Barely made the club but time for my 180 upgrade (Warning: Progress may be slow)

[dahenley]

WOW, what kind of acro is that in the middle/left side that is huge and red?
(maybe a closer picture??)

everything looks cool!

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by dahenley

WOW, what kind of acro is that in the middle/left side that is huge and red?
(maybe a closer picture??)

everything looks cool!

dahenley - Thanks for the compliments. Sadly I do not have any red in the tank that is visible at this time. I have updated the pic with some tags.

[dahenley]

Idaho Grape. (is it just a stag? do you remember where you got it?)
its an amazing looking coral from here (although i guess my color is off on my computer...)
(i have a Idaho Grape monti, but i wasnt aware of a acro.)
Very cool!
tanks.

[roni]

Everything is looking awesome! Didn't know you were keeping dart frogs too...Always wanted to try but my wife isn't having anything to do with possible flies in the house.

[SPotter]

now thats what I wanted to see!!!! awesome shots! cant wait to see the progression of the growth!

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by dahenley

Idaho Grape. (is it just a stag? do you remember where you got it?)
its an amazing looking coral from here (although i guess my color is off on my computer...)
(i have a Idaho Grape monti, but i wasnt aware of a acro.)
Very cool!
tanks.

dahenley - I need to relabel my picture...It is a Miami Orchard stag. I was tired last night trying to label things in the picture. Sorry for the confusion and false excitement. I have a piece of Idaho Grape in my frag tank and it is all but dead.

Originally Posted by roni

Everything is looking awesome! Didn't know you were keeping dart frogs too...Always wanted to try but my wife isn't having anything to do with possible flies in the house.

roni - Thanks for the compliments. I have not started keeping the frogs yet. I have all the items I need to set up the cage but I have been waiting till I get the basement finished. I plan to make a nice stand for the tank and have them on display in the basement as well. Get the wingless fruit flies . I plan to have two thumbnails in the enclosure. This spring I went out and collected termites and everything...that did not go over too well when I tried to bring them into the house . That took a little stem out of my balloon and I put them on hold...LOL.

Originally Posted by SPotter

now thats what I wanted to see!!!! awesome shots! cant wait to see the progression of the growth!

Steve - Thanks man. Hurry up and find a tank! I should probably take a pick of each coral to keep track of the changes. I can say that the items in the center of the tank have really taken off since I put them in the tank! There are still a few corals I have to find homes for.

Then - 5/27


Now - 9/17

[nightOwl]

General Updates - Miscellaneous

RIP Tiny!

I found a 3 inch section of Tiny stuck to one of the Tunzes this morning during feeding. Not sure if he is still living or not.

Blue Spotted Jawfish Video

I was a little worried with how fast I set up the QT tank on Saturday. Speckles is settling in pretty good. He eats like a pig and seems to be picky about what he eats from the water column. By that I mean he tries to eat big pieces first then will eat smaller pieces of food. Currently he has no interest in pellets. I am hoping that in the next four weeks I can change that. He has built a burrow with 3 exit points and monitors them pretty frequently. I threw in a few pieces of rubble to help him and he has only used 2 pieces so far. He does not journey far from the burrow with the lights on but I have noticed the last two mornings he has not been sleeping in the burrow. I will keep monitoring to make sure he is OK. Around 26 seconds in the video he does a little house cleaning. I am glad I recorded without sound . Without further ado here is speckles.

[SPotter]

Poor "little" tiny!!!!!!

That video is awesome!!!!!! Speckles looks like a great addition! How big is the qt?

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by SPotter

Poor "little" tiny!!!!!!

That video is awesome!!!!!! Speckles looks like a great addition! How big is the qt?

Steve - Thanks for the condolences...LOL. The QT tank is a 20 gallon tank, pretty basic set up. I am running a dual bio wheel filter, UV Sterilizer, old light from my refugium, and ATO. Currently it has 1 hermit and a few mini brittle starfish to help clean up. I made a pile of sand in the middle and took two small pieces of live rock from my frag tank. I guess the video makes it look bigger than it really is...LOL.

[nightOwl]

General Updates - Clown Fish Finally Spawned!!!!!

It has taken them 59 days to get use to their new surroundings ,but this evening they finally made the new tank home. The number of eggs was small but it is similar to when they first started spawning. Hopefully they will get back on schedule. Things are coming together . I took a video of them laying the eggs as well, but it was sideways and too blue. I do not have any software to edit the files right now.

[redneckgearhead]

congrats!

[SPotter]

break out the cigars!!!!!!!

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by redneckgearhead

congrats!

Originally Posted by SPotter

break out the cigars!!!!!!!

Thanks! Now if they would just get back on schedule. If they keep it up and lay in the place they are laying now I may be able to try my hands at raising some babies. In the 90 I could not get to them easily. The location they have chosen in the new tank is perfect for me to collect the new babies.

