Polarcollision's Nuvo 24: March FTS

[Polarcollision]

Check out what I have acclimating right now! I'm pretty sure its a Linespot flasher wrasse (Paracheilinus lineopunctatus).

 

 

OMG! That is a GORGEOUS fish! If it doesn't work out for you, you can mail it to me. Is it just me, or could it be a FEMALE linespot? Juvenile at least? The spines are shorter than other pictures on the web. I agree, BTW. Linespot all the way.

[Felicia]

OMG! That is a GORGEOUS fish! If it doesn't work out for you, you can mail it to me. Is it just me, or could it be a FEMALE linespot? Juvenile at least? The spines are shorter than other pictures on the web. I agree, BTW. Linespot all the way.

Its so pretty! I'm kind of surprised I didn't walk away with it yesterday when I first saw it I'll totally mail it to you if my wrasse hates it. So far though, neither one of them even knows the other one is in the tank. My original one is lurking over in one corner atm, and when I added the new one he dove into the center rock and is laying in there. My first one laid in a rock as soon as he got added too, so I guess that's their normal stress reaction. I turned the lights out for the night to minimize the stress. The LFS owner thinks its a transitioning male or a juvenile. So its probably on its way to being a male, but itsn't a "super male" yet. I have no idea if that will help it get along with the other one or not. I have a feeling with no females, that one just may be the submissive male of the two.

[Zia]

Dang it you two are giving me wrasse fever! As soon as i rehome my melanurus, i'm taking a page from your fish book. These are stunners!

[Polarcollision]

Its so pretty! I'm kind of surprised I didn't walk away with it yesterday when I first saw it I'll totally mail it to you if my wrasse hates it. So far though, neither one of them even knows the other one is in the tank. My original one is lurking over in one corner atm, and when I added the new one he dove into the center rock and is laying in there. My first one laid in a rock as soon as he got added too, so I guess that's their normal stress reaction. I turned the lights out for the night to minimize the stress. The LFS owner thinks its a transitioning male or a juvenile. So its probably on its way to being a male, but itsn't a "super male" yet. I have no idea if that will help it get along with the other one or not. I have a feeling with no females, that one just may be the submissive male of the two.

 

I was looking at the filaments on your new wrasse. They seem shorter than full grown. Unless it was picked on by the others, I agree with the LFS owner that it looks like it may be a sub-adult male. That's perfect for having two in the tank since it should stay less dominant and your super male carpenters should be the flashy one. I saw that the females can turn into males in as little as 10-14 days. That's crazy fast! Wonder if they ever revert back to female.

 

I love the multiple fillaments on your carpenters, BTW. Whichever wrasse I end up getting next, it's also going to have more of those.

 

Dang it you two are giving me wrasse fever! As soon as i rehome my melanurus, i'm taking a page from your fish book. These are stunners!

 

Zia! Your tank is big enough for a harem of flashers, right? Come join the party! I love them so much I just changed my profile pic to a filamented super male flasher.

[Polarcollision]

Picture time!

 

Clown and acans making faces. Not sure who smelled it first... Aaaand check out the rainbow colors coming back to the acans!!!! My light was too bright. Dropped it down to 2/3rds intensity and now the greens and pinks and yellows are starting to show.

 

 

This is my first real success with taking a browned out acro and getting it to color up. Strawberry shortcake now in pink and neon yellow-green. It's encrusting much faster now too. Not sure what those white things are, but they come out when I feed mysis.

 

 

Top down shot of the new rocks. Starting to fill in. The pink millepora is growing a green base. Weird. Maybe it's actually something else?

 

 

New zoas from Gena! Miami Vice and a pretty teal one to complement all the orange and red in the tank.

 

[Felicia]

I was looking at the filaments on your new wrasse. They seem shorter than full grown. Unless it was picked on by the others, I agree with the LFS owner that it looks like it may be a sub-adult male. That's perfect for having two in the tank since it should stay less dominant and your super male carpenters should be the flashy one. I saw that the females can turn into males in as little as 10-14 days. That's crazy fast! Wonder if they ever revert back to female.

 

I love the multiple fillaments on your carpenters, BTW. Whichever wrasse I end up getting next, it's also going to have more of those.

 

 

Zia! Your tank is big enough for a harem of flashers, right? Come join the party! I love them so much I just changed my profile pic to a filamented super male flasher.

