Weeds

[Michael Hoaster]

Two, new, test damsels! A Neon and a Tuxedo.

The neon arrived dull, but active. A few hours later, it was gorgeous! The tuxedo is big - maybe three inches. So far, he's been a gentle giant, but that may change. He's just that much bigger. The neon is close to the same length, but slimmer. I really prefer smaller fish. On the bright side, these will give me a window into their older, grumpier phases. They're both beautiful fish. The neon especially, with its shimmer! I'm hoping they'll turn out to be a sturdier replacement for Caribbean Blue Chromis. The tuxedos are my mellower replacement for Four Stripe Humbugs.

I'm really enjoying this damsel research. It's taking me in a direction I never expected, but I'm going with it. I had a damsel tank in my head for a while, but I hadn't planned it for this tank. Getting several different schools to coexist in my tank would be cool! We'll see how things go in QT.

Keeping only one of each doesn't give me a complete picture, but I'm most curious about how each species relates to the others. I should be able to determine their pecking order. This will inform my order of introduction. Mellowest fish first, one whole school at a time.

No camping plans this weekend, so maybe I'll get some system fixes done.

[McPuff]

There certainly are a LOT of damsel species so you have many choices. I'm looking forward to seeing this. Damsels are generally very pretty fish with some striking patterns. If they weren't such little trouble-makers (e.g., 3-4 stripe, domino) I'd have quite a few of them. :0)

[Michael Hoaster]

True that McPuff! There are a lot of damsels to choose from. The challenge is finding ones worth keeping!

The first step was to research them and seek out less belligerent species. That got me down to about four or five. Now I'm trying out single specimens in QT to see how they get along with each other. The final step will be to introduce schools of each species to my display, after QT of course. It's a big step! In my experience, schools of fish tend to more concerned with each other, than other species. I'm counting on this, to help keep the peace. I've found that the peaceful species tend to be planktivores, rather than herbivores, which farm patches of algae and can be very territorial. With lots of open water column, I'm hoping there is enough room in my tank to accommodate multiple schools. Also, there have to be enough places to hide for everybody.

I have no idea where this will take me, but I'm enjoying the research. Damsels tick two of my favorite boxes - cheap and sturdy. Great colors, small size and constant activity are also big plusses. Stay tuned…

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

True that McPuff! There are a lot of damsels to choose from. The challenge is finding ones worth keeping!

The first step was to research them and seek out less belligerent species. That got me down to about four or five. Now I'm trying out single specimens in QT to see how they get along with each other. The final step will be to introduce schools of each species to my display, after QT of course. It's a big step! In my experience, schools of fish tend to more concerned with each other, than other species. I'm counting on this, to help keep the peace. I've found that the peaceful species tend to be planktivores, rather than herbivores, which farm patches of algae and can be very territorial. With lots of open water column, I'm hoping there is enough room in my tank to accommodate multiple schools. Also, there have to be enough places to hide for everybody.

I have no idea where this will take me, but I'm enjoying the research. Damsels tick two of my favorite boxes - cheap and sturdy. Great colors, small size and constant activity are also big plusses. Stay tuned…

Wow, how exciting! I think I will enjoy learning from your research and experience with damsels. They won't be in my near future however as long as I have ponies.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn! It's fun stuff, for sure. I look forward to learning from your experience too!

So far, all four of the damsels I've tried have been peaceful. It's kind of hard to believe! It gives me hope that I can make this multi-damsel school thing work. Besides getting them to coexist, they have to fit into the ecosystem of my aquarium. Since they're all planktivores, they will 'work' to process food input, clearing the water column, and kicking the food down the chain to eventually feed the plants.

Learning about the balance between plants and animals in their ecosystems really excites me! I really need to get the tank up and running again!

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks Dawn! It's fun stuff, for sure. I look forward to learning from your experience too!

So far, all four of the damsels I've tried have been peaceful. It's kind of hard to believe! It gives me hope that I can make this multi-damsel school thing work. Besides getting them to coexist, they have to fit into the ecosystem of my aquarium. Since they're all planktivores, they will 'work' to process food input, clearing the water column, and kicking the food down the chain to eventually feed the plants.

