Lula Mae's "Make a Wish" IM 14 peninsula--tank came down today. RIP

[Lula_Mae]

Did a good cleaning on the tank today. Took out the right rock, scraped off the bubble algae and vermetid snails I saw (yep, got those too apparently), and applied peroxide to the holdfasts, cleaned out a bunch of mostly dead macro bits and pieces that had bubble algae on them, vacuumed sand, etc., and of course a water change.

 

Throughout this whole process, I didn't see Merlin, and I was concerned. He hasn't been acting like himself the last few days, not going after pellets as vigorously, having trouble catching them, pausing to "rest" on little nooks in the rock. The left hand rock is where his cave is, so before I finished, I pulled up those rocks (the left side is two rocks stacked on top of each other) and checked. Still no sign of him!

 

Finally the second or third time I picked up the bottom-most rock, I spied his tail fin poking out of a little crevice. I turned the rock to look on the other side of the crevice and saw his head. I thought he was dead at first, but his eyes weren't cloudy and he wiggled when I touched his tail. He managed to wiggle himself out of the crack and into the tank. The last I saw of him, he was erratically swimming his way under the right hand rock. I'm really worried about him. I've had him about a year now and his size has never changed, so I expect he was full grown when I got him, but how long do they live? He's one of the best fish I've ever known and if I lose him, it won't be the same without him coming to greet me when I get near the tank. 

 

Tank before cleaning. 

 

The sad remains of my Christmas tree worms (which were doing better in the pico until asterina stars started bothering them...). Yes, that is bubble algae. 

 

After, still cloudy from being stirred up. 

[teenyreef]

Sorry to hear things still aren't going well, I hope the deep cleaning helps! 😞

 

As far as Merlin goes, my Fitzgerald lived about two years. When I compared notes with @gena I think she said that was about how long hers lived as well. But I don't know if that's just normal or if it was just bad luck. Was it getting towards evening when Merline was in the crevice? I remember Fitzgerald scaring the crap out of me during a late water change when I thought he was dead (he was sleeping). I think I still have the video somewhere...

 

Your situation in general reminds me of where I was about a year ago with my 10g - I was almost ready to just shut it down and start from scratch. I was able to bring it back by sucking out half the water, putting all the rocks in an empty bucket, and cleaning the rocks really well with a toothbrush and forceps (for crushing the vermetid snails). Then I sucked out the rest of the water into another bucket, vacuuming half the sand bed in the process. Finally, I put the "clean" half of the water back in along with the rocks, and filled the tank back up with new saltwater. Basically a 50% water change with extreme rock scrubbing and sand vacuuming.

 

I repeated this three times over six weeks, and did 25% water changes on the off weeks. After that, it was like a whole new tank. And I figured it really wasn't any more work than setting up a new tank would have been.

 

In hindsight, I should have just sucked all the sand out with the first water change. Going bare bottom is the other thing I've done since then that has made a huge difference in how well everything is doing.

 

 

[Lula_Mae]

7 hours ago, teenyreef said:

Sorry to hear things still aren't going well, I hope the deep cleaning helps! 😞

 

As far as Merlin goes, my Fitzgerald lived about two years. When I compared notes with @gena I think she said that was about how long hers lived as well. But I don't know if that's just normal or if it was just bad luck. Was it getting towards evening when Merline was in the crevice? I remember Fitzgerald scaring the crap out of me during a late water change when I thought he was dead (he was sleeping). I think I still have the video somewhere...

 

Your situation in general reminds me of where I was about a year ago with my 10g - I was almost ready to just shut it down and start from scratch. I was able to bring it back by sucking out half the water, putting all the rocks in an empty bucket, and cleaning the rocks really well with a toothbrush and forceps (for crushing the vermetid snails). Then I sucked out the rest of the water into another bucket, vacuuming half the sand bed in the process. Finally, I put the "clean" half of the water back in along with the rocks, and filled the tank back up with new saltwater. Basically a 50% water change with extreme rock scrubbing and sand vacuuming.

 

I repeated this three times over six weeks, and did 25% water changes on the off weeks. After that, it was like a whole new tank. And I figured it really wasn't any more work than setting up a new tank would have been.

 

In hindsight, I should have just sucked all the sand out with the first water change. Going bare bottom is the other thing I've done since then that has made a huge difference in how well everything is doing.

 

 

Thanks, teeny.  I'm not sure what's up with Merlin, he acted funny for a couple of days after I added a gorg frag a couple months ago, but then went back to normal.  Now he's suddenly not himself again and I'm not sure what's up, and if it's related to the dinos or not.  It was afternoon when I was doing this, like 4-5ish, and Merlin usually goes to bed at 8-9ish.  That's part of why I'm so concerned.

 

Part of the reason I'm considering starting over with something smaller is just the time constraints, I haven't done much of anything with this tank and I feel like a smaller tank (and maybe not an AIO cuz I'm not completely loving it although it's growing on me) might suit me better at this time in my life.  If Merlin passes I'll probably definitely downsize to something around 5-7 gallons (or smaller) for a while, but I may do that anyway.  When I first started posting here with that little pico, I was having so much fun with it until the crash and I'd like to have that enthusiasm back.  Having a bigger tank hasn't been as much fun as I thought lol.  I will keep your excellent advice in mind, though, and probably will copy some of it while I waffle on a decision.  I'm also thinking about live rock because I just miss all the little hitchhikers, they've always been one of my favorite parts of reefing.