General Updates - Glass Cardinalfish

I do not think I am catching my males in full cycle yet or they are not holding full cycle. Hopefully they will continue to repeat the process so I can get a better idea of how long it takes. I know the Banggai Cardinalfish – Pterapogon kauderni hold for around 20 days or more. I will try to increase the feeding so that they can increase the number of days they can go without food. This is what I use to do with my clowns when they first started. As I keep them longer I could tell that if I feed them more the larger the clutch would be. Time for more feeding!!!!

Breeding Notes Recap

8/22 - Thought the mouth looked weird on two glass cardinalfish
8/23 - Same.
8/24 - Realized the weird mouth things was the males holding eggs. Only one male still had eggs.
8/25 - Same.
8/26 - Both had released eggs.
8/27 - Nothing.
8/28 - Nothing.
8/29 - Male looked like he was gasping for air. After further inspection repeat male with eggs...just looks like a white mass. Similar to Clowns the females seem to be bigger. My biggest female "chases" other females from around the male.
8/30 - Two males with white masses in their mouth. No sign of the eyes yet.
8/31 - Two males with white masses in their mouth. Still no sign of the eyes yet.
9/1 - Same...
9/2 - Same...noticed one of the males mouth has a darker mass now.
9/3 - Two males with white masses in mouth are starting to darken a little. I think the eyes may be starting to form.
9/4 - Noticed a third male carrying an egg mass in his mouth during feeding. The males seem to enjoy "sniffing" during feeding time.
9/5 - Three males eggs.
9/6 - Three males holding eggs. The one with the darker mass seems to adjust the mass more in the evenings.
9/7 - Two males with eggs
9/8 - No eggs all fish have released.
9/9 - Same.
9/10 - Cerith eggs 6 shape
9/13 - Cerith eggs 9 shape
9/16 - Two males with eggs
9/17 - Two males with eggs
9/18 - Two males with eggs
9/19 - Two males with eggs
9/20 - Two males with eggs
9/21 - Two males with eggs
9/22 - Two Glass Cardinalfish males with eggs , Clowns laid eggs FINALLY
9/23 - No eggs for Glass Cardinalfish

[nightOwl]

General Updates - Bluespotted Jawfish Dead

Well this morning when I went downstairs to do my normal check I noticed two things. Firstly I did not see Speckles anywhere in his tank. Secondly the bio wheel filter was not running. I frantically began looking around on the floor. I checked all the pvc pipes in the tank and did not see him. I unplugged the filter and plugged it back in...no change. I took the top off removed all filter media and tried again. Finally I pulled the siphon tube off and that is where I saw Speckles. He had gotten sucked up in the siphon tube and caught in the propeller of the pump. Even though he was dead it was hard to pull him out of the hole. Lesson learned never set up QT tank in a hurry! A few weeks ago when I set up the tank I could not find the siphon tube end cap. Its the part that looks like a strainer. The tube diameter is about an inch. I kept saying I would find it or make a strainer. It always sucks when a perfectly healthy fish dies. He had been eating like a pig and was eating everything but pellets and flakes. R.I.P. Speckles.

[roni]

Man, sorry to hear that I'm going to need to take a peek at my power filters as well.

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by roni

Man, sorry to hear that I'm going to need to take a peek at my power filters as well.

Thanks roni. Make sure they have that strainer part on them. It's hard to pull the fish out once they get in there. Its basically a blender .

[nightOwl]

It has been a while since I provided and update so here is an update of where things are now and the sad road I have been down. Since the last update I have managed to kill two other fish besides the blue spot. Bringing my death total to three in less than three weeks made me an official fish killer. I was trying to keep them a secret to make a big splash.

Old News - More Dead Fish

After I lost the Blue Spotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti) on 9/28 I was determined to have a new fish. I cleaned the tank with a mild bleach solution and gave everything a vinegar bath. The LFS that I purchased the Blue Spotted from has a sick collection of wrasses. I ended up purchasing a Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) and a Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus) on 10/1. Everything was going well then they just up and died on 10/5. The night before they were breathing heavy. I was sadden to see both fish dead when I came home from work the next day.

The death of so many fish in a short period of time prompted me to get the water tested and then I found the problem. All three losses were newbie mistakes. QT tank + heavy feeding = ammonia which leads to death. Once again I cleaned the tank with a mild bleach solution and everything a vinegar bath. For a day or two I contemplated no more fish. That did not last long. I decided in order for me to have new fish I needed to modify my QT setup.

I built a new stand that allowed me to add a sump to the QT where I could put a real pump and a skimmer. I basically set up a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump . I purchased a new heater, a ammonia alert device, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests. No more sneaky ammonia spikes .

Since I never got a change to show off my new fish before there death below is what they looked like before they met their demise . Both were very beautiful fish eating well and flashing! After only two days I could say I had the wrasse bug!

