Snow's Bridge of Flowers

[FlowerMama]

Glad to hear you have a workable arm, but darn it if it doesn't seem like you take a step forward and you get another back. I'm glad they were at least able to take care of it right away for you. I've not had luck w/ the dusters myself, yours look good!

[Snow_Phoenix]

Glad to hear you have a workable arm, but darn it if it doesn't seem like you take a step forward and you get another back. I'm glad they were at least able to take care of it right away for you. I've not had luck w/ the dusters myself, yours look good!

 

Yeah, it seems like my health keeps fluctuating for some odd reason. My surgeon recommends I see the endocrinologist ASAP but he is currently four states away, giving lectures to fresh medical students at my old alma mater. He will only be back late next month, so I'll have to put up with my body's shenanigans a little while longer.

 

I'm happy that it was sorted out immediately too.

 

And I never had long-term luck with dusters either - but these little two ones in the nano and the two big ones in the QT are flourishing. I keep basting them with crab roe every other day ever since I ran out of Reef-Roids, and I think they like the roe better. How are your tanks so far? How's your dad - any improvements? And how's the gallbladder stones? I'm still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

[FlowerMama]

Oh, yes, went to see the surgical group today. Dr is very nice, wonderful bed side manner. He told me my gall bladder was full of gall stones. I asked what's his estimate for how long I've had them. TEN YEARS!!! Wow. SO luckily they have an opening at the hospital, this Thursday, they'll still do it outpatient with a hole through my belly button and 3 on my torso and remove my gall bladder laproscopically (I can't spell) . I've never had kids but now that I've been incubating something for 10 yrs I've kinda grown an attachment to the little boogers so I'm going to tell to please rinse them off and put them in a specimen jar for me to take home. I'm rather curious to see what's been hiding out that long, and all I had to speak for it was some nausea the last 2 yrs but I couldn't pin it down to what and of course my boss was probably thinking I was feigning but I had enough of it that I had verbal and written warnings.

 

He did look at me and say, Oh, you were in the hospital 12/29, why didn't they take it out then??? I said I don't know, I was hoping they would. Now it'll cost more. I was just there! My father is slowly progressing, he has speech therapy twice a week, some occupation and physical therapy, but he's actually somehow in good spirits, I don't know what's changed.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Guys, guys, guys! I was taking Uber back home from the hospital and guess what? My Uber driver turned out to be a marine aquaculturist and researcher! He used to culture and breed seahorses, grow clams (T. gigas) and much more. OMG, I nearly died in the car. Was the best ride home of my life.

#MeSoJelly

 

I invited him to join my local fishkeeping group - hopefully he accepts. He's such a treasure trove of knowledge.

 

 

Oh, yes, went to see the surgical group today. Dr is very nice, wonderful bed side manner. He told me my gall bladder was full of gall stones. I asked what's his estimate for how long I've had them. TEN YEARS!!! Wow. SO luckily they have an opening at the hospital, this Thursday, they'll still do it outpatient with a hole through my belly button and 3 on my torso and remove my gall bladder laproscopically (I can't spell) . I've never had kids but now that I've been incubating something for 10 yrs I've kinda grown an attachment to the little boogers so I'm going to tell to please rinse them off and put them in a specimen jar for me to take home. I'm rather curious to see what's been hiding out that long, and all I had to speak for it was some nausea the last 2 yrs but I couldn't pin it down to what and of course my boss was probably thinking I was feigning but I had enough of it that I had verbal and written warnings.

 

He did look at me and say, Oh, you were in the hospital 12/29, why didn't they take it out then??? I said I don't know, I was hoping they would. Now it'll cost more. I was just there! My father is slowly progressing, he has speech therapy twice a week, some occupation and physical therapy, but he's actually somehow in good spirits, I don't know what's changed.

 

 

Aiyee - 10 years is a very, very long time! Did you have any noticeable symptoms over the past 10 years though? It is a bit strange that it went undetected for so long. And I think it's very mean for a person/boss to think you're faking an illness, especially when you have a legit condition with documented proof. Some bosses can be incorrigible sometimes.