He's a bit smaller too, so I definitely think he's a young male. Hopefully that will keep them from fighting too much. The only interaction I've seen between them so far was very brief. The newer one ventured over to the right side of the tank where the Carpenter's seems to have claimed as his area. He was over there hiding under the heater for a while but then the Carpenter's notice him and scared him off. It wasn't very nasty and the Carpenter's didn't pursue him, so it wasn't bad at all. The Carpenter's just wanted him out of his space. The linespot is back in the rocks on the left side of the tank now. Hopefully the Carpenter's doesn't harass him too much and he'll get brave enough to come out soon. He's mostly just been lurking in the rocks and hasn't eaten yet. The Carpenter's eats like a pig.

 

I like the multiple filaments too! Its how I realized its a Carpenter's and not a McCoskers. McCoskers wrasses only have one filament. The linespot also has multiple even though they are short.

 

You are such an amazing photographer! I love those new macro shots and the colors are amazing! Those rainbow acans are looking great!

[gena]

They look great!!!!!! You are an awesome photographer .

 

Is the Chuckies Bride still ok? I was so worried it was going to come loose from the frag plug.

[Polarcollision]

They look great!!!!!! You are an awesome photographer .

 

Is the Chuckies Bride still ok? I was so worried it was going to come loose from the frag plug.

Oh yeah, it is doing well. It was just closed when I took the pictures. Thanks Gena!

[Felicia]

Just an update, the 2 male flasher wrasses are getting along great. They've both been out and about some today and they were hanging out right next to each other with no aggression or fighting whatsoever. I think you need another wrasse

[gena]

Oh yeah, it is doing well. It was just closed when I took the pictures. Thanks Gena!

The magicians you sent me really are intense. The color is amazing .

[Polarcollision]

Just an update, the 2 male flasher wrasses are getting along great. They've both been out and about some today and they were hanging out right next to each other with no aggression or fighting whatsoever. I think you need another wrasse

 

I welcome your bad influence! Nothing would make me happier than finding another flasher. So excited to hear yours are getting along well. It's one thing to read about it and quite another to see it actually happen. Tim has figured out that bargaining with the promise of a fish actually works on me. LOL

 

The magicians you sent me really are intense. The color is amazing .

 

That's what I hear from others who see them! Glad you got something sweet out of the deal, too. Did the green ones live up to your hopes via pics?

 

He's a bit smaller too, so I definitely think he's a young male. Hopefully that will keep them from fighting too much. The only interaction I've seen between them so far was very brief. The newer one ventured over to the right side of the tank where the Carpenter's seems to have claimed as his area. He was over there hiding under the heater for a while but then the Carpenter's notice him and scared him off. It wasn't very nasty and the Carpenter's didn't pursue him, so it wasn't bad at all. The Carpenter's just wanted him out of his space. The linespot is back in the rocks on the left side of the tank now. Hopefully the Carpenter's doesn't harass him too much and he'll get brave enough to come out soon. He's mostly just been lurking in the rocks and hasn't eaten yet. The Carpenter's eats like a pig.

 

I like the multiple filaments too! Its how I realized its a Carpenter's and not a McCoskers. McCoskers wrasses only have one filament. The linespot also has multiple even though they are short.

 

You are such an amazing photographer! I love those new macro shots and the colors are amazing! Those rainbow acans are looking great!

 

Somehow I missed that carpenters were almost identical to McCoskers except for the number of filaments. The fish in your bag looks exactly like mine with fins in and not flashing. Though I think yours has more yellow on the tail, right? Beautiful fish, that Carpenters.

 

Thanks! Photography is one of my other hobbies. I lead hikes and teach classes on occasion as well. So it seems like a natural transition to learn macro photography with the aquarium. The world of the very small is fascinating. Having the acans color up and become healthier is so satisfying. Everyone kept telling me that it couldn't be done under LEDs. But I'm stubborn and did enough research that I practically feel like I should have a degree in coral biology. LOL Just like photography, reef keeping seems to open doors for learning so many things about the world around us.

