Dr. Felicia's Predator Paradise - Retired

[vlangel]

In this case, we can just give all the credit to Eddie (zia) for inspiring the softie/gorg forest tank trend. At least that's how I ended up going that route. I don't think I could have a tank without gorgonians now!

You need to tell Eddie to get busy and get that tank going so he can start a thread so we can give him credit!

[Felicia]

You need to tell Eddie to get busy and get that tank going so he can start a thread so we can give him credit!

I'm trying! I think it will be quite a while until he has a reef tank. He's still in transition, so he doesn't want to plan out a tank for a space he won't be in long term or move it. I'm working on convincing him to do a planted FW betta tank though because he loves mine and they're cheaper and way easier. Plus small, sumpless tanks are easy to move

Ok, so I impulse bought something! Story of my reefing life Anyways, actually being on NR the last couple days plus Eddie being here this past weekend and admiring the tank has really gotten me back in the reefing mood. I've been so busy I haven't been focused on the tank much, but paying attention to it got me itching to made a LFS run. Just to browse of course....

 

I crack myself up! I can't just browse. So anyways....

 

 

I have been on the fence about whether I should try another tang after the kole tang died for no apparent reason. Tangs just kind of creep me out with their delicacy. I do however still want a better solution to my algae issues if possible and I'm super limited on fish because of the lions. Well anyways, I've always liked Tomini tangs, but I've resisted the urge to buy one because they always come in so skinny and just not hardy looking. Again...tangs and their touchiness... Well so I'm browsing at the LFS this evening and this particular tomini caught my eye. She seemed very spunky and had some good thickness to her body. I asked the employee and she'd been there a month, so then I got tempted because she had time to really get settled in and healthy. I asked him to feed her and she ate like a champ, so I caved. Fingers crossed everyone that this one does better! Also, hopefully she eats algae!

 

Sorry for the crappy photo. I have my lights really dim to reduce her acclimation stress. Oh, and no she doesn't have ich. Her color and skin was perfect in the store. She went a bit blotchy in the bag on the way home from stress. I took that photo right after she went in the tank, but since then, the blotchiness has already gone away.

Oh, also I got 4 more turbo snails to augment the grand total of 2 snails that I currently have. AND...I got a nice big fox coral to give this another shot. They had a great price on a big one, so I couldn't resist. They're such unique and cool corals. Its not open yet and probably isn't going to open fully right now with the way I have the lights so dimmed, but I'll get photos of it tomorrow.

 

 

Okay so I've been working my way through this feed....your tank is beautiful!!! And I am in love with those clownies in their rbt's!!! #tankgoals

Oh goodness! This is quite a bit of thread to go through I'm glad you enjoyed it! I feel like the BTA's and clowns tend to get under appreciated because of the lionfish, eel, clams, and gorgonians. I'm glad you enjoy then. Its so fun to watch the clowns in their BTA castle. BTA's are definitely doable in smaller tanks! I just recommend isolating them on an island, like I did. Otherwise they'll end up walking around and stinging your other corals. In a small tank, they can kill a ton of coral pretty quickly if they go on the move. Mine are trapped on a little rock island and they roam around on the island, but they can't get off. Its really worked out quite well!

[Lizzie1324]

Good to know! I think that's part of why your tank is so awesome! It has the flash and the subtlety I had a green bubble in my 40 gal RSM at one point, but I keep having to remind myself that this tank is half the size! I'm sure the upgrade bug will bite me sooner rather than later. But I love the length on the 20. And maybe since it's visible from both side I can fight off the urge to upgrade a little longer! That tank is gorgeous too! Hopefully she'll be fantastic!

[Felicia]

Good to know! I think that's part of why your tank is so awesome! It has the flash and the subtlety I had a green bubble in my 40 gal RSM at one point, but I keep having to remind myself that this tank is half the size! I'm sure the upgrade bug will bite me sooner rather than later. But I love the length on the 20. And maybe since it's visible from both side I can fight off the urge to upgrade a little longer! That tank is gorgeous too! Hopefully she'll be fantastic!

Thank you! Flash and subtlety...I like that You could easily do a BTA in the 20 once its established as long as you plan it out well. Those long tanks like that always seem to have a ton of room even if they're actually smaller in terms of volume. I bet you'll be happy with it for quite a while at least. The upgrade bug (or multiple tank syndrome) always bite eventually in this hobby!

