Madcat's Fluval Evo 13.5 - new shrimpy

[fishfreak0114]

What's in the bag on the left? 

 

If I were you, I'd use bone cutters to break off most of the plug, and then brush the remaining non-coral covered parts of the plug with a toothbrush.  Do your normal dip, rinse in sw, take out and use a syringe or a q-tip apply peroxide around the coral (zoas?), and all over the plug.  Let it sit for a couple minutes, rinse in sw and place in the tank.  I like to take an aggressive approach when it comes to my frags.

[WV Reefer]

Everything is looking so good. I'm glad things are going well.    

 

.....And that shoplifting story is hilarious.  It's amazing the things people steal. 

[Madcat]

45 minutes ago, fishfreak0114 said:

What's in the bag on the left? 

 

If I were you, I'd use bone cutters to break off most of the plug, and then brush the remaining non-coral covered parts of the plug with a toothbrush.  Do your normal dip, rinse in sw, take out and use a syringe or a q-tip apply peroxide around the coral (zoas?), and all over the plug.  Let it sit for a couple minutes, rinse in sw and place in the tank.  I like to take an aggressive approach when it comes to my frags.

This is good advice and I thank you. I decided to be brave and JUST DO IT... but unfortunately I have no bone cutters, so I took my razor and tried to remove the sliver of rock underneath the polyps. It half worked. I ended up with nothing to brush or peroxide. Tried to glue the polyps to my rock and had a hell of a time. The gel glue just did not want to come out. It ended up being a very hamfisted process and I'm kicking myself for mauling my beautiful frag like that. It's glued down now but we're both pretty traumatized, I think. I really really hope it's okay. Also there's a single polyp rolling around in my tank like a tumbleweed.

 

Other coral is a surprise! I'll take a pic when it opens up. Assuming it does open up, and doesn't also hate me. That zoa transplant really took the wind outta my sails.

[fishfreak0114]

I've definitely had the odd one go like that.  Once in a while I'll come across random zoas floating around and it's like where the hell did that come from?!  In the future, if you're not ready to glue it down in a permanent home, you could always glue the zoa covered rock chip to a clean frag plug

[Madcat]

2 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I've definitely had the odd one go like that.  Once in a while I'll come across random zoas floating around and it's like where the hell did that come from?!  In the future, if you're not ready to glue it down in a permanent home, you could always glue the zoa covered rock chip to a clean frag plug

I SHOULD have done that, but realized while I was driving home that I hadn't thought to buy frag plugs... derp.

 

So that was scary, but I think it may have worked out okay... seems like everyone is thinking about opening up:

 

 

...Including this little eyeball-looking guy...

 

 

And my surprise coral... it's another blasto! It has two baby heads like my other one!

 

 

FTS, featuring Claudette (top left) and Edouard (bottom left)!

 

 

I still haven't taken the big rock out to whittle it down more. Too nervous! I really want some colour in this tank. I went to my usual LFS today, and all their red macro was gone! I'll have to wait for my babies to grow some more.

[Madcat]

You guys!! The zoas are opening up! They're okay!! Now I'm really excited to show you again!

 

TA-DA!

 

 

I went to 5 aquariums stores today (all within a 2 min drive of each other - I parked and walked to 3 of them). Two of the three that were new to me were nothing to write home about. But in the third new-to-me one, though there wasn't much selection, I walked past this frag tank and spotted the chunk of rock with my zoa colony on it. When I looked around for a price, I found "$19.99" written at the other end of the tank. So I called an employee over and said, "This frag here - it's $20?" "Yes." Let me tell you, in every other store I went to today, colonies that size were all marked $40-50 - and none were as beautiful as this! (Eagle Eye, I assume.) I'd have been stupid NOT to buy it.

 

I'm really glad it's okay. I needed to learn how to remove my frags from plugs anyway, and I probably should have picked a frag that would have been easier to handle, but it looks like the zoas have forgiven me, thank goodness. And I've learned some things for next time.

