Anthrax & Gangs! 50G SCA

[thecoralbeauty]

2 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

Please be VERY careful with ordering fish/inverts/corals from overseas. There are MANY scammers out there that are all too happy to fleece you out of your hard earned money. That's coming from an importer of 20+ years in the business. There are a lot of unscrupulous individuals and companies overseas. NOTHING marine is allowed out of Japan whether it came from there or not without a blizzard of paperwork. I don't know what they can do to you for it here in the USA, but I know if it gets intercepted, you will at the very least, lose all of your money and the shipper would face some serious fines.

 

 On to the Coral Beauty. Do you know the country it came from? It looks like an Indo/Bali area or Fiji, both of those areas are not good to get angels from to add to a reef system. CB angels out of The Philippines are a MUCH better choice. They are typically a darker angel and pick a lot less at corals. Same thing with angels out of Sri Lanka. I don't have an issue throwing any angel out of that area into a reef tank from an Emporer to a Yellowtail angel. Angels pick when they're bored or hungry. I feed mine twice a day and rarely have an issue. I've kept Emporers out of Sri Lanka in several reef tanks with no picking other than sponges.

Interesting about the importing. 

Yea- I steered clear of those clams. They’re gorgeous though. 

Want to be clear though: it was more  an idle musing than an actual plan. I appreciate your concern, however.

 

The coral beauty is captive bred from biota Palau, via Algaebarn here in Colorado. So yes, Philippines area. Moreso than Bali/Indo, at least. 

 

Today he’s left things alone, that I saw. Perhaps he’s been exploring-pecking and is settling down a bit?

 

i still have the makeshift bottle trap in there- but when I baited it this afternoon both my wrasses ended up in there together within five minutes. Gave me a good laugh, and I didn’t bother re-baiting it after letting them loose.

 

[StinkyBunny]

Wait until the lights go down and try to prod the angel out of the rock work. If you have a flash light, you can use a red filtre so you can see where it's hiding at night. I just grabbed a Purple tang out of my 50 cube so I can grow out another little one this way.

 

I had a CB angel from Fiji in a tank with leather corals and it would rip a tentacle off a different leather weekly. Usually leather corals are safe, but apparently not with this one. I've never had one in with clams, they're too expensive to risk, so I have no data for compatibility there. In the coming months we might be getting clams out of Vietnam again, those are the most colorful ones in my opinion. I imported a box of them when they were shipping to the USA and they sold out in minutes. Then a disease almost wiped them out in that area and they stopped exporting them.

[thecoralbeauty]

4 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

Wait until the lights go down and try to prod the angel out of the rock work. If you have a flash light, you can use a red filtre so you can see where it's hiding at night. I just grabbed a Purple tang out of my 50 cube so I can grow out another little one this way.

 

I had a CB angel from Fiji in a tank with leather corals and it would rip a tentacle off a different leather weekly. Usually leather corals are safe, but apparently not with this one. I've never had one in with clams, they're too expensive to risk, so I have no data for compatibility there. In the coming months we might be getting clams out of Vietnam again, those are the most colorful ones in my opinion. I imported a box of them when they were shipping to the USA and they sold out in minutes. Then a disease almost wiped them out in that area and they stopped exporting them.

Good idea with the red light- I'll try that. He's been tucking himself WAY under the rock work at night though, so I'm nervous to try to get him out without knocking everything totally over. One of these days I really just need to get in there and putty together pieces so it's easier to take apart and re-assemble without total destruction. 

 

The fish trap should also arrive today- I'll start feeding them all with the trap so hopefully, if the nighttime prodding doesn't work, it'll be easier to trap him that way. On the bright side, he's not causing huge problems while he's in there. I half-way want to try to keep him. 

 

 

[StinkyBunny]

See if your LFS has some rigid airline tubing and try that to get him out. 

[thecoralbeauty]

Got him!! 

He’s in the sump, success! 

 

 

[billygoat]

What a contraption! I love it. 😄

 

So I guess that means you decided to rehome him after all?

[thecoralbeauty]

On 4/25/2019 at 9:21 PM, billygoat said:

What a contraption! I love it. 😄

 

So I guess that means you decided to rehome him after all?

Yea, not worth risking my precious clams. What kind of clam-queen would I be if I let them continue to be pecked at? Plus, I caught him pecking at my montiporas, which, even if he didn't tear off their polyps, could potentially inhibit their growth. 

