WBs 10G (w/10g Fuge) Nano

[StinkyBunny]

7 hours ago, Amphrites said:

How much better off are chalk basslets in groups? I'm genuinely-curious because I want to have one in my 20L.
I mean, the adults are just incredible looking. 

 

They are quite skittish in my experiences. I have 5 in one of the tanks at the shop. They are basically Atlantic Anthias.

[A.m.P]

3 hours ago, StinkyBunny said:

They are quite skittish in my experiences. I have 5 in one of the tanks at the shop. They are basically Atlantic Anthias.

Might have to go for a pair then lol.

[Wonderboy]

Well I was hanging out at the LFS again yesterday, like all the cool kids do, and I took notice (again) to a Banggai cardinal that was being kept in the invert system. Asked the owner, how long have you had this guy? - - - "months". I said go ahead and bag him for me. I'm pretty sure this guy is captive raised (forgot but will ask) based off of it's temperment and feeding response - he took to pellets immediately and didn't hesitate to put his mouth around a pipette of reef roids and blizzard-O as if it was a straw (was trying to feed some corals this evening.)

 

Jaws Jr (sharknose goby) has been a great addition, too. He's always right at the front of the tank perched on a coral of his choice ready to jump up into the water column to greet anyone approaching the tank. It does seems like he's starting to prefer a particular mushroom on the right side of the tank. Interestingly - the yellow rose goby has left his pistol shrimp on the left side of the tank and is now hanging out with Jaws Jr on the right side - I have caught the sharknose sitting parrallel next to the yellow rose several times (also always facing the same way). I have no clue. Going to wait and see - but I did ask myself jokingly, so do I have to get yet another shrimp goby???

 

Everyone else is doing well - Audrey II is pretty active and is always presenting itself in a new spot typically after the lights come back on.

 

The orange spot and pistol are well and always at the front of the tank burying corals (lost a bounce mushroom to one of these "landslides" - it just withered to goo within a few hours after I found it had been buried under sand for ~18 hrs).

 

The fire shrimp and yellow watchman goby are still paired up. Their rest proximity to eachother is easily less than a half inch and their feeding / watching proximity seems to be like half the tank - they will both come out quite far from the cave shortly (typically food driven), not always accompanied yet always returning shortly back to the other in the cave.

 

The little green clown goby is quite amusing, too - he's really taken to the candycane but still found perching on pretty much any other coral in the tank at times. Curious little thing - likes to move to where he can see what I'm doing - strong eater.

 

Dragonface pipefish is well - he loves resting in the sinularia, watching people and snatching pods off the glass

 

The ruby red dragonette is doing good also - constantly on the move looking for more pods, never see it rest but maybe for 2 seconds just so it can side-eye me to make sure I'm not a threat.

 

There's also a little, standard ocellaris in the fuge of this system (~1/3") - it was locally captive bred -one out of a batch of 2- so I figured a 'fuge of pods would ease his efforts from here on. He's been in there for 2 or 3 weeks now and eats anything - even tries to eat the forceps. And Godzilla (1.5" sea slug) is in there, too, and eating all of the c. prolifera - might have to get him some more soon (or grow some somewhere else)

 

I decided against adding a Springer's to this system because I am a little worried that it may eat too many pods with its probable high metabolism. However, I am still considering adding a blue stripe pipe (opting for captive bred for the likeliness of taking to alternative foods). Side note, I'm still going to find a Springer's for another setup.

 

I am planning on scraping the front pane for some pictures tomorrow  :]

 

Hope everyone's weekend went well!!

[Wonderboy]

Some of those shots:

 

Yellow watchman goby and fire shrimp:

 

Watchman goby on the sector 001 favia, and some rhodactis nearby (during feeding):

 

The Banggai cardinalfish has been enjoying his new home - it's always very curious and confronts movement for close observation immediately - I really wasn't expecting such bold behavior so soon - maybe something to do with it being kept in a small invert cubicle:

 

Full tank shot - I still don't have a way around all that blue:

 

Annnd been trying to upload a video my girlfriend took - as usual, that's taking forever   but I should be able to post that soon. 