 

The other two stores were my usual go-to (where I grabbed the red blasto) and the one next-door that I check out on occasion. The next-door store has a tailspot blenny that was there when I went in a couple weeks ago, too. He's brown, and I would love a blue and orange one, but I'm starting to think that will probably be difficult to acquire up here. He's surprisingly adorable - I don't love most of the brown ones I see online - and curious, though he darts away whenever I bring my phone up to the tank to take a picture of him, lol. I'm fairly tempted, since he IS one of the fish on my list. But between a tailspot blenny and a citron goby, I'd rather have the goby; and I can't do both if I do decide to have a clown pair. What a pickle. He's such a cute fish. And I finish work early on Saturday... arg.

 

My first clown has been ordered through someone local, btw. I've requested a snowflake with a nice wavy middle stripe with black edging. He's gonna order several and let me have my pick. This felt like a convoluted method of acquiring my fish, but the price he quoted me was almost half what the LFS was asking when I saw snowflakes there in March! So... here's hoping it works out!

 

If anyone here is in the GTA and curious about the stores I went to, they can message me! (Though it seems like everyone already knew about the local "fish strip" but me, lol.)

 

ETA: I have copepods on my glass! Hi, little buddies!

[Lugmos12]

I went to my LFS today and got this rock with TON of zoas on it. They also had a duncan; one medium-ish head, and two smaller one and they wantd 19 for each head so I said no.

[fishfreak0114]

They're pretty!  I love my tailspot so much, so that's where my vote goes

[Madcat]

7 minutes ago, Lugmos12 said:

I went to my LFS today and got this rock with TON of zoas on it. They also had a duncan; one medium-ish head, and two smaller one and they wantd 19 for each head so I said no.

Ooh, post pics! $19 for each head is outrageous - my LFS has a bunch of Duncans and wants $7-8 per head, though they do have quite a few heads on them so it would work out to a lot.

 

Just now, fishfreak0114 said:

They're pretty!  I love my tailspot so much, so that's where my vote goes

He's soooo cute! If he was blue and orange I would take him in a heartbeat! I don't think I'll ever see one of those up here though

[fishfreak0114]

Blue and orange.  Bicolor?  I see those sometimes.

[Madcat]

2 minutes ago, fishfreak0114 said:

Blue and orange.  Bicolor?  I see those sometimes.

Like this guy:

 

 

I want one so bad.

[fishfreak0114]

Oh wow, I've never seen one like that!  I see why you want one...

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, Madcat said:

Like this guy:

 

 

I want one so bad.

Wow that is gorgeous!  I've never seen one like that either.

[Madcat]

I guess they're not as common as Google Images would have me believe. :'(

[TinyOcean]

Your new corals are awesome! I love that red and green blastos. 

[ninjamyst]

That photo looks enhanced.  I have never seen a tailspot with that bright color before...

[Lula_Mae]

Honestly, if I were you, if that TSB at the store is healthy and eating well, I'd probably bring him home.  Rare coloration can be hard to find (or rarer fish--like the pink streaked wrasse I tried to get a month or so ago that UPS killed) so sometimes you have to take what you can get lol.  There's actually corals I've wanted for years that I have never gotten yet because I've either never seen them for sale, or couldn't afford them when I did (like pastel pink candy canes!).  From what I hear, a TSB is a great fish no matter the coloration.

[Madcat]

4 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Honestly, if I were you, if that TSB at the store is healthy and eating well, I'd probably bring him home.  Rare coloration can be hard to find (or rarer fish--like the pink streaked wrasse I tried to get a month or so ago that UPS killed) so sometimes you have to take what you can get lol.  There's actually corals I've wanted for years that I have never gotten yet because I've either never seen them for sale, or couldn't afford them when I did (like pastel pink candy canes!).  From what I hear, a TSB is a great fish no matter the coloration.

Yeah - he's been at that store for over two weeks and looks in good shape, so he must be eating well. I think tomorrow or Sunday I'll go back for a visit...

 

10 hours ago, ninjamyst said:

That photo looks enhanced.  I have never seen a tailspot with that bright color before...

If you do a Google Images search for "tailspot blenny", almost half of the results look like that. It's why I figured they weren't that rare...

 

You guuuyyyyss!!

 

 

New blasto decided to stop looking constipated and start enjoying life! Happy blastos!

