Firefish's 10G rimless "The Island" - Tank transferred to 14g bow front

[Firefish15]

Wow, it’s been almost two months since I last posted. Been pretty crazy starting work again. 

 

 

The tank is is still doing well. It was neglected, but I definitely haven’t had as much time as I’d like. Nutrients have been so low that the chaeto has been dying back some. Pretty sure that’s because I haven’t been feeding the coral as much. Not really any detectable algae in the tank.

 

This past Saturday, I went on a coral crawl with a buddy, we went to four different coral stores in the area. That was a ton of fun! New acquisitions are another zoa colony, anthelia, and GSP. The anthelia has been mounted on the vacant nanorox, and the GSP got glued to the intake pipe of the HOB. 

 

In in other news, I’ve started working at a store and maintenance service called Saltwater City! It doesn’t pay great, but I’m looking forward to learning a lot! It’s been good so far! I’m starting part time while my construction job finishes up.

 

I’ll post some more pictures and video soon.

 

 

[billygoat]

Good to hear from you @Firefish15! It looks like everything is doing quite well and that is good news. I can't wait to see more of the tank! ☺️

 

It's neat to hear that you're going to start working in a saltwater shop! Working around aquariums has definitely increased my engagement with the hobby, so perhaps it will do the same for you. The pay may not be the best, but something about sticking my hands in seawater for a living seems to make up for that somehow. 🤷‍♂️

[CD_Scapes]

6 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Good to hear from you @Firefish15! It looks like everything is doing quite well and that is good news. I can't wait to see more of the tank! ☺️

 

It's neat to hear that you're going to start working in a saltwater shop! Working around aquariums has definitely increased my engagement with the hobby, so perhaps it will do the same for you. The pay may not be the best, but something about sticking my hands in seawater for a living seems to make up for that somehow. 🤷‍♂️

Or instead of getting payed cash as a fish store you could get payed in fish, corals and dry goods 😂😂😂

[Firefish15]

On 7/31/2019 at 1:31 PM, billygoat said:

The pay may not be the best, but something about sticking my hands in seawater for a living seems to make up for that somehow. 🤷‍♂️

The owner warned me up front. If I’m smart, I think I can swing it though, at least for a while. 

 

On 7/31/2019 at 1:38 PM, Northwoodsreefer said:

Or instead of getting payed cash as a fish store you could get payed in fish, corals and dry goods 😂😂😂

Don’t get me started, I’m aware of the danger I’m in. 😂 There’s a 20% employee discount to start, and at 6 months it goes to 50%. I’ll still need to eat though! 

[billygoat]

13 hours ago, Firefish15 said:

Don’t get me started, I’m aware of the danger I’m in. 😂 There’s a 20% employee discount to start, and at 6 months it goes to 50%. I’ll still need to eat though! 

I think you'll be alright! 😉 You've been pretty careful about overstocking so far so I think that won't change too much after you hire on at a fish store. Eating is also important, though of course there are always going to be those times when you see a beautiful leather coral and think to yourself that maybe eating peanut butter and cheap wine for a month might not be all that bad... not that I would have any personal experience about that or anything! 😅

[Krish87]

Hey there! :-) 

[Firefish15]

Alright, wow it has been a while! I’ve been so immersed in real tanks that I kind of forgot about the online side of things.
 

So, updates! Still working at Saltwater City, and yes, those discounts have been wearing down my self control! 😂 I believe I will soon be out of space. 
 

As far as fish go, I am now at four. The fire fish and yellow clown goby are doing well. About a month ago, I added a cute little CB ocellaris clown. A few days ago, I got a  yellow rose goby and a candy stripe pistol shrimp. They’ve settled down nicely and dug a little burrow under the branch rock. They’ve actually been pretty visible! 😁

 

For those of you worried about the bio load, things are still great! I do a water change every few weeks. Nitrates have barely been registering, and no detectable phosphates. Nutrients have been so low that the chaeto in the back has been dying back. Still feeding a mix of flake and frozen food a few times a day, and occasionally adding reef roids. 

 

I have added quite a few corals, still sticking with assorted softies. Some of them have been free ones from maintenance tanks, and some of them I bought. New additions include photosynthetic blue sponge, a green cap toadstool leather, a neon green cabbage leather, a different variety of GSP, another Ricordea, Kenya tree coral, and some Nirvana zoas. I know I said this last time, but more pictures are on the way! I’ll borrow the reef lens from the store. 🙂 

 

 

Overall, tank is doing quite well! I have been learning a lot about the hobby! Sorry for the lack of online activity!

[kimdawg]

Your tank is beautiful.  I love all of the softies too.  I just read your entire thread.  It was nice to see it from the start, through the move, and now the new full tank shot.

