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

[Snow_Phoenix]

All equipment prepped & ready for the next round of hybrid-TTM + peroxide bath. 👍

 

 

Also stole a peek at the fuge. The cactus caulerpa is now the dominant strain of macro in there, and it's growing out really well. 😊

 

 

I started dosing Brightwell's Chaetogro daily (mostly for the mangroves) and I noticed my macro started to slowly regrow and develop more darker/intense colors. Will continue dosing since I need the fuge back to its full 'strength' for the sake of my dragonets to come in the *far future. 🌱

[Snow_Phoenix]

I prepped the new bin and added a larger plant for the blenny to take refuge in:

 

 

My excitement was short-lived. I checked on the fish in the old bin while preparing the peroxide bath and the blenny was dead. 

 

 

In a way I did expect this, but I was still hoping he'd beat the odds somehow. But after I examined the body closer and realized that he was literally as thin as the tissue I set him on, I knew this fish never stood a chance. 😔

 

 

R.I.P. tiny blenny. Swim free. 

 

I saw no need to keep the extra plant in the new bin since the cardinal would appreciate more open space, so I removed it. 

 

 

The cardinal is now currently in the peroxide bath and appears alright:

 

 

 

We still have <10 mins before the bath is complete and then I'll quickly transfer him to the new bin. 

 

After today's TTM, there'll be another TTM (final) session scheduled in 3 days. If the cardinal makes it, he'll go into the QT-observation tank for a week, before being permanently moved to the 60G upstairs. 

 

To date, I have lost 3 fish so far during QT since the beginning of this year - 1 clownfish (aquacultured), 1 dragonet (wild) & 1 blenny (wild). Only 1 fish made it so far to a DT - 1 clownfish (aquacultured). 

 

The cardinal's fate is still uncertain, so I'm not putting him on the *made-it* list just yet. 

 

Definitely going to be more selective on any future fish purchases. Given how crazy the prices have become, and how almost every fish is either thin and/or sick when they arrive at stores, I think the safer option would be to divert my focus to collecting more corals instead. 😕

[Snow_Phoenix]

Cardinal is back in a new bin. Phase #4 of Hybrid-TTM completed.

 

 

 

Will dose Prazi again 2 days from now, then TTM a day after. 👍

[Snow_Phoenix]

GSP finally opened up fully today evening! 🥰

 

[seabass]

I was thinking about this.  The fallow period for Ich and treatment period for Ich aren't necessarily the same.  You definitely want your display fallow for the entire time (all stages of the parasite's lifecycle).  However, I'm not sure that you have to continue treatment for this same duration.

 

It's been awhile since I've researched treatment protocols for Ich, so I'd have to look them up again to accurately speak on this subject.  But I'm concerned about the fish not eating, and wonder if they have been sufficiently treated (and might be more comfortable in your display with Foxy).

[Snow_Phoenix]

8 minutes ago, seabass said:

I was thinking about this.  The fallow period for Ich and treatment period for Ich aren't necessarily the same.  You definitely want your display fallow for the entire time (all stages of the parasite's lifecycle).  However, I'm not sure that you have to continue treatment for this same duration.

 

It's been awhile since I've researched treatment protocols for Ich, so I'd have to look them up again to accurately speak on this subject.  But I'm concerned about the fish not eating, and wonder if they have been sufficiently treated (and might be more comfortable in your display with Foxy).

Sorry, Seabass - I'm a bit slower than usual tonight. I keep re-reading your message and I'm having trouble processing it - I'll try to re-read it in the morning.

 

But - Foxy is tentatively Ich-free in the 60G, which was left fallow for 74.5 days. If I'm not mistaken the hybrid-TTM process helps to treat Ich in fish that are/might be infected with it. Since my fish is wild-caught, and it was at the store which does have ich (all stores here have it, regardless of what they might say), I *assume that after 13 days of treatment via TTM, the fish will be Ich free (?)

 

I'm basically trying to follow Humblefish's guideline in the hybrid-TTM process. There are very specific steps and timings to adhere to. I'm feeling a bit dazed though - and also in a lot of pain.

 

Will try to respond properly tomorrow - sorry. 😕 

[seabass]

59 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

 I assume that after 13 days of treatment via TTM, the fish will be Ich free (?)

That sounds about right.  For some reason I thought it's been longer than that.  Luckily, cardinalfish are well suited to longer periods without food.  Hopefully it will start eating soon.

 

I have to confess, this thread can sometimes be painful to read, seeing all the issues that you've had to deal with (both personal and pet related).  Wishing you and your pets the best.

[Snow_Phoenix]

14 hours ago, seabass said:

That sounds about right.  For some reason I thought it's been longer than that.  Luckily, cardinalfish are well suited to longer periods without food.  Hopefully it will start eating soon.

 

I have to confess, this thread can sometimes be painful to read, seeing all the issues that you've had to deal with (both personal and pet related).  Wishing you and your pets the best.

I'm sorry if the thread is distressing in any way - I was simply sharing my experiences, and yes, I do admit they can be truly painful.