RIP - Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus)


RIP - Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus)

General Updates - New Fish

On 10/9 I was back in the store on a mission. I ended up buying a new Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) and two Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) fish. I was lucky enough to get a male and female fish. I kept the mandarin fish in a separate tank for 5 days and treated them with Instant Ocean Lifeguard. The flasher is still in QT. I have him eating pellets . It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I will introduce him to the dt in another week or so. The female mandarin eats brine, mysis, and blood worms the male only mysis and blood worms. After there 5 day treatment they were put into the display tank inside containers. This is the same type of container I plan to use when introducing new wrasses. I released the mandarins into the display tank on 10/22 so they can forage on their own. Another reason was the male mandarin was not too happy about my choice of food for him and had started to loose some weight.

10/9


Inside container in DT


Exploring tank

[nightOwl]

General Updates - New Fish Continued

My new Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) is still in QT and I will keep him in there another week or so. I will then place him in one of the containers for a week in the DT. After I think the other fish are use to him I will finally let him go in the DT. Since he is a jumper I have been redoing my initial cover for the tank. I had to resize them for the returns I have coming over the back. I re-cut the cover and still need to do a few modifications.

General Updates - Algae Issues

I have tried a few things liking cutting the lights off for three days and even cutting off my VHO's I think one set of bulbs is bad and I need to replace it. So I will just keep them off till I can buy a new set. The tank had become kinda covered in this stuff. The three days no lights killed the majority of it but there are still a few places it is growing. I seem to have two types. The type on the digi and the type on my rock. I

[SaltwaterAdict]

Sorry to hear about your fish, if you don't have a lot of fish in the dt you could add them directly to your tank rather than QT. Everyone does it different, but I've found QT's to be problematic. More flux in parameters and water quality is not as good..

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterAdict

Sorry to hear about your fish, if you don't have a lot of fish in the dt you could add them directly to your tank rather than QT. Everyone does it different, but I've found QT's to be problematic. More flux in parameters and water quality is not as good..

SaltwaterAdict - Thanks. I think I have made it over the hump now with the QT. Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite are things I don't test on my main tank anymore since it is pretty stable. I had forgot all about testing with QT. The first lost was a surprise then when I lost the next two I realized I had something wrong. I guess we get so use to our everyday routines we forget about the little things. I am testing the big three for the QT every few days and everything is fine . I agree with you on QT being problematic so I just made a new tank. I have a skimmer, UV, ATO, sump, the works . Also with the sump it gives me more time to catch issues than before with the bio-wheel filter. I know a lot of people like to keep them really simple but this works for me now that I am on top of things. The next fish will be another wrasse or a tang once the QT is empty.

[nightOwl]

A long overdue update! I had to put the tank related things on hold for a while over the holidays since I did not have time to really work in the basement much after work. The last few weeks I accomplished a lot but the tank has been suffering since my last post. Algae issues have been really hurting the tank. As a result the colors are not as vibrant as they were when I added many of the corals. 72" VHO's are proving to be harder than expected to get locally. They are part of the issue along with skimmer issues. I am scheduled to send my pump back next week. This will be my 3rd bubble blaster pump once I get this one come back.

I finally put down my floor and all I have to do is paint the trim and attach it to the wall. It turned out really nice. I will tackle the steps later. I can say I have remodeled a basement now. One less thing on the bucket list.

After self leveling concrete cured a few days...









General Updates - Algae Issues

I have to identify what the new algae is but its growing fast! The other one is still cyno.


I am not sure what the snail is in the picture but a few have been popping up in the tank.

General Updates - Random Pictures

It is hard to get a picture of the Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) but the colors are beautiful and he is getting plump...


A few corals have had this happen but they come back. I am not sure what the cause is. Hopefully it will come back.

[nightOwl]

Latest FTS 2/2012

[dahenley]

That snail looks like a
Nassarious (bad spelling)
Elephant snail
Tonga snail.

All are about the same thing, just labeled different.
What is weird, is they normally have lighter shells because most live in the sand and use their nose to smell food, then come out.
Almost like a conch but way smaller.

That's not to say that's what it is, but its a guess.

Also, nice to see an update! Its been a little while and I really enjoy this thread. Your descriptions and explanations, and the detail you put in things.

I wish i could train myself to be like that

[nightOwl]

Originally Posted by dahenley

That snail looks like a
Nassarious (bad spelling)
Elephant snail
Tonga snail.

All are about the same thing, just labeled different.
What is weird, is they normally have lighter shells because most live in the sand and use their nose to smell food, then come out.
Almost like a conch but way smaller.

That's not to say that's what it is, but its a guess.

Also, nice to see an update! Its been a little while and I really enjoy this thread. Your descriptions and explanations, and the detail you put in things.

I wish i could train myself to be like that

dahenley - Thank you for the identification on the snail. I was thinking it was a Nassarius Snail (Nassarius sp.) as well. Then this morning I was searching and found some pictures that look exactly like the snails in my tank. I think it may be the dreaded "whelk" . I will have to capture one and examine the snout. I don't keep clams so right now I guess I am OK if they are whelks.

Thanks for the kind works about my thread . Hopefully updates will be a little more regular now. I want to see if I can bring the colors back to where they were when I first started.

[SPotter]

Now thats some serious flooring work there!!!!! what would you charge to come to NJ and do mine????