Fishfreak's foxy BC29: Brine Shrimp!

[fishfreak0114]

Thanks teeny! I love to go all the way to 9th degree, but it takes so long I doubt I will make it. My goal is to get my second before I graduate.

[fishfreak0114]

Here's the baby hammer head! It's doubled in size since I noticed it. It makes me wonder if there are other ones on the side I can't see

 

[RIP Sebastian]

Thanks teeny! I love to go all the way to 9th degree, but it takes so long I doubt I will make it. My goal is to get my second before I graduate.

 

Cool! I'm a second degree, too!

[fishfreak0114]

 

Cool! I'm a second degree, too!

ITF? If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take between your first and second? Im hoping I can get it within 3 years, because then I'll have to find a new dojang wherever I end up.

[RIP Sebastian]

ITF? If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take between your first and second? Im hoping I can get it within 3 years, because then I'll have to find a new dojang wherever I end up.

 

I think it was about 1.5 years. Maybe two.

[fishfreak0114]

 

I think it was about 1.5 years. Maybe two.

Cool for some reason I thought it took WAY longer. But then again I thought it would take more than a year between black stripe and black belt lol. I can't wait to learn my new patterns!

[fishfreak0114]

Ok so I must be the most flip floppy person ever when it comes to fish choice...

 

I still want a tailspot (and I've located one, might get it tomorrow, need to re-set up the QT) and for the final fish, first I wanted a royal gramma, then a bangaii cardinal, and now I'm looking at a talbot's damsel. Yah, I know, a damsel. But I read they're quite peaceful.

 

The first time I saw one was two weeks ago, and then again a week ago at the same place and I can't stop thinking about them. They're GORGEOUS! I love that purple color. Sooooooooooooo, I may get one. Instead of another bangaii. It's cheaper too! Which, considering my job as lab assistant only runs during the school year, is a great thing because I'm broke right now. I'm not considering just because of the price tag though. Thoughts on a talbots?

 

Also, today I tested my sg out of the blue and shit. Somehow (I don't even know how it's possible) it's dropped to 1.021. Everything is totally ok though, I'm guessing the corals have adjusted. Maybe that's why the trachy is shrunk up. I've already begun to rectify it, and it's wc day today so that should help . It's gonna be a very thorough wc, I need to rinse the chaeto, clean the back chambers and scrape the back glass, vinegar soak the powerhead, clean the return pump, vacuum the sand bed, trim the macro and put the colt coral in place. It finally attached!!!

[fishfreak0114]

The store with the tailspot said it's really small and they want to hold it for a while. I'm hoping they can hold it until the beginning of august actually, because I'm going to Edmonton for just over a week at the end of July.

 

I just finished my thorough wc, and while I was cleaning the back I finally caught Jim! The GCG is returned to the DT at last! He's hiding in the rocks right now. I hope he doesn't go back to the back, he seems slim enough still to squeeze through the overflow.

[fishfreak0114]

My hermits are so vicious! They just tag teamed one of my nassarious! So it's torn apart . I tried to get them off but I was too late. My huge nassarious is cleaning up now. That was a sad sight

[fishfreak0114]

Well it seems that the salinity was the problem for the trachy! It's almost up to its usual puffiness. My water change really raised the sg, right to 1.025. I wish it had raised slower but c'est la vie. Everything is super extra puffy this morning. The QT is set up again, I'm hoping to get a damsel today,

[fishfreak0114]

I've been doing fairly regular iodine dips on the plate, and it seems that the infection thing has been stopped! The question now is whether or not it can recover from the damage.

 

Here's a pic of the cannibalism

 

The new fish! A talbot damsel

 

And I still had money left in the bank so naturally I blew it on some coral more leather!

 

The blue kiss zoas are quickly becoming one of my favorites!

[fishfreak0114]

The damsel came from a tank with ich. There's only one spot (at least I think it's a spot?) on its tail. I've already begun treating with seachem metroplex, and I plan to do so for 3 weeks. I will then have an observational period (probably a few weeks). Does this sound ok? The fish I chose was by far the healthiest, it was the only one without a messed up tail because it was king of the tank. It was also the biggest, around 1.5". I was also planning on mixing ginger powder into its food because I read that it boosts their immune systems.

 

How long does it need to be in QT to be sure I've eradicated the ich?

[fishfreak0114]

My first ever tank video is complete! I'll never be a professional videographer (is that a word?), but hey, it doesn't totally suck. Who knows, I might just do another one

 

[Justind823]

Looks like there is a problem with your video:

 

Justin Desrosiers, on Flickr

[fishfreak0114]

Looks like there is a problem with your video:

 

Thanks for letting me know does it work now?

[fishfreak0114]

By far, the most frustrating part of having a reef tank for me has been the fact that I only spend half my time at the house that it's at. I'm not gone for more than a couple days at a time, but in that short time so something always seems to go wrong. I came back after being gone two days to a kind of bleached trachy. Nothing it can't recover from I don't think, just a bit paler. My mom doesn't notice things like that usually so I often come home and see that something's not happy, or that something is stinging something, et cetera. The trachy is being promptly moved back to the shade. I put it back in the light after I figured out it was the sg that was pissing it off, not the light. Well I guess the light was too strong anyways though . I'll add a pic soon.