 

My best wishes for your future surgery - that it will proceed smoothly and all those pesky stones would be removed.

 

Good to know your dad is on the mend too.

[FlowerMama]

That's the thing, nausea is a symptom and I did have that. Gassiness in the stomach area- yes, I attributed that to always eating while slouched on a couch and not upright to help my digestive system like being seated at a table. But other than that just a pain once or twice like someone was pulling a guitar string or rubber band, letting go & letting it slap you hard. So, it's odd really to me.

 

That sounds like an awesome drive home- that doesn't happen every day. It's nice they know you appreciate who they are/what they do.

[Snow_Phoenix]

That's the thing, nausea is a symptom and I did have that. Gassiness in the stomach area- yes, I attributed that to always eating while slouched on a couch and not upright to help my digestive system like being seated at a table. But other than that just a pain once or twice like someone was pulling a guitar string or rubber band, letting go & letting it slap you hard. So, it's odd really to me.

 

That sounds like an awesome drive home- that doesn't happen every day. It's nice they know you appreciate who they are/what they do.

 

Ouch - still, it's good that you managed to catch it now before it caused a major blockage (which can be fatal). And most illnesses are silent for many years - I went by 25 years before being diagnosed for my brain lesion, which was allegedly congenital (something I was born with). The scarring went undetected for so long, and only started wreaking havoc in my mid-twenties. Some of these illnesses are definitely baffling.

 

Yes, it was. He was sharing a lot of tips on how to culture seahorses - and keep clams. It definitely was an interesting conversation.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Today morning, I cleared the nano tank free of old LS and detritus, did a 90% WC, switched out the Chaeto, scrubbed the skimmer/wavemaker and replaced the floss. I replaced the sand with new jewel black sand (I've used this sand before for my mantis Freya's tank with no ill-results) and did a full tank-transfer.

 

The two animals that didn't make it during my QT period was the Bicolor hammer (possible BJD - it melted away for no reason over two days) and the White Spotted Nem Shrimp (which was AWOL last week, presumably dead and eaten). I only suffered one casualty during the move - one of my mini dusters split and dropped its crown because I accidently pinched it too hard while trying to place it in the nano. I think it might still regrow and survive.

 

Also, before we venture deeper - I need to fess up about something. I've had a second fish for 2.5 weeks now in the QT. I kept quiet about him because he's slightly deformed (dorsal fin is bifurcated and sort of has an overgrowth pointing in the opposite direction) and I wasn't sure if I would have any luck with him.

 

He's a Psychedelic Mandy named Greenberg. He's thick, but his lateral lines are still showing - he only eats frozen roe, very tiny BBS and pods. Nothing else works, but it's been only 2 weeks. He came from an algae infested tank that had 2 scooters, 1 green mandy and 2 spotted mandys. The algae was so thick on the glass that no one in the shop was even aware there were fish in the tank, and as a result all dragonets were not fed anything for over a month. The scooters were quite thin, but the mandys were average in thickness. I decided to take a chance - anyhow, I'm stocked and the Clarkii (I named her Charlotte) is doing well.

 

Here's some pics (sorry about the lighting):

 

1. My rock is such that there is very little manner in the ways of scaping the tank:

 

 

2. In the end, it was safer to stack one rock on top of the other in a sort-of 'shelf'-like formation:

 

 

3. Finally moved the very few pieces of coral frags in. GSP, toadstool, softie finger, mushroom, Palys, war coral, duster worms etc.

 

 

4. Finally moved all the livestock in after some temp. acclimation. The mesh grid on top of the tank was replaced with a larger grid piece after this photo was taken.

 

 

5. My crab immediately found a cozy spot to hang out in.

 

 

6. Greenberg. (Note the slight oddity with the dorsal fin)

 

 

7. Greenberg's new chillout spot. Also new feeding grounds - I now baste the surface of the ledge with roe so that he has time to eat/forage as much as he wants. I distract my Clarkii using pellets at the opposite side of the tank during this time, so that the mandarin has a chance to eat peacefully.

 

 

8. Greenberg when I first got him on 11/1/2017.

 

 

9. Also, the mystery nem that hitchiked on my LR and survived the cycle, is a lot larger than I pictured. It's easily 1.5"+ once fully expanded.