Learning about the balance between plants and animals in their ecosystems really excites me! I really need to get the tank up and running again!

Yes, up and running, woohoo!

I posted pics of my new fish in QT, now its your turn.

[Chasmodes]

What a cool plan! Again, paving the way for others in this hobby

[Michael Hoaster]

OK, my turn. The new damsels are still pretty twitchy, so I wasn't able to get good pics. Whenever I get close to the tank, they hide. But here's a few to give you an idea what they look like. I look forward to getting much better pics in the future.


This one shows the three damsels I have in QT at the moment. Top fish is the Springer's, middle is the Tuxedo and bottom is the Neon. So far, they all get along swimmingly, so to speak.



I may have to name this guy Hulk. Despite his bigger size, he's been pretty mild-mannered.



Note that he is more long than a 3 or 4 Stripe Humbug, which are more disc shaped.



Unfortunately, the best shot I got of the Neon. He's still pretty nervous, so he never stops moving. Hopefully, you can get an idea how pretty he is.



The two new guys.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Kevin! What a cool thing to say!

It would be great to inspire others to give these gentle damsels a shot.

I also hope to show how important order of introduction is, for building a peaceful fish community. And finally, I want to justify every addition to the ecosystem, whether fish, plant or invertebrate. Everyone added has to contribute to the success of the ecosystem.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks Kevin! What a cool thing to say!

It would be great to inspire others to give these gentle damsels a shot.

I also hope to show how important order of introduction is, for building a peaceful fish community. And finally, I want to justify every addition to the ecosystem, whether fish, plant or invertebrate. Everyone added has to contribute to the success of the ecosystem.

Your last sentence is amazing...if only we humans would all contribute to our community and world!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Dawn! So true. Our planet is an incredibly rare jewel of the universe. If humanity made the effort to live in harmony with nature, Earth would be in much better shape. Don't get me started!

[Chasmodes]

Cool pics and fish! Thanks for sharing! I'm glad that they get along. Now, on to phase II

Is that a goby at the bottom on the first pic?

[lapin]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks Dawn! I saw it done in a photo from another thread here on RC. It's a great solution to my problem.

Since I'll be running CO2 and calcium media in the canister, for a pseudo-calcium reactor, it occurs to me that I'll need to plumb the UV BEFORE the canister, to avoid calcium buildup. That shouldn't be a problem. The only complication I can think of would be the need for longer tubing to accommodate the arrangement.

With the leaves turning in my neck of the woods, it's prime time for camping and mountain biking, so I haven't progressed much lately.

Sounds like a good plan.

Send some cool weather my way. I'm getting a little tired of the 90's along with 100% humidity. Makes for wet water bottles even if they are not chilled.

[Michael Hoaster]

I wondered if you'd catch that! Yes, it's a Yellow Priolepis Goby, I think. Live Aquaria sent it to me, mixed in with some barnacle blennies.

Yes! I am determined to get something done this weekend on the system changes, so I can get this pool party started!

[Michael Hoaster]

Hey lapin! Isn't it great when you stumble onto an elegant solution? It's really fortunate the way it solves my crowded space problem. Stoked!

We're seeing some cooler temps around here the last few days. We had the windows open overnight and this morning it was 59 degrees in my house! I had to turn on the heat!

[vlangel]

I noticed the goby too. Its a cute little bugger and a welcome surprise when you ordered the barnacle blennies, I am sure. I guess the damsels are leaving it alone as well as each other? Will it go into the tank or is it destined to reside in the QT forever?

[Michael Hoaster]

It's fine. It's a little less welcome, as it came INSTEAD of a barnacle blenny. It doesn't bother anybody and nobody bothers it. I'm not sure if he will go in the display or not.

[Michael Hoaster]

One of the biggest differences between my previous tank and this one is my departure from the Caribbean. I am no longer modeling a Caribbean lagoon, so this will not be a Caribbean biotope. I am going to model a seagrass and macro algae lagoon, but not specifically to a specific region.

The Caribbean biotope was a fantastic experience. It taught me a lot. I consider the Caribbean my 'home' sea. Since all the plants I kept came from the Caribbean, it was an easy decision to go biotope.

