for everything a very long time before making the purchase... Hell, I spent a year learning everything I could about mandarin's.. how to train them to eat pellet and frozen.. tons of videos tons of articles.. even bought a book.. lol That's just how I am..

 

Anyway.. the scallop I figured I would try because it was super cheap, and I keep nps and clams alive well.. and I figured this was sort of a mix of both.. First thing I noticed.. It's shell felt disjointed in the back where they are normally connected.. Right then I assumed the worst. I acclimated him for about 4 hours via reef gently and then placed him just outside one of the caves and he hasn't moved since.. I fed the sps with reef roids tonight, and I shot some his way.. I did notice a few of the beard tentacles coming out a couple times, but that's about the extent of it.. Really kinda mad that I did that.. I hate being the cause of death of an animal..

 

Also, I noticed another one of those nudibranches.. This time in the main tank.. I think when I got kgoldy's chaeto with the dusters and everyting there may have been some nudi eggs in there or something.. that is the only thing that has been in both tanks, so that's pretty much the only thing I can think to have them show up in both tanks. No biggie.. I like the little guys.. I moved the one from the reef to the macro tank just in case it is a zoa eating type.

[jersey]

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

I got a couple of gifts from my mother.. I can finally toss out that API test kit.. I got a full lineup of red sea testers.. stuff I probably will never even need to test.. but I can.. lol

 

I also got the jbj wavemaker with the 2 pumps.. wow that thing is ultra quiet.. my sps seem to appreciate it.

 

Finally, I got the inTank media basket.. WOW.. HUGE DIFFERENCE! I was shocked when I took the stock one out and added the intank one.. The water level in my back compartments went up a good 4 inches and I had to remove about a gallon of water.. so much more flow.. and no water rushing over the top of the media basket anymore. Very pleased with it, and I would recommend it to anyone with a stock media basket.. I added it to my amazon wishlist because I was hesitant about spending $50 on something so trivial. I just didn't think it would be that much of an upgrade.. now I wish I got this thing a long time ago.

 

I'm still trying to figure out placement for the powerheads. I want to run then on opposite timers as the filter pumps which also run on a wave maker to create more random flow. They are a bit bulky, so I may just put them into my macro tank without a timer and replace them with some korelia nano's. I really want an mp10, but I would rather save that money for the mp40/60 when I get my big tank up and running.

 

Overall, I am glad my mother uses my wishlist to purchase gifts.. My parents came over for dinner last night, and the rest of the night was watching me test water while my wife and step father put together the shelves they got her. lol

[jersey]

Here are a couple of new shots.. Few changes.. I got that giant octospawn the other day from a friend.. moved some zoo's around and added the pink birdsnest. My acro all took a crap sadly.. We had a power outage while I wasnt home and the temp in the tank dropped a little too much. Sucks.. but at least that's all I lost.

 

YAY MP10!

 

I'm still trying to find a few things, but I think this tank is pretty much out of room.. lol I'm sure I'll find some though.

[jersey]

RIP Gordon the mandarin..

 

Last night I decided to get out the flashlight and wish my fish a happy new year.. ok.. so I was just annoying my wrasse..

 

Well, I looked into the cave under the bottom ledge and noticed my mandarin in a strange spot.. normally he sleeps pretty much in the same spot on the side of my tank every night.. I look closer and notice he is pretty deep inside a rock hole.. He must have wedged himself in there going after a pod or some food.. This is very upsetting as I spent so much time training him, and keeping him fat and happy. He was so good with feeding that he would come right up when he saw me, and knew his feeding baster thing.

 

I dont think I am going to get another.. He was my favorite fish, and it's just too much work training them and feeding them to have it end over something so stupid.. I'll just wait for the large reef to get set up and have it mature then think about another go at them. Really sad. Thanks 2013 you are really starting out great.

[jersey]

woohoo.. I just managed to snag a Euphyllia Cristata off the collectors choice section of bluezoo.. It's one of the species I have been after.. Now I just need to get my hands on some E. Yaeyamaensis and I will be very happy.. IF anyone knows where I can get it please let me know.

 

 

It seems common(ish) over in Europe, but can't find it here, and the one store I did find it in, they refuse to sell even a head of it out of their display.

Oh yea.. I also got a couple of sexy shrimp, a head of gold torch, and a med. maze brian that I want to put in the macro tank as a centerpiece. Been debating on moving some of my softies over to there also.

[jersey]

Made a quick video.. It's not great quality but a quick tour of my tank.. I'll make another once I get the rest of my supplemental lights in. Added 2x stunner strips to the tank for some better color.. 1 403 nm Uv and anotehr that is royal blue / magenta. I have 2 more of those coming to put towards the back. I would like to add maybe 2 more all blue to the sides.. but I want to see how it goes with the next 2, plus I need to stop buying as of the end of the month because my company is closing down The laid me off a couple of months ago brought me back and now they close the doors.. ugh. Oh well.. that's life.

 

I can't figure out how to embed the video here.. but here is the link.

 

Ok it worked in my other thread.. last try.

 

 

Oh and here is my turtle tank for anyone interested.

 

[jersey]

Ok picture dump time..

 

Some are of the "old" look.. also added a current full tank shot to the first post.

 

 

Crazy crab taking a ride on a snail

 

[jersey]

So, I entered this contest for a banner / logo design.. It was a $50 gift card to the company for the winner of the banner, and $50 gift card for the winner of the logo.. I WON BOTH! New corals incoming! I don't know when I will get out there, but it's pretty cool to have won. Once I hear back from the guy that he is ok with me posting the designs I'll put the images up here.

[jersey]

here are the two entries that won me the prize

 

It was a 2 part contest.. one for banner, and one for logo.. I won both.

 

Logo

 

Banner

[jersey]

So, a little shameless plug here.. A local vendor is running a contest for best tank.. Well, my little guy made it to the finals with the big boys and if you are so inclined please vote for my tank (It is Tank #10) Every vote counts and brings me one step closer to a killer Scoly or meat coral!

http://www.facebook.com/questions/606818466000688/

Remember to vote for tank 10!!


here is a link to my album to see the pictures of my tank.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...4444081&type=1

[jersey]

45 Minutes left in this contest!! I am only 8 votes out of the lead! If you have facebook please vote for me!

 

My tank is tank 10

 

http://www.facebook.com/questions/606818466000688/

[MeepNand]

Looks like your in the lead by 20 votes! Congrats.

Nice tank BTW. FTS look a little green though.

[jersey]

Yea, I won! Thanks all for your votes.

 

Color rendering was a bit off in that pic.. but at this point I'm fine with it lol. I'll post pics of the scoly when I pick it up. It's pretty nice. looks like it's deep blue / purple with red stripes and some light colored splatters. I'm sure it will look much nicer in person too!