5g Zoa Playground (Formerly AIO Challenge Tank) - Tank Crash and Closing Shop 😢

[ECLS Reefer]

1 minute ago, ef4life said:

That’s awesome your husband was able to save your tank, that’s crazy about that heater. That could have been so much worse than a fried tank

Yes thank god he was here so that our house didn’t burn down. 
 

BUT. Since then, funny enough, he’s been bitten by the reef keeping bug 😂😂😂😂 Came home to him busily feeding fish, and he sent me pictures of our fish all day 😂😂😂😂😂😂. Now if he goes and buys one you KNOW he’s in the bag.

[ECLS Reefer]

This tank is doing super well after it’s near miss with death! I’m so happy with it’s recovery- the only thing I’ve had appear that never did with start up is diatoms. Been dozing MB7 a little more liberally and they seem to be tapering off. Orion the little scooter is doing great, eating Mysis/plankton and even nibbling some pellets! Dewie the file fish is slooooowly doing his job, nibbling away the aiptasia. When he’s done there I’ll move him to the Evo because there’s an aiptasiavasion going on in there.

 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

So, some bad news. Dewie the ugly file fish died on me a week ago? (Days all run together, and I never really know what day it is anymore). Last night little Orion the scooter suddenly turned grey and died. He’s been eating like a champ- frozen, plankton, live brine, pods, even pellets. But yeah he just up and died. So the tank is fishless again, with the inverts going strong.

 

 

 

[debbeach13]

Well that sucks.

[ECLS Reefer]

8 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

Well that sucks.

I completely agree!! And as I’ve lamented before, WHY does all the bad annoying stuff happen while I’m at work?!?! This weekend was a nightmare because something happened both days I was away and couldn’t do anything about it.

[ECLS Reefer]

So, good news is I found a berghia nudibranch dealer online and ordered a bunch for both this tank and the Evo. They’re also supposed to be good breeders from this company so maybe they’ll keep me in nudibranches until every single aiptasia is gone.

 

 

 

And, I think when I get around to a new fish, I’m gonna make sure it’s a true nano fish like GBGs again or a clown goby or something. I can’t say what killed the scooter but I bet I’d have had to move him eventually. The teeny weeny nano fish should do better.

[kimberbee]

Sorry for the losses. 😓

 

Though the tank is looking really good!

[ECLS Reefer]

4 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

Sorry for the losses. 😓

 

Though the tank is looking really good!

Yeah it’s a little frustrating that all the chemistry is back to where it was pre-heater bust, but I can’t keep fish in there. 
 

Oh well it’ll have a break for a bit while I wait to find those itty bitty fish. Have to order them. 

[ECLS Reefer]

So, continued not so great news for this little tank. I ordered two nano fish for it, which arrived Thursday, boiled. Why? Oh because even with the "LIVE FISH" labels all over the box, UPS didn't think it necessary to honor the deliver by time in the morning, and delivered it many, multiple hours later during the hottest part of the afternoon. Complete loss. The water was about as hot as my temper. Guess I won't be putting any fish in that tank now unless delivered by Fedex or hand carried from a store. 

 

 

Got some berghias from an online dealer (who DOES use Fedex!!!) and put three in this tank, and have yet to see even so much as an antenna. God knows if they're alive--there's still freaking aiptasia so they definitely haven't gotten on that job yet. Contemplating buying like 50 of the things next I want the aiptasias gone so bad. 

 

Otherwise, tank is doing fine, with the Sexy Trio doing well and the corals looking good.

[debbeach13]

Shipping any the but over night just doesn't work. Sorry about the DOA fish. Many say the berghias take days to settle in then some night the finally come out and get to munching. Good luck.

[Wingy]

I am sorry about the fish.  I would be hot too.  To be fair the driver probably didn't know and couldn't have done anything if they did.  He/she isn't the one who loads the truck or sets the route. Maybe a facility pickup, if it isn't to far, would work better for you.  

[ECLS Reefer]

2 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

Shipping any the but over night just doesn't work. Sorry about the DOA fish. Many say the berghias take days to settle in then some night the finally come out and get to munching. Good luck.

The company does ship over night, and usually it’s no problem. This is the second or third time UPS has done this since covid started. I think it’s just too much of a risk to

order anything shipped by them right now in the lower half of the US. It’s just too hot. Stuff that comes by fedex at the moment shows up promptly. 
 

