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Unread 01/09/2018, 07:38 AM   #26
SereneAquatic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana A View Post
Wow! Great read Welcome to the forum. You will find answers to your questions by doing a search and if not just ask. There are some very knowledgeable folks here. Congrats on your new tank.
Thank you!

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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe, Nano Max, 55g Observation, 20g QT
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Unread 01/11/2018, 08:32 AM   #27
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Yesterday was a bummer. The night before last, we used water from the DT for in next iteration of the QT, and fed the QT tank before we moved everyone to the new setup.

Temp and salinity were on point, and other than the yellowish tint of older water from the DT, the two tanks were identical.

When I woke up in the morning and checked on the QT before I left for work, I found that the emerald crab had died. I'm sure I'll never know exactly why... but here are some things I suspect...

1. He starved to death. Other than day 1 of arrival at my house, I had only ever seen him actually eating on the night before he died. I was actually very surprised to see him out from under his Millennium Falcon rock, as he never seemed to want to come out from under it. He really seemed to hate the glass bottom of the tank, and clung to the rock all the time, hanging upside down. I had presumed that he was coming out at night to eat, or at times when I wasn't watching... but after recalling how actively he was prowling the initial live rock that was in the tank, and how, after a single day of that, he had burrowed back into the big live rock (the one we eventually removed) and never came out anymore... I'm not sure that was the case.

2. Perhaps there was too drastic of a pH difference between the QT they had been in, and the DT water they were moved into? I find this hard to believe, even though I did not check it. The DT pH has been quite stable, and they were only in the QT for a total of 3 days with the freshly mixed saltwater.

I know it's possible that it was just 'his time' but I don't believe that. When we purchased him and on Day 1 in QT, he was quite active and eating voraciously. After that day though, we hardly saw him again. I think something about the QT was not suitable for him... but I'm not sure exactly what. I know that he was very familiar with his sandy substrate at the LFS, and he really did not like walking on the glass... but can that really be it? Is it possible that he just couldn't acclimate or bring himself to move around in a tank that was now populated with a bunch of other creatures? I have no idea.

It's a real bummer though, because he was the primary reason I went to the fish store that day, and my favorite CUC member. When I left work to head out and buy them, I said "Well... I'm off to buy a crab!"




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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe, Nano Max, 55g Observation, 20g QT
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Unread 01/11/2018, 11:15 AM   #28
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Does a Crab have a personality? They can act out and be rogue.

Does a Crab get depressed and cease to care about living? I doubt that, they are not high enough in the IT Department.

Does biochemistry effect crab behavior? That is the right question, but the answer is above my pay grade.

Let me comment on glass bottom for a Crab. It is not good. They should have live rock and substrate. If you had learned how to live off the land in the big tank, glass to forage on would not be appreciated.

Because I have not read any other history about your system, why bare bottomed. Also, what is your long range goal for this tank. Without substrate or a lot of live rock, your long range operation of this tank will suffer, in my opinion.


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Unread 01/11/2018, 11:47 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SereneAquatic View Post

When I woke up in the morning and checked on the QT before I left for work, I found that the emerald crab had died.
Are you sure he isn't just molting? They will go MIA during this process and when they shed their shell, it looks like a dead crab. I was certain my emerald crab had died recently, but as it turns out it was his second molt. He emerged a few days later bigger than ever! He looks like a tarantula scurrying between the rocks.


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Unread 01/11/2018, 12:14 PM   #30
SereneAquatic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Subsea View Post
Does a Crab have a personality? They can act out and be rogue.

Does a Crab get depressed and cease to care about living? I doubt that, they are not high enough in the IT Department.

Does biochemistry effect crab behavior? That is the right question, but the answer is above my pay grade.

Let me comment on glass bottom for a Crab. It is not good. They should have live rock and substrate. If you had learned how to live off the land in the big tank, glass to forage on would not be appreciated.

Because I have not read any other history about your system, why bare bottomed. Also, what is your long range goal for this tank. Without substrate or a lot of live rock, your long range operation of this tank will suffer, in my opinion.
This is the quarantine tank I know you said you don't subscribe to QT, but I'm puzzled about how you could quarantine something in a bare tank and allow it to be happy when it really needs substrate. I was wondering that about a Jawfish. I want to have one, but they need sand and a burrow. How do you do that in QT?

