Taking the Plunge - Page 16

Schwe · 02/19/2009, 06:15 PM

Thanks, everyone. The tank is stable, it had a bit of an algae explosion and was a chia-pet reef for a couple of weeks. It is rebounding and looking great, now. I'm still afraid of getting any fish, though...

Some pictures:

Dinner Time

Lips

No fish = Pod explosion!

I think I also found a flatworm .. do you see it in the picture? Think that one will be a problem? I don' know where it even came from.

Also, when that last Cardinal went missing I thought it just fell into the abyss... but then found it a few days later; looking much like Marc's clownfish.

Tswifty · 02/19/2009, 07:01 PM

I think I see a few of the Red Planaria in your 3rd picture. Siphoning them out with some airline tubing is probably the best course of action at this point. Also a Sixline wrasse could help pick them off. I wouldn't start worrying too much until you see their numbers start to increase.

When I had them, they were in my refugium... and I noticed them because they were in about a quarter sized grouping and pretty densely populated within that small area on the glass.

Aquarist007 · 02/19/2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Schwe
Thanks, everyone. The tank is stable, it had a bit of an algae explosion and was a chia-pet reef for a couple of weeks. It is rebounding and looking great, now. I'm still afraid of getting any fish, though...

Some pictures:

Dinner Time

Lips

No fish = Pod explosion!

I think I also found a flatworm .. do you see it in the picture? Think that one will be a problem? I don' know where it even came from.

Also, when that last Cardinal went missing I thought it just fell into the abyss... but then found it a few days later; looking much like Marc's clownfish.

IMO I would let the tank go fishless for the full 11 weeks before adding new fish.(11 weeks is the longest documented time ich has survived without fishaccording to Greenbean, a marine biologist and respected RC memeber)

Schwe · 02/20/2009, 05:26 AM

Absolutely, Scott! I mean in general... I'm skeerd! :x I don't want more trajedy-- nor to flush hundreds of dollars down the toilet. Also, I don't know exactly what killed off all of my fish so quickly and I doubt it was just ich. My clowns survived 50 degree water in an ice storm and a previous ich battle, I can't believe they succumb to ich so quickly. That the ich was there I have no doubt, I just feel like there was something else in there that compromised the fish and then the ich took hold-- and they were too weak to deal with it.

timschmidt · 02/20/2009, 04:26 PM

Oodinium? Velvet disease? Nice polyp shots!

Schwe · 02/20/2009, 05:54 PM

You know, Tim... I just did a quick search on Oodinium and I think that's it.. it also sounds a LOT like what you went through with your fish. I'm sorry to hear about your tank, divorce, etc. I hope things turn around for you soon!

timschmidt · 02/22/2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Schwe
You know, Tim... I just did a quick search on Oodinium and I think that's it.. it also sounds a LOT like what you went through with your fish. I'm sorry to hear about your tank, divorce, etc. I hope things turn around for you soon!

My tank has been downsized into a 29 gallon Nanocube HQI and it is super healthy. My son is happy and watching Transformers right next to me.

Things are quite well thank you.

I am not sure if there is anything to this, but I had bit of bryopsis prior to that disease and you had bryopsis prior to the disease as well. I wonder if the correlation is relevant.

HumanIMDB · 02/23/2009, 08:05 AM

Glad to hear things are going well Tim.

Schwe · 02/23/2009, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by timschmidt
My tank has been downsized into a 29 gallon Nanocube HQI and it is super healthy. My son is happy and watching Transformers right next to me. Things are quite well thank you.

I am not sure if there is anything to this, but I had bit of bryopsis prior to that disease and you had bryopsis prior to the disease as well. I wonder if the correlation is relevant.

Hey, glad to hear that. I didn't mean to imply that I was throwing a pity party or anything, just commiserating with the changes in your life. Sometimes change is good.

The byropsis theory is interesting. I wonder if it would be a simple correlation or a direct influence on our misfortune. I don't want to test that theory again, though!

Cjsparky · 02/23/2009, 01:14 PM

Wow 56 pages of a great read!

