Thetravelguy Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, billygoat said: I mean when you think about it, clowns are technically damselfish as well... so the spirit of the first inhabitant will at least live on in the tank! 😅 Clarkii clowns are an interesting choice; I feel like almost everyone goes for Percs or Ocellaris. I like Clarkiis though. They are very pretty. Haha! Well I had originally opted for the damsel as a “get my hands wet” sort of re-intro to the salt world. But I’ve kinda jumped in and got re-acclimated quicker than I thought. So, I’m ready to get some fish I actually want 😂🤷🏻♂️. As as far as the Clarkii - I had never heard of them until maybe a month ago, or less. But I fell in love with them at first sight. I’ve always loved that golden/black combo and they seemed a good fit for me. I had an ocellaris about 10 years ago and loved him! But I wanted to try something new. 2 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 15, 2019 Author Share Posted September 15, 2019 Well its been nearly a week and here we are, not much has changed. I have finally sat down and tried to take pictures with the blues. I still cant *really* figure it out. I played with WB a ton and that helped a smidge but... oh well. Sorry the tank isnt as clean.... its one of those things, I didnt realize how messy it looks until I took a picture. I included a picture I also took of the zoa frag im trying to ID (also posted in the zoa id area..) No big updates. Pepermint shrimp is alive and well. The damsel is still with us. I have lost what seems all but one of my hermits. It kind of appears they may be killing eachother? Im still on the hunt for my clarkii. The LFS said theyd look into it. Im also on the hunt for a bubble tip. My LFS does carry them but they are asking what seems an agregious price. So im looking around. 1 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 Today we added some new friends. 2 astrea snail, 2 red legged hermits and 1 tailspot blenny. 1 astrea flipped over and has already been eaten by my hermits 🙄🤬. Must’ve been sick to begin with. But still! I had had no intentions of picking up the blenny. But I saw him at the lfs today and he was so wonderful and playful. And when I had my first tank years ago, my favorite fish ended up being the bicolor blenny I had. So I thought another but different blenny would make a fantastic addition to my tank. He is still drip acclimating so I’ll try to get pictures of him tomorrow 😌. The frags I added are doing great. All are open and beautiful. Looking to add more soon. I was quite against ordering online (just shipping cost is so high) but my lfs has a pretty, well, crappy selection of frags. I wish I could get in touch with local reefers to see what they could offer me. But alas the south is not known for its plentiful reef communities. 3 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 I adore TSB and Blennies of all sorts really, its just the grumpy faces that gets me. It took me about 6 months to find some reliable local reefers to buy/trade frags from in my area and anout teh same to find some LFS's that are not infested with Pests in their Coral tanks Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 Just an iPhone shot for now. But he’s gorgeous! 3 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 Tailspot blennies always look so cartoonishly surprised from the side. It's great. He's a little thin, though, better get him fattened up! 1 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Thetravelguy said: Just an iPhone shot for now. But he’s gorgeous! Beautiful indeed. You'll have great fun watching this one. Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 Picked up my BTA yesterday. I had it ordered locally and it finally came in. Honestly this is one of my more highly anticipated inhabitants. I’ve wanted a bta for some time and am hoping my future clowns will host. Upon bringing him him home I took one look st the tank and realized I didn’t have anywhere I wanted to put it. So I physically moved the tank location and completely redid the layout to creat a more peninsula style scape. I moved the tank so it’s now visible on all three sides and I am already enjoying it so much more. Im not 110% in love with the rock work but it’s growing on me. Upon moving stuff around I discovered my GSP had already grown enough to attach itself to some of my rock. I found that encouraging! Anyhow. As it stands this is the tank currently. I was really worried about the BTA when I brought it home cause it was realllll pissed. When I woke up this morning it had moved itself off the rock I placed it on and was upside down in the sand bed 😬. But after flipping him right side up he has since moved again and has seemed to find a spot- at least for now now, to pop a squat. It isn’t really my first choice of location but honestly even the location is growing on me. It looks more natural somehow with him having chosen it. 1 Quote Link to comment
