Madcat's Fluval Evo 13.5 - new shrimpy

[Nomoreammo]

Media basket looks great. Much more fulfilling than spending $45 on a single media basket haha.

 

For my next attempt, I am going to use aquarium sealant and polycarbonate and/or acrylic sheet.

[Lula_Mae]

3 hours ago, Nomoreammo said:

Media basket looks great. Much more fulfilling than spending $45 on a single media basket haha.

 

For my next attempt, I am going to use aquarium sealant and polycarbonate and/or acrylic sheet.

I think that's basically how StevieT (of InTank baskets) got started lol.

[Madcat]

6 hours ago, Nomoreammo said:

Media basket looks great. Much more fulfilling than spending $45 on a single media basket haha.

 

For my next attempt, I am going to use aquarium sealant and polycarbonate and/or acrylic sheet.

Thanks! I know what you mean, the InTank baskets look fantastic but in CAD I'd be spending something around $70. I'm really happy with how this basket turned out, especially since I'm not a handy person at all.

 

Things I'm worried about tonight:

 

The biggest clove polyp hasn't opened up all day and I can't remember if it opened yesterday either.  The second biggest was closed for most of the day but opened up earlier and looks okay.

 

 

This a-hole just straight up rolled right over my zoas after I fed them. Will this hurt them?

 

 

And finally... what the hell is that?!

 

 

(It's coming from the snail, and I know what it LOOKS like, that's for sure...)

[fishfreak0114]

I don't think the snail will hurt the zoas.

 

As for the last pic, umm......double snoot? IDK

[haleschristine]

My snails and hermit crabs zoom over my zoas constantly. The zoas will close up when they get bothered but should open back up once the other critters leave them alone.

[Nomoreammo]

16 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

I think that's basically how StevieT (of InTank baskets) got started lol.

InTank stuff is great for sure. There's been a couple times where I've built DIY baskets, looked at the finished product and wanted to kick myself and just go online to order one instead LOL.

[Madcat]

2 hours ago, haleschristine said:

My snails and hermit crabs zoom over my zoas constantly. The zoas will close up when they get bothered but should open back up once the other critters leave them alone.

Phew, thanks.

 

13 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I don't think the snail will hurt the zoas.

 

As for the last pic, umm......double snoot? IDK

I don't think it's a snoot. :'|

[TinyOcean]

Bahaha a hole snail!

[Madcat]

The big clove polyp looks fine today! One day I won't worry about EVERY little thing that happens in my tank... but today is not that day.

 

So Jeff is a doofus. He won't even look at flakes or pellets. Seems like he'll only eat seaweed, and not even that much - just little nips. He's in good body condition, and still pretty new to the tank, so I'm not too worried right now, but I hope he starts eating for me soon.

 

Also, Edouard has been sitting in the same place (dark corner on the live rock) for a few days now. Hope he's just molting.

 

SPEAKING OF WHICH. When I was moving my rocks around last weekend, I found a hermie molt! Whaaat! I've never seen either of them sit still long enough to molt before (except Edouard the first couple days). So I pulled it out of the tank (using tweezers, because it was mostly hidden and I wasn't sure if it was a critter or not), and just as I pulled it out of the water, it slipped out of the tweezers, landed right in the powerhead, and blasted hermie confetti across my entire tank.  I hope the snails enjoyed.

[Madcat]

My coworker went on vacation, but she returned this week and brought me CORALS! A little torch and a trumpet! They had to sit in a bag for awhile till I finished work so they were pretty grumpy, but the trumpet is starting to think about opening up. And the torch...

 

 

Claudette! You're so cute.

 

I ordered a clownfish from a vendor in the area who deals with Alpha Aquaculture. I asked for a snowflake - nice wavy middle stripe with black edging. He arrived today, and he's perfect!

 

 

Tomorrow I'm gonna drive out and pick him up! I hope Jeff is ready for a brother!

[TinyOcean]

Love the patterns on that clown! Can't wait to see pics of all the new arrivals!

[Lula_Mae]

Gorgeous clown!  And what a nice coworker!

[Madcat]

My clove polyps are still growing, and have sprouted another little head (that's 5 now, I started with 3 little ones) and are thinking about growing another one. But the big heads keep closing up when they used to be happy as clams in the light. I have a sneaking suspicion that the problem is Jeff, whose favourite spot is right next to them. I may have to relocate the frag. Fortunately, I never got around to gluing it down. We'll see.

 

I swear my zoas are GROWING. No new heads, but everyone just looks fatter and bigger! Now two of them have the green centers. They're really pretty, so I'm hoping that's not a sign of something bad or anything, heh.

 

 

I think this might be as much as my new trumpet wants to open. My coworker warned me that it's been neglected and needs a lot of TLC. I was like, "I'll love it!! I promise!"

 

 

Maybe some frozen mysis will cheer it up. I picked some up today. I, ahem, may have visited Canada Corals... they got a pretty batch of things this week so I had already been planning on going before I got my two new gift corals. I couldn't not go! You guys understand.

 

This acan is feeling much abused at the moment. But it's BRIGHT red and will really add some colour to the tank, I think. If it grows.

 

 

And this is a purple tree leather that is not quite a Kenya leather, but is listed on their website as Capnella sp. I want some HEIGHT in the tank and would desperately love a purple plume gorg or something, so when I saw this little guy for cheap I figured he was the next best thing! Please grow big!

 

 

I looked away for two seconds to grab my phone, turned around and found Jeff snuggling with it. What's wrong with you?! Stop cuddling my corals!

 

I think (barring the two frags yesterday, which just required a quick dip) this was my smoothest coral introduction yet. I'm getting better and better. I also was able to remove both frag plugs. I love my stuff from Canada Corals, but holy heck, they come with a lot of critters. So it was the dip, lots of turkey basting, removing the plugs, then more turkey basting and toothbrushing. Everything went well and I'm pretty hopeful they'll adjust quickly!