[Polarcollision]

I've been reading up on flasher wrasse habitat and found this:

 

The filamented flasher wrasse is a magnificent fish that is often overlooked by those that do not know what to look for. During much of the day, this fish hovers near the sea floor, often over rubble bottoms. But as the day goes on, the males begin to engage in amazing displays that serve to attract females and to ward of competing males. The male's color intensifies and they soar through the water column like a kite in the wind! It occurs in aggregations, numbering a few individuals to more than 30. These groups usually consist mainly of females with fewer males. Small juveniles, that have only recently settled out of the plankton, are sometimes found among rubble around the base of large carpet anemones. This species will hybridize with other flashers (that is, of course, where more than one species co-occur). Adult males are readily identified by their elongate dorsal fin filaments (numbering from two to nine - but usually fewer than six) and their lunate (half-moon shaped) tail. Males are usually orange overall, with purple lines radiating from the eyes, fuchsia stripes on the sides and back, a pink abdomen and red caudal and anal fins. A flashing male may display all these colors, plus blue and yellow! There is some evidence that suggests there may be more than one species that has been classified as P. filamentosus. For example, the population of flashers from Sulawesi referred to as P. filamentosus are different in coloration and may represent a distinct species.

[gena]

That's what I hear from others who see them! Glad you got something sweet out of the deal, too. Did the green ones live up to your hopes via pics?

Oh my gosh, YES! Everything did! .

[Felicia]

Glad to be a bad influence on you in return! I am so hooked on flasher wrasses now! I'm with you on not entirely believing what I read about certain fish. It all seems to be very dependent on the individual fish, your specific set-up, etc. Too many conditions to know in advance if something will work. I'm just so glad they aren't trying to kill each other!

 

I didn't realize they looked so similar either until you posted those articles and one had a section on telling the McCosker's, Carpenter's and Yellowfin apart, since they all look very similar. I would have been fine with either type! They're all so pretty. Not an ugly species in the bunch

 

I've always wanted to get more into photography, but I have too many other hobbies and I don't have the money to buy a nice camera. Or, well I probably do have the money, but I spend it on either the tanks or diving. Someday when I have more disposable income, I'll get a nice DSLR and get more into photography. My main interest is macro photography and especially underwater macrophotography. Adding the underwater portion makes the photography equipment soooo much more expensive. I'd need like $5,000 to get a halfway decent underwater photography set-up.

 

Interesting info on the flasher wrasse habitat!

[Polarcollision]

Glad to be a bad influence on you in return! I am so hooked on flasher wrasses now! I'm with you on not entirely believing what I read about certain fish. It all seems to be very dependent on the individual fish, your specific set-up, etc. Too many conditions to know in advance if something will work. I'm just so glad they aren't trying to kill each other!

 

I didn't realize they looked so similar either until you posted those articles and one had a section on telling the McCosker's, Carpenter's and Yellowfin apart, since they all look very similar. I would have been fine with either type! They're all so pretty. Not an ugly species in the bunch

 

I've always wanted to get more into photography, but I have too many other hobbies and I don't have the money to buy a nice camera. Or, well I probably do have the money, but I spend it on either the tanks or diving. Someday when I have more disposable income, I'll get a nice DSLR and get more into photography. My main interest is macro photography and especially underwater macrophotography. Adding the underwater portion makes the photography equipment soooo much more expensive. I'd need like $5,000 to get a halfway decent underwater photography set-up.

 

Interesting info on the flasher wrasse habitat!

 

I can get a McCoskers juvenile, but only by mail. If they also carried any of the other 3 flashers I want it would be worth the $45 overnight shipping. But alas. The hunt is still on.

 

The underwater housing and flash is crazy expensive. The housing for my camera starts at $1599. Suppose it's justified considering the extreme conditions though. There's an underwater photography book of pacific northwest life that makes me want to work a second job just to get that equipment plus diver training. One thing at a time though! LOL I'll recommend cameras and lenses if/when you're ready to take up the flame. :-) Until then, photography is more about the user's ability to see/capture and use their gear than it is about high end equipment--much to the chagrin of gear heads. I teach people how to compose and use light (with point and shoots even) and then do minor post-processing. They can get better pictures than the typical gear head with the most expensive equipment who barely understands the trinity F-stop, shutter, ISO.

[Felicia]

Yeah, I always hate buying fish online because I usually only want one fish from a certain place and then shipping is $40. This is why I just bug my LFS until they get me what I want Unfortunately, I just think the female wrasses are super hard to get ahold of. I'm liking the two colorful males anyway.