I’ll just take the refund and then wait and see if my LFS can bring something in safely via their bigger shipments. They get stuff from the airport in the early morning, which seems better for the livestock. 

1 hour ago, Wingy said:

I am sorry about the fish.  I would be hot too.  To be fair the driver probably didn't know and couldn't have done anything if they did.  He/she isn't the one who loads the truck or sets the route. Maybe a facility pickup, if it isn't to far, would work better for you.  

It’s the covid. It’s messed up every aspect of life.

[debbeach13]

I agree with so many people doing more shopping on line then ever. Shipments get delayed so it is more risky than ever for live stock. I was lucky this week with an order from Aquarium Depot but they are in Florida and I am in Florida so overnight and everything arrived alive. I was still nervous trying it.

[ECLS Reefer]

29 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

I agree with so many people doing more shopping on line then ever. Shipments get delayed so it is more risky than ever for live stock. I was lucky this week with an order from Aquarium Depot but they are in Florida and I am in Florida so overnight and everything arrived alive. I was still nervous trying it.

I’ve had good luck with vivid sending corals- even when Mitten_reef sent me corals by USPS they at least got them to my door by 11am. It’s disappointing to not have fish in there but I guess it’s just not worth it until the heat breaks. Maybe I can get lucky and the LFS can bring something in, though the usual nano fish are scooters and mandys, which won’t work in there. Maybe he will get another tail spot in one day and I can snag it like I did PeakaBoo. He hasn’t had a TSB in months. 
 

But, I can’t in good conscious order anything right now with everything up in the air. At least the berghia company uses fedex. Prolly gonna get some more of those dudes in another week or so— the aiptasia makes me super mad. 

[Wingy]

My lfs said yesterday that they are regularly receiving the livestock they order but that they are ordering less often so it may take several weeks for me to get what I want.  

[debbeach13]

I just looked at the box and actually it was UPS ground but like I said same state. You had a tough week with your tanks. With a little time I think things will turn around again just hang in there. 

[ECLS Reefer]

5 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

I just looked at the box and actually it was UPS ground but like I said same state. You had a tough week with your tanks. With a little time I think things will turn around again just hang in there. 

You know how it is with this hobby- you win some you lose some, one week everything’s beautiful the next week everything is mad or dead. I take it as a success that 99% of everything is still alive 

[ECLS Reefer]

I spotted nudibranches!!! They took down one aiptasia completely and I’m excited about seeing more get demolished!!!

 

 

The Sexy Trio still going strong

 

[kimberbee]

I'm considering buying from PetCo and setting up a qt in case I want to buy any fish before temps drop in the fall. 😕

[ECLS Reefer]

12 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

I'm considering buying from PetCo and setting up a qt in case I want to buy any fish before temps drop in the fall. 😕

I know we have a petco somewhere around here with SW stuff but it’s not super near my house, but I don’t think they have super nano fish anyway. It’s a bummer to have to let it sit but it’s so freaking hot right now. I can’t remember who LA ships with- they’re the only other group that’s had GBGs and clown gobies I know of.

[kimberbee]

35 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

I know we have a petco somewhere around here with SW stuff but it’s not super near my house, but I don’t think they have super nano fish anyway. It’s a bummer to have to let it sit but it’s so freaking hot right now. I can’t remember who LA ships with- they’re the only other group that’s had GBGs and clown gobies I know of.

I guess it would depend where LA ships from. Ordering something from their WI facility is still a long hot trip even if it is overnight. 

[ECLS Reefer]

1 minute ago, kimberbee said:

I guess it would depend where LA ships from. Ordering something from their WI facility is still a long hot trip even if it is overnight. 

I just checked their website out of curiosity- they use UPS too. 😕 And they have both fish I want but.... can’t trust UPS they’ve burned me now too often. 

[Wingy]

Are you close to the UPS facility?  You could arrange for pick up there instead of it sitting on a truck.  

[ECLS Reefer]

10 minutes ago, Wingy said:

Are you close to the UPS facility?  You could arrange for pick up there instead of it sitting on a truck.  

I’m near a store but would they drop it off there faster than they take to deliver (or not) to homes? 

[Wingy]

Not the store the distribution facility where trucks are packed.