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Unread 01/11/2018, 12:16 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ECU_Pirate View Post
Are you sure he isn't just molting? They will go MIA during this process and when they shed their shell, it looks like a dead crab. I was certain my emerald crab had died recently, but as it turns out it was his second molt. He emerged a few days later bigger than ever! He looks like a tarantula scurrying between the rocks.
There isn't much room to hide in the quarantine tank. I have not lifted up the rock, but you can always see him where he hides. It's a very small rock.

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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

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Unread 01/11/2018, 12:41 PM   #32
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Originally Posted by SereneAquatic View Post
This is the quarantine tank I know you said you don't subscribe to QT, but I'm puzzled about how you could quarantine something in a bare tank and allow it to be happy when it really needs substrate. I was wondering that about a Jawfish. I want to have one, but they need sand and a burrow. How do you do that in QT?

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To properly quarantine requires many tanks each with its own net. Also, water under your fingernail.

Let me give you a more practical example using Aptasia as an example. My 25 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum got infested with Red Planaria. I had previously treated this system with “Flat Worm X” and caused bugs to be immune to normal doses. When anything came out of that system, it got a ten fold dose of Flatworm X for 30 minutes followed by a bath of 10% hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes.

There is plenty of kill at 10 fold dose of Flatworm X, but when the rock goes into the hydrogen peroxide batch it is collateral damage to everything but the coral: micro stars, pods, bristle worms. The coral was Green Sinularia, a few hours after the treatment the coral was doing great. Two days later, I saw the Aptasia emerging from porus rock. At that point, I put 35% hydrogen peroxide concentrate on tooth brush and when bristles penetrated Aptasia membrane, Aptasia bubbled away.
Note: The 10% solution was made with 3% hydrogen peroxide.


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Unread 01/13/2018, 01:55 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by SereneAquatic View Post
Interesting... What you are saying makes sense. Do you do any buffering at all? How wide of a range is too wide, in your opinion?

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I should expound about how your choice of fast growing stony corals require alkalinity for glucose production within zoanthelia of coral and again to deposit limestone. With that choice, you are not likely to achieve high enough passive makeup of alkalinity. That is why I do not grow SPS. I have added nothing for alkalinity in 30 years, except I will shortly begin running a calcium reactor which uses co2 as carbon source. I have not tested for alkalinity in 30 years.


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Unread 01/13/2018, 04:43 PM   #34
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Longest single posts ever! lol very impressive


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Unread 01/14/2018, 07:48 AM   #35
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To asnwer the question about sand burrowing creatures in QT.....

When I QT'ed my leopard wrasse, I bought a small bag of arogonite and just placed it in a tupperware container in my QT. During TTM I just replaced the container with a new one with new sand on each transfer. For the entire process I used like a 5lb bag.

Anyone that tells you not to QT is asking for issues. Yes fish can build up a tolerance to most diseases, but some like velvet they cannot. If you added a fish with velvet to your tank, kiss the rest of your livestock goodbye.

At the very least QTing for observation is better then nothing.


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Unread 01/14/2018, 12:18 PM   #36
SereneAquatic
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Originally Posted by homer1475 View Post
To asnwer the question about sand burrowing creatures in QT.....

When I QT'ed my leopard wrasse, I bought a small bag of arogonite and just placed it in a tupperware container in my QT. During TTM I just replaced the container with a new one with new sand on each transfer. For the entire process I used like a 5lb bag.

Anyone that tells you not to QT is asking for issues. Yes fish can build up a tolerance to most diseases, but some like velvet they cannot. If you added a fish with velvet to your tank, kiss the rest of your livestock goodbye.

At the very least QTing for observation is better then nothing.
Thank you for the idea. I like the little container of sand... that seems like a good option.

I'm taking the QT very seriously, and trying to minimize stress as much as possible for the critters. I would kick myself if I wiped out all of my fish for something stupid, especially impatience.