 

 

The bioload will be pretty high since both fish poop a lot. I won't be adding any more fish, but will beef up my CUC with some hermits, nass snails and perhaps a few other ornamental inverts like a fire shrimp etc.

 

Also, my father has agreed to add an additional electrical outlet in my pet/art room so I will finally be able to upgrade my Discus tank, and keep the older 30G high under it. I will most likely use the 30G as either a marine FOWLR or snakehead species tank - depending on whether the future custom-made stand I order can withstand the weight of two aquariums. Otherwise I'll just stick to the FW upgrade.

 

I understand my Clarkii will eventually outgrow my nano, but I'm hoping by then the upgrade plans work and the 30G will be free. I'm sure she'll appreciate the wider room to wander in.

[FlowerMama]

Hey it looks healthy, doesn't look malnourished, it's pretty!

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hey it looks healthy, doesn't look malnourished, it's pretty!

 

Thanks Flower! Let's hope he stays that way for a long time to come.

[Snow_Phoenix]

So today I noticed all my corals were closed up since morning. I didn't think much of it until I decided to turn off the pumps for the regular evening feeding, and only then I realized my main stock pump has failed completely - which means virtually nil water was being circulated/filtered through the sump although both the skimmer and wavemaker worked perfectly fine.

 

Thankfully the fan is providing some good surface aeration too, so I'm keeping it on until I can get a replacement pump. All the shops will be closing for Chinese New Year around mid-time tomorrow for a week, so I'm desperately hoping I can get a tiny pump somehow. Otherwise I might shift the HOB filter from the QT over to the nano as an extra source of filtration for the time being.

 

Tsk tsk. What an evening.

[GunslingerGirl]

Oh no! Hopefully everything makes it. You could make a drip to further agitate the surface. Idk how much it would help though.

 

I'm getting hot pot for new year. I'm excited! I need to make my envelopes......

[RIP Sebastian]

#GreenburgGotRolls

[Snow_Phoenix]

Oh no! Hopefully everything makes it. You could make a drip to further agitate the surface. Idk how much it would help though.

 

I'm getting hot pot for new year. I'm excited! I need to make my envelopes......

 

Hi - when you mention a 'drip' - do you mean something like a gravity-fed ATO mechanism? Currently I'm switching on the fan full-speed to agitate the surface, and maxing out the wavemaker to aerate the water itself. So far only the corals are mooching - I've turned off the lights for the night though.

 

Wow, congrats! Be sure to stick up a pic once you put it to good use.

 

#GreenburgGotRolls

 

[GunslingerGirl]

Hi - when you mention a 'drip' - do you mean something like a gravity-fed ATO mechanism? Currently I'm switching on the fan full-speed to agitate the surface, and maxing out the wavemaker to aerate the water itself. So far only the corals are mooching - I've turned off the lights for the night though.

 

Wow, congrats! Be sure to stick up a pic once you put it to good use.

 

 

 

Derp totally missed the fan bit.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Well, I encountered an even bigger problem yesterday - after purchasing a new stock pump, I realized it was a completely different size than the older one and therefore would not fit into the intake pipe at all. To make matters worse, all LFS are closed until 6/2/2017.

 

And while I was struggling to detach the plumbing, there was a lot of debri in the sump that was kicked up into the display. Come this morning, nearly all my inverts are dead/dying due to the nitrate spike (it's maxed out according to my color chart using Salifert) from the dead and ancient remnants of older chaeto on the sandbed, and my corals are closed. Both my fish are mercifully alive.

 

I've decided to shift them back to the 5G until I can sort this out. There's dead Chaeto everywhere that it's not even funny. Thanks to my mother's relatives who came over and constantly invited my family out for supper/tea, I didn't have time to siphon out the dead Chaeto. But I'm hoping I will on Monday. I have to.