 

[debbeach13]

This tank is looking good. Star fish looks like he is enjoying the extra space.

[Wonderboy]

Thanks @debbeach13! He definitely has much more room to run rampant and has more and more been taking advantage of doing so whenever I feed the tank - the other tankmates are still getting used to it  :]  Most often, he's behind the rockwork. Several times now, I've seen the yellow watchman goby display and push the brittle out of his territory. Very cool to see him "defending" the fire shrimp/cave.

[Wonderboy]

 

[A.m.P]

I'm petitioning for a love reaction.

[Wonderboy]

I think I said a while back that I was trying red grape algae in the HOB - well, sea lettuce started growing off the pump's tube that runs out of there (along with many other places in the system), so I figured I would just embrace that as the HOB algae - moved the red grape to the 'fuge. This is a shot from right before its second harvest:

 

 

I pull off 95% of it and keep it for the tang in the 68G (which is an aiptasia farm right now)  :]

[Wonderboy]

Some happenings in the refugium...

 

This is all that's left of godzilla's favorite caulerpa:

 

 

Never got around to sprouting the mangroves, but they're starting up finally:

 

 

[Wonderboy]

Ok, lots of recent over exposed, blue photos that I have to get off the phone:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circus orange-spot (obviously had too much fun playing with phone exposure):

 

 

The pipefish:

 

 

 

Buds:

 

[Wonderboy]

Well, that picture of the ruby red was the last - found it on the ground this morning...

[StinkyBunny]

4 hours ago, Wonderboy said:

Well, that picture of the ruby red was the last - found it on the ground this morning...

Keep an eye on that pipefish too, I couldn't tell you how many I've lost to floor surfing.

[Wonderboy]

Quick updates, pictures of things later

 

All inhabitants are well 

Cardinalfish eats like there's no tomorrow

Pipefish is doing good

YWG and fire shrimp are still paired

Orange spot and pistol moved to the back right of the tank

Yellow rose and pistol are right at the front left side of the tank

Green clown goby is very curious, active and a very amusing addition

Jaws Jr is good - he really likes perching on and watching things from his chosen mushroom

The brittle star is still doing well - it hasn't grown any paddles back as far as I can tell, not sure if this is normal

The clown fish and Godzilla (sea slug) are still doing fine in the 'fuge

Been thinking of adding a resident - not sure what yet - ideas so far: court jester goby, blue stipe pipe, purple firefish, fridmani, suggestions?

 

Been eliminating a few appearances of bryopsis once in a while - one patch got pretty big, it was hiding in the shadows...

The purple gorgonia hasn't had polyps out for I feel almost 2 months as I tried to find it a new spot; the past few days, it's finally been starting to get them out.

Been watching the chaeto die off here and there so I have increased feeding portions (for other reasons too - Banggai is a pig) - it could also be density causing light restriction - or it could be a respiration issue too due to low flow - I'm just going to leave it and watch for now - I may respond to the circumstance again later.

I introduced some berghia to the 'fuge and DT to get to some aiptasias that I couldn't. So far, they're doing their job.

Spotted some pretty big fireworms in here, so I will probably be making some traps soon.

Lost all the c. taxifolia and "cactus" caulerpa in this system - both wanted to grow, but lost old tissues faster than they could make new tissue. I am again guessing low nutrients, but maybe it was vegetarian Godzilla.

[Wonderboy]

Haven't had too much time to get good shots, but here's some candid ones during the DT's midday rest from the lights:

 

 

And here's what the 'fuge is looking like (the under tank light is on whenever DT lights are off - the overhead lights are on beginning 1/2 hr before DT lights on until 1 hr after DT lights have turned off) :

 

 

I also took some shots a little while ago, during a power outage, of the system's resting water levels:

 

 

 

 

I have been thinking about it and now can't remember, but it's possible that the night the ruby red jumped ship was during one of several of recent power outages we've been having and because of the water's resting level in DT.