It was like a Great novel with ups and downs, and I am happy to see things are on the rebound! Its been a blast to watch your tank from the start, thanks for such great documentation. I am just now getting involved in the hobby, and I am pretty certain I have learned the most from reading your mega-thread. As I type I have finally gotten my salinity to 1.023, and am letting the tank clear a bit before I add more sand and LR to the mix. I feel like after reading your experiences, and everyones advice, my nervousness is starting to subside a bit

My name is Christian, and I live in Atlanta, Hi everyone! I am definitely subscribing to your thread!

CJ

Edit - Holy crap I don't know how but I skipped page 55 in reading your thread before I posted...so sorry for all the loss!

Cjsparky · 02/23/2009, 01:21 PM

Oh and BTW I was really excited to see your success with the clam and your lighting....I am looking to do a 4x80 T5 DIY kit 5" long for my 6 foot tank, and everyone seems to want to sell me a beefier lighting set up for loads of cash...I am hoping I can have a similar success with a clam, yours is/was beautiful!

How far off the water were your bulbs?

CJ

Schwe · 02/23/2009, 02:32 PM

CJ, welcome! I'm happy to hear that you are doing some research before "taking the plunge." I don't remember the exact measurement of the lights off of the water (it's probably listed somewhere in the thread) but they are probably 6" or less off of the water, as I have a rather small canopy.

The clam is still doing very well. I'll post an updated FTS later.

Aquarist007 · 02/23/2009, 03:02 PM

One can only hope that if you can keep for fish healthy over a 6 month period and use Garlic Guard and Vitachem once or twice a week, that you can booster their immune systems enough to fight off a case of ich on their own.

If you suspect bacteria diseases you can always run a uv filter for awhile.

Schwe · 02/28/2009, 09:05 PM

I went to the local club's annual expo today and walked out with some sweet new corals.

I got a Dendro, two Acans, a lg. mixed people eater rock and a favia!

Obviously not having trouble with acclimating (at least I think it's a favia?)

Moved the Dendro, slowly opening up

Paly rock

Acans; red one is much happier than the green right now.

All of these corals are from a vendor that sponsors our club, I believe this is a photo of the mother colony? This is obviously a much nicer picture than mine.

They fragged & mounted it for me on the spot. There were SO many beautiful acans...

Tswifty · 02/28/2009, 10:37 PM

Nice pick-ups... better watch out though... I hear that LPS bug catches on quick, and only gets worse!

Schwe · 02/28/2009, 10:51 PM

Yeah, they sure are nice! At $10 per polyp for the Aussies, you can't say no! I kind of regret not getting more frags.

I see myself ordering more from their online store, the guys were a real pleasure to work with, and I can't help supporting aquaculture.

Aquarist007 · 02/28/2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Schwe
Yeah, they sure are nice! At $10 per polyp for the Aussies, you can't say no! I kind of regret not getting more frags. I see myself ordering more from their online store, the guys were a real pleasure to work with, and I can't help supporting aquaculture.

great looking frags---I wish we had a place around here where we can buy frags esp that quality

Tswifty · 02/28/2009, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Schwe
Yeah, they sure are nice! At $10 per polyp for the Aussies, you can't say no! I kind of regret not getting more frags. I see myself ordering more from their online store, the guys were a real pleasure to work with, and I can't help supporting aquaculture.

$10 per polyp is a great price. You definitely have more restraint than me.

Aquarist007 · 03/01/2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tswifty
$10 per polyp is a great price. You definitely have more restraint than me.

that's the going price around here--the only problem is you have to buy the whole corals which averages 10-15 polyps

2frosty4u · 03/01/2009, 07:45 AM

Very nice additions to your tank. Makes me want to go frag shopping today.

Schwe · 03/02/2009, 09:15 PM

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

I just took a break from studying to stare at my tank. I have astronomical amounts of pods. It's kind of creeping me out... The two main "flavors" are Amphipods and Copepods. The Amphipods look like mini-mantis shrimp. I also found some mysis living in my overflow. Where would they have come from? The amphipods are actually hiding in the corners of my overflow and hunting the mysis!

"whoooaaaa... Nelly!"

I need to fiddle with my powerheads and reduce some of the flow in that area. The Duncan's don't mind and the Dendro seems to be happy, but I worry about the acans. The red frag I have is looking pretty happy, but the green/red one is wizzed off that it's getting pummeled by flow.