 

Geez, even the hitchiker crabs have died, and that was unnerving.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I took a chance and pulled everyone out of the DT and hurried them back to the QT. This was because I saw 2 of my duster worms casting off their crowns - which is a very, very bad sign. Both the turban snails and one cowrie snail didn't make it. Everyone is still alive but barely. Only the fish were surprisingly vibrant and healthy. The silly nem crab kept playing hide-and-seek during the move, and I couldn't catch him. He's now taunting me by hanging midway out of a crevice in the LR.

 

A family member suggested I leave everyone in the QT permanently since they were thriving there. I'm starting to think they were correct.

 

You know something? I'm pissed. I'm so pissed at myself, at the whole situation, and even at the stupid crab that refuses to go back at the QT.

 

I've spent a lot of time and effort in this tank, and always something effs up in the middle or goes kaput, and the whole system goes to hell.

 

Go for vacation = ATO fails = Livestock dies = system dies.

 

Admitted to hospital = Livestock dies = system dies.

 

Come out of hospital = fresh cycle = cycle ends = sand replaced = TT done = pump fails = system dies.

 

It. Never. Ends.

 

I have half a mind of returning the LR to the store, and turning the whole nano into a suitable FW tank exclusive for my lone bamboo shrimp. Lord knows it would be easier to manage. And I think my Clarkii and mandy would be happier in the 5G, where I can spot-feed them with no hassle. Heck, even my corals were encrusting onto the tank - I had difficulty actually detaching my War coral from the base of the plastic aquarium because it decided to grow there.

 

So I need an honest opinion. Should I just leave everyone in the 5G permanently, or should I make one last, miserable attempt at the nano before calling the quits?

[gena]

I'm very behind on your thread. Do you still have your discus? My LFS recently set up a giant tank dedicated to them and I just stare and wish I could have some. They are stunning!

[Snow_Phoenix]

I'm very behind on your thread. Do you still have your discus? My LFS recently set up a giant tank dedicated to them and I just stare and wish I could have some. They are stunning!

 

Hi Gena! Long time no see - Oh yes, I do have my Discus. I recently purchased two new ones - pics of them are on page 10. I'm thinking of upgrading the Discus tank to a 55G or 67G high in a few months. My eels are slowly outgrowing the tank and need more space to swim.

 

And they're amazing fish.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I updated my tank issues in this thread:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/379612-cycle-again/

 

I have lost my last cowrie snail, both small duster worms and my Saron shrimp to date. My Mandarin is a bit stressed out in the QT but my clownfish is unperturbed. My nem crab is alright as well. I'm down to three/four tiny coral frags, which have not opened for over three days now. I'm hoping they will bounce back in the QT - I've already done a major WC in this tank.

 

I'll be cleaning out the DT this evening, barring nothing else pops up in my routine. There are a lot of dead worms and hitchiker crabs littering the sandbed today - will need to use some tweezers to get them all out first before I can siphon out the debri and re-rinse the sand.

 

This was definitely a blow, but I'd like to thank Brandon429, Clown79, Sailfish and Muraki for their helpful comments/responses. I'll be re-setting the tank of sorts, and see how it goes.

[gena]

Hi Gena! Long time no see - Oh yes, I do have my Discus. I recently purchased two new ones - pics of them are on page 10. I'm thinking of upgrading the Discus tank to a 55G or 67G high in a few months. My eels are slowly outgrowing the tank and need more space to swim.

 

And they're amazing fish.

Yes, it has been a while. I just checked out your new discus . I had a conversation with the guy at my LFS about the care. They are so much work. I admire your dedication to them. He was saying they are probably more demanding than a reef tank!

Here's a picture of the tank I was talking about at my LFS!!!! I could stare at them all day lol.

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Yes, it has been a while. I just checked out your new discus . I had a conversation with the guy at my LFS about the care. They are so much work. I admire your dedication to them. He was saying they are probably more demanding than a reef tank!

Here's a picture of the tank I was talking about at my LFS!!!! I could stare at them all day lol.

 

 

Oh wow! That's a wonderful assortment of Discus in that pic! I would definitely love to keep a nice 8' ft Discus tank someday - once I get my own home, that is. I don't think my parents would allow me to keep any tanks above 2.5' ft in length lol.