 

I'm thrilled with how nice this tang looks. Fingers crossed! Don't call the tang police on me though and yes I am so overstocked. I am a bad example

[TFish77]

Doing it this way is actually cheaper than buying cube packs of frozen aquarium food. Plus this way there is a big variety in each cube. It really doesn't take as much time as you'd think. I was able to do all of it in about an hour. The chopping just require patience, but it wouldn't if I had better knife skills

 

Its really a lot of fun to make your own food and you can personalize it to just what you need for your tank. I've got Eddie convinced he's going to start doing it once he ever gets around to starting a new tank.

 

 

I think I might have to give it a try. However I know your tank is a predator blend which would enjoy the larger chunks of food. I currently rotate pe mysis, calanus, and rods reef blend. I wonder if I could take some larger pieces like you had and potentially blend or food process them into smaller pieces for my fish. Even when I defrost my current cubes I cut it up with scissors for my little ones.

 

Also I think I just put two and two together. I was perusing R2R and saw a familiar tank. Are you gonna be featured on their FB now? If so congrats!

I'm trying! I think it will be quite a while until he has a reef tank. He's still in transition, so he doesn't want to plan out a tank for a space he won't be in long term or move it. I'm working on convincing him to do a planted FW betta tank though because he loves mine and they're cheaper and way easier. Plus small, sumpless tanks are easy to move

Ok, so I impulse bought something! Story of my reefing life Anyways, actually being on NR the last couple days plus Eddie being here this past weekend and admiring the tank has really gotten me back in the reefing mood. I've been so busy I haven't been focused on the tank much, but paying attention to it got me itching to made a LFS run. Just to browse of course....

 

I crack myself up! I can't just browse. So anyways....

 

 

I have been on the fence about whether I should try another tang after the kole tang died for no apparent reason. Tangs just kind of creep me out with their delicacy. I do however still want a better solution to my algae issues if possible and I'm super limited on fish because of the lions. Well anyways, I've always liked Tomini tangs, but I've resisted the urge to buy one because they always come in so skinny and just not hardy looking. Again...tangs and their touchiness... Well so I'm browsing at the LFS this evening and this particular tomini caught my eye. She seemed very spunky and had some good thickness to her body. I asked the employee and she'd been there a month, so then I got tempted because she had time to really get settled in and healthy. I asked him to feed her and she ate like a champ, so I caved. Fingers crossed everyone that this one does better! Also, hopefully she eats algae!

 

Sorry for the crappy photo. I have my lights really dim to reduce her acclimation stress. Oh, and no she doesn't have ich. Her color and skin was perfect in the store. She went a bit blotchy in the bag on the way home from stress. I took that photo right after she went in the tank, but since then, the blotchiness has already gone away.

Oh, also I got 4 more turbo snails to augment the grand total of 2 snails that I currently have. AND...I got a nice big fox coral to give this another shot. They had a great price on a big one, so I couldn't resist. They're such unique and cool corals. Its not open yet and probably isn't going to open fully right now with the way I have the lights so dimmed, but I'll get photos of it tomorrow.

 

 

Oh goodness! This is quite a bit of thread to go through I'm glad you enjoyed it! I feel like the BTA's and clowns tend to get under appreciated because of the lionfish, eel, clams, and gorgonians. I'm glad you enjoy then. Its so fun to watch the clowns in their BTA castle. BTA's are definitely doable in smaller tanks! I just recommend isolating them on an island, like I did. Otherwise they'll end up walking around and stinging your other corals. In a small tank, they can kill a ton of coral pretty quickly if they go on the move. Mine are trapped on a little rock island and they roam around on the island, but they can't get off. Its really worked out quite well!

Beautiful Tomini. Any particular algae brand you plan on feeding him. That always seems to be the key to proper tang health is proper nutrition (I guess that's true for any animal lol)

[Felicia]

I think I might have to give it a try. However I know your tank is a predator blend which would enjoy the larger chunks of food. I currently rotate pe mysis, calanus, and rods reef blend. I wonder if I could take some larger pieces like you had and potentially blend or food process them into smaller pieces for my fish. Even when I defrost my current cubes I cut it up with scissors for my little ones.

 

Also I think I just put two and two together. I was perusing R2R and saw a familiar tank. Are you gonna be featured on their FB now? If so congrats!