Can anyone help me ID this frag? I think it is so beautiful! I don't believe it is a favite since its tentacles are shorter. Anyone notice the blue flecks?

Schwe · 03/02/2009, 09:23 PM

Oh, and another thing... the Amphipod SOB's were trying to steal the mysis from my Acan!

Rae C. · 03/02/2009, 10:16 PM

Beautiful frags! Love the dendro, that's a color I need in my tank. May have to look for one of those.

Schwe · 03/02/2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by out
Beautiful frags! Love the dendro, that's a color I need in my tank. May have to look for one of those.

Yeah, the Dendro is definitely one that catches the eye. I can see my little frag from across the room! Love it.

It's expensive, though...

$30 per head. I bought one frag, and it happened to have 3 bitty babies on it!

I wanted to get one of the big fat heads (1" across), but they were $40 per head! And this is expo/discount pricing.

Schwe · 03/02/2009, 10:30 PM

NOM NOM NOM

(photo taken with flash, lights off)

02/19/2009, 06:15 PM	#376
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	Thanks, everyone. The tank is stable, it had a bit of an algae explosion and was a chia-pet reef for a couple of weeks. It is rebounding and looking great, now. I'm still afraid of getting any fish, though... Some pictures: Dinner Time Lips No fish = Pod explosion! I think I also found a flatworm .. do you see it in the picture? Think that one will be a problem? I don' know where it even came from. Also, when that last Cardinal went missing I thought it just fell into the abyss... but then found it a few days later; looking much like Marc's clownfish. __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

02/19/2009, 07:01 PM	#377
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	I think I see a few of the Red Planaria in your 3rd picture. Siphoning them out with some airline tubing is probably the best course of action at this point. Also a Sixline wrasse could help pick them off. I wouldn't start worrying too much until you see their numbers start to increase. When I had them, they were in my refugium... and I noticed them because they were in about a quarter sized grouping and pretty densely populated within that small area on the glass. __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

02/20/2009, 05:26 AM	#379
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	Absolutely, Scott! I mean in general... I'm skeerd! :x I don't want more trajedy-- nor to flush hundreds of dollars down the toilet. Also, I don't know exactly what killed off all of my fish so quickly and I doubt it was just ich. My clowns survived 50 degree water in an ice storm and a previous ich battle, I can't believe they succumb to ich so quickly. That the ich was there I have no doubt, I just feel like there was something else in there that compromised the fish and then the ich took hold-- and they were too weak to deal with it. __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit Last edited by Schwe; 02/20/2009 at 05:32 AM.

02/20/2009, 04:26 PM	#380
timschmidt Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chicago area, IL Posts: 809	Oodinium? Velvet disease? Nice polyp shots! __________________ Tim Current Tank Info: Nanocube 12DX / Nanocube 28G HQI

02/20/2009, 05:54 PM	#381
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	You know, Tim... I just did a quick search on Oodinium and I think that's it.. it also sounds a LOT like what you went through with your fish. I'm sorry to hear about your tank, divorce, etc. I hope things turn around for you soon! __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

02/23/2009, 08:05 AM	#383
HumanIMDB Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 1,556	Glad to hear things are going well Tim. __________________ Chris Rivers Will do computer support for frags. :) Click on the Red House to see our AGA92 Corner Reef Tank Build thread. Current Tank Info: 10 Gal (Aqualight 96W Quad 50/50, AquaClear Power Filter 70 with Chaeto lit by 6500K Bulb, AquaClear Power Head 20, 50w Tronic Heater), 92 Gal All-Glass Corner (Cycling)

02/23/2009, 01:14 PM	#385
Cjsparky Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 80	Wow 56 pages of a great read! It was like a Great novel with ups and downs, and I am happy to see things are on the rebound! Its been a blast to watch your tank from the start, thanks for such great documentation. I am just now getting involved in the hobby, and I am pretty certain I have learned the most from reading your mega-thread. As I type I have finally gotten my salinity to 1.023, and am letting the tank clear a bit before I add more sand and LR to the mix. I feel like after reading your experiences, and everyones advice, my nervousness is starting to subside a bit My name is Christian, and I live in Atlanta, Hi everyone! I am definitely subscribing to your thread! CJ Edit - Holy crap I don't know how but I skipped page 55 in reading your thread before I posted...so sorry for all the loss! Last edited by Cjsparky; 02/23/2009 at 01:28 PM.

