Felicia Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 We watch the show, but we are a few episodes behind I won't give any spoilers then I have friends over every week to watch the original airing of the show so that we don't have to worry about spoilers. We always have a dessert and wine and then discuss the show after. Its a fun way to watch! Mini Update Marine Depot was awesome enough to give me a special coupon code for letting them feature my tank in one of their videos. I just got around to using it to place an order for my dosing supplements. All stocked up now. Thanks to Marine Depot! IMG_4762 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Moving this to the new page 3 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Cupcakes, that is all. Dr. Cupcake. The doctor can make any cupcake to make you feel better!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
rickztahone Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 I won't give any spoilers then I have friends over every week to watch the original airing of the show so that we don't have to worry about spoilers. We always have a dessert and wine and then discuss the show after. Its a fun way to watch! Moving this to the new page I would love to have a group of GOT's to come over to talk about it I started a thread on another forum that helps with the weekly GOT withdrawal. 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 Cupcakes, that is all. Dr. Cupcake. The doctor can make any cupcake to make you feel better!!! I would love to have a group of GOT's to come over to talk about it I started a thread on another forum that helps with the weekly GOT withdrawal. Its a pretty fun way to watch! Do you not know other people who are fans? 1 Quote Link to comment
rickztahone Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Its a pretty fun way to watch! Do you not know other people who are fans? Not local to me to invite home and watch without getting a weird look haha. However, I get my kicks from posting on another fish forum where we talk everything GOT 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Not local to me to invite home and watch without getting a weird look haha. However, I get my kicks from posting on another fish forum where we talk everything GOT Ah well, discussing online is just as fun. I enjoy reading all the crazy fan theories that people keep coming up with Its that time again... Time to make another batch of my homemade predator food blend! This blend has silversides, scallops, salmon, squid, and prawns. Now its in the freezer getting frozen into serving-sized cubes. IMG_4772 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr IMG_4773 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr 2 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 I'm sure they love it. The other day I only just got some scallops & shrimp & just shaved some off. Gertie had a treat. I've been out of LRS & my clowns have been looking a little skinny. Your mix has so much more variety though!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 I'm sure they love it. The other day I only just got some scallops & shrimp & just shaved some off. Gertie had a treat. I've been out of LRS & my clowns have been looking a little skinny. Your mix has so much more variety though!!! I bet Gertie loved that! The LRS predator blend seems interesting, but the store I go to doesn't sell it. Its just as easy and actually seems a bit cheaper for me to just make my own blend and then I can select the variety and cut the pieces to the size that I know works for my fish. If you ever want to make your own blend, its very easy! My chunks are a bit big for smaller fish like clownfish, but you can always cut the ingredients smaller or even throw them in a food processor to mince them up into nano fish sizes. You can also throw in other ingredients like roe, nori, garlic, vitamins, etc. Its really very cool to be able to make a variety that is tailored to what your inhabitants need. 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Looking real good Thank you! Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 How about a photo and video update? I'm out of town taking a nice vacation, so I left the tank with the tank sitters. I wanted to get the tank SUPER clean before I left so that it could do a bit of extra time without maintenance while I'm gone. I couldn't pass up the chance to take some photos of the really clean tank, so I snapped a few photos and took some video clips for you guys. I took these in the morning time, so unfortunately there are quite a few reflections, but hopefully you still enjoy the photos. Also, the lionfish didn't make an appearance because they generally become active in the early evening through into the night. However, you may notice a new addition to the tank. Who knows what it is? FTS June 15, 2016 (ignore the glare/reflection) IMG_4799 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr I don't ever really do bluer light photography, so I figured I'd give it a shot! IMG_4783 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Left side IMG_4893 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Middle IMG_4899 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Right side IMG_4889 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Tomini tang and clams IMG_4872 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr You may notice that the derasa is looking very bleached. I believe I figured out what happened. I did a bunch of reading and it seems that clams most commonly expel their zooxanthellae because of light issues or a spike in temperature. Well I'm definitely not having light issues because absolutely nothing has changed in the last year on that front. However, we had some abnormally warm weather and my tank spiked to 82-83 degrees several days over a couple week period. Everything else was fine, but about that time is when the derasa bleached. It must be a bit more sensitive to temperature spikes than the squamosas. Once I figured out this was the likely culprit, I bought a clip on fan and installed it over my sump to help with evaporative cooling to keep the temperature more stable in case of any more hot weather. Over the last week or so, the derasa has been looking much better, so I think I've got this problem solved. It will just take a while for the derasa to regain its coloration. Its always a learning experience in this hobby! Ok, so did anyone spot the new addition? I'll give you a chance to go back and look before I reveal the answer... I picked up a big super male melanarus wrasse! He's so pretty! I've been itching to get another wrasse, but didn't want to risk it because the leopard wrasse I had a while back got eaten by Mushu (the fu manchu lionfish). I thought the leopard was big enough, but nope! Mushu is a big guy and can eat some huge fish. Anyways, most of the wrasses sold at the local stores come in as 1.5-2" juveniles and I never see any big adult wrasses that wouldn't be lionfish food. However, I was lucky enough to go to my local store the day after another customer traded in his adult supermale melanarus. He's huge so there's no way he's going to be lion food. He settled in very well and is a super chill fish. I really love the color and movement from wrasses and they serve such a utilitarian purpose by eating any pests introduced into the aquarium before they become a big issue. I have a bunch of harmless little critters like worms and snails that are starting to breed out of control to the point of being a nuisance, so I wanted a wrasse to keep the populations under control. Melanarus wrasses are known to be good at this job, so hopefully he'll munch on some tiny critters Isn't he cute? IMG_4849 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Look at those nice supermale colors on his face! IMG_4870 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Also, since the tank is currently being watched by tanksitters, I wanted to show the preparations for leaving the tank. Here's a shot of my living room with all the supplies laid out and my WiFi camera set up to watch the tank. The buckets are stocked with RODI water for refilling the ATO reservoir and there's 10 gallons of mixed and heated saltwater in a bin next to the tank. One of my tanksitters is going to do a water change for me halfway through my trip. I've never had anyone but me do a water change on my tank before, so this will be a first! Luckily the tanksitter does aquarium maintenance for a living so it should be a cakewalk for him IMG_4776 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Also, its nice that I can check on the tank myself with my WiFi camera. Here's a quick screenshot from checking in on the tank yesterday evening. IMG_4909 by Felicia Svedlund, on Flickr Ok and to finish off this aquarium photodump...the GRAND FINALE... ... ... ... ... ... ... A new video! Enjoy! 12 Quote Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Wow, everything looks very nice and wavy! And that eel seems to has it's pose down pat I'm not a wrasse afficianado, but I'd say that is a handsome new addition. Interesting that the Derasa would react to what are mildly elevated temps, but you never know. Good to see that it is turning around for the better. 1 Quote Link to comment
mystersyster Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I love your tank Felicia. Glad your clam is getting better. Just learned that is why corals are bleaching all over the world; abnormally high water temperatures. I'm guessing it's the same with clams, although it's good 82-83 wont kill them. I have a melanurus wrasse as well and I absolutely love him. He's like the yellow lab of fish. =] 1 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 He's just perfect in there. Looks happy too. Nice!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 20, 2016 Author Share Posted June 20, 2016 Wow, everything looks very nice and wavy! And that eel seems to has it's pose down pat I'm not a wrasse afficianado, but I'd say that is a handsome new addition. Interesting that the Derasa would react to what are mildly elevated temps, but you never know. Good to see that it is turning around for the better. Yeah I love the flow in this tank. Its so soothing to watch everything sway The eel is definitely a ham! He thinks if me or anyone else is near the tank that he's going to get food, so he starts standing up and slithering all around. Makes it easy to get a photo of him. I'm not a wrasse aficionado either! Melanarus wrasses are super common, but I think he has pretty colors. Glad you like him! Yeah, I was baffled about the derasa and didn't think the temperature would do that, but its the only thing I can come up with. There are no predatory clams and no