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

[Lebowski_]

That Toadstool always catches my eye. Does it have an industry name?

[Snow_Phoenix]

3 hours ago, Lebowski_ said:

That Toadstool always catches my eye. Does it have an industry name?

Which one? I have several. 😅

[Lebowski_]

6 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Which one? I have several. 😅

That's true! lol The one on the right here:

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

8 minutes ago, Lebowski_ said:

That's true! lol The one on the right here:

 

 

I'm not aware if it has a tradename. I just call it 'neon green long-polyped toadstool'. But quite frankly, if I had to name this something special - I'd just call it a 'Yodastool'. 😅

[Snow_Phoenix]

I managed to catch both juvi mollies from the fuge today, and dropped them in my DT. It took a while, but Luna the lionfish managed to get the smaller of the pair. The larger one is still surviving for now - it appears to be bigger than I'd originally thought, and *might survive until adulthood *if it doesn't get eaten prematurely. 

 

There are still more tiny molly fry hidden in my chaeto. Since Luna's meal is quite filing today, I won't need to feed her for the next 4 to 5 days. 

 

The glass is still filthy, but at least the fish appear to be healthy and okay. Corals are so-so. Most of the leathers are not too fussy with the high nutrients in the system.

 

I do love all the spaghetti worms that have popped up everywhere. Once I scrape a glass, I'll try to take some pics of them. 🙂 

[Snow_Phoenix]

The surviving juvi molly made it through the night. Being mostly black seems to be an advantage because it's barely noticeable when it swims/hovers against the black backdrop of the tank. This juvi *might actually make it, I think. I'm still unsure if it's male or female. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

On to other news, things are still chugging along - algae is still bountiful on the glass and rocks, the fish are getting along, and one of my leathers is sulking - possibly due for a shed. Nothing much is happening otherwise. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Added more snack options for Luna:

 

 

Some are deliberately larger because I wanted at least 2 more older females in this tank to breed and release fry into the DT (think of auto-food supply for a hungry lion - so that she doesn't starve when I'm too sick to personally tend to the tank in the future). 

 

Surprisingly, she did manage to get one at first - but the fish was too fat for her to swallow, so she spat the confused molly out. 😅

 

Atm, she's attempting to hunt the smaller ones, but with limited success. Hope she'll manage to get one overnight. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Luna managed to finally catch a molly, so she's sated for now. Thinking of scraping the glass tomorrow.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I can finally see my fish! 😄

 

Galaxea with/without camomode:

 

 

 

Luna perching under the rocks:

 

 

PJ:

 

 

Foxy:

 

 

Some of the mollies I acquired recently:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

My leathers are in terrible condition though. A fair few have either shrunk or become terribly bleached. 😞

 

 

An unlikely pair:

 

 

Red pineapple tree coral:

 

 

Coralline has taken over the bottom of the glass and are impossible to scrape off. FTS isn't too bad, but I'm trying to figure out a way to nurse the bleached/shrunken pieces back to full health:

 

 

Also, all of the pics today were taken *without a lens filter. I adjusted my W/B ratio & ISO manually for the pics, and took the pics during late afternoon, while my whites (from the lights) were still reasonably high. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Luna under heavy blues. 💦

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Luna the little lion. 💦

 

 

 

 

 

Aquilla the pink skunk clown:

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Spaghetti worms all over the rocks and under. 👍

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Luna today. 🌺

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

My LFS brought in a fu manchu lion yesterday but I'm unsure about the size and pricing. 

 

 

If it is the same size as Luna, my fuzzy dwarf, (& not overly expensive), I *might consider it for this tank. There was also a dwarf zebra much later in their video reel, so it's quite tempting. 🤔

 

Problem is, I'm not strong enough to make a trip to the store just yet. And I'm broke lol. 😅

 

Just waiting for my store to text me back on the size & pricing. I can trade in some corals from my nano for store credit, so we'll see how it goes. 

 

I have a gut feeling the fish is worth 3 digits at least. If my memory serves me correctly, fu manchus were quite expensive several years ago. 😕

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Just found out there are 2 of them - one at 3", and the other at 5". Pricing is affordable too. Might consider picking it up. Will sleep on it first. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Dropped by the LFS today. The journey wiped me out, but I've gotta admit, he's a beautiful fish. 🥰

 

 

Also, this is the 5" guy. We (store manager & I) looked everywhere for the 3" fish in the lionfish DT, and couldn't find him. Then we realized the skimmer intake pipe was unusually large and uncovered. Anything around the <3" range would have gotten sucked in. Since all of the remaining lions (this fu, several dwarf zebras & a volitan) in the DT didn't have bulging bellies and were above 3+", safe to say the poor little fu most likely got sucked into the skimmer pump and shredded. 😭😭😭

 

I was a bit hesitant taking in a large lion, but decided to take a chance on it. It took me a while to get back home though, and the fish was stuck in the bag for 1.5+ hours. 