 

And yes, their care can be demanding. Problem with discus is that they stress out very, very easily. Even right now, I had to isolate my lead turqoise snakeskin because he decided to lord over the tank and peck anyone and everything in the aquarium. His actions caused my smallest discus to exhibit stress bars and turn black at the fins, which is a really bad sign. I separated the bully, and now the rest of the fish seem more happy.

 

Also, if you're looking into keeping Discus in the future, be sure to buy them from a reputable vendor - don't get skinny/malnourished ones or ones which have extremely dark pigmentation in the fins/body - this means they're already stressed and most likely sick with internal parasites. Be picky. It would save you a lot of heartache.

 

And you can buy them as babies/juvis and rear them - it's more fun and they'll truly bond with you.

[gena]

Oh wow! That's a wonderful assortment of Discus in that pic! I would definitely love to keep a nice 8' ft Discus tank someday - once I get my own home, that is. I don't think my parents would allow me to keep any tanks above 2.5' ft in length lol.

 

And yes, their care can be demanding. Problem with discus is that they stress out very, very easily. Even right now, I had to isolate my lead turqoise snakeskin because he decided to lord over the tank and peck anyone and everything in the aquarium. His actions caused my smallest discus to exhibit stress bars and turn black at the fins, which is a really bad sign. I separated the bully, and now the rest of the fish seem more happy.

 

Also, if you're looking into keeping Discus in the future, be sure to buy them from a reputable vendor - don't get skinny/malnourished ones or ones which have extremely dark pigmentation in the fins/body - this means they're already stressed and most likely sick with internal parasites. Be picky. It would save you a lot of heartache.

 

And you can buy them as babies/juvis and rear them - it's more fun and they'll truly bond with you.

The bonding sounds amazing. I would love to experience that with my fish . Maybe someday. I definitely don't have the room right now. I still dream of my sunroom with a big planted tank with discus.

[Snow_Phoenix]

The bonding sounds amazing. I would love to experience that with my fish . Maybe someday. I definitely don't have the room right now. I still dream of my sunroom with a big planted tank with discus.

 

I hope your dream comes true then. And when it does, don't forget to share a pic of the new discus tank with all of us.

[gena]

I hope your dream comes true then. And when it does, don't forget to share a pic of the new discus tank with all of us.

I will definitely share .

[Snow_Phoenix]

The tank is in a pretty poor state atm. Over the last two days, I've fished out easily a dozen hitchikers including several partially dismembered Eunicid worms, crabs, clams and chitons. Today I spotted another two Eunicid worms - with their lower halves missing - writhing on the gravel. My live rock, is apparently riddled with pests, even after being dipped.

 

It doesn't help that I'm now sick with a terrible bout of flu/sore throat and my immune system is taking a real beating.

 

I've sat down and given it a lot of thought. Finances at the moment isn't an issue, but I need to look after my personal needs first before I can look after a demanding reef system.

 

So I've decided to take another break from reefing - to give my body a chance to heal fully first, no matter how long that might take. I won't throw out the equipment - I'll just move it back into storage, and I'll try to see if I can find someone to take my livestock off my hands. I'm tempted to keep my clownfish and crab alone though, since they're quite content in my QT. My mandarin will be passed along to someone else for the time being - I feel bad keeping him even though he's still chubby and pigging out on frozen roe. Right now, I truly can't keep up with his demands since my health isn't stable - I predict a few more unsavory visits to the hospital is in order.

 

A stable FW tank can survive several weeks with minimal care, but I think everyone on this site knows the entire long line of disasters waiting to happen if they leave their reef unattended even for three days. I can't risk it - it'll be unfair on my animals, and it'll be unfair on me as well.

 

As soon as my LFS opens after the CNY break, I'll be giving off my corals (FOC if needed be) and the mandy. I'll clean up the 10G and set up a low-tech planted tank, which will feature some very cheap, simple fish - I'm not too fussy of tossing in show guppies in there.

 

Really sorry to everyone who's been following along - but I'm really not feeling well. Everything is derailing in RL and the added stress of it is making things worse. So I need to re-orientate myself and re-sort out my priorities. Focus on one thing at a time: heal, rest, relax, and then reef (again).