 

 

My little lone polyp is in there too. What's gonna happen to him? Will he attach himself to something? Or just keep rolling around?

[Madcat]

I ordered a new pump last night. Got tired of this lackluster stock pump. MJ900 should be more up to the challenge (I hope). It was the most affordable and had the best reviews.

 

All the corals look happy, except the brown paly which never looks entirely happy. Usually one of its four heads will be sulking at any given time. I don't care if it doesn't like me since I don't like it that much either. lol

 

Totally hypothetical question... any recommendations on tailspot blenny food? "Formula Two flakes" seems to be the general consensus online, but I can't find those (Canada).

[fishfreak0114]

Mine eats anything.  I feed Omega one flakes plus garlic most days, but he also eats frozen PE mysis, Sanfrancisco Bay mussel, squid, and angel blend.  Nori as well, though I just let him graze because I have more than enough film algae

[Madcat]

2 minutes ago, fishfreak0114 said:

Mine eats anything.  I feed Omega one flakes plus garlic most days, but he also eats frozen PE mysis, Sanfrancisco Bay mussel, squid, and angel blend.  Nori as well, though I just let him graze because I have more than enough film algae

I can get Omega One flakes! I shouldn't give him something more herbivore-specific? Hypothetically.

[ninjamyst]

19 minutes ago, Madcat said:

I ordered a new pump last night. Got tired of this lackluster stock pump. MJ900 should be more up to the challenge (I hope). It was the most affordable and had the best reviews.

 

All the corals look happy, except the brown paly which never looks entirely happy. Usually one of its four heads will be sulking at any given time. I don't care if it doesn't like me since I don't like it that much either. lol

 

Totally hypothetical question... any recommendations on tailspot blenny food? "Formula Two flakes" seems to be the general consensus online, but I can't find those (Canada).

I use the MJ1200 in mine.  Barely fits but lots more flow.

[fishfreak0114]

20 minutes ago, Madcat said:

I can get Omega One flakes! I shouldn't give him something more herbivore-specific? Hypothetically.

You could, but mine has been alright for almost a year without any herbivore-specific food.  Nori would be good if you don't have plentiful algae for one to graze on.

[Madcat]

I got a FISH!!!

 

He's still acclimating and is pretty "what the heck" about the whole thing, so pics in a bit. I also got a clump of green macro that was labelled Hypnea - will post a pic of that too.

 

I also smashed up my big rock again this morning and changed up my scape a little. Realized after I'd been mashing my rocks around in the sand for awhile that I had only thought to account for the hermies. Fortunately, Jesus took the wheel on that one and both my snails were found safe and sound! Lesson learned.

[Madcat]

First off, new scape. I kind of REALLY like it, mostly because I can actually see the back of my tank now! Something was still not right, though... until I added the macro. I was kind of on the fence about it on the way home, and I was like, meh, it was cheap, if I hate it I can just bring it back. But I put it in and I like it way more than I expected to. It gives my scape exactly what I wanted - a splash of colour, and height.

 

 

My live rock fragment is also back there - I sort of festooned it with the macro like a Christmas tree, and the macro seems happy to stay put. The LR piece did exactly what I wanted it to - provided food for my inverts when my tank was still mostly barren (it's still Claudette and Edouard's favourite place to snack!). Once my tank is more established, I may just remove it. It's done its job.

 

Close up of the macro. Again, it was labeled Hypnea.

 

 

Now... my fish!!  He was, of course, still there when I went back today. I asked the LFS guy what he's been eating, and the guy said they give him frozen food, pellets, and seaweed. So I'm hopeful he'll have no problem eating for me. I grabbed some seaweed for him.

 

His name is Jeff. I just released him into the tank. He disappeared immediately into the macro, never to be seen again.

 

Just kidding. Here he is, not as well hidden as he thought:

 

 

Not blue and orange, but still a real cutey. He has some nice blue on his face, too. I'll have to get a better pic later when he's more comfortable. Every time I've seen him at the store, he's had tiger stripes. I've read that this is them being nervous and trying to camouflage. I wonder if he'll de-stripe in my tank.

 

I love him already! I really really hope he does well in there!