 

I think I forgot to post earlier that I found an empty trochus shell, which probably is part of what fueled the yucky growth, and while I spotted one of the porcelain crabs, I didn't see the other and didn't see the pom pom crab (whom I've had for a while so may have moved on).  Worst of all, I can't find any trace of my beautiful yellow and purple feather duster that's been with me for almost two years, through a tank crash, multiple moves including one over 800 miles, neglect, and countless tank transfers.  He was a tough little guy and I miss him.  RIP little buddy.

[Nano sapiens]

Keeping the enthusiasm going is not always easy, especially when things aren't going quite as expected.  Stay with it and you can prevail over these unwanted pests.

 

Tank size is such a personal choice, but I'd say go with what makes you happy (not what others think you would be happiest with).

 

 

 

 

[Tamberav]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Generally.. tiny fish certainly don't have the lifespans of the big ones. 

 

I know I read an article on how the possums were being collected using chemicals but not sure about these guys.

 

I tiny wrasse seems hard to net though so sometimes I wonder about our fish.

[Lula_Mae]

23 minutes ago, Nano sapiens said:

Keeping the enthusiasm going is not always easy, especially when things aren't going quite as expected.  Stay with it and you can prevail over these unwanted pests.

 

Tank size is such a personal choice, but I'd say go with what makes you happy (not what others think you would be happiest with).

 

You're right, it can be hard to keep it going when frustrations mount!  I do like the tank aesthetically and if I take it down I might keep it to reuse in a couple years when I have more space available and time to care for it.  Not sure yet.  I'm pretty indecisive lol.  It might sound silly but since this is almost 3 times the size of my previous biggest tanks I think I'm just not sure quite what to do with it!   Got too used to the little tanks I guess.

13 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Generally.. tiny fish certainly don't have the lifespans of the big ones. 

 

I know I read an article on how the possums were being collected using chemicals but not sure about these guys.

 

I tiny wrasse seems hard to net though so sometimes I wonder about our fish.

If possum wrasses are collected that way, it seems feasible PSWs are as well since they're similar in a lot of ways.  I wish I knew what was wrong and could help him.

[seabass]

Dinos might be the cause of your recent losses, and even Merlin's problems.   Nasty little protists.  I'd pick up some live rock and start to cure it, so that you can start the transfer sooner than later.

[Tamberav]

Seabass brings up a good point wrasse pick off the rock a lot, where the dino resides 😞 

 

I tend to deep clean my small tanks when things get out of wack, seems to help, especially manual removal. 

 

Honestly though that bubble algae is a gold mine! 🤣

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Live-Frag-Green-Velonia-Marine-Macro-Algae-Plant-Reef-Coral-Saltwater-Marine/302947158470?hash=item46890ec9c6:g:F~8AAOSw46Fb4Lu9

[Nano sapiens]

Another thing I find helpful is limiting the items that actually sit on a sand bed.  Having a bunch of small rocks and/or plugs on the bed will create areas where excess food and detritus will accumulate, which will degrade overall tank conditions over time.  Two or three larger rocks, where the corals and other sessile animals are mounted on, are a lot easier to manage than a dozen or more smaller ones.

[Lula_Mae]

13 hours ago, seabass said:

Dinos might be the cause of your recent losses, and even Merlin's problems.   Nasty little protists.  I'd pick up some live rock and start to cure it, so that you can start the transfer sooner than later.

I might do that. There's nothing locally except that real reef type stuff,  and I consider that basically dry rock with makeup on lol. I'll probably order from Gulf Live Rock but not sure how much to order.  Hmm.

 

7 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Seabass brings up a good point wrasse pick off the rock a lot, where the dino resides 😞 

 

I tend to deep clean my small tanks when things get out of wack, seems to help, especially manual removal. 

 

Honestly though that bubble algae is a gold mine! 🤣

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Live-Frag-Green-Velonia-Marine-Macro-Algae-Plant-Reef-Coral-Saltwater-Marine/302947158470?hash=item46890ec9c6:g:F~8AAOSw46Fb4Lu9

Oh gosh, that listing lol. I've ordered from them before and been happy but that listing makes my eyes roll.  I should've saved my Christmas tree worm rock and sold it for the bubble algae!

7 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

Another thing I find helpful is limiting the items that actually sit on a sand bed.  Having a bunch of small rocks and/or plugs on the bed will create areas where excess food and detritus will accumulate, which will degrade overall tank conditions over time.  Two or three larger rocks, where the corals and other sessile animals are mounted on, are a lot easier to manage than a dozen or more smaller ones.