02/23/2009, 01:21 PM	#386
Cjsparky Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 80	Oh and BTW I was really excited to see your success with the clam and your lighting....I am looking to do a 4x80 T5 DIY kit 5" long for my 6 foot tank, and everyone seems to want to sell me a beefier lighting set up for loads of cash...I am hoping I can have a similar success with a clam, yours is/was beautiful! How far off the water were your bulbs? CJ

02/23/2009, 02:32 PM	#387
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	CJ, welcome! I'm happy to hear that you are doing some research before "taking the plunge." I don't remember the exact measurement of the lights off of the water (it's probably listed somewhere in the thread) but they are probably 6" or less off of the water, as I have a rather small canopy. The clam is still doing very well. I'll post an updated FTS later. __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

02/23/2009, 03:02 PM	#388
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	One can only hope that if you can keep for fish healthy over a 6 month period and use Garlic Guard and Vitachem once or twice a week, that you can booster their immune systems enough to fight off a case of ich on their own. If you suspect bacteria diseases you can always run a uv filter for awhile. __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

02/28/2009, 09:05 PM	#389
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	I went to the local club's annual expo today and walked out with some sweet new corals. I got a Dendro, two Acans, a lg. mixed people eater rock and a favia! Obviously not having trouble with acclimating (at least I think it's a favia?) Moved the Dendro, slowly opening up Paly rock Acans; red one is much happier than the green right now. All of these corals are from a vendor that sponsors our club, I believe this is a photo of the mother colony? This is obviously a much nicer picture than mine. They fragged & mounted it for me on the spot. There were SO many beautiful acans... __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

02/28/2009, 10:37 PM	#390
Tswifty Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: PA Posts: 14,022	Nice pick-ups... better watch out though... I hear that LPS bug catches on quick, and only gets worse! __________________ "Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover

02/28/2009, 10:51 PM	#391
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	Yeah, they sure are nice! At $10 per polyp for the Aussies, you can't say no! I kind of regret not getting more frags. I see myself ordering more from their online store, the guys were a real pleasure to work with, and I can't help supporting aquaculture. __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

03/01/2009, 07:45 AM	#395
2frosty4u Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 745	Very nice additions to your tank. Makes me want to go frag shopping today. __________________ A small fish in a big aquarium

03/02/2009, 09:15 PM	#396
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	Thanks for the comments, everyone. I just took a break from studying to stare at my tank. I have astronomical amounts of pods. It's kind of creeping me out... The two main "flavors" are Amphipods and Copepods. The Amphipods look like mini-mantis shrimp. I also found some mysis living in my overflow. Where would they have come from? The amphipods are actually hiding in the corners of my overflow and hunting the mysis! "whoooaaaa... Nelly!" I need to fiddle with my powerheads and reduce some of the flow in that area. The Duncan's don't mind and the Dendro seems to be happy, but I worry about the acans. The red frag I have is looking pretty happy, but the green/red one is wizzed off that it's getting pummeled by flow. Can anyone help me ID this frag? I think it is so beautiful! I don't believe it is a favite since its tentacles are shorter. Anyone notice the blue flecks? __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

03/02/2009, 09:23 PM	#397
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	Oh, and another thing... the Amphipod SOB's were trying to steal the mysis from my Acan! __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit

03/02/2009, 10:16 PM	#398
Rae C. Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Colorado Posts: 916	Beautiful frags! Love the dendro, that's a color I need in my tank. May have to look for one of those. __________________ Rae C It's 8:30, kids. Turn off the tank and go to bed! Current Tank Info: 65 gal, softies, 1 mandarine, 1 clown

03/02/2009, 10:30 PM	#400
Schwe Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 1,007	NOM NOM NOM (photo taken with flash, lights off) __________________ "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." -John Powell [i]Because the archenemy of "Good Enough" is "Better." Patrick12 of Okinawa, Japan[/i] Current Tank Info: 90 gallon- 20G Sump, DSB, 50x turnover, Icecap T5 Retrofit