 

It was gasping quite a fair bit during acclimation, and was reasonably jumpy. Ammonia level must have been quite high in the bag, because it was and still is stressed out, even though I've added it to my DT. 

 

I hope it pulls through overnight. 😕

 

I've tentatively thought of naming him 'Leon' for now. 

[growsomething]

Being from FL and living through the destruction of reef ecosystems the introduction of lionfish caused (we kill them on site), I have a serious dislike of them.

That said, the little Manchu lionfish is too cute!

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, growsomething said:

Being from FL and living through the destruction of reef ecosystems the introduction of lionfish caused (we kill them on site), I have a serious dislike of them.

That said, the little Manchu lionfish is too cute!

The introduction of non-native species can wreak havoc on an entire ecosystem, so I understand. Over here, we have a lot of invasive species of FW fish and amphibians. Red eared sliders (terrapins), for example, are commonly sold through pet stores when they're hatchlings. These tiny turtles are brightly colored and incredibly adorable, which makes them attractive for young children. However, as the turtle ages, they do tend to become rather large and aggressive. This prompted many to release them into our native rivers and ponds, so much so that they have become a part of our natural ecosystem and prey on native species of small fish. 

 

Even though they are invasive, there's too many of them and they're here to stay. Our government has imposed a ban on sales of red eared sliders, but they're still sold freely in pet stores. Turtle example aside, I can only imagine how much devastation a lionfish can cause if left to to spawn without a natural predator. I read about Florida - about the invasive iguanas and pythons you guys face too. 😞

 

We now have Florida & alligator gars, and even araipama in our waters. It has caused significant impact to our local fish population. 😢 

 

The new Manchu isn't doing too great though. Still breathing hard and gills are working overtime. I'm hoping he'll pull through somehow and recover - I'm not sure how/if a fish can recover from ammonia burn to the gills though. 😕

 

He was attempting to shed his cuticle too, but not quite successful. That worries me quite a fair bit. When lions shed, they just twitch-shake a few times and the older cuticle comes off in a few pieces easily. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Heartbreaking news. I just lost him. 😞

 

 

Feeling quite crushed and demotivated. It's close to midnight on my end and I'm too sedated to climb on a chair & pull the fish out, so I have to leave the body until morning. 

 

I waited for 6+ years for this fish. To be lucky enough to see one in person & acquire it, only to lose it before the day ends - I can't even explain it. 

 

He was a stunning fish too. Bright red. I'll try to sleep. I need rest. And a break from all things marine for a bit. 😞

[debbeach13]

I am so sorry, sometimes this hobby is completely frustrating.

When I set up my 1st saltwater tank Mike the owner of the LFS said you have to get used to the fact that there will be unexplained death/losses. Unfortunately, over the years I have experienced this along with just about everyone that keeps a reef tank. 

I hope you are able to get some rest. 

[Sharbuckle]

Oh damn… so sorry you lost him so fast. Obviously not your fault and the fish was most likely dying already. Luna is looking stunning however, making me want a dwarf lionfish again. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

8 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

I am so sorry, sometimes this hobby is completely frustrating.

When I set up my 1st saltwater tank Mike the owner of the LFS said you have to get used to the fact that there will be unexplained death/losses. Unfortunately, over the years I have experienced this along with just about everyone that keeps a reef tank. 

I hope you are able to get some rest. 

The unexplainable deaths most definitely suck. 😞

 

Hope you've been keeping well, Deb. 

 

8 hours ago, Sharbuckle said:

Oh damn… so sorry you lost him so fast. Obviously not your fault and the fish was most likely dying already. Luna is looking stunning however, making me want a dwarf lionfish again. 

Still sucks though. Fu Manchus can be quite tough to come by. Had the smaller 3" one survived at the store, I'd have gladly chosen that one first. I always hesitate when purchasing adult-sized fish at any store. Took a great risk picking this lion up, and although he was affordable, he was still quite pricey. 😕

 

Luna thanks you for the compliment. She's doing quite well. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

Pulled the body out this afternoon. Colors have paled out. Still a beauty though. 

 

 

😞

 

I really hope I get the chance to own a fu manchu again, but a healthier one. Luckily I still have my dwarf fuzzy, Luna, for now. I need to pick up more mollies for her soon. I have 5 mollies of varying sizes left, but for some reason Luna has chosen to spare them, so they became a part of the tank's crew. 😅

[Snow_Phoenix]

Hungry Luna peeking for some food. 💦

 

 

 

Full PE on the red pineapple tree: