My 46 gallon bow front adventure TONS of Pics

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by Michael

if you look at the post your not happy with, there is a red triangle under the user name of the poster, click on it and report the post, i see your point there are 2 or 3 post padders here, the mods will sort them out

Thanks!

[CA2OR]

Tough decision....I have been scouring Craigslist lately for underwater digi's or some cheap used good camera....like that ever happens.

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by CA2OR

Tough decision....I have been scouring Craigslist lately for underwater digi's or some cheap used good camera....like that ever happens.

I keep 2 craigslist tabs open at all times next to my email tab. One is in the pet section with "fish" as the search and the other is in the general for sale section with "saltwater -fisher -baby -boat -motor -bayliner -trailer-swing -bouncer -tub -baby -potty -mermaid -crib". I actually got all of my fish, half of my snails and crabs, and 6 big pieces of lr off of there. I'm ADDICTED!!! The "Best of Craislist" are so much fun to read. Since I can't post links, let me show you the little nugget of fried gold I stumbled upon...

I LOST PANCAKES :-(
Date: 2009-08-25, 3:06PM PDT

I was floating down the river on my tube, and Pancakes was right next to me. He is a small, 13 legged centipede who loves taco sauce, hardy partying, and never forgets to take his gummy vitamins. I looked back and he was gone, floating away. . . SCREAMING. No one knew what to do. He is a very good floater, probably because of all the gummi vitamins he takes. He never eats McDonalds when I do either. If you find him could you please e-mail me immediately!?? I miss him so much and I have no one to talk to, and no one to drink beerz with. He was my only friend. He was supposed to be 12 this upcoming Feb. 9th. He is an Aquarius.

Ps. He Has A SMILE as BRIGHT as the SUNNNNNNNNN :-)

<3

I hope he didn't get swept out to sea. If so, I'm sure some fishy had a great (and healthy) meal.

[Ellylove]

I noticed the first coraline growth on my back glass today! It's a beautiful pink circle about the size of a western WA huckleberry. (The red ones, not the blue ones). I also noticed a LOT of tiny little white things on the front glass the kinda look like baby brittle starts, but they seem to have too many legs. They look a little like tube worm crowns, but there is no tube. Odd. I can't decide if they are good or bad yet. I saw 2 weird snail/sea slug things in the sump today too. They look a little like a tiny sea hare, but have a little flat, round shell. I took a pic, but it's hard to see. I'll try to put it up anyway. There was a predator starfish in the return area of my sump, but I left him there since there isn't anything for him to destroy down there. It's so cool to see all this life pop up out of no where! Now all I need to do is glue down my corals, have my clowns host in the rbta, get my firefish, pearly jawfish, and mandarin, sit back, and watch things grow.

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by Ellylove

I noticed the first coraline growth on my back glass today!
congrats
I also noticed a LOT of tiny little white things on the front glass the kinda look like baby brittle starts, but they seem to have too many legs. They look a little like tube worm crowns, but there is no tube. sounds like a filter feeder of some type if it doesn't move, nothing to worry about

Odd. I can't decide if they are good or bad yet. I saw 2 weird snail/sea slug things in the sump today too. They look a little like a tiny sea hare, but have a little flat, round shell.
sounds like stomatella varia

[CA2OR]

I still dont have coraline....as a matter of fact....I have never had coraline growing in my tank....but I do get tons of sponge. I wonder why that is....


Congrats on the coralline....

I too loved watching all the new life pop up out of no where....still do...check this out. I had a frag of green clove polyps I got from Vivid Aquariums....well after a few months I managed to kill them. So I took the plug and tossed it into my sump. Well 3 months or so later I pull that rock out to use it as a wedge to hold another coral in place. After 2 weeks or so this thing pops out with a bright green head. It was the size of a thumb tac.
8/1/09

8/11/09


Well it kept growing and growing to the size of a dime, then a nickle, then a quarter.
well it has been 3 months since then and it looks like this now....notice there is a new one on the side

11/19/09

It is the larger then a half dollar and the new one is about the size of a quarter
today

[Ellylove]

CA2OR, that thing is COOL!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you can still read this even though you are moved on now for some reason..... If not, hope to see you elsewhere.

jenglish, the little white things do move. I really think they are tiny brittle stars, but I guess we'll see when they get bigger. I just hope they aren't predatory stars (although they aren't nearly thick enough to be but I know how baby thing always look different than adult things). Is stomatella varia bad or good?

[Ellylove]

jenglish= EXCELLENT call on the stomatella varia!!! That is EXACTLY what they are! After reading some, I'm really happy they popped up in the tank. Right now I've only seen 2 so far, but I hope to see more.


Today I hope to gravel vac (for the first time) to remove some "dust" in the DT. I'm going to put it in the fuge so anything that is alive in it stays alive and so I have more of a sand bed in there. It's not hurting anything in the DT, but since it's white and I have black sand, I've decided it is banished to the fuge. I also hope to get some of the corals glued down and to make room for 2 ricordia that should be here tonight or tomorrow. I'll post pics when they get here. I might add more black sand today too so my jawfish will have a place to dig (when I get one).