 

Just yesterday I sustained a freak accident (mum accidently dropped a very, very heavy box (>10kg) on my left foot, and three of my toes went unresponsive - possible fractures, definitely had contusions according to my father's diagnosis (he examined them). It was why I was in severe pain yesterday and not very responsive on forums. Am on painkillers though. Just have to wait a few weeks to heal fully, which sucks because I cannot walk properly at all atm. 😞 ) but I am rereading your post atm.

 

I think it'll be safe enough to skip the Observation tank and add the cardinal straight to the DT in 2.5 days - which is why the hybrid-TTM will be over. I was indeed considering it both yesterday morning and today afternoon, because I was worried it'll starve itself to death. It still appears healthy enough, but I don't want to stress it unnecessarily. 

 

Plus, once the fish is in a more natural environment with rocks and sand, it should technically feel more comfortable. I don't think Foxy will bother the cardinal in any way either. 🤔

This persistent issue with all the recent batches of fish being very unhealthy is quite worrisome. If you consider the raise in prices and the increased mortality rates, I noticed that I'm actually losing a *lot of money acquiring fish. I'm not sure if this will get better - I doubt prices will drop again, but the hobby is certainly raising more and more barriers against budget-reefers like me. My greatest worry is that one day I'll literally be forced out of this hobby, simply because I can no longer afford it. Even equipment and media prices have shot up. 😞 

 

My R80 InLed light is actually spoilt (or rather on the verge of going kaput entirely), and I was looking into purchasing a Hydra 32 HD, but after I saw the price increase even under a supposed 'discount' at an online store, I was cringing. Definitely not a good sign, because I have to look into the needs of my other animals as well - I can't devote *all of my finances towards my reeftanks only. 😞 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Under heavy blues, through dirty glass:

 

 

 

 

The leptastrea polyps are now fully open. The mini clove-rock accidently fell off the major rock, so I'll glue them properly back to the LR when I'm better. 👍

[debbeach13]

6 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

My greatest worry is that one day I'll literally be forced out of this hobby, simply because I can no longer afford it. Even equipment and media prices have shot up. 😞 

This is a real concern for me as well. The prices of some used to be pretty common corals are already much higher than I can spend.

[Snow_Phoenix]

32 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

This is a real concern for me as well. The prices of some used to be pretty common corals are already much higher than I can spend.

Looks like this is happening worldwide and is inevitable. I agree that some pretty common corals have become quite expensive - the xenia I bought was almost 50% more than it's previous price, but since I have a strong rapport with the store, I received a very good discount on it.

 

But I suppose there will come a time when the hobby will simply be too much. I am quite grateful and happy that I did manage to collect many types of corals for my nano before the prices shot up 2x to 3x fold though. I can frag some of them myself and slowly add them to this tank to be grown out. 

 

But with large LPS colonies, those will have to be purchased the usual way - luckily I can pay in installments. Just need to wait to finish payment, then I can pick them up one by one to restock the 60G. 🙂 

[Tamberav]

I think putting frags in your 60 from your nano is a good idea. Then you have backups if anything were to happen to them in either tank. It also saves money.

 

I have skipped observation on fish after TTM. It has some risk but benefits too. If all is done right, it should be okay though. At the very least you should rule out ich and velvet. 
 

Yah the hobby is so expensive. I wish more people would share corals for free. Frag it forward. Then the people who got it for free grow it out and share it for free too with others… we could make this hobby so much more affordable. 

[Tamberav]

speaking of price increases...

 

 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

12 hours ago, Tamberav said:

I think putting frags in your 60 from your nano is a good idea. Then you have backups if anything were to happen to them in either tank. It also saves money.

 

I have skipped observation on fish after TTM. It has some risk but benefits too. If all is done right, it should be okay though. At the very least you should rule out ich and velvet. 
 

Yah the hobby is so expensive. I wish more people would share corals for free. Frag it forward. Then the people who got it for free grow it out and share it for free too with others… we could make this hobby so much more affordable. 

 

I actually leave extra frags at my LFS to give others a chance to own them. The store does put them up for sale, but at affordable prices. 

 

I think I'll eventually frag more palys from my tank and shift them over to the 60G in the future. Might test out one or two zoa morphs - Foxy *might nip these though, but she is generally very well-fed and tends to leave my current corals alone. 

 

6 hours ago, Tamberav said:

speaking of price increases...

 

 

 

This actually makes me quite sad. 😔

 

The hobby is definitely on its way to cater to *only rich folks here. It's why I saw several local budget reefers exit the hobby already and put up their tanks for sale on FB. 

 

Given how my country is going through severe inflation right now, priorities need to be diverted to simply surviving/living to get basic neccesities everyday for most Msians. A lot of people are suffering. 😔

 

I'm very lucky/grateful that I'm still living together with my family - our finances are a bit strained, but not critical (*yet). But my parents did bring up a fair point on downsizing my petkeeping - once my hamsters & hedgie passes away from old age, I will not be keeping any new small mammals - I simply cannot afford the upkeep. 😕

 

I will be maintaining my 2 FW & 2 SW tanks, but no more than that. The less, the better. 