 

The contraption was actually a water bottle that I cut the top off of, inverted, bated with food, and stuck in his hiding hole. The dishwear, etc around it was to keep him from avoiding it and funnel him into the bottle. They were the smallest little things I could find to rest around that rock and plug the holes- and it worked within 5 minutes. 🙂 

 

Edit: forgot to mention, in the commotion, my male cardinal spit out his eggs. i put them in a breeder box with a little flow to tumble them and they seem to be doing ok. he's been darting at food but doesn't eat it yet, i think he still thinks he's got them. hopefully they do alright in the box- and at very least, I hope he starts eating again so he is ready to spawn again, and this time, i won't scare him trying to catch his neighbors! 

[thecoralbeauty]

 

[billygoat]

How are things going over there? Did the Coral Beauty get successfully rehomed?

[sublime1996525]

Hi Morgan. This thread has been a really good read! I just got my SCA 50 setup yesterday. I’ll be tagging along and I’m tempted to even setup an Instagram account lol. 

 

Side note - what branch were you in?

[thecoralbeauty]

12 hours ago, billygoat said:

How are things going over there? Did the Coral Beauty get successfully rehomed?

yes! he went to the newest LFS near my house.

Unfortunately the eggs didn't make it. But, hopefully they'll spawn again soon, and I won't stress them out by trying to catch a misbehaving angelfish. 

In other news, I've been wrangling my tube anemones, who have apparently decided to sublet their tubes to each other. never a dull moment. and because of that, rocks were accidentally moved. I've gotten things back to close to how they were, with a few tweaks. I ran out of super glue though, so I'm waiting on amazon to deliver another box in bulk before I go "fixing" things. 

36 minutes ago, sublime1996525 said:

Hi Morgan. This thread has been a really good read! I just got my SCA 50 setup yesterday. I’ll be tagging along and I’m tempted to even setup an Instagram account lol. 

 

Side note - what branch were you in?

Hey! Thanks for following it along. Even through the year + hiatus. 

My late husband was army when he died. The GI bill passed on to me. 

[sublime1996525]

4 hours ago, mwhitelock said:

yes! he went to the newest LFS near my house.

Unfortunately the eggs didn't make it. But, hopefully they'll spawn again soon, and I won't stress them out by trying to catch a misbehaving angelfish. 

In other news, I've been wrangling my tube anemones, who have apparently decided to sublet their tubes to each other. never a dull moment. and because of that, rocks were accidentally moved. I've gotten things back to close to how they were, with a few tweaks. I ran out of super glue though, so I'm waiting on amazon to deliver another box in bulk before I go "fixing" things. 

Hey! Thanks for following it along. Even through the year + hiatus. 

My late husband was army when he died. The GI bill passed on to me. 

It’s been a fun build thread. 

 

I’m sorry about your husband. I’m finishing my Master’s now thanks to the GI Bill. 

 

What made you decide to change from teaching to engineering? That’s one hell of a switch. 

[thecoralbeauty]

2 hours ago, sublime1996525 said:

It’s been a fun build thread. 

 

I’m sorry about your husband. I’m finishing my Master’s now thanks to the GI Bill. 

 

What made you decide to change from teaching to engineering? That’s one hell of a switch. 

Thanks!! lots of lessons learned. some not-so-wise choices. 

 

Thank you- its been about 6 years now. I've been in situations where I've gotten an opportunity to help others because of my experience (it was suicide)- I've worked with people who dealt with family members who did that, with students who had siblings or parents do that, etc. It's not like it's the typical way someone passes away, you know? so the grieving process is really different to navigate, there's also a bit of social stigma, and understanding that first hand has helped me be better about- at very least- knowing what NOT to say or do with people that I'm trying to help. 

 

 I actually went from teaching to counseling after i got my masters, and now i'm using the remaining 3 years to go back and get another BS. I chose petroleum because firstly, biggest bang for my buck if you look at starting salaries- and i'm specifically interested in reservoir engineering (horizontal drilling, enhanced oil recovery, etc etc). both of my parents are petroleum engineers, so i grew up in the industry and have a decent idea of what i'm getting into. it's more volatile than being a counselor for the state- i have incredible job security now. but my salary is limited, and always will be. also, teaching and counseling, i find myself pretty emotionally exhausted but intellectually a bit bored. lately i've really enjoyed going to calc class after work, it's a different kind of mental workout that I really miss in my current field. 

 

what branch were you? what are you studying? 

[thecoralbeauty]

So, thinking ahead. My stand has started to warp again. This was the replacement stand. I’d love a metal one, and maybe a bit taller.

 

ideas?

[sublime1996525]

15 hours ago, mwhitelock said:

Thanks!! lots of lessons learned. some not-so-wise choices. 

 

Thank you- its been about 6 years now. I've been in situations where I've gotten an opportunity to help others because of my experience (it was suicide)- I've worked with people who dealt with family members who did that, with students who had siblings or parents do that, etc. It's not like it's the typical way someone passes away, you know? so the grieving process is really different to navigate, there's also a bit of social stigma, and understanding that first hand has helped me be better about- at very least- knowing what NOT to say or do with people that I'm trying to help. 

 

 I actually went from teaching to counseling after i got my masters, and now i'm using the remaining 3 years to go back and get another BS. I chose petroleum because firstly, biggest bang for my buck if you look at starting salaries- and i'm specifically interested in reservoir engineering (horizontal drilling, enhanced oil recovery, etc etc). both of my parents are petroleum engineers, so i grew up in the industry and have a decent idea of what i'm getting into. it's more volatile than being a counselor for the state- i have incredible job security now. but my salary is limited, and always will be. also, teaching and counseling, i find myself pretty emotionally exhausted but intellectually a bit bored. lately i've really enjoyed going to calc class after work, it's a different kind of mental workout that I really miss in my current field. 

 

what branch were you? what are you studying? 

I was Navy but served with the Marine Corps my entire time as a Corpsman. I can somewhat relate to your experience. Being medical, I was often the first person my Marines would talk to about mental health issues they were having. Most of the time I could talk them into getting help but there were a few instances when I couldn’t do a thing. It is rough. 

 

It’s a great thing you are able to do. Make your experience a positive thing to help others who are struggling. 

 

I work for the VA and definitely understand the job security piece. I’m working on my MBA in healthcare management. I’ll have to start asking for your help with math since you’re enjoying calc so much. I effing hate math. Love the sciences though. 

 

I was originally pre-med but thought I could actually make more of a difference helping Veterans on the administrative end. Treating one Veteran is great but if I can increase access for all Veterans, I feel I’m making a bigger difference. 

 

I’m actually flying to Denver today for training on the VA Mission Act, I’ve never been to Denver before. I noticed you live in CO, any suggestions on things I should check out? I’ll be there all week. 

[thecoralbeauty]

18 minutes ago, sublime1996525 said:

I was Navy but served with the Marine Corps my entire time as a Corpsman. I can somewhat relate to your experience. Being medical, I was often the first person my Marines would talk to about mental health issues they were having. Most of the time I could talk them into getting help but there were a few instances when I couldn’t do a thing. It is rough. 

 

It’s a great thing you are able to do. Make your experience a positive thing to help others who are struggling. 

 

I work for the VA and definitely understand the job security piece. I’m working on my MBA in healthcare management. I’ll have to start asking for your help with math since you’re enjoying calc so much. I effing hate math. Love the sciences though. 

 

I was originally pre-med but thought I could actually make more of a difference helping Veterans on the administrative end. Treating one Veteran is great but if I can increase access for all Veterans, I feel I’m making a bigger difference. 

 

I’m actually flying to Denver today for training on the VA Mission Act, I’ve never been to Denver before. I noticed you live in CO, any suggestions on things I should check out? I’ll be there all week. 

Oh very cool- we do a lot of work with the VA and my archery club donates to veterans groups quite often.

 

calc is the first math I’ve actually enjoyed. You might surprise yourself and enjoy it too! It’s more creative than math has been in the past, if that makes sense? It feels like you’re playing with puzzles. 

 

hmm. That’s a big question. If you like steak, check out the buckhorn exchange. One of the oldest restaurants in Denver. Not sure what other hobbies or interests you have - the best reef place we have is called aquatic art down on my side of town. (South, highlands ranch area) but is only open Friday and Saturday. 

[sublime1996525]

44 minutes ago, mwhitelock said:

Oh very cool- we do a lot of work with the VA and my archery club donates to veterans groups quite often.

 

calc is the first math I’ve actually enjoyed. You might surprise yourself and enjoy it too! It’s more creative than math has been in the past, if that makes sense? It feels like you’re playing with puzzles. 

 

hmm. That’s a big question. If you like steak, check out the buckhorn exchange. One of the oldest restaurants in Denver. Not sure what other hobbies or interests you have - the best reef place we have is called aquatic art down on my side of town. (South, highlands ranch area) but is only open Friday and Saturday. 