I received about 4 red legged hermits from a friend. Right now they are in the fuge because I've heard red legs are not reef safe. Is that true?

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by Ellylove

jenglish, the little white things do move. I really think they are tiny brittle stars, but I guess we'll see when they get bigger. I just hope they aren't predatory stars (although they aren't nearly thick enough to be but I know how baby thing always look different than adult things). Is stomatella varia bad or good?

THere are some "micro-brittlestars" that will never get large. In fact they are sold, along with stomatella varia in commercial detritovore kits. THere are relatively few predatory brittles and even if they are predatory they are only going to be eating tiny other critters. The only predator star I have had was a green serpent star, and it was only eating hermits... I think he was avenging the deaths of a few snails.

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by jenglish

THere are some "micro-brittlestars" that will never get large. In fact they are sold, along with stomatella varia in commercial detritovore kits. THere are relatively few predatory brittles and even if they are predatory they are only going to be eating tiny other critters. The only predator star I have had was a green serpent star, and it was only eating hermits... I think he was avenging the deaths of a few snails.

I meant the tiny predatory stars (Asterina) that eat coral. My LFS is overrun with them and got some harlequins to control the out break.




So, seahorses.... Good idea or bad idea for my tank? I have medium flow (at least the cyano LOVES my tank...).

[lloydkeller]

nice looking setup good luck

[jenglish]

yep, aesterina. Most are ok... I think there is a stripe of different color on the predatory ones but it has been a while since I knew anybody have a problem with them so my memory is a little fuzzy on how to differentiate the good from the bad.

Seahorses are sometimes difficult to keep with other fish since they move so slowly and are hard to keep with more aggressive eaters. Most of them need cool water (75 F or so) and require a chiller in many systems. You also have to be careful what is in a tank that they hitch on. seahorses are typically something you build a tank around.

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by jenglish

yep, aesterina. Most are ok... I think there is a stripe of different color on the predatory ones but it has been a while since I knew anybody have a problem with them so my memory is a little fuzzy on how to differentiate the good from the bad.

Seahorses are sometimes difficult to keep with other fish since they move so slowly and are hard to keep with more aggressive eaters. Most of them need cool water (75 F or so) and require a chiller in many systems. You also have to be careful what is in a tank that they hitch on. seahorses are typically something you build a tank around.

I had to add a heater to my tank because it was at 73º-75º. My clowns only eat brine shrimp and the dotty back just kinda pics at whatever. I saw it snap up an amphipod earlier. He seems a little interested in flake and frozen, but no one in the tank is what I would consider an aggressive eater. Maybe when I move the tank (or move to NC in 3 years) it will become a seahorse tank. I plan on selling the fish when I move to NC anyway. Hmmm.

I found the star again in the sump... I pulled him out but I didn't have the heart to kill him like the 2 I found in the DT. He's all white so who knows if he's a coral eater. I'll just keep him in the fuge and if he is a problem I'll pull him.

Right now I just want the cyano to go away. My to-do list includes syphoning the dust, gluing the frags, and getting rid of the 7 aptasia I found today and the cyano that is bothering me.

[Michael]

a sea horse tank is a specialist tank, low flow, low bioload, only suitible tank mates are pipe fish and mandarins, also sea horses wont fair well with a reef style biotope, they need eel grass really to hide in and hang on to.

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by Michael

a sea horse tank is a specialist tank, low flow, low bioload, only suitible tank mates are pipe fish and mandarins, also sea horses wont fair well with a reef style biotope, they need eel grass really to hide in and hang on to.

Interesting.... A mandarin is my only "must have" fish and NC has a TON of eel grass right off the coast. I think I'll definitely have to make it a seahorse tank when I relocate!

[Michael]

well sounds like a plan, you should start reading up on them then.

they are beautiful for sure, just ensure you fully investigate their needs and requirements, theres no reason if you do this why you cant make it work, a mandarin is a whole different story, best to read up on them as well.

[Ellylove]

BABY PEPPERMINT SHRIMP!!!!!! I bought a conch and an electric flame scallop today and when I turned on my lunar lights tonight to show my mom my new finds, the water looked kinda dirty; like I had just fed the tank. There were a bunch of little things floating around that looked a LOT like brine shrimp. Since I only feed frozen I know it couldn't be baby brine shrimp. I looked harder and saw that they were perfect little clearish peppermints (I also happened to see a berried female peppermint so I know it was those guys). Apparently I have 2 females and a male and they are VERY happy. I can't believe my tank is less than 3 months old and I already have things breeding! I sat and watched the tank for about 30 min and the amount of babies, which started at over a hundred, started to dwindle to about 20. I looked in the sump and didn't see any. I'm hoping some settled to the rock and have a chance to grow up. Anyone have any advice on how to raise peppermints since my berried female looked like she is definitely going to hatch her spawn within 3-4 days?

Also, I saw the pseudochromis push on the female clown today. I fed the tank right after that and it left the clowns alone again. Should I be concerned and if so, how do I catch the darn things since it LOVES all of the hiding spots in my tank and it as quick as lightening.

