Jump to content
Pod Your Reef

Snow's 60G Secret Predatory Sanctum 🐲🐉 - Shutting Down


Snow_Phoenix

Recommended Posts

Snow_Phoenix

Hi everyone, Thanos my starry blenny died overnight in my tank today. 😔

 

I think he finally succumbed to the tumor he developed recently - could be a consequence of age as well. When I first got him on 12th of August 2018, he was around 4.5" and had a burn from a nem sting. I watched him grow up until 6.5" over the years and he was truly amazing & full of personality. 🥰

 

Over the past few months or so, I noticed he was slowing down a little, then a *lot. I do not know what his real age was because he was wild-caught (as all of my fish are except my clowns), but then I spotted the lump on his belly, near his anal cavity. 

 

The lump was still small, but it was growing slowly. BME, fish with tumors rarely live too long - I lost my 6+ years-old FW leopard eel within less than a year after he developed two large tumors & a kinked spine due to age. 

 

I feel sad, but grateful as well to have been able to keep such a wonderful blenny. 

 

Swim free, old friend. 💦

 

IMG_20201206_100402_256.thumb.jpg.ff07f3e545d41b74af3a03bc0dab70ac.jpg

 

IMG_20201224_160451_277.thumb.jpg.1640224356cf1c16798937540452bf78.jpg

 

IMG_20201210_171033_037.thumb.jpg.7293a24cbbb0c0731bcefad58f7d551e.jpg

 

IMG_20200712_123831_041.thumb.jpg.570f816ce26baac6e6663c6cedcd9e1b.jpg

 

IMG_20200412_140640_964.thumb.jpg.89d9937955206555c46a57d865cf21fe.jpg

  • Sad 8
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Finally scraped the glass today. Tank's in terrible shape. I honestly get very emotional when I look it, so I try not to stare too much (which is hard, because it's literally 5' ft away from the corner of my bed) and I'm letting it sit on autopilot for now:

 

20210613_144022.thumb.jpg.3c3782c96702f3203f3da2ababd245d7.jpg

 

These are the only three corals I have left (besides a small cluster of ugly brown palys) :

 

20210613_143916.thumb.jpg.4339eef93e2189ff6f93b5f26e0e26a4.jpg

 

IMG_20210613_144920_458.thumb.jpg.a019dde184a16e404d3ce33d2ae0dcc3.jpg

 

IMG_20210613_144920_459.thumb.jpg.0e6f2dbf0349b1c8b08f1fa3ee134684.jpg

 

And the only reason I'm still keeping the system up & running is because I still have fish & inverts that I love in it. 

 

I'll most likely go the FOWLR route in the future. Will find a safe way to chip off the yumas from the LR and move them to my 10G nanoreef. 

 

Here's Cubert: 

 

20210613_144041.thumb.jpg.eb7bce14457800ce711fb0fb76b9bf7c.jpg

 

There's nothing much that I can do for now, I guess. Just need to wait it out. 

  • Like 1
  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Sunny (picked up 6 days ago) the yellow coris :

 

20210614_125031.thumb.jpg.84495ce1a30495e9777bd1f4b515c4fd.jpg

 

Rocket the Singapore Angelfish (picked up today) :

 

20210620_181408.thumb.jpg.f10c5598ddfc660f17a973a2f81d2abd.jpg

 

Tank is shifting towards the FOWLR route - remaining corals (shrooms) will be removed & transferred to my nanoreef in the upcoming weeks. 

 

Looking back, I've lost  ~half a dozen fish, so all future restocks will most likely be non-reefsafe fish. 

 

The only reason I didn't shut down this tank was because of my remaining dragonets, my GCG & clown pair. Otherwise, I did seriously consider scraping off the whole thing and starting the 60G from scratch - as either a FW tank or paludarium. 

 

But I'm going to give this another try. It's getting harder for me to meet the demands of a larger SW tank. My nano is more easier to maintain because of it's small size - WCs & post-WC clean ups only take an hour a week. And the only fish in there is 1 damsel & 1 goby, so maintenance & food prep. is very easy. 

 

Bella's not doing too well. She has lost a lot of weight since the outbreak, and is downright bony. 😔

 

Still trying to net her, but to no avail. 😔

Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

I dropped by my LFS today to discuss about importing more vampire crabs for my paludarium - I posted a pic online about my paludarium in an international forum on social media, and I didn't know there were many Malaysians & Singaporeans on it as well! 🙂

 

Quite a number of my fellow countrymen were asking me about my setup, and where they could acquire the crabs as well. So I discussed it further with my LFS manager, and he's trying to bring in more vampire crabs for me, as well as everyone else who's been looking for them over here.

