Kinda's Large Tank Adventure (LTA)

[Melfy77]

On 6/10/2022 at 9:35 AM, Kindanewtothis said:

Just spoke with Aquaillumination. They are sending me a new Nero 3 but I have to pay for the shipping fees.

 

With taxes here in Canada the pump cost me 200$ CAD.

 

Shipping from here cost 26$ CAD and shipping for the new one is 30$ USD. Still worth it.

 

I have to soak in vinegar (50/50) my pumps more often.

Pretty good! The hygger wavemaker I got a week ago just broke down!!! Seriously!! Thankfully I got it from Amazon so I'll get the money back. Fed up with cheap stuff. Waterbox has the Vortech on sale for 349 CAD instead of 450! Decided to pull the trigger!!!😬

[Kindanewtothis]

On 4/30/2022 at 1:57 PM, DevilDuck said:

Fingers crossed for you. I started out seeing one or two aiptasia a month, which I aiptasia-x like immediately. Now I see 2-3 pop up a week and I can't keep up. They are easy to miss, especially when they start growing in the back of your rock work in some hidden spots. Since I lost my blood red cleaner shrimp recently. I picked up a peppermint shrimp and it's been doing a great job at least in the half of the tank where he hides. 

I think this is one pest everyone will eventually get, don't let it freak you out or lessen the enjoyment of your tank.

 

 

 

Killed 3 of them since the first one showed up. Thinking about a peppermint shrimp. Any down side about this shrimp that you know about?

[DevilDuck]

I have read that they either don't eat any aiptasia or go rouge and start eating lps and other coral. It seems to be the luck of the draw, much like emerald crabs, if you get a good one or not. 

 

Mine is doing very well so far. No more aiptasia in the display. There are now all concentrated in the sump, which I don't mind.

 

[seabass]

I like using Peppermint Shrimp to deal with aiptasia.  I've had relatively good luck in the past.  I might recommend multiple shrimp.  Also, try not to directly feed the shrimp; a hungry shrimp is more likely to eat aiptasia than one that gets regular meals.

 

Like DevilDuck stated, after they have done their job, I give them back to the LFS (no cash or store credit).  For me, they inevitably start picking at fan worms, anemones, and even coral.  Not worth keeping around.

[Kindanewtothis]

19 minutes ago, seabass said:

I like using Peppermint Shrimp to deal with aiptasia.  I've had relatively good luck in the past.  I might recommend multiple shrimp.  Also, try not to directly feed the shrimp; a hungry shrimp is more likely to eat aiptasia than one that gets regular meals.

 

Like DevilDuck stated, after they have done their job, I give them back to the LFS (no cash or store credit).  For me, they inevitably start picking at fan worms, anemones, and even coral.  Not worth keeping around.

As long as one aiptasia pops here and there, I think I'll wait and keep using Aiptasia-X. I really don't like the picking at anemones and corals part.

[Kindanewtothis]

Will receive a NY Knicks torch tomorrow morning. It is a replacement (free) for the hellfire torch that I won but arrived dead.

 

My dKH is now stable, the remaning hammers seems to do well.

[Kindanewtothis]

Got an emerald crab as a freeby with the torch.

 

It went under the anemone and the clowns are fighting it...

[Kindanewtothis]

New guy doing well

[Kindanewtothis]

So that emerald crab is attacking my snails... even a big mexican turbo snail...

 

Should I target feed it?

[seabass]

There's no harm is target feeding it, unless you are hoping that it will eat bubble algae.

[Kindanewtothis]

20 minutes ago, seabass said:

There's no harm is target feeding it, unless you are hoping that it will eat bubble algae.

Thanks.

 

No bubble algae in sight. 

 

I had to remove a nassarius from its claws...

[seabass]

Crabs in general are opportunistic feeders.  It's sort of like your angelfish was (it should be less likely to feed on what you don't want it to, if it isn't hungry).

[Kindanewtothis]

Guess who killed an expensive torch... again... yeah me. I don't know that happened to my new torch but it is already gone.

[Melfy77]

1 hour ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Guess who killed an expensive torch... again... yeah me. I don't know that happened the my new torch but it is already gone.