Beautiful Tomini. Any particular algae brand you plan on feeding him. That always seems to be the key to proper tang health is proper nutrition (I guess that's true for any animal lol)

Yeah, you can definitely just throw the food in a food processor to make a food blend for smaller fish and corals. We actually did that with my local club for an event and it was a ton of fun. We had lots of seafood, seaweed, garlic drops, vitamin supplements, fish roe, powdered copepods, etc. Everyone could pick and choose what they wanted in their blend and then throw it all in a food processor. Then you can freeze it in mini ice cube trays or you can freeze it as a flat pack in a quart or gallon ziploc bag. Its a really great way to make exactly the blend of food you want to use.

 

Yep! I am on R2R too I've been posting on there a bit more lately because my tank is kind of borderline as being a nano at this point. Plus someday I think I'd love to get a big tank for the lionfish and eel, so I wanted to also be able to get inspiration from some bigger builds. I think my tank was actually posted on their Facebook page today. They posted a ton of tanks today. They're trying to up the likes on their page

 

I have a bunch of different algae on hand...being in the hobby for 4 years results in crazy stockpiles of random fish food! I figure I'll try some and figure out what it likes and then buy more of that. I think I have some Rods Food algae and some SF Bay Brand. Not sure what else I have. Oh, I also have Reef Nutrition algae flakes and some New Era Marine Grazer rings. They're these really cool rings of food that have a special suction cup mount. You stick them to the glass of the tank and then the fish that naturally graze can pick at it for hours. Those are supposed to be good for fish like tangs, so I'll have to try those too. We'll see what she ends up liking. I do know that she's eating mysis like a champ though.

[TFish77]

Yeah, you can definitely just throw the food in a food processor to make a food blend for smaller fish and corals. We actually did that with my local club for an event and it was a ton of fun. We had lots of seafood, seaweed, garlic drops, vitamin supplements, fish roe, powdered copepods, etc. Everyone could pick and choose what they wanted in their blend and then throw it all in a food processor. Then you can freeze it in mini ice cube trays or you can freeze it as a flat pack in a quart or gallon ziploc bag. Its a really great way to make exactly the blend of food you want to use.

 

Yep! I am on R2R too I've been posting on there a bit more lately because my tank is kind of borderline as being a nano at this point. Plus someday I think I'd love to get a big tank for the lionfish and eel, so I wanted to also be able to get inspiration from some bigger builds. I think my tank was actually posted on their Facebook page today. They posted a ton of tanks today. They're trying to up the likes on their page

 

I have a bunch of different algae on hand...being in the hobby for 4 years results in crazy stockpiles of random fish food! I figure I'll try some and figure out what it likes and then buy more of that. I think I have some Rods Food algae and some SF Bay Brand. Not sure what else I have. Oh, I also have Reef Nutrition algae flakes and some New Era Marine Grazer rings. They're these really cool rings of food that have a special suction cup mount. You stick them to the glass of the tank and then the fish that naturally graze can pick at it for hours. Those are supposed to be good for fish like tangs, so I'll have to try those too. We'll see what she ends up liking. I do know that she's eating mysis like a champ though.

 

That's awesome. Don't get me wrong the overall goal is to get a bigger tank. I just don't think I could ever bring myself to get rid of my nano. Its my baby :-).

 

I am definitely going to try the blended food. I am a big proponent of a varied diet for fish and corals so I feel like this will be a good way to test some different stuff out. I love the idea of adding different seaweeds in there as well.

 

Just an fyi on those algae rings though. If they are what I am thinking of (a little suction cup that sticks on the inside of the tank and you attach the algae ring to it) they aren't that much greater than strips. I actually found the rings disintegrated and ended up getting lost in the tank faster than the strips actually did. I have switched back to sheets but using very small amounts throughout the day. After a couple days the seaweed turns to waste (smell a clip that's been in there for more than a week and you'll get what I'm talking about lol). I always try to have a small amount of seaweed in there for all my fish. At this point the clown, six line, and hippo (She's already got a new home tang police :-p) all would tear into it. Anything they couldn't finish quickly the turbos and emerald took care of.

[markalot]

Love the last few days of pics. The slimer looks happy.

[Mirya]

Yeah, you can definitely just throw the food in a food processor to make a food blend for smaller fish and corals. We actually did that with my local club for an event and it was a ton of fun. We had lots of seafood, seaweed, garlic drops, vitamin supplements, fish roe, powdered copepods, etc. Everyone could pick and choose what they wanted in their blend and then throw it all in a food processor. Then you can freeze it in mini ice cube trays or you can freeze it as a flat pack in a quart or gallon ziploc bag. Its a really great way to make exactly the blend of food you want to use.