 

Yeah, underwater photography just gets so pricey. Unfortunately with underwater photography, you're very limited even if you know how to use an inexpensive set-up very well. I can get some decent shot with my Canon Powershot in its underwater housing (total set-up ~$500), but I'm so limited by the lack of decent strobes. I should probably save up some money and get some decent strobes for my point and shoot so that I can get decent colored photos and not have to worry about them coming out so blurry. You should definitely look into getting dive certified. I bet you would love doing underwater photography!

Also, I like the new name of your thread. We definitely both have flasher wrasse fever

[Polarcollision]

What Discovery Channel should be:

 

 

 

Did not know this was a thing:

 

[markalot]

Wait. Literally or figuratively lights up???? Pics of your filamented?

 

Figuratively. I am awful at tagging my photos but I found my best picture of him, a month after adding to the 46 and 3 months before he jumped to his death.

 

 

I could be watching TV on the couch and when he started flashing, which was a regular occurrence every evening, he would always catch my eye. Brightest red orange I've ever seen in a fish.

[Polarcollision]

Figuratively. I am awful at tagging my photos but I found my best picture of him, a month after adding to the 46 and 3 months before he jumped to his death.

 

 

I could be watching TV on the couch and when he started flashing, which was a regular occurrence every evening, he would always catch my eye. Brightest red orange I've ever seen in a fish.

 

Very cool fish! I love all of his filaments and spikes. But what I'm most impressed by is the fact that you HAVE a photo of him flashing that is even remotely in focus! LOL Look back on my thread. Not one pic of my favorite fish. It's a shame. So props for pulling this one off! Sorry to hear about his demise. I'm sure you read about my guy's near death experiences as well. They are escape artists.

 

Oh, almost forgot - isn't it interesting that he followed through on his nightly flashing even without a harem (assume you had the one). The first video linked above was where I learned they do most of their flashing and bright color display as night approaches.

[markalot]

Very cool fish! I love all of his filaments and spikes. But what I'm most impressed by is the fact that you HAVE a photo of him flashing that is even remotely in focus! LOL Look back on my thread. Not one pic of my favorite fish. It's a shame. So props for pulling this one off! Sorry to hear about his demise. I'm sure you read about my guy's near death experiences as well. They are escape artists.

 

I credit the firefish for the chance of the photo. The firefish never moves much and the filamented would get frustrated and just start flashing at him. This is the firefish that's now in my 20, and still hardly moves.

[Polarcollision]

If you have not already seen this video, grab a cup of tea and watch it on a large screen. I guarantee you'll hit replay a couple times.

 

Slow Life by Daniel Stoupin

http://vimeo.com/88829079

[Polarcollision]

I credit the firefish for the chance of the photo. The firefish never moves much and the filamented would get frustrated and just start flashing at him. This is the firefish that's now in my 20, and still hardly moves.

Ha ha! That firefish sounds like the PJ Cardinal my husband wanted. It also never moves. Seriously. I think it even just rises and falls in place with water changes. At least they're both pretty in leu of a personality, huh? My flasher is in love with the tailspot blenny. I'd put money on a bet that it thinks the tailspot is a strange-looking female wrasse. The difference being that the tailspot spends most of it's time nestled under the spongeodes and duncan instead of out in the water like your firefish.

[Polarcollision]

Feeding the fish tonight:

 

https://vimeo.com/90094318

[Felicia]

I love the new video! You have such a nice assortment of fish in there Also, is that your cat that keeps pawing at the tank? I just kept seeing a white pay appear in the bottom left corner of the video. Too cute!

[Polarcollision]

I love the new video! You have such a nice assortment of fish in there Also, is that your cat that keeps pawing at the tank? I just kept seeing a white pay appear in the bottom left corner of the video. Too cute!

 

Thanks! Tim picked out the PJ Cardinal and the others were picked based on their colors and what niche they fill in a reef. I worry about getting crap for the yellow tang, but I wanted one too badly to pass it up. It was suffering from MLLE at the LFS, so I took it home and healed it. It's tiny and healthy for now and does a really good job at keeping algae in check while the system matures.

 

I have a request in to the LFS for a female McCoskers and a black snowflake clown for Tim's anemone tank. Cross your fingers LFS delivers!

 

YES! That's Jasper petting the aquarium stand and begging to be held to watch the fish. He's the most gentle, docile cat I've ever known. Would you believe he rolls over and asks for belly rubs?? The other cat is more typical and will take an eye if you even think about petting her belly.

 

How are your two doing together now that they're starting to settle in? Hopefully still no serious aggression.