 

Will try to get some closer shots of things soon 

[A.m.P]

If that resting water level gave it as much anxiety as it gives me I could definitely understand...

[Wonderboy]

Sorry that this photo is such bad quality (for many reasons - note to self: scrape glass before next photo op) - I haven't seen the watchman goby perched facing towards their cave before; it was different, so I figured I'd grab a shot:

 

[billygoat]

Goodness gracious @Wonderboy, you wild genius.,.. just looking at that pumps-off water level gives me the jitters. I don't know how you do it! 😂

[Wonderboy]

Everything in here is still doing well - been handling small issues here and there, but nothing super concerning.

Chaeto stopped melting at about 1/3 original volume and is growing again.

C. taxifolia has started to grow back pretty well - also noticed some cactus caulerpa in the DT (slow growing, but there, maybe it'll take off some day).

Gracilaria is growing well in the HOB at this point so I have been trying to remove the rest of the ulva that took foot in there there before

I added 2 red mythrix (females) to DT because I've been dealing with a mild/constant ulva invasion.

I have not made a trap for fireworms yet.

I made a video show more of the YWG + fire shrimp behaving as a pair - they behave consistently - the watchman will follow/"get in-between" the shrimp or threats when it becomes necessary; IMO/observation, they are still bonded.

I'll get that up on youtube soon - here they are a few days ago for now:

 

 

 

 

Also, I just have to share this shot of the green clown goby showing off in front of the candy cane coral:

 

 

😎

[debbeach13]

Looking good. Love the shrimp goby pair. So unusual.

[Wonderboy]

 

[billygoat]

Hey @Wonderboy, how's everything going in the mad science lab? Have you cooked up any crazy new creations recently?

[Wonderboy]

On 3/13/2020 at 7:15 PM, billygoat said:

Hey @Wonderboy, how's everything going in the mad science lab? Have you cooked up any crazy new creations recently?

Hey @billygoat! It's been a little crazy around here since December  I haven't really had the time to really advance with too much as plenty of life stuff got in the way of most projects, but I haven't forgotten any intention  :]  This system is doing fine - all inhabitants are still doing well. There have been no new additions, I think. I do have a story to tell though: I was finishing up tediously placing [in almost every system, lastly this one] many rescue corals from a friend's system that was being shut down, then I slipped off the stool I was standing on (because I need a stool to work in this extra tall 10G), and proceeded to explode half of the rock-work from the middle to the right side with my 12" forceps. There was rock and coral just scattered everywhere; I checked to make sure that no coral was touching a coral that it shouldn't be, and then went to bed because after that particular day, I didn't have the energy to stay on my back. The next day I did a water change and rebuilt things. I lost both hammers not too long after this; the first one was clearly damaged, but I did not expect the other to follow.  

 

But anyways, I took some pictures to show what's going on in the 10G tonight. Here, might as well get this awesomeness out of the way:

I was able to control a bloom on the left side of the tank, but then this crop of bryopsis crawled out of the shadows. I really don't want to use fluconazole, but I might disconnect the 'fuge and go that route.

 

Here's the couple featured in the title (I also have 10 minute video that I want to speed up and share):

 

Misc shots from this tank's prettier places:

 

 

 

FTS:

 

Oh yeah, I also removed a half-palm sized polyclad that was cruising the front panel one night. So I had to scrape the front panel for these shots because the abomination had eaten almost all of my trochus and stomatella snails before I even noticed them going missing. Glad all fish and shimps were accounted for though  :]

[Wonderboy]

Quick update - I've been incredibly busy - I purchased an exotic pet shop and have been putting pretty much all of my time in over there - this 10G is still running but lots of the corals have been moved to the shop, the fire shrimp and watchman have been hanging out in different areas of the tank since uplifting things, all inhabitants are well except the dragon pipe vanished a few weeks back; the tank is pretty much just the rock nems, a few discosoma, GSP, palys, and misc zoos, but I'll post a shot of the store's display reef here real soon

[debbeach13]

4 hours ago, Wonderboy said:

I purchased an exotic pet shop

Congratulations! Looking forward to hearing more about it.