 

The damsel is doing good in the QT, active and eating lots. And no visible ich!

 

I think the toadstool may have another coralivore in it, the stalk is discolored and lots of algae has grown on it without it shedding. I'm keeping a close eye on it. If it's really soft like its dead/dying flesh (gonna check in a minute) I think I'll just cut off the cap.

 

I've gotta add a pic of the leather I got on the weekend now that it's happy. It's so big!

 

If also decided to remove the algae, rubble pile in the back left corner. It's a detritus trap. Plus that gives me a little more space to do something with.

 

Edit: just felt the toadstool and ew. It's VERY squishy. Looks like it's time to break out a knife.

[fishfreak0114]

That was disappointing. Thankfully I cut near the base first, and there was nothing. It did look grey though which was odd. The toadstool is rubber banded to a new rock, so as soon as it attached it'll go back where it was. I feel kinda bad now . I just sliced it off its rock for naught.

[Idaho ken]

I liked your vid, great looking cube! Does your angle ever nip at any of your corals?

[fishfreak0114]

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with how it's looking these days The angel occasionally nips at something, but she's never done noticeable damage. Most of the time she just hovers over them for a while and swims away.

[fishfreak0114]

I thought I'd post an update because I leave tomorrow at 6am (eek!) for Edmonton. I'll be gone for a week with my tank in my moms care. I've left her a calendar crammed with things to do for all the tanks, fresh and salt alike (that's 7 over the summer, poor mom)

 

Over the last week and a half I removed the pod pile-it was gross to say the least. I found a massive bristleworm living at the bottom that I hope to never see again. I also got rid of a couple smaller pieces of rock from the right side, so now I can clean all the glass everywhere and I think the flow circulates better. I had to move my power head a bit.

 

The damsel is doing well, I'm continuing treatment for another week, but I'm not actually sure if it still has ich, or ever really did. It won't hold still long enough to check. It hasn't been scratching though, and is still eating ravenously.

 

The plate seems to be going downhill again. My mom doesn't know how to dip corals, and she hates putting her hand in the tank so I guess I'll see what I come back to on that one.

 

Right now I have a couple seemingly hopeless corals that are slowly withering away, the plate, acan and walking dendro. The toadstool hasn't reattached to its rock yet and it somewhat pissed off. The trachy is still in the shade recovering. I told my mom to focus on it when target feeding.

 

Jim the GCG has been spotted a couple times! His new favorite spot is under some green mushrooms where he blends right in. I'm hoping that my pod population in the back will bounce back now that he's not nomming them all.

 

I found a small nudibranch in my tank, ID'd as vayssierea felis. They eat spirorbid worms so I don't mind having them.

 

My feather duster population is flourishing!

f

 

The tanks doing good overall, I want more coral though! I keep eyeing up a lobo frag pack on canadacorals.com knowing my bank account rests at $0 . I'm hoping to go to Vancouver again this summer and get some stuff from the good pet stores there, guess I'll have to do extra chores and save up!

[teenyreef]

Good luck to your tank while you're gone - have a nice trip!

[fishfreak0114]

Good luck to your tank while you're gone - have a nice trip!

Thanks! I'm having lots of fun already, I spent today at West Edmonton Mall (and spent more than I should have ). So far the tank is all good, I plan on asking at least twice a day

[fishfreak0114]

The tank is still doing well, but it sounds like the plate is almost gone my mom was all in a frazzle today about the damsel. She told me it was hovering at the top and the water was a bit cloudy so she put in an airstone for surface agitation and I had her put a bag of carbon in the filter which she said cleared the water. She also said it kept swimming up to the glass and retreating. I'm pretty sure it can see its reflection though and it usually likes to hover when no ones nearby.

 

However, this afternoon it had long stringy white poop. I'm not sure whether I should worry or not, it's been treated with meds that kill internal/external parasites since I got it. It has been eating a lot more meat than veggies though, so I'm wondering if it was constipation. She's going to try feeding it some food soaked in a bit of meds. It didn't have an apetite earlier.

[fishfreak0114]

The damsel was dead this morning I've started a thread in general discussion to try and figure out what's causing my high QT mortality rate. Everything else is still the sameZ. I'm tempted to pick up another damsel if they have them and they're somewhat healthy this Thursday when I'll be in Kelowna, but the QT has to be bleached and re set up still. I'm definitely feeling discouraged I kind of just want my vacation to end so I can get back home and make sure everything else is doing ok. Thursday I'll be home.

[fishfreak0114]

The tank is still alive and I get home tomorrow! I'm actually kind of stoked for the trip to end because being in close quarters with my family for a week would drive anyone insane I'm used to spending entire days shut up alone in my room.

 

With the help of the lovely members of NR, my QT process has been fine tuned, and I know what meds I plan to pick up tomorrow if they have them. I also hope to get fish! My awesome mom broke down the QT, cleaned it with bleach and set it back up for me gotta love mom.

 

I'm going to look for chloroquine phosphate and Prazipro. I'm determined to get some fish through QT!