Gravity Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 Just want to offer some words of caution with BTA. It is generally recommended to have a 6 month + tank to ensure stability. Lighting recommendation is around 250 par which will not be achieved by stock lighting. Last note, they can grow over a foot long and would eventually need a larger tank. On the contrary I have seen them grow in lower par, survive newer tanks and it takes some time for them to get large. So good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 5 minutes ago, Gravity said: Just want to offer some words of caution with BTA. It is generally recommended to have a 6 month + tank to ensure stability. Lighting recommendation is around 250 par which will not be achieved by stock lighting. Last note, they can grow over a foot long and would eventually need a larger tank. On the contrary I have seen them grow in lower par, survive newer tanks and it takes some time for them to get large. So good luck. I appreciate it. I’ve read the cautionaries and and understand the risk I’m taking. I’ve read good reviews on BTA doing well with this stock lighting. That being said I do intend to upgrade it in the future. I think by the time it would be large enough to need to be moved I would upgrade anyways... let’s be honest, 13gals won’t keep me satisfied forever 😅 2 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 26, 2019 Author Share Posted September 26, 2019 RIP mr hermit. Wrong place wrong time my friend. it appears my new nem got hungry and ate one of my red legged hermits. You can see the remains of some red legs sticking out. Poor fella. 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted September 29, 2019 Author Share Posted September 29, 2019 Well. We have discovered it was not the hermit, but in fact my peppermint shrimp. Rip mr shrimp. I’m annoyed my nem got treated to a $10 dinner but 🤷🏻♂️ Se la vi ive got a crazy cyano outbreak. I’m trying to determine what. My params are normal. The tank does receive a bit of indirect morning sunlight which could contribute to excess light problems. I did a 50% wc this week but it’s not done much in the battle against cyano 😩 1 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 Things are still going well. I finally added an ocellaris clown. I had initially wanted Clarkii but when I finally saw them in person I did not like them as much as google made me think I did 🤷🏻♂️. I debated long and hard over ocellaris vs maroon (wanted a natural host for my bta) but ultimately decided on the ocellaris as I may decided to get a black one down the road. I’m really enjoying him so far! Has yet to host the bta but it’s not been very long so I’ll give it time. Everyone else is doing well. Params are great. does the water seem a little cloudy to anyone? I did a wc last night but it seems a bit cloudy to me. Maybe I’m looking for perfection where it doesn’t exist. hoping to add some new frags soon, and to upgrade my current powerhead because it sucks. I did rearrange the hard scrape and I like this one the best so far. 2 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 You very much wouldn't want a maroon clown in there, they get a good 5-6" long and are very aggressive in small spaces. Might be your salt mix making the water a little cloudy, or something got stirred up. Or it may just be like that- some saltwater batches are always going to be a little off perfectly clear. Hardscape looks great. Good call putting the nem away from everything else so it's less likely to sting your coral. 2 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 20 minutes ago, Tired said: You very much wouldn't want a maroon clown in there, they get a good 5-6" long and are very aggressive in small spaces. Might be your salt mix making the water a little cloudy, or something got stirred up. Or it may just be like that- some saltwater batches are always going to be a little off perfectly clear. Hardscape looks great. Good call putting the nem away from everything else so it's less likely to sting your coral. True story. My lfs has a maroon in their big display tank that’s easily the size of my hand, if not bigger! Good to know on the salt mix. I never really thought about it having a significant effect on the water clarity but now that it’s pointed out it seems common sense. and haha thanks! As if I had any choice where the nem went 😂. He’s wandered all over the tank and I’m grateful he seems content there. He seems to like the morning sunlight that comes through the window. Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 I bet someone out there has a display that's just a 40gal tank with a giant anemone, a pair of maroon clowns, and nothing else, and I bet it looks spectacular. They're neat fish, they're just way too big for pretty much any sort of nano tank. Different salt mixes, and different batches of the same mix, will have different amounts of minerals that won't entirely dissolve in them. As long as your water parameters are somewhere good (calcium and whatnot) and it's not irritating your livestock, it's a purely aesthetic issue. Oh, and by the way, speaking of salt- make sure you stir yours. It settles, so to make sure your water has the proper ratio of minerals in it, you want to stir your salt pretty heavily before water changes. That's why salt comes in so many different sizes- the ideal is to just use the whole container at once so you definitely have the right ratio. Bubble tips, and practically any other nem, will definitely have a go at getting everywhere at once. They want to make sure they have the ideal spot. Rock flower nems don't tend to go anywhere, and aiptasia don't move unless bothered, but pretty much everything else will go all over the place. Hopefully it's found a spot it likes. 1 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 In the last couple weeks a lot of new stuff has happened with the tank. My nem is still pissing me off. He’s colored up and looks real pretty. But I made the mistake of doing a big wc, changing the light and adding a new powerhead. So naturally he moved to the absolute worst spot possible 🙄. I’ll be honest guys. In my head I never comprehended the idea that anemones are fully alive and capable of movement. Like... I knew the moved? But I just never, I don’t know, processed it? ao yes. I had been running stock lighting and it was my original intent to keep the stock lighting (why else get an AIO system?) but....after seeing colors of coral in my system vs at the ones elsewhere, I realized I wanted more of those colors. So I upgraded to an amazon black box. Not a fancy kessil or anytbibg... maybe in the future. But I’m still wading into this here deep dark