 

I also picked up a container of fish food & a fish. No regrets on either purchase - especially the fish bit, because it has been something that I have wanted for a while, but never quite bit the bullet on it. I worked my butt off doing extensive gardening under the sun throughout the day, got paid for it, and used it to get whatever I needed. So...meh.

 

Anyways, I saw a super tiny wild-caught blue tang at my LFS today - which is no bigger than a coin! 😮

 

 

It was incredibly adorable. Usually I've seen aquacultured tangs this tiny, but never wild-caught ones, so this was a first for me. 

 

Also, my LFS made this amazing hammer garden in their major DT recently:

 

And it looked lovely. Almost made me want to dip my toes back into large-scale reefing, but no. With my finances fluctuating and being unstable as they are, it's best to keep the tank running at low-maintenance. My 10G nanoreef is still a full, mixed reeftank though, so I haven't given up on corals entirely. I just found it much easier to focus on having one small reeftank at a time. 

 

I'll keep this thread up to date from time to time. Dragonets are okay - Poseidon is still fat & healthy, so there's that. Still no success in netting either Bella & Zoey, but I'm not giving up. The only reason I'm not using a bottle trap/fish trap is because I have an enormous pile of bristleworms on my sandbed every night, and my greatest fear is that if ever I successfully trap my dragonet that way, I *might end up trapping it with a lot of bristle worms too (which will sting it since they're all stuck in a bottle without being able to escape).

 

The only reasonable thing to do would be to try to catch my dragonets off guard and net them when they sleep. With Zoey, it's harder, because she hides in the back of the tank at night, between the rocks. With Bella, she sleeps in the sand (like all scooters do), and if I poke around the sandbed too much/wrongly, I could startle one of my wrasses awake, and they *might hit the glass and injure themselves. 

 

I'll be patient. And keep waiting. Wish me luck! 

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Wow 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
11 minutes ago, growsomething said:

Could you elevate a fishtrap to eliminate the possibility of catching bristleworms?

Like put it one the rocks? 

 

I was considering that, but Bella sleeps in the sandbed. 😞

 

I'm actually running out of ideas on how to get her out. I really, really want to. She's very bony and looks awful. She still eats, but I think that she might be having some internal issues as well, coupled with the overspawning. If I catch her, I'll try to treat her in QT for a week or two, using Prazi, then slowly re-add her to my nanoreef first to let her rest & recover. Once she's fully stable and has regained weight, then I can re-add her to my 60G. 

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Like put it one the rocks? 

 

I was considering that, but Bella sleeps in the sandbed. 😞

 

I'm actually running out of ideas on how to get her out. I really, really want to. She's very bony and looks awful. She still eats, but I think that she might be having some internal issues as well, coupled with the overspawning. If I catch her, I'll try to treat her in QT for a week or two, using Prazi, then slowly re-add her to my nanoreef first to let her rest & recover. Once she's fully stable and has regained weight, then I can re-add her to my 60G. 

What about using a magnet to stick the fish trap to the glass, with the opening near but not touching some of the rockwork? I've never done it with a fish trap, but when I'm acclimating things I often use an old magfloat to keep containers where I want them.

  • Wow 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
4 hours ago, chipz said:

What about using a magnet to stick the fish trap to the glass, with the opening near but not touching some of the rockwork? I've never done it with a fish trap, but when I'm acclimating things I often use an old magfloat to keep containers where I want them.

This actually sounds like a very good idea. A mag float, you said? 🤔

 

I'll had a seaweed clip with a magnet - maybe I can use that somehow. Will look it up online too to see if there are anymore examples. 

 

I might keep catching the wrong fish though (because I do have several small sand-dwellers), but I won't stop trying. 👍

Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Rocket:

 

IMG_20210626_162607_751.thumb.jpg.ca3d61032ab07b1fa7629211aed28a77.jpg

 

IMG_20210626_162607_752.thumb.jpg.578c8b2194a12b04681bb831736357e3.jpg

 

He actively grazes on the rocks - loves algae, absolutely refuses to eat my dreadful palys (because he evidently has standards 🙄 ), and has actually become a bit thicker even though he's a very recent acquisition. 

 

The FOWLR:

 

20210626_130846.thumb.jpg.73ee519c1cdf5614d6ac1e35bf6f94e7.jpg

 

20210626_130922.thumb.jpg.de55f737732b52bd8d70bcf9a35fa31f.jpg

 

The foxface was the new fish I picked up yesterday. Still very skittish of my presence, but eating pellets without issues. Also refuses to eat my palys. 🙄

  • Like 3
  • Wow 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
1 minute ago, debbeach13 said:

I do the same thing with a couple of old pump magnets. I use them to hold a breeder box. It is the plastic frame/net style. 