Yeahhhh I'm pretty bad about leaving frags on the sandbed haha. I did choose to make this scape simple for ease of cleaning (two stacked rocks on left, one on right) but it's kind of negated by all the frags on the sandbed lol. I'll probably wait to glue them till I've decided what to do, but I may snag a few soap dishes to use as frag racks in the interim so I can clean the sandbed more thoroughly. 

 

A bit of good news, today Merlin came out and was chasing pellets more like his old self! Hopefully he'll get better now. I think I'm going to order some live phyto and pods and see if that might not help a bit with the dinos.  

[Tamberav]

Lol I sent you a frag rack! Ofc it wasn't a huge one but your tanks are small I figured it would still fit if you end up downgrading and could be a cozy spot for new arrivals.

[Lula_Mae]

3 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Lol I sent you a frag rack! Ofc it wasn't a huge one but your tanks are small I figured it would still fit if you end up downgrading and could be a cozy spot for new arrivals.

It's in the pico and it's full!  I love it! I'd like to get some more but soap dishes are cheap lol. 

[Tamberav]

2 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

It's in the pico and it's full!  I love it! I'd like to get some more but soap dishes are cheap lol. 

Haha ya..I kept the magnets from old pumps that died and glued them to egg crate for cheap frag racks.

 

Happy you hear Merlin feeling better. You ever feed him frozen? I really like LRS.

[Lula_Mae]

10 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Haha ya..I kept the magnets from old pumps that died and glued them to egg crate for cheap frag racks.

 

Happy you hear Merlin feeling better. You ever feed him frozen? I really like LRS.

I feed frozen once in a while, I have mysis and then some kind of carnivore blend I picked up a while back.  I probably need to replace it all cuz it's probably freezer burned lol.

[teenyreef]

I'm glad to hear Merlin is doing better! 

 

When I set up my 40g I ordered uncured live rock from KP Aquatics and combined it with dry rock ordered separately. That way I was able to get the minimum order of live rock, and anything not needed was just cheap dry rock. 

[Tamberav]

When I set up my frag tank... I can't decide if I want to do KPA rock or Tampa Bay rock.

 

Tampa is more expensive but shipped in water. I am not sure what other differences there might be.

 

 

[Lula_Mae]

20 hours ago, teenyreef said:

I'm glad to hear Merlin is doing better! 

 

When I set up my 40g I ordered uncured live rock from KP Aquatics and combined it with dry rock ordered separately. That way I was able to get the minimum order of live rock, and anything not needed was just cheap dry rock. 

 

18 hours ago, Tamberav said:

When I set up my frag tank... I can't decide if I want to do KPA rock or Tampa Bay rock.

 

Tampa is more expensive but shipped in water. I am not sure what other differences there might be.

Yeah I know for sure I want Caribbean live rock, I had it once in a 1g pico that I never did much with but it was cool rock!  Loads of hitchhiking macros, a couple corals, even what I thought was an aiptasia that never spread, and a couple limpets.  Too bad the LFS I got it from shut down a few years ago.  I thought I'd try Gulf Live Rock based on some other tanks I've seen with it, and if not then maybe Tampa Bay.  Fingers crossed Merlin keeps getting better!

 

Hubby and I adopted a pair of baby rats!  He picked them up yesterday.  I just spent a little while bribing them with Cheerios lol.  They are sooooo cute!  I'll try to get some pics later, they are adorable!

[teenyreef]

I found my old video of Fitzgerald the PSW sleeping during the water change. You can imagine how freaked out I was at first 

 

 

[seabass]

 

[teenyreef]

I love that commercial 

[Lula_Mae]

9 hours ago, teenyreef said:

I found my old video of Fitzgerald the PSW sleeping during the water change. You can imagine how freaked out I was at first 

 

 

Merlin usually sleeps in a cave in the rock but he likes to lay in the sand on the right side of the tank.  The other day I went to feed him, he swam around chasing pellets and then decided he was done and went back to lay down in the sand...not sure how normal that is lol.

8 hours ago, seabass said:

 

I mean, pink-streaked wrasses are pretty similar to POSSUM wrasses, right?

 

I'd show myself out, but this is my thread lol.

[Lula_Mae]

A tank has been ordered... 

[Orangutran]

Wow sounds like you're going thru everything I am going thru... dinos, bubble algae, vermitid snails (although they don't bother me as much). Even my PSW went thru a health scare!

 

Going with LR is a good start. Look forward to your new tank!

[Lula_Mae]

7 hours ago, Orangutran said:

Wow sounds like you're going thru everything I am going thru... dinos, bubble algae, vermitid snails (although they don't bother me as much). Even my PSW went thru a health scare!

 

Going with LR is a good start. Look forward to your new tank!

Thanks, me too.  I think going smaller is the right call for me right now.  And it looks like KPA now sells their live rock shipped overnight in 5 pound increments, starting at 10 pounds, so I may go with that to preserve as much life as possible.  Otherwise just working on pulling together equipment for the new tank!  Hopefully I can beat down some of these pests and not have to deal with them in the future, or at least not have them be a problem like they are now.

[Tamberav]

I am thinking about buying live rock to add diversity back too. In my last move a few years back my rock was stored in a dark tub and lost most everything except the bacteria.