As far as changes to the tank go, I finally "gravel vac"ed the tank and put another 1.5" of black sand in. It looks SOOOO much better. The anemone has easily quadrupled in size and is very happy (although the clowns still have yet to even know it exists). Everything is starting to take hold and settle and I'm very pleased with the outcome. I think I might start looking into tank hoods and retro fit lighting with 2 250K MHs and 2 actinics so I can eliminate that shadow and make everything pop. My chaeto all "melted" except about a pingpong ball size, which is healthy and green, and I hope it takes hold and grows well. I'm still using carbon filtered water and have some cyano all over the rock, but it's better than it was and I guess (according to the peppermints) it isn't bothering anyone. Now all I need is time and money to put some corals in the tank and let it grow. This hobby is definitely proving to be worth it!

[Ellylove]

Well my "lunar" zoa has been closed up for 2 days... I don't think it's very happy. I just saw my large skunk cleaner shrimp and she is pregnant!!!! I really hope I can manage to catch a few of the babies and get them in the sump before they get eaten so they can have at least a little chance of surviving. 2 of my peppermints are also pregnant.

So the cleaner shrimp don't come out during the day anymore because the pseudochromis bullies them. I guess he has to go. Any ideas how to catch the bugger? I tried the bottle with inverted neck trick with a live amphipod in the bottom (which REALLY got his attention) and he swam right in and out. Nets are no good because he just hides. I REALLY don't want to disassemble the tank to get him. *sigh*

How do I put a video on here? Or can I put a link to it? I got yelled at by a mod for putting a link up at one point...

[Arthurjc]

That is a lot of rock in there, but it looks like everything is doing good.

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by Arthurjc

That is a lot of rock in there, but it looks like everything is doing good.

I have a ton of caves and there are places for the fish and shrimp to hide if they so choose. The shrimp molt a LOT and they like to harden while hidden in the rock work. I figure having that much rock is more like in nature.

[Ellylove]

Updates!!
A few nights ago, my cleaner shrimp "gave birth" while I watched and let me scoop the babies very close to her into a fine net so I could put them in the sump. A peppermint had babies the next night, but I didn't manage to scoop out any. I did however find a few baby shrimp still in the fuge today.
I went to Indoor Reef and returned the flame scallop. He was really cool, but the peppermints kinda picked at him a little (no harm done, he just seemed annoyed) and he always stuck his gills out really far so I don't think he was getting enough to eat.
The peppermints apparently love the taste of sand sifting starfish leg (they also enjoy conch... NOT happy about that one when they ate my new one within 5 hours of bringing him home). At least they eat aptasia and have babies often so they get to stay. I returned the starfish too so it can grow back the half a leg they ate.
Now, the new additions: I found a pretty piece of torch at Aquarium Paradise that has some cool, orange, speckled zoas on it. I also got a few heads of eagle eye and radioactive dragon eyes from them too. Paul at Indoor Reef is really good to me and was nice enough to cut me a frag of some really pretty orange and yellow zoas from a huge chunk so I can grow them out in my tank. Today, I brought home Herbie, the VERY skinny green mandarin dragonette. Paul has had him in his front flat display tank for a while and he used to be pretty plump when it was all overgrown with chaeto. They pulled out almost all the chaeto a few months ago and now he is really skinny. I brought him home and right away he ate some frozen brine shrimp (even though Paul said he'd never seen him eat frozen food). I am going to do my best to fatten the little guy up. I hope to get some pods this week for him. Unfortunately, the pseudochromis nipped at Herbie's tail as soon as I put him in there and the pseudo loves pods. I really want to get the pseudo out of there, but I don't know how without tearing the tank down. He only took that one initial nip at Herbie and I'm hoping it was just a "Welcome to the tank. I'm the boss" nip. He hasn't done more than look at him since. Herbie seems pretty relaxed, but when he was eating/hunting he put his gorgeous fins up all the way. When he puts his fins up like that he is definitely bigger than the pseudo and I hope it intimidates the bully. He may be thin, but he's healthy and has energy. I think he just needs some food and love. Hopefully one of my shrimp will have babies again soon and Herbie can have a shrimpy snack. I also brought home about a baseball sized dense clump of chaeto to help with pod production.
Everything in the tank is REALLY purple and the corals are all happy and growing. It's so much fun to see everything mature! It's definitely all I hoped it would be.

[Ellylove]

For only being a little over 3 months old, I'm VERY happy with my tank!


He's kinda hard to see, but here's Herbie!!


See how skinny he is? I hope he gets nice and plump in my tank.

[mranthonymb]

looking nice but why does hit look like a dark blue tent to the tank??

[Ellylove]

Originally Posted by mranthonymb

looking nice but why does hit look like a dark blue tent to the tank??

I have my lights set to a dusk and dawn setting so the actinics come on an hour earlier than the metal halide and go off an hour after. I took those pics during "dusk". The first 2 pics are with the Halide on too and the third and fourth pic are with just the lunar LEDs.

[Neogenocide]

Elly, absolutely love your tank. As a guesstimate, how many pounds of rock do you have in there? I'm getting ready to setup a 46G Bow myself and will be ordering rock soon.

Regards,

Scott