Pumps here mostly come with tiny rubber suction cups. I wonder if I can use a small suction cup or two to stick the trap to one side (like a breeder box, as you've mentioned). 🤔

 

Might have to sift through the items in the fish cabinet - I think I did see some extra suction cups in there last week. Need to find a small bottle too. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
45 minutes ago, seabass said:

Do you have plans to up-size this tank anytime soon?

Not anytime soon, unfortunately. Is this because of the foxface? 

 

The strange this is when I was looking up the tank size requirements for this fish - different websites gave me different numbers. Some said 60G is okay, others required 75G - one prescribed going as large as 100G. 

 

On hindsight, maybe even the smallest number - 60G, was meant as a 60G long (?)

 

I'm not too sure. 🤔

 

My fish is still quite skittish though. Not of the other fish, but of me. Even if I walk past my tank to get to my desk or bed, she hides and becomes mottled. Once I don't move (like if I'm seated at the desk, or am lying down at bed), she's back to swimming around in the open. 

 

She wasn't doing too well at the LFS - she's a bit underweight. She started eating today, and she really, really went after all the sinking pellets. I did catch her grazing the rocks & sand though. 

 

My angel is a bit more active and eating mainly algae - was thinner, but has gained more weight in the few days he's been with me. 

 

I'll be honest - I need something that can eat aiptasia, if possible - so I'll try to pick up either a green filefish or a copperband (or both). I've tried everything to get rid of the aiptasia, but they keep coming back, and some of them have started popping up in the base rock - in areas I can't even reach with a syringe. 

Link to comment
6 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Is this because of the foxface?

Yeah, and the angelfish.

 

7 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I'll try to pick up either a green filefish or a copperband (or both).

Seems like a lot of fish to me.  Have you tried peppermint shrimp?

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
11 minutes ago, seabass said:

Yeah, and the angelfish.

 

Seems like a lot of fish to me.  Have you tried peppermint shrimp?

No access to the peppermint shrimp here atm - haven't seen one for quite a while actually. 😞

 

Also, the prices for anything marine has swelled up a lot recently. Even basic CUC prices have inflated. And our choices have become very, very limited - country still being in lockdown/restricted movement isn't helping. Are there any other non-fish critters besides peppermint shrimp & berghias that will consume aiptasia? 

 

If I'm not mistaken, the filefish only hits 5", and we still get them from time to time, so it's something that I'll have access to. 

 

Copperbands are actually too unstable. They might look pretty, but most of them die at the store, or die within days in a tank. Very few have success of keeping them long-term. Filefish are hardier though, BME. 🤔

 

Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

'Akhirnya, tewas juga anak kesayanganku.' 😔

 

R.I.P. Bella. 😭

 

20210627_123245.thumb.jpg.4d2f1f4dadabda31ea61f0242de9eca1.jpg

 

I was too late. I had just found a small bottle & suction cups, but before I could modify it & stick it to the tank, I checked the 60G to find her, and saw her body on the sandbed, at the far left of the tank. 

 

Since there were no bristleworms on her yet, I assume she must have died very recently - while I was still cleaning up & feeding my exotics. Quite crushed over this one. 

 

Truly wish I had gotten her out earlier - and I did try almost every night. 

 

I did a wellness-check on my other fish in the tank, and everyone else is accounted for & doing okay, thankfully. 

  • Sad 4
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

The bristleworm army is back in full-force tonight: 🤢

 

20210628_210007.thumb.jpg.b013e45e5b8f73eaa816e90c4a72ad0c.jpg

 

20210628_210022.thumb.jpg.df8d3f162b8d09d9286435558e7d6e4c.jpg

 

And of course, Reggie the Ragworm was out last night too:

 

IMG_20210627_210546_726.thumb.jpg.77658aa70549a2767e6da804087697f2.jpg

 

I'm slowly getting used to him. And am no longer as terrified of him as I once was. Am still wary of him though. 

  • Wow 1
Link to comment

Are you planning to do anything about all of the bristle worms? I had them in my 14 and had to eradicate them for my own sanity. They may be beneficial, idk, but I had a few fish disappear and blamed it on the bristle worms. (they get big!)

  • Like 3
Link to comment
  • Snow_Phoenix changed the title to Snow's 60G Secret Predatory Sanctum 🐲🐉 - Shutting Down

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...