inhabitants are messing with it. No corals are touching it. Lighting and flow haven't changed. Water quality is good, etc. I did some reading on clam bleaching and saw that heat spikes are a really common cause, so I figure that's what it must be. Otherwise I'm stumped! Hopefully it fully recovers! I love your tank Felicia. Glad your clam is getting better. Just learned that is why corals are bleaching all over the world; abnormally high water temperatures. I'm guessing it's the same with clams, although it's good 82-83 wont kill them. I have a melanurus wrasse as well and I absolutely love him. He's like the yellow lab of fish. =] Thank you! The clam seems to be happier, so hopefully it will keep improving. Yeah, brief temperature spikes into the low-mid 80's won't generally kill any corals or inverts, but I think its that my tank had several temperature spikes off and on over a couple weeks. That makes sense considering what's going on in the ocean right now with natural coral reefs. Hopefully having the fan in the sump now will fix the issue. Glad to hear you like your melanarus. I've heard that they can get aggressive sometimes, but the one I got seems to be pretty laid back. He's just perfect in there. Looks happy too. Nice!!! Thank you! He seems to have settled in really well. I keep checking in on my tank through the Wifi camera and he's always out and about cruising around. Seems to be getting along great with the tang too. They completely ignore each other. Quote Link to comment
Anden Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I love the video (and the tank) 1 Quote Link to comment
mystersyster Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! Ok so Whole Foods in Florida now sells lionfish so I just had to try some! My friend and I bought two whole lionfish and I made lionfish tacos. They're corn tortillas with beer battered fried lionfish, cabbage slaw, and chipotle crema. Here's the photo evidence https://www.flickr.com/gp/144678038@N08/K1Z83X You savage! Lol are they under control as an invasive species down there, or are they still multiplying like crazy? 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 You savage! Lol are they under control as an invasive species down there, or are they still multiplying like crazy? Haha seriously right? They're yummy though! The photos aren't working on my phone, so trying to work on getting those up. I'm pretty sure they're still multiplying but hopefully people eating them will help with controlling the population. 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Ok so Whole Foods in Florida now sells lionfish so I just had to try some! My friend and I bought two whole lionfish and I made lionfish tacos. They're corn tortillas with beer battered fried lionfish, cabbage slaw, and chipotle crema. It was delicious! I only feel mildly guilty for eating lionfish I love the video (and the tank)Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! 5 Quote Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Yum! Wonder how long until we see the Lionfish for sale in California. 2 Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 those fins on the tomini! they are like flames! 1 Quote Link to comment
Justind823 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I enjoyed your video! The reef is looking great. I had mahi tacos for lunch yesterday - I want some lionfish tacos! 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Yum! Wonder how long until we see the Lionfish for sale in California.They were pretty tasty I thought I saw something a while back about Whole Foods starting to also carry lionfish on the West coast but then I haven't seen anything else about it.those fins on the tomini! they are like flames!Yeah the tomini is quite the pretty fish! I really like the pop of color she adds in there I enjoyed your video! The reef is looking great. I had mahi tacos for lunch yesterday - I want some lionfish tacos! Thank you! Hopefully it will look just as great when I get back from vacation! Mahi tacos are yummy! I just love California style fish tacos. Lionfish is pretty similar to mahi and halibut so it worked well for the fish tacos. Quote Link to comment
Justind823 Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 They were pretty tasty I thought I saw something a while back about Whole Foods starting to also carry lionfish on the West coast but then I haven't seen anything else about it. Yeah the tomini is quite the pretty fish! I really like the pop of color she adds in there Thank you! Hopefully it will look just as great when I get back from vacation! Mahi tacos are yummy! I just love California style fish tacos. Lionfish is pretty similar to mahi and halibut so it worked well for the fish tacos. Haha I know how you feel! I'm down in LA for work right now and it's always in the back of my mind what my tank will look like when I return... 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Haha I know how you feel! I'm down in LA for work right now and it's always in the back of my mind what my tank will look like when I return...Yeah it's always hard to leave the tank! I usually don't worry too much when I just go for a few days, but 3 weeks is the longest I've ever left my tank. So far so good! It'll probably just need a serious deep cleaning when I get back. Quote Link to comment
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