 

Side note, I LOVE how my macro looks, but it's growing like fury. I think I'm gonna keep an eye out for some other slower-growing macro and trade this one in. Pruning it every few days is no fun.

[fishfreak0114]

I was looking at that capnella the other day!  Very nice looking, and dark, I was wondering if in person it would be lighter and more pinkish because who knows what lighting they take those pics under!  Fast growing macroalgae can be great nutrient export, but I see how it could be a pin to prune so often.  Too bad you don't live closer, I'd take it off your hands hehe.

[Madcat]

5 minutes ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I was looking at that capnella the other day!  Very nice looking, and dark, I was wondering if in person it would be lighter and more pinkish because who knows what lighting they take those pics under!  Fast growing macroalgae can be great nutrient export, but I see how it could be a pin to prune so often.  Too bad you don't live closer, I'd take it off your hands hehe.

Yeah, I've never liked the pinky look of Kenya trees, but it's nice and dark in person!

 

I just checked on it (I added the corals a couple hours ago) and it's looking sad and floppy.  I'm worried Jeff was cuddling with it, that or it's pissed off because I forgot to turn off the tank lights after taking pics. The acan has opened right up and is nice and red, but my beautiful leather looks droopy. I have the lights off now so maybe it'll cheer up...

 

ETA: What if it's broken somehow? Will it heal? I dropped one of the bags when I got home. D:

[fishfreak0114]

Well soft corals don't have a skeleton, so don't worry about it being broken.  It'll take a little while to perk up, leathers can be touchy that way.  I'd give it  a few days to return to its former glory.  Some of my leathers get all droopy if I brush up against them, or when they shed, but they always go back to normal after a while.

[Lugmos12]

My kenya tree is very sensitive to touch. It took 2 days for it to open up fully when I introduced it to the tank. 

[TinyOcean]

8 minutes ago, Madcat said:

Yeah, I've never liked the pinky look of Kenya trees, but it's nice and dark in person!

 

I just checked on it (I added the corals a couple hours ago) and it's looking sad and floppy.  I'm worried Jeff was cuddling with it, that or it's pissed off because I forgot to turn off the tank lights after taking pics. The acan has opened right up and is nice and red, but my beautiful leather looks droopy. I have the lights off now so maybe it'll cheer up...

Give it a day or two to perk up. It takes my Kenyas hours to open fully after lights up.

[Madcat]

Phew! Thanks guys. I feel like that's the kind of thing research won't tell you!

[Madcat]

My leather perked up! But... my beautiful purple tree.... 

 

 

Damn you, Canada Corals! This is the second time you've tricked me into buying a poop brown coral. ><

 

Anyway - YOU GUYS. My baby is here. And I know literally everyone with a salt tank has a clownfish or two, but. You guys. I am pretty sure mine is the cutest. Look at him.

 

 

He is. SO CUTE. And so little. The other snowflakes in the shipment were a little bigger, and I was really tempted by one who had a spot in his stripe on each side. I really liked those spots. But his stripe was wider and not as wavy, and the black edging wasn't so nice, and I mean. LOOK HOW CUTE.

 

He's all acclimated and zipping around! Jeff is staring at him like a creep.

 

 

Be nice, Jeff! Don't creep on the baby.

 

[fishfreak0114]

He's so cute!  Love Jeff's head poking out

[Lula_Mae]

Yes, give the new corals a few days to adjust and stop being mad about being moved lol. The new guy is adorable and beautiful! 

[Madcat]

I think Edouard might be gone.  I finally moved him out of the back corner. He doesn't SMELL dead, but he's receded in the shell and not moving. No sign of a molt anywhere. I've left him in the open to see if he moves at all. I haven't seen the kinky-snoot snail in a few days either. My nitrates are low, my ammonia and nitrite are zero. I dunno. I'm pretty bummed about Edouard, I really like my hermies.

 

Kind of bummed about the leather tree too. I mean, this is the picture on the website (and how it looked at the store): 

 

And here's mine:

 

Which is pretty much exactly what I DIDN'T want in a leather tree. Grumble. What would account for that? Just lighting? Is there any way to make it pretty and purple again?

 

My baby clown is HYPER! He is all over the place. I tried feeding him some tiny baby pellets (from the seller) and got him to eat maybe one. The others he bit at but didn't seem to eat.

 

I put seaweed in for Jeff (since he disappeared during feeding time) and he hasn't touched it. I would be really happy if Jeff started eating normally. Tomorrow maybe I'll try offering both fish some mysis.

 

All the corals got fed. I think the trumpet ate? My coworker wasn't wrong, it's a neglected little scrawny thing. The flesh is still bright green so I don't think it's dead or anything. I'll be really happy if I can bring it around! Maybe it's time to start looking at supplements.

[TinyOcean]

Give the baby some time to settle in before you worry about his eating. The leather could be lighting or just how the light is hitting it if that makes sense? Some of my Kenya look pink while others brown but it's just their placement in regards to the light as they are all actually pink. I forget what you have for lighting. Is it controllable? Turning up blues might help.

[Madcat]

6 minutes ago, TinyOcean said:

Give the baby some time to settle in before you worry about his eating. The leather could be lighting or just how the light is hitting it if that makes sense? Some of my Kenya look pink while others brown but it's just their placement in regards to the light as they are all actually pink. I forget what you have for lighting. Is it controllable? Turning up blues might help.

It's the stock lighting. I do plan on upgrading eventually. Maybe for Christmas? Sigh.

 

Edouard lives! He's rolled himself over (unless Jeff knocked him over) and there's hermie body parts all over the sand under his rock. Looks like he's making seafood salad.