[Reefjunkye]

amazing work!

[Firefish15]

9 hours ago, kimdawg said:

It was nice to see it from the start, through the move, and now the new full tank shot.

Yeah, it’s over a year old now! 🎉 

 

7 hours ago, sean86114 said:

amazing work!

Thank you!

[billygoat]

Hey @Firefish15! So glad to see you back on N-R! 😊 It's wonderful to hear that you're enjoying your new job, and your tank looks absolutely stunning. Everything is growing in so well! The fish look happy, the corals look happy... I say keep doing what you're doing, because it's obviously working. 👍

 

[Firefish15]

9 minutes ago, billygoat said:

I say keep doing what you're doing, because it's obviously working. 👍

Thanks! I haven’t done much but let nature do her thing. Still no dosing, just water changes, feeding, and top off!

 

I forgot the Polyp Lab reef lens at work, but I still got a decent photo of the new goby/pistol pair!

[billygoat]

Amazing! Great to see that your pistol pair has set up shop in a visible location. I feel like I hear a lot of stories about goby/pistol teams making their burrow in the back of the tank, or in a corner, or under some random rock that is basically invisible, or... well, you know what I mean. 😅

 

They're really beautiful though! I love seein' them there together. What a team.

[Firefish15]

Yeah, I’ve heard the same stories. Super thankful mine are being photogenic!

 I need to get a better camera though.Phone is not doing anything justice!

[Firefish15]

Okay, I grabbed the Coral View Kit! Tonight I’m cleaning my glass, and tomorrow (my day off), I will do a photo shoot!

 

Here are some practice photos from tonight!

The Ricordea has spit out a few babies over the last few months!

 

The latest addition to the zoa garden, the Nirvanas! (And the photosynthetic blue sponge creeping along the rock)

 
I’ll see what I can come up with tomorrow!

[Reefjunkye]

2 hours ago, Firefish15 said:

Okay, I grabbed the Coral View Kit! Tonight I’m cleaning my glass, and tomorrow (my day off), I will do a photo shoot!

 

Here are some practice photos from tonight!

The Ricordea has spit out a few babies over the last few months!

 

The latest addition to the zoa garden, the Nirvanas! (And the photosynthetic blue sponge creeping along the rock)

 
I’ll see what I can come up with tomorrow!

What is coral view kit? is this for your phone?

[Firefish15]

1 hour ago, sean86114 said:

What is coral view kit? is this for your phone?

The Polyp Lab Coral View lens. It’s a clip-on attachment for smartphones and tablets. Basically an orange or yellow filter to filter out some

of the blue aquarium light. It’s also got a macro lens for closeups.

[Firefish15]

Alright, I took a bunch of photos! Going to put some up after I’ve sorted through them. Also going to try putting a video together. 
 

Also tested my water, which I don’t do very often. Been a few weeks since I’ve changed water. 
 

pH: 7.9

Nitrate: ~0ppm

Phosphate: 0.05ppm

Alkalinity: 12dKh

Calcium: 350ppm

Temperature: 78F

Salinity: 1.025

 

I’m honestly surprised at the general lack of nutrients. I’ve been feeding heavier lately, and I haven’t changed water for at least two weeks. Guess I need to bump it up some more. I also might switch from Instant Ocean to IO Reef Crystals on my next bag. Get that calcium a bit higher. I think I also need better ventilation for the tank. Windows are closed a lot now due to weather and outside temperatures, so I think that may be contributing to the lower pH.

[Reefjunkye]

cant wait to see your photos 

[Firefish15]

I also saw a little Pom Pom crab in the store today. She even has both of her anemones! So I succumbed to temptation. 🤣

[Poison Dart Frog]

Really looking nice. Pom Pom crabs are really entertaining, good choice.

[Firefish15]

Alright, here we go. My Xenia has been looking awful for the past week or so. All shriveled up and wilted, with a few stalks missing the feathery bits. I’m trying to boost my nutrients some, as nitrate and phosphate have both been undetectable.

 

Toward that end, I have been feeding more heavily, and mixing reef roids in with the frozen food. Also picked up a tiny ORA neon goby today.

 

I also wanted to try a mangrove, since the store got in some propagules. 
 

And finally, some pictures!
Still haven’t put a video together though.

 

[Firefish15]

I’m realizing now that I forgot a FTS. I took FT videos, but not a photo. 😅

[billygoat]

Amazing pictures! Everything is so vibrant and beautiful. 😊

 

How do all those perching fish do together? Have you noticed any signs of aggression or territorial activity between your various gobies?

[Reefjunkye]

Ohh wow, nice shots!!

I want a fire goby so bad but I don’t like to put a screen on my tank lol