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Unread 01/14/2018, 01:18 PM   #37
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Begin the "Treatments"...

16 days into Quarantine, and our first sign of trouble appeared for the Flame Angel.

We did have one astraea snail and the emerald crab that died without warning, but up until yesterday the Angel seemed OK. He was finally zooming around for food when we were watching, and had acclimated to his new home.

Yesterday though, we noticed that his lips seemed swollen and rather white. There is no cottony looking stuff on him anywhere, but at the same time he did develop a weird black ... line?... on his face. It almost looks like a worm or parasite, but I cannot get a close enough look. Fish don't hold still very well, he's worse than a toddler.

His only symptoms thus far, assuming that his increased appetite over the last few days wasn't a false improvement, are the lips and face, leading me toward the 'bacterial infection' route, and/or possibly flukes. There is also a possibility of Hexamita, but he does not seem lethargic. I have not observed his feces to determine if it is white and stringy, but will be watching.

With only the symptoms he has now, I am moving in the bacterial infection and fluke direction.

Steps taken so far:

1. I set up a tank away from the snails and fire shrimp so he can be treated.

2. I added Prime to the new tank (before I knew that it could be an issue with certain medications) and did not add the carbon filter to the HOB.

3. I did NOT add pH buffer, however I may add it after his initial treatment is finished. In retrospect, it probably would have been better to use the pH buffer instead of the Prime.

4. I purchased Triple Sulfa, which I read may be a 'outdated' method of treatment, however I did not find any serious side effects and it seems like an OK place to start. I'm not a fan of medications, even on myself, so I hesitate to pull out something like Metro immediately. I do have Metro on hand in case it is needed.

5. I performed a fresh water dip on him for about 4 minutes before putting him into the Triple Sulfa + Prime tank. I had intended to go for 5 but he seemed to be becoming listless. After he was netted and put into the medicine, I looked at the bottom of the specimen container and saw things settling to the bottom, but I'm not sure exactly what it was. It almost looked like scales that he had shed... very small and clear. I'm not experienced enough to know if it was flukes or not.

There were also two other things... and they looked so similar to the frozen food that I feed him that I wondered if I had accidentally captured some uneaten frozen food in the net with him when I took him from his prior QT. The first was pale in color, almost a half inch in length and almost looked like it had a 'spine' in it. I'm not sure how something that big could be on a fish and not be seen... but it also looked way too big to have come from the frozen foods I fed them. I'm not sure if it fell off him or not.

The second thing was smaller, about 1/4 inch, and very well could have also been frozen food. It was mostly opaque, but had a reddish spot in the middle. It seemed to have 'antlers' (my husbands words lol) Again, I'm not sure if it was accidentally captured in the net from the previous tank or if it came off of the fish during the dip. I will say that I dont recall seeing particles that big floating around in the tank, or in the net.

6. I fed him 12 hours after introduction to the medicine with vitamin soaked pellets and frozen food. I also added Nori to the tank, in case he is the one that has been eating it in the other tank. (Still up for debate whether or not he ever eats it, or if snails and shrimp go after it)

This Triple Sulfa treatment is a 4 day process, so if he isn't better at the end of it, I will probably spend a few days letting him rest, feeding him vitamins, etc and then try another approach. The next most likely issue could be Hexamita, since that seems to appear more in Angels according to what I'm finding.

I wish there was a way to be more confident in diagnosis, but I can only use what I find. I'd like to think the sulfa will resolve the problem, and maybe it will... but only time will tell. If it is a bacterial infection, maybe this will catch it before it becomes critical.

One thing I am glad of, is the fact that I've taken many pictures of him throughout his quarantine. When I noticed these things yesterday, I wondered 'Was it just there before and I didn't notice?' but being able to look back at past videos and photos, I was able to confirm that it was something new.

I kind of laughed a little when I was at the LFS the other day, where I purchased him from. When I told them the Angel was sick, the man's face fell like 'Oh sht' but when I told him that it was never introduced to the tank with the clown fish, that it was still in quarantine, his face lit up like 'WHAAA?! YAY!'

Are there really that many people who just bring home a fish and put it into the display tank?