I swear torch coral is the most annoying coral ever!!! I have a love/hate relationship with them!!!

[Kindanewtothis]

I got it Saturday. It never fully opened. This morning all that was left was the skeleton. Never lost something that fast.

 

Other LPS seems alright and I was using the acclimation mode on the AI prime.

 

 

[Ratvan]

16 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Guess who killed an expensive torch... again... yeah me. I don't know that happened to my new torch but it is already gone.

Yeah I love Euphyllias but seemingly they dont like my tanks 

[Kindanewtothis]

50 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

Yeah I love Euphyllias but seemingly they dont like my tanks 

I wanted an almost all euphyllias tank....

 

It's going to be zoas... much easier

[Jakesaw]

2 hours ago, Ratvan said:

Yeah I love Euphyllias but seemingly they dont like my tanks 

My experience too.  Though mine loved my tank for a while until everything hated it.  Hammers were the first to go thouugh.

[Melfy77]

3 hours ago, Jakesaw said:

My experience too.  Though mine loved my tank for a while until everything hated it.  Hammers were the first to go thouugh.

We should create a new club!!😂 That's how depressing it is. Wanting something so bad in our tank, doing things right and still having them die on us!!!!!

[Jakesaw]

2 hours ago, Melfy77 said:

We should create a new club!!😂 That's how depressing it is. Wanting something so bad in our tank, doing things right and still having them die on us!!!!!

It really is depressing.. LOL

 

My Hammers were my favorite coral.  Loved em. 

 

Now I'm afraid to get them again b/c they are just gonna DIE.  Maybe when I have a bigger tank I'd consider again or feeling a bit more comfortable with parameter stability, but they are a no touch for me right now.

 

I could be talked into trying again next Christmas sale though at 50 percent off.  

[Kindanewtothis]

little f*** is eating my hammer!!!

[seabass]

27 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

little f*** is eating my hammer!!!

Maybe.  Or maybe just picking at some algae.  A lot of people don't feel that Emerald Crabs are totally reef safe; but they put up with them because they are good algae eaters (and just about the only grazer that eats bubble algae).

 

They get even more precarious as they get bigger.

[Kindanewtothis]

19 minutes ago, seabass said:

maybe just picking at some algae

I think that this is how it started but it cut a small polyp... maybe it was by mistake. 

[Jakesaw]

@Kindanewtothis

 

Was curious if you are running a skimmer in any of your tanks.  I added one a few weeks ago to my 10 gal and feel the water quality has improved significantly.  I'm dosing nutrients - and doing Vibrant so Not sure the actual full impact of Skimmer on tank parameters - but almost overnight I noticed a more water clarity.

 

Thanks

 

 

[Chibils]

On 6/14/2022 at 12:58 PM, DevilDuck said:

I have read that they either don't eat any aiptasia or go rouge and start eating lps and other coral. It seems to be the luck of the draw, much like emerald crabs, if you get a good one or not. 

 

Mine is doing very well so far. No more aiptasia in the display. There are now all concentrated in the sump, which I don't mind.

 

It's certainly possible, because they are annoying little buggers that will chase after anything they think they can eat. But more likely imo is the person got camel shrimp or another incorrect species by mistake. There are a lot of red shrimp with white markings that look pretty similar. Camel shrimp superficially resemble peppermints, but have a pronounced back arch, beaky face, and spots. They are (or were, hopefully it's changed) commonly sold as peppermints by stores.

 

Peppermints are usually more transparent, with mostly parallel white lines running down them. They are from the genius Lysmata, same as your blood red cleaner shrimp was, although there are several similar-looking species that could account for the confusion about whether they eat Aiptasia or not.

 

Here is a comparison of a few Lysmata "peppermint shrimp" species. One article I skimmed from Google showed at least a dozen different species were being sold in fish stores based on the sample they took.

 

Anyways, I just finished reading your entire thread starting at the beginning. It sure was an interesting read, and I learned a few things too. Glad to see the tank finally maturing and shaping up in the last few months, and I'm also glad all the issues you dealt with didn't drive you out of the hobby. I was really worried that's where this thread was going so I was excited to see a happy ending.

 

Edit: there is no spoiler but I'm on my phone so I don't know how to remove it. 🙂

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