That’s awesome! Sounds like you’re in a good archery club! As a Veteran, thank you for the help 🙂

 

I had to take calc for my undergrad. Didn’t like it lol. I liked it better than trig, stats, and algebra though. 

 

Okay definitely hitting up buckhorn exchange! Now to figure out some other things to do. I enjoy long walks on the beach, endless conversations about nothing, laughing......wait wrong site lol. I would like to see some sights. Any cool trails to hike on that I could do in a couple hours? I live in Salt Lake and there are a lot of hiking trails around here. 

[thecoralbeauty]

1 hour ago, sublime1996525 said:

That’s awesome! Sounds like you’re in a good archery club! As a Veteran, thank you for the help 🙂

 

I had to take calc for my undergrad. Didn’t like it lol. I liked it better than trig, stats, and algebra though. 

 

Okay definitely hitting up buckhorn exchange! Now to figure out some other things to do. I enjoy long walks on the beach, endless conversations about nothing, laughing......wait wrong site lol. I would like to see some sights. Any cool trails to hike on that I could do in a couple hours? I live in Salt Lake and there are a lot of hiking trails around here. 

Google is your friend- I do my hiking when I hunt on the western slope. Golden area is pretty! Nederland is nice too.

[sublime1996525]

Thanks! Sorry I made your thread a travel thread lol. 

[thecoralbeauty]

22 minutes ago, sublime1996525 said:

Thanks! Sorry I made your thread a travel thread lol. 

I mean, it’s  a private aquarium journal. It’s been about mountain lions and archery before too. Definitely not coral and fish all the time haha. Hope you enjoy it here! It’s beautiful today. Happy to help however I can.

 

now. Back to my metal stand search.... do I need to commission a welder?? 

[sublime1996525]

Whew. Now I don’t feel so bad lol. 

 

And yes, you should find a welder. Or use this as a learning experience and learn to weld 😄

[StinkyBunny]

Just now, mwhitelock said:

I mean, it’s  a private aquarium journal. It’s been about mountain lions and archery before too. Definitely not coral and fish all the time haha. Hope you enjoy it here! It’s beautiful today. Happy to help however I can.

 

now. Back to my metal stand search.... do I need to commission a welder?? 

What kind of metal stand are you looking for? You can find older angle iron stands for standard size tanks. Do be forewarned, most are 13" wide, you can find 18" wide, but only 36" long. Other than that, you'll have to have it made for you. We didn't have all these size tanks when I was a kid, lol.

[kimdawg]

13 hours ago, mwhitelock said:

I mean, it’s  a private aquarium journal. It’s been about mountain lions and archery before too. Definitely not coral and fish all the time haha. Hope you enjoy it here! It’s beautiful today. Happy to help however I can.

 

now. Back to my metal stand search.... do I need to commission a welder?? 

Someone on the site is using a big rolling metal tool box for a tank stand.  It looked very sturdy and had lots of drawers for storage.  I don't know if that would be your style but I thought it was a good idea.  The bottom section of some of them is a big open area and could be used for a sump if you have one.

[billygoat]

5 hours ago, kimdawg said:

Someone on the site is using a big rolling metal tool box for a tank stand.  It looked very sturdy and had lots of drawers for storage.  I don't know if that would be your style but I thought it was a good idea.  The bottom section of some of them is a big open area and could be used for a sump if you have one.

Yep that would be @pricewayne, King of the Husky Cart. Definitely a cool idea, but his tank is way smaller. I am not sure I'd want my 50 gallon aquarium on a rolling stand, locking wheels or no! 😆

[thecoralbeauty]

38 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Yep that would be @pricewayne, King of the Husky Cart. Definitely a cool idea, but his tank is way smaller. I am not sure I'd want my 50 gallon aquarium on a rolling stand, locking wheels or no! 😆

 

6 hours ago, kimdawg said:

Someone on the site is using a big rolling metal tool box for a tank stand.  It looked very sturdy and had lots of drawers for storage.  I don't know if that would be your style but I thought it was a good idea.  The bottom section of some of them is a big open area and could be used for a sump if you have one.

 

Thank you both for the recommendation! I like the idea and want to check it out-  but yea, it also has to do with the tank size. I've seen some options just browsing google but nothing built for a cube. Honestly, at this point I think even building my own cabinet from 2x4's would probably be more steady. This is the first large and sumped tank i've had, so i have nothing to compare to, but the cabinet has been pretty underwhelming since i've already had to replace it for warping once before.