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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe, Nano Max, 55g Observation, 20g QT
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Unread 01/15/2018, 06:10 AM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by homer1475 View Post
To asnwer the question about sand burrowing creatures in QT.....

When I QT'ed my leopard wrasse, I bought a small bag of arogonite and just placed it in a tupperware container in my QT. During TTM I just replaced the container with a new one with new sand on each transfer. For the entire process I used like a 5lb bag.

Anyone that tells you not to QT is asking for issues. Yes fish can build up a tolerance to most diseases, but some like velvet they cannot. If you added a fish with velvet to your tank, kiss the rest of your livestock goodbye.

At the very least QTing for observation is better then nothing.
Homer,

I don’t recall telling anyone not to qt. I do feel qt kills more things than not, but that’s me.

In 45 years, I have never seen velvet in my many tanks. Maybe I am just lucky. It has always been my contentention that natural immune system response is more important than sterile tanks. Take HDLL. It is not a disease. It is a symptom of being in captivity, most likely diet related. Yet, too many hobbiest treat the symptom and miss the single most important things, diet & stress.


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Last edited by Subsea; 01/16/2018 at 05:47 PM.
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Unread 01/15/2018, 06:29 AM   #39
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I did not say you, it was a general statement in regards to not QTing.

I just loss every fish to ich(10 in total) as I always QT, and TTM but I ordered some new CUC and assuming it came from the snail shells as everyone was happy and healthy for 2 years prior. Unfortunately I am just not setup to QT every fish at once.

All I'm saying is it can happen, and a good QT protocol is the best defense.


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Unread 01/15/2018, 08:00 AM   #40
SereneAquatic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by homer1475 View Post
To asnwer the question about sand burrowing creatures in QT.....

When I QT'ed my leopard wrasse, I bought a small bag of arogonite and just placed it in a tupperware container in my QT. During TTM I just replaced the container with a new one with new sand on each transfer. For the entire process I used like a 5lb bag.

Anyone that tells you not to QT is asking for issues. Yes fish can build up a tolerance to most diseases, but some like velvet they cannot. If you added a fish with velvet to your tank, kiss the rest of your livestock goodbye.

At the very least QTing for observation is better then nothing.
Before you head responded, I was thinking of maybe something like this... It is food safe, and I think a good size for fish to move it around. Maybe a little dish of these and then they could be sterilized and reused lol

I'm only half kidding

Perler Beads 22,000 Count Bead Jar Multi-Mix Colors
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZDME7Y..._nllxAbHE9SE1M

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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe, Nano Max, 55g Observation, 20g QT
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Unread 01/16/2018, 09:46 AM   #41
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The Flame Angel is still living it up in his new quarantine tank with antibiotics. So far, so good, except that he's back to eating very little.

If he isn't showing any new signs of illness but persists with the whitened lips and facial lines after the meds are complete I think I may let him rest and attempt a strong feeding/vitamin regimen to make sure it isn't food related. He struggled most of the first two weeks to eat anything so perhaps this issue is nutritional? It does not look like HLLE, but maybe it is nutrition related.

As soon as the medicine dosing is done (after today) he will have a large water change and I'll be doubling down on finding something he can't resist eating. Yesterday he nibbled a tiny bit on what was put in the tank, but nothing substantial.

If anyone has any ideas on what I can use to entice him to eat, please let me know!

Right now I have ALL of the following and have tried each over the past few weeks with little success. The first two I had the entire time and he began eating the LRS with garlic, but then stopped with the medication. The others I purchased yesterday and tried to tempt him with, but to no avail.
  • LRS Fish Frenzy (frozen) alone and soaked in Garlic. I also added Seachem Vitality to it once as well, but he seemed to like it less with the vitamins on it. The clown fish reacted the same way to the vitamins.
  • New Life Spectrum marine life formula pellets. I have also soaked these in garlic and fed separately as well as 'mixed in' the LRS Fish Frenzy.
  • Alive Fusion Flakes (Spirulina & Spinach)
  • Omega One Super Veggie Kelp Flakes
  • Freeze Dried Mysis Shrimp soaked in Selcon

============================

As for the main display tank, I was finally able to turn my attention to it yesterday and do some maintenance. Another small water change and some glass scraping goes a long way.

A couple days ago I noticed small patches of cyano so we installed the powerhead we had on hand to get the water moving and it has mostly receded in a day or so. The only places it still appears is directly behind rocks where the flow from the powerhead doesn't directly reach. I was fairly confident that it was not a nutrient problem... the hair algae that made an appearance hasn't grown any more and only reached about 1/4 inch before stopping.

I have to say that the chaeto and the Kessil H380 have been absolutely amazing at keeping the nutrients in check. I am sure I 'over feed' the clown fish, because they are only willing to go about 8 inches from their home to get food that is put into the tank, and anything that drifts away ends up on the sand bed to decay. Without any CUC in the tank yet, all of those particles are breaking down and feeding the nitrogen cycle. I do not remove them (unless I happen to see a big piece floating around that I can get with the net), nor do I siphon the sand. I have deliberately tried to push the boundaries of what the Chaeto is capable of removing, and so far I haven't found the break point.

Is it weird that I'm glad there is some hair algae growing, and that the cyano has appeared? This tells me the tank is evolving. I don't want them to get out of control and take over the tank, however I'm not big on overreacting to something that is natural and even probably necessary. The tank will go through phases, and for each one, if something becomes too far out of balance, I will try to add some kind of natural predator to the ecosystem to bring it back into balance.


Attached Images
File Type: jpg Hair Algae 1.jpg (28.3 KB, 54 views)
File Type: jpg Hair Algae 2.jpg (36.7 KB, 52 views)
File Type: jpg Cyano Circled.jpg (42.8 KB, 56 views)
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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

Current Tank Info: Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe, Nano Max, 55g Observation, 20g QT
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Unread 01/16/2018, 09:58 AM   #42
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Some additional Pics (finally)


Attached Images
File Type: jpg Peep.jpg (24.0 KB, 61 views)
File Type: jpg Hide and Seek.jpg (37.3 KB, 64 views)
File Type: jpg Fire Shrimp.jpg (20.6 KB, 61 views)
File Type: jpg Sump.jpg (33.0 KB, 66 views)
File Type: jpg Full Tank.jpg (49.5 KB, 77 views)
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Build Thread: "A new reefer... a new tank. What could go wrong?"

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Unread 01/21/2018, 06:34 PM   #43
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I just read through the whole thread. It sounds like you're doing great! Things will get easier once the tank matures a bit.

Sorry you're having to deal with a sick fish. It's stressful and probably not what you signed up for, but you seem to be making great efforts to cure it.

My best advice would be to buy 'bullet proof' fish this early in the game. Chalk bass and royal grammas are good examples. They may not strike your fancy at first, but once you get them home, you'll fall in love. Plus you can get more than one of them.

Your hardware store should have plastic hose clamps.

Try not to get too overwhelmed with all the advice you're getting. Opinions differ wildly in this hobby! Your best bet is to do your own research and do what makes sense to YOU.

I enjoyed your family-made vids! Got any more? It's been a pleasure following along. Good luck!


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Unread 01/21/2018, 07:02 PM   #44
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The Flame Angel has made a nice recovery. His color is back and he is eating better than ever. He will remain in his own tank, away from the inverts, in case he needs some additional treatment, but so far he seems well. I think I will do another freshwater dip, maybe next week, and may consider additional preventative treatments... but I'm not sold yet on the idea of just adding meds for the heck of it.

Now that the clock has reset for him, we are considering putting a Coral Beauty Angel in another QT so that the two of them can be introduced to the tank at the same time. I would like to have both in the final display, and adding them together if we're able makes the most sense.

When I first began planning out the tank inhabitants, I had them ordered from most peaceful to the semi agressives, like the Flame Angel... however I later decided that the fish that I REALLY want, are in the more aggressive genre. Why would I fill up the space and resources in the tank with fish that I dont like as much, only to find that it later stresses out the fish that I want most?

I think I would rather introduce those like the Angels first, allow them to be comfortable, happy and familiar with a dependable food schedule, and then introduce the others if I still want them. If something that I introduce later is an issue for the fish that I like most, it will have to be re-homed... not the other way around. I know this goes against advice that experienced aquarists offer... but I would rather have a few fish in the tank that I truly enjoy, rather than a bunch of them that I kind of enjoy and regret not being able to keep the angels. If this idea turns out to be a disaster and they are the last fish that ever go into this tank then I guess I will need TWO tanks.

The snails and fire shrimp also seem to be doing well in their tank. They shared the same tank with the Angel for about 3 weeks before the Angel showed signs of the bacterial issue we treated for, so I'm not sure now how long they need to stay in QT to make sure they dont carry it into the DT. I would like to think that if they had been carrying Ich or Velvet, it would have showed itself during that time, but I know that may not be true.

Is bacterial life cycle like that of Ich or Velvet? I have no idea but I will need to do some research.

***********************************

On a funnier note... the Flame Angel has probably earned its name. While at the LFS the other day we were joking around about putting plastic plants in the saltwater display and calling it a day (I would never hehehe... probably...) and it made me wonder if the Flame Angel would like something else to hide behind/in/around to feel more secure. It still hangs out in the PVC most of the time, at least, when we're in the room. I usually see it dart in when I come through unannounced.

So, for the heck of it I grabbed a long, leafy fake plant that is rather short and spreads out a few inches and thought I'd see what happens. It kind of looks like some macro algae I've seen.

As soon as I put it in the tank, Flame Angel was upset. It started darting around in its PVC pipe like a nutball and looking out the opposite end repeatedly at this new intruder. I have never seen any fish react so dramatically to something new in its tank (speaking of freshwater experience) and if he hadn't been so obviously scared it would have been comical, but I felt bad for him after a few minutes. He wasn't calming down so I removed the plant. He mellowed out after about 10 minutes but jeez... talk about an over reaction. This fish is more nervous than anything I've ever seen. No wonder it took him two weeks to start eating.

In honor of his paranoid behaviors, I think his name might have to be Twitch... like the fellow from South Park.


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Unread 01/21/2018, 07:12 PM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster View Post
I just read through the whole thread. It sounds like you're doing great! Things will get easier once the tank matures a bit.

Sorry you're having to deal with a sick fish. It's stressful and probably not what you signed up for, but you seem to be making great efforts to cure it.

My best advice would be to buy 'bullet proof' fish this early in the game. Chalk bass and royal grammas are good examples. They may not strike your fancy at first, but once you get them home, you'll fall in love. Plus you can get more than one of them.

Your hardware store should have plastic hose clamps.

Try not to get too overwhelmed with all the advice you're getting. Opinions differ wildly in this hobby! Your best bet is to do your own research and do what makes sense to YOU.

I enjoyed your family-made vids! Got any more? It's been a pleasure following along. Good luck!
Thanks Michael! I appreciate the vote of confidence... sometimes I'm not sure if I'm on the right track at all lol. I'll look for the hose clamps on my next run. I didn't realize that I'd be spending as much time at Lowe's as I do the LFS when I started this hobby.

The videos will continue coming as we get more footage. With the tank up and running it's a lot of the same... Feed. Top Off. Change Water. Test Parameters. Write in Log. Feed. Top Off. Change Water. Test. Write. Feed....

Actually... that is a great idea for the next video. I'll use Pink Floyd's 'Money' for the intro and do a montage of those things, over and over again. I'm glad you liked them. It's fun to keep a kind of visual diary of what we're doing so we can look back on it some day.


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Unread 01/23/2018, 07:00 AM   #46
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I am noticing an odd thing with the main display tank. Since the very first time I started testing alkalinity (Hannah Checker), it has been on a downward slide. Every single test results in a lower number.

I added some pH buffer twice, which also says it will raise dkH by 1 point, but it had no real effect. In the thread I posted about this, everyone is pointing to Mg as the problem... if the Mg is depleted, then the dkH will never stay up.

I know I haven't done a bunch of water changes on this tank... but can two clown fish really be using up that much Mg? My gut tells me no. There is literally nothing else in this tank aside from a little hair algae and small spots of cyano.

So what gives?

A weird thought occurred to me last night as I pondered this: What if the rocks are leeching something into the water the binds with Mg? A potential culprit in rock could be perhaps, Sulphur? These rocks aren't typical reef rocks, they are mostly Texas Holey Rock I think. The make-up of those rocks is said to be Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3), and it's used in a lot of cichlid tanks, but who knows.

Maybe Magnesium Phosphate... but that is a bit more complex molecule I think, in a couple different forms...

I'm going to pull out the Mg test and see where it's at, but I suspect it is low like everyone says. Surely the clown fish aren't depleting it that fast.


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Unread 01/25/2018, 05:03 AM   #47
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Some fish just name themselves I guess.

We brought the coral beauty angel home on Tuesday and put him in his own QT so he can go in at the same time as the flame angel. So far so good.

Apparently, in my sleep last night, I woke my husband up with an urgent question. "What is the new fish's name?!" (It may have also been "What's the new name for the fish" ...?)

I actually did come awake enough after asking him about 3 times for me to laugh histerically when he woke up this morning saying "I had the strangest dream last night..."

After we laughed about it for a while, he said "The new fish's name is Midnight."

So there you have it, problem solved LOL

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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Unread 01/25/2018, 12:20 PM   #48
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That's great! I like to name my fish too. It's fun! I usually live with them for awhile and their personality points to a good one.


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Unread 01/26/2018, 06:20 AM   #49
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I am following along, I am in the process of setting up a 120 myself. I had a Coral Beauty in my last tank and really like him.


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Unread 01/29/2018, 07:11 AM   #50
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Well, unfortunately the Coral Beauty did not make it. Immediately after I typed my last post, I went downstairs to find that he hadn't made it. Maybe that's why I was asking what the NEW fish name was. Subliminal knowledge? J/K

It makes me sad, because it makes me wonder if I had left him to acclimate longer at the store before bringing him home if he would have been better able to adjust. I'm not sure that's the case, because 1 of the 3 that the store got in that day was already dead 30 minutes after he came out of the bag, we found it when I arrived. Perhaps this group had been mishandled somewhere along the way... but still.

Since he did not make it through we re-evaluated once more and decided that since we were already going to be pushing our luck by putting two angels into the DT... why not go for 3? I've read that it can be done if they are all introduced at about the same time, but that they may become more aggressive with age. It may be a bad idea, but we're going to try it. The dwarf angels are my favorite fish, maybe along with the Jawfish, so like I said before... I'm willing to NOT get other fish down the road to have the ones I really want.

I ended up ordering another Coral Beauty and a Lemon Peel angel from Live Aquaria. The Lemon Peel was through Divers Den, but they were sold out of the Coral Beauty in DD so they'll both be in separate QT's when they arrive.

In order to prep for the newcomers arrival, we finally moved the group in QT to the DT. It's been 5 weeks and there have been no signs of illness other than the brief treatment for the Flame Angel, who has been doing well since. I'm not entirely sure he WAS sick, but he did seem to pep up a little afterwards.

We wanted to put the Flame Angel in a little early because, I swear, that fish is so timid that he needs all the head start he can get. We put him in and he started checking out his new home pretty quickly. The funny part is that he wandered into the little 'den' that the clown fish call their home and they were a little upset. The female in particular would turn around and swish her tail at him, and he would drift back out of the den and swim around some more. A couple of times I gently guided him back out of there so they wouldn't try to go after him... but he would go back in after a few minutes.

The funniest part, is that the clown fish seem to have adopted him now. The Flame Angel just went in repeatedly, almost timidly like "Hey... guys? Can I hang out with you? I'm scared..." and they were finally like "Uh... Ok, I guess. As long as you... well sure, yeah, get in here real close, we'll snuggle. You ... watch out the top and we'll watch out the bottom."



I swear though, if the next two fish try to get behind that damn rock where we can't see them... that rock is coming out. We were bemused when the clownfish decided to take that area, out of the entire tank, and rarely come out, but that's their nature and we figured it would be a good spot for them. But seriously? The Flame Angel is bunking up in there too? I'm not sure how many more fish can fit in that hole.




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