pool. I added a koralia powerhead. Much better than the other one I had been playing with. I’m slightly concerned it’s not quite strong enough, but we’ll see. and lastly (and most exciting) new inhabitants! I found a new VERY tiny lfs an hour away (hardly more than a garden shed with about 12 livestock tanks and one big coral tank) but they had a great selection and even better prices. My other lfs (that I’ve never liked) sells frags at an alarming price so it’s Hardly affordable. But this new found lfs has wonderful gems that are quite affordable (a whole tank of $10 frags 😍) sooooooo I got some wonderful new stuff! It’s still drip acclimating so no pictures yet BUT i got a hammerhead (been wanting one for ages) a Ricordian a “Hollywood stoner” chalice a Kenya tree and a free and so far unidentified extra because he accidentally overcharged me. Sooooooooo as soon as they are in the tank, picture pictures! 1 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted October 27, 2019 Author Share Posted October 27, 2019 Ok finally some new pics! My hammer still is adjusting and doesn’t look his greatest, so please excuse him. I finally played around with my camera and figured out some wb issues and got some decent shots!! new clown mr nem. He’s not this weird bluish color, more of a green. But I couldn’t get that to show through in the picture ricordea chalice gsp fts 5 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 I made a mistake and had a complete and total tank crash. I’m currently very pissed off. I made a mistake measuring kalkwSser this morning (my first time using) and came home from work to a complete and total tank crash. We’re talking all fish dead, nem dead, several snails dead, couple corals dead. Zoas seem ok. Gsp is undetermined. Ric seems ok. Hammer isn’t bleached but doesn’t look great . I’m so mad at myself 😞 PH is higher than California on 4:20. I guess this means complete reboot. It was my bad. Things were going so well. I just made a slip. I’m so frustrated! 8 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Thetravelguy said: I made a mistake and had a complete and total tank crash. I’m currently very pissed off. I made a mistake measuring kalkwSser this morning (my first time using) and came home from work to a complete and total tank crash. We’re talking all fish dead, nem dead, several snails dead, couple corals dead. Zoas seem ok. Gsp is undetermined. Ric seems ok. Hammer isn’t bleached but doesn’t look great . I’m so mad at myself 😞 PH is higher than California on 4:20. I guess this means complete reboot. It was my bad. Things were going so well. I just made a slip. I’m so frustrated! This is tragic news! Nothing for it but to pick up the pieces and move forward though. Think of it this way: that's one mistake that you'll never make again! I'm sending you good vibes and wishing you good luck with the reboot. Next time will be even better! 2 Quote Link to comment
Tired Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Oh no, that's awful. You may not need a complete reboot, per se. I'd do a lot of smallish water changes to gradually lower the pH down (gradually so you don't kill your live stuff), and see if you get a cycle. Your bacteria may still be alive, in which case you've got a tank that's cycled, so at least it's a starting point. 3 Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 15 hours ago, Tired said: Oh no, that's awful. You may not need a complete reboot, per se. I'd do a lot of smallish water changes to gradually lower the pH down (gradually so you don't kill your live stuff), and see if you get a cycle. Your bacteria may still be alive, in which case you've got a tank that's cycled, so at least it's a starting point. I do appreciate the sympathy guys thanks. As frustrated as I am I accept it was 100% my fault. So. Moving past it. But you’re most correct I’ll never make this mistake again 😩. however. In the light of day (both figuratively but also literally) it is not *quite* as bad as it appeared last night. I did loose all my fish (blenny, damsel, clown) and my bta. I lost some of my cuc but I haven’t been able to determine yet what all died. My nessarious snails are still kicking about. And I saw a hermit or two. Not sure what else. however as far as corals go I think I’ve been lucky. Or I caught it in time. My chalice is a goner for sure. But my zoas are pretty seemingly unaffected. My ric looks pretty good. My hammer looks bad but it may bounce back. My Kenya tree looks decent also. My gsp looks a little worse for wear but it’ll survive. So, it could’ve been worse. I’m still frustrated but I’m glad the corals, for the most part, survived. 15 hours ago, billygoat said: This is tragic news! Nothing for it but to pick up the pieces and move forward though. Think of it this way: that's one mistake that you'll never make again! I'm sending you good vibes and wishing you good luck with the reboot. Next time will be even better! I appreciate it 1 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Really sorry 😞 Your scape is nice and you will turn it around. May I ask what you did with kalk to cause this problem? Quote Link to comment
Thetravelguy Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 15 minutes ago, Tamberav said: Really sorry 😞 Your scape is nice and you will turn it around. May I ask what you did with kalk to cause this problem? I measured incorrectly. Tbsp instead of tsp makes a big difference in the world of chemistry. Shot my ph through the roof almost immediately 1 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 13 minutes ago, Thetravelguy said: I measured incorrectly. Tbsp instead of tsp makes a big difference in the world of chemistry. Shot my ph through the roof almost immediately You dosed kalk directly? Or in a ATO or drip? Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.