 

The pandemic has truly upended a lot of things worldwide - but the impact is felt the most in 3rd world countries - most of which are still struggling with basic healthcare & the continuously widening income gap between the rich and poor. 😔

[debbeach13]

Sometimes feels like the middle class is going to disappear. People have talked about it for over 30 years. Now it feels like it is happening. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

21 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Sometimes feels like the middle class is going to disappear. People have talked about it for over 30 years. Now it feels like it is happening. 

Yeah. 😔

[Snow_Phoenix]

Today was the last day of TTM. Since the cardinal hasn't eaten for 1+ week or so (possibly due to stress from QT), I decided to skip the observation tank and add her to my 60G directly. 

 

I named her PJ (not very creative, I know 😅) and here she was, before being transported to the DT:

 

 

Once she was safely acclimated and added to the tank, her real personality came through and her colors darkened. She's actually a very beautiful fish. 🥰

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm almost tempted to get more cardinals. Never quite appreciated them up until this very moment. 

 

I'll be looking out for a clown pair, a blenny, 1 or 2 gobies, a wrasse and 1 or 2 dragonets in the future. I don't wish to overstock this tank like before. Instead, I'd like to focus more on corals - and even then, not much. 

 

My 10G is densely packed with over 80+ types of corals, and I can tell you straight off the bat that the tank isn't as easy to maintain as it looks. 

 

Plus, I'd love a few *flowy LPS colonies in this - like a frogspawn/octospawn and/or elegance etc. - pretty much anything that sways in the flow. But I've decided to make this tank more softy-dominant than LPS-dominant. 

 

Mainly because once the dragonets come in, the tank will be *dirty (high nutrients) and mostly softies & certain LPS will thrive in that range. 

 

I hope PJ lives a long, healthy, happy life in this tank. Foxy is getting along very well with her so far. Right now I have 2 mid-column swimmers, so it looks nice. 👍

[kimdawg]

I have a Petey the PJ fish and he swims with Foxy the foxface every evening.  They are quite the odd couple, but it makes smile every time.

[Snow_Phoenix]

2 hours ago, kimdawg said:

I have a Petey the PJ fish and he swims with Foxy the foxface every evening.  They are quite the odd couple, but it makes smile every time.

Yay! Petey is such a cute name though. And another Foxy too! 🥰

[debbeach13]

All right PJ, enjoy your new home.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I'll be taking a break from purchasing new fish for a while - I really need to rest - especially now since my left foot is in rough shape (swelling still hasn't gone down so I can't put my last 4 toes down as I walk (have to hobble to compensate for stability) and this will take a while to heal). 

 

I'm actually very tempted to head to the LFS near my home (my secondary one, not primary) because they have TSBs in stock. But the price is crazy-expensive and I'm...tired. 😔

 

I'll just wait for future shipments - I think I'll drop by my *primary LFS late next month instead. Their fish choices are lesser, but at least they don't have velvet. 👀

 

Also, my GSP appears to be growing. 😊👍

 

My cloves aren't doing too well though. 😕

 

Might need to re-frag them from the nano & re-add them to the tank in the future. 

 

My kenya's frag plug detached from the rock. I had to re-glue it. Was quite difficult because I had to get up on a chair to reach into the tank, and I was panting a little from all the pain. 😕

 

I did spot the two small patches of leptastrea though! Full PE and colors are still bright so far. Am truly hoping it'll grow out and encrust. 👍

 

Will keep all of you updated on the status of PJ - she appeared interested in food today, but didn't eat. I noticed her observing Foxy eat though, so I'm hoping she'll catch on and get a few bites in the future. She looks average so far, not skinny - so I have a bit more time to train her to accept prepared food. 👍

[Tamberav]

Hope she starts eating soon. Idk why but when I tried bangaii cardinals in the past, they were picky eaters. 

[Snow_Phoenix]

17 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Hope she starts eating soon. Idk why but when I tried bangaii cardinals in the past, they were picky eaters. 

I think most cardinals are picky eaters in general. But once they start eating, they're fairly stable. I love the fact that they school though! So cool. 😊

[kimdawg]

My PJ does a lot of secret eating behind the rocks, so hopefully he is eating something.  I never see mine eat but he is very fat.  I wish you were local and I could give you all of the GSP you would every want.  Just look at the picture of my wild child 75 gallon and you will see what I mean.

 

Please remember to be kind to yourself and take care of your health.

[Snow_Phoenix]

Sorry for the blurry pics and the odd tint to them, but my lights were running on ultra-heavy blues and I took these through an orange filter lens, as opposed to a yellow one.

 

Foxy:

 

 

 

 

PJ:

 

 

 

 

PJ attempted to eat today, but she spat out the pellet instead of swallowing it. I'll try some mysis tomorrow. I noticed she was trying to find some live pods at the back of the tank, so hopefully that'll sate her for now. 👍