 

My Ohio reef club annually does a frozen food creation meeting. It was always fun, if a little stinky!

 

For people who need tiny pieces of food, like me, I found freezing the food slurry we made in silicone trays worked great. The food really easily popped out. These are the trays I used.

[gena]

Thank you, Gena! How do you feel about this song choice? That song is on the radio so much that it is like perpetually stuck in my head This was my tank in its "unplanned, not cleaned up for a photo/video shoot" state, so I'm glad it still looks healthy and happy. Just a bit of dirty glass and algae

 

The fox coral is hanging in there but not really doing great. Its been trying to recover, but some algae took hold on its skeleton and that seems to irritate it. I've tried scrubbing it off, but that seems to bother the coral more. LPS are so touchy. My local store keeps having them in stock though, so I may just consider getting a new one to try at some point. I think they're beautiful, unique corals, so I'd like a bit bigger one.

 

The derasa has been growing like crazy lately! It really is getting huge. I'm so going to have space issues soon with these clams! I love them as the centerpiece though, so I'll just rearrange to accommodate them if needed

That's the first time I've heard that song actually! I like it though!

 

Looking forward to seeing your new fox coral . I was going to say I may just send you mine before long because it's getting so big LOL. But then I read you bought one .

[Felicia]

That's awesome. Don't get me wrong the overall goal is to get a bigger tank. I just don't think I could ever bring myself to get rid of my nano. Its my baby :-).

 

I am definitely going to try the blended food. I am a big proponent of a varied diet for fish and corals so I feel like this will be a good way to test some different stuff out. I love the idea of adding different seaweeds in there as well.

 

Just an fyi on those algae rings though. If they are what I am thinking of (a little suction cup that sticks on the inside of the tank and you attach the algae ring to it) they aren't that much greater than strips. I actually found the rings disintegrated and ended up getting lost in the tank faster than the strips actually did. I have switched back to sheets but using very small amounts throughout the day. After a couple days the seaweed turns to waste (smell a clip that's been in there for more than a week and you'll get what I'm talking about lol). I always try to have a small amount of seaweed in there for all my fish. At this point the clown, six line, and hippo (She's already got a new home tang police :-p) all would tear into it. Anything they couldn't finish quickly the turbos and emerald took care of.

I do love a Nano tank, so someday I think I'll need a bigger tank for interesting fish and a really nice Nano to focus on the corals

 

Thanks for the heads up on those rings! I've used them a few times before and did notice they will disintegrate and fall off the ring, which is a big issue. I think it's ok if your fish will eat them in a reasonable amount of time, but most fish take a while to realize they're food so they sit for a long time and fall apart. I think based on your experience, just a clip with a small amount of seaweed is best. I just need to dig out my seaweed varieties and the clip today

Love the last few days of pics. The slimer looks happy.

Thank you, Mark! Glad I have one happy looking SPS haha. I need to find a couple more hardy ones like the slimer and call it a day. This system is not good for touchy SPS. The slimer seriously amazes me though. It loves it some nutrients!

 

My Ohio reef club annually does a frozen food creation meeting. It was always fun, if a little stinky!

 

For people who need tiny pieces of food, like me, I found freezing the food slurry we made in silicone trays worked great. The food really easily popped out. These are the trays I used.

It's a stinky but fun activity! Those silicone trays are a great idea! Thanks for sharing those! I actually just use big ice cube trays to make my food because I don't fill them all the way up. I just place a blob of my chunk food blend in the middle of each one to keep them separated as they freeze. The chunks of food freeze nicely as individual blobs. That wouldn't work so well for the small food though, so those silicone trays are the way to go.

That's the first time I've heard that song actually! I like it though!

 

Looking forward to seeing your new fox coral . I was going to say I may just send you mine before long because it's getting so big LOL. But then I read you bought one .

Really? Every time I turn on the radio it's on and it's one of those ones that always gets stuck in my head. Haha

 

Hopefully I can get some photos of the new fox coral all opened up tonight. I haven't placed it yet since I didn't want to spook the new tang my having my hands in the tank. This one is much bigger, so I need to figure out where to put it.

 

You're too funny with sending me things as they outgrow you tank! Ok so who should I send things too when they outgrow mine? Haha! Actually, the fox corals have pretty delicate skeletons, so I think they can be hard to ship sometimes. Selling locally would be best for that one. Have you looked at it when it's closed to see if it's actually branched anywhere? The new colony I got actually has some separate branches, so I could frag those off. You could just drag yours instead of getting rid of the whole thing.

[Felicia]

Ok, so I knew that the eel had gotten bigger, but since I see him everyday, I didn't realize just how striking his growth is! I just watch a video back from May (shortly after I got him) and OMG he was tiny. Check out the change in Falkor from May 2015 to January 2016!

 

 

[Mirya]

I bet he can't fit under your clams like he once used to!

[Felicia]

I bet he can't fit under your clams like he once used to!

Nope! Now that you mention that and I think about it, he hasn't been under the big clam in quite a while. He does still love to slither all between them and wrap himself around them. His burrow is pretty elaborate and its up under the right rock structure.

[Felicia]

So guess what?! I'm having tons of fun photographing and filming the tank the last few days, so I have more photos and another video for you! Look at me not being a slacker for once

 

First though, I wanted to give an update on the Tomini tang. She seems to be settling in really well. She's out and about all the time and has been eating. She's still a bit shy, but she's warming up and isn't hiding too much. She just tends to stay towards the back of the tank right now. You'll see her in my new video. Sorry for the quality of the clips with her. I had to try not to spook her with my filming.

 

Today is water change and cleaning day, so keep in mind that the tank is a bit dirty in these photos and video. Sorry!

 

The antennata tends to be kind of shy, but she was out and about last night at feeding time, so I took a bunch of photos of her.

Then Falkor decided to start photobombing her photoshoot

 

Of course Draco needed his photo taken too. He's such a ham!

I was photographing on the mithrax crab's side of the tank, so I took a photo of him as well.

[Mirya]

Glad to hear the Tomini is settling in.

 

I think my favorite photo from this batch is the bottoms up shot of Draco in the gorgonian.

[Felicia]

Glad to hear the Tomini is settling in.

 

I think my favorite photo from this batch is the bottoms up shot of Draco in the gorgonian.

Let's just hope this tang doesn't up and suddenly die out of nowhere like a week and a half of being in the tank. Tangs stress me out! I know they're hardy once they get settled, so I'm hoping I can get one settled in and doing well. So far this one seems much more active and less shy than the kole tang that I tried a while back.

 

Thank you! I loved that photo too. Felt like it was artsy and fun. Draco definitely is the most cooperative for posing in all different ways for me. He's like a professional model

Video is uploading to Youtube now!

[Felicia]

[HarryPotter]

 

So awesome! BTA island... those clams... that eel.. the lion fish! Probably most unique tank I've ever seen

[Felicia]

 

So awesome! BTA island... those clams... that eel.. the lion fish! Probably most unique tank I've ever seen

Thanks, Harry! Yep, my tank is a pretty eclectic mix! I'm just glad it all seems to work so well together

[gena]

I hope this tang transitions well to your tank .

[markalot]

That eel is something.

[Felicia]

I hope this tang transitions well to your tank .

So far so good! She's out in the front of the tank grazing this afternoon, so she seems to really be settling in. I know a 40B is a bit small, but she's not very big and she's the only open water swimming fish, so she can literally have the entire tank as her territory. I think she's starting to realize she has all the space to herself.

 

That eel is something.

Yeah he's a hoot and a half Maybe you need one in that 150!

[vlangel]

Loved your latest pics and video. If I could not have seahorses I think I would go for lionfish because I miss them so much. I never get tired of seeing your videos. Who would have thought a predator tank could be so peaceful?

[Felicia]

Loved your latest pics and video. If I could not have seahorses I think I would go for lionfish because I miss them so much. I never get tired of seeing your videos. Who would have thought a predator tank could be so peaceful?

Thanks, Dawn! Yeah its amazing how peaceful they are. When I decided to get them, I wasn't sure if they'd seem aggressive, but surprisingly they are very calm and graceful. I love how they hover and move so slowly. Feeding time isn't so peaceful, but that's also why they're so fun! Its really a lot like seahorses. I loved feeding my seahorses! Its fun to have something a bit more interactive on that front than most reef fish. The eel is the one who isn't very relaxing or peaceful, but that's ok!