As the tank developed, I became more interested in optimizing various levels of the ecosystem, to aide in its function. Some of the players I wanted were not Caribbean. I was forced to make a choice. I decided to free myself from biotope restrictions in this iteration.

Now I have the option of keeping whatever players I need, to work in the ecosystem in my aquarium. The overall look will be pretty similar, with some subtle differences. Looking forward to it!

[Michael Hoaster]

I took some more pics of the Neon Damsel. These are a little better. The color of this fish is astounding! I'm really looking forward to getting more of these!

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

One of the biggest differences between my previous tank and this one is my departure from the Caribbean. I am no longer modeling a Caribbean lagoon, so this will not be a Caribbean biotope. I am going to model a seagrass and macro algae lagoon, but not specifically to a specific region.

The Caribbean biotope was a fantastic experience. It taught me a lot. I consider the Caribbean my 'home' sea. Since all the plants I kept came from the Caribbean, it was an easy decision to go biotope.

As the tank developed, I became more interested in optimizing various levels of the ecosystem, to aide in its function. Some of the players I wanted were not Caribbean. I was forced to make a choice. I decided to free myself from biotope restrictions in this iteration.

Now I have the option of keeping whatever players I need, to work in the ecosystem in my aquarium. The overall look will be pretty similar, with some subtle differences. Looking forward to it!

I totally understand your going away from a Caribbean biotope. I used to think that I wanted to make the seahorse display a Caribbean biotope. One can only deal with so many limitations however. We need to decide what we want and put it in a priority list.

In your case seagrasses and an ecosystem to support that is priority. Its very logical if you need to go outside a Caribbean biotope to get the best fit to support your numbet 1 priority.

In my case the seahorses' health is priority. Like you if I want other creatures but they aren't compatible with seahorses in an aquarium then I have to choose creatures from where ever that are.

BTW, I love the new pics of the neon damsel. Is there an irredescent quality to that vibrant blue color? A school of those would definitely be eye catching!

[Michael Hoaster]

You nailed it Dawn. I realized my priorities for the ecosystem outweighed my desire to stay biotope-correct. If I lived in the Florida Keys, I could collect everything I need. Living in Colorado means my choices are limited to whats available in the biz. When I need a new critter or plant, I want my choice to be optimal for the ecosystem - no matter where it comes from.

Glad you like the new pics. Iridescent describes them well. Of the ones I've tried, this is the one I'm most excited about. A school of them should be pretty sweet!

[Michael Hoaster]

Today I got started on the new fake wall, for the left side, flow-through wall.

After taking lots of measurements and sketching it out, I constructed the egg crate framework. I used zip ties to hold it together. The challenge is to accommodate the wave box, as well as the flow-through vents in the wall. Since the wave box extends five inches from the wall, I built a box structure five inches deep for both the box and the vents.

I'm still thinking on how the best way to allow water to flow through, while keeping openings hidden. Another thing I have to figure out is that I may need to put some kind of backing on some of the egg crate, to prevent foam from filling in behind it. With the back fake wall, the egg crate structure was flat. I just laid it on wax paper. With this new wall, the egg crate forms a three dimensional structure, so there's nothing behind a lot of it. Some kind of thin, plastic sheets or something similar should work. It would be easier to just fill it all in with foam, but that would add a lot of buoyancy. I want to make the foam a thin skin over the framework, making it much less so.

I'll post some pics tomorrow.

[sam.basye]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Another thing I have to figure out is that I may need to put some kind of backing on some of the egg crate, to prevent foam from filling in behind it.

Just put a piece of trash bag and hold it in place behind the eggcrate while foaming and pull it away when done. For whatever reason the foam doesn’t really dry to the trash bag. Or you could just foam away without a backing and Dremel it off the back side after it dries really easily with a cut-off wheel.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thank you sam.basye! Those are both good suggestions. It's nice to hear from you again! How ya been?

[sam.basye]

Eh, you know. Busy putting LED’s in everything. Haha

Mainly just been a silent lurker these days. Still follow your nerdy nonsense, but that’s about it.

To add to the damsel content, I have an azure damsel that’s a really pretty blue and yellow that’s peaceful and active.

old pic, but pretty fish out in the open.