Slakker's Oceanic 58g

[Slakker]

The filter isn't that strong so I'm sure he didn't just get sucked in...I'm sure he died of something else and just ended up in the filter afterwards. Seemed alright, but I must have missed something, messed up somehow.

Maybe internal parasites or something...he seemed awfully skinny when I pulled him out and he'd been eating like a pig.

[fambrough]

I'm sorry to hear about that. I'm sure you were keeping up with WCs in the quarantine. Could it have been stress? I hope this doesn't discourage you from trying another one. If the DT is ready, maybe you won't have to quarantine for as long? Sounds like you're almost done with the cycle. I'm looking forward to following the development. Best of luck. Again, sorry about the cherub.

[Slakker]

I think I will be trying one of these again, but sometime in the future when I've got more time and am juggling fewer things.

I'm afraid my schedule prevented me from being as diligent as I should have been. Maybe had I been home more I would have seen something wrong or been able to do that one extra water change that could have saved it or something.

This is the first fish I've lost since starting the hobby last march and of course it had to be wild caught...I'm feeling pretty guilty about it.

[Mykel Obvious]

Sorry for your loss, Tyler

[michika]

I'm really sorry to hear that the angel didn't make it.

[Slakker]

Welp...the clowns have finally made it into the new tank! I acclimated them and put them in earlier this evening and they made their way directly to a cave and hid for about 20 minutes, but have since started exploring a bit. When I came in here to go to bed they were playing in the flow from my return. I also added my hairy mushrooms after a slightly shorter acclimation period. I figured, of all the things in my tank, the mushrooms are by far the closest I've got to bullet proof. We'll see how they fare.

And, by the by, I really gotta pick up a few powerheads for in there...I've probably only got about 8x turnover in there right now, should probably up that a bit when more corals start going in.

Also plans have changed/evolved. Ever since the loss of the angel I've been evaluating my quarantine procedure, and have decided that while I will certainly want to treat, if necessary, in a bare tank, it would be better/easier on new fish to be in a more stable, established system with some other life to pick at. I think the angel might have had a better chance in the 12g with all of the rock and the assorted critters in there, so from now on the nano will be the initial quarantine tank for all new inhabitants, with the 10g going up in case treatment is required. I think new fish will be much more comfortable in with all of the rock and sand than they are with some PVC pipes.

[Mykel Obvious]

By all means get some more powerheads... I've got two modded Tunze 6025 Nanostreams (push about 1000 gph each) in my 65 and I've just ordered another 6025 to replace the POS Koralia 1 I have in the back to keep the water moving behind the rocks.... I'm at about 30x right now, and the new Tunze will put me at 40x to 45x depending on whether or not I do the flow mod... even with 30x flow, I see too many dead spots in the back corners/rocks... detritus builds up fast if I don't baste the rocks every day, so MORE FLOW

The only problem with running the fully set up 12g as your QT is if you do end up with a fish that has Ich or some other parasite/disease, then you have to let it sit fallow for several months to make sure you don't give it to the next fish you want to QT... the nice thing about using a bare tank is the ability to bleach the ever livin' crap out of it and use it again in a short time... Just a thought

OH, and get us some new photos

[Slakker]

Very true about the QT, but I guess part of the benefit of being a "starving college student" is that I can't really afford to be buying fish without a couple of months in between

Besides, aside from another dwarf angel of some kind (who, let's be honest, will probably start eating my corals and get the boot sooner or later) I have no idea what else I want in my tank.

Been thinking about picking up one of the 24x4 T5 fixtures from Fishneedit for the nano once I get the halide over the 58...couple people in the local club have been pretty pleased with them so I figured it might be an okay option for turning this into a frag tank and coral QT.

[Mykel Obvious]

Yeah, I'm not too far ahead of you on the "shouldn't be buying fish without a couple of months in between" myself

I've got several fish I really want... current stocking list is 1 Lawnmower, 2 Green-banded gobies, 2 Orchid Dottybacks, 2 Cleaner shrimp and 2 fire shrimp... I want a pair of yellow watchmen and pistol shrimp, a pair of yellow striped cardinalfish and a pair of Gold Striped Maroon Clowns (seems to be a theme here )... would also love either a McCosker's flasher wrasse or a yellow coris wrasse, but that would entail a screen top (might be worth it in the long run)... I'm going to take my time and see what my system can support only adding a pair at a time until I feel like the system is at a good bioload (ok, I'm planning a skimmer upgrade to let me have a heavy bioload and that will support heavy feeding and still keep SPS, but I'm crazy like that )

I'm also going to switch from 4x96w PC lights to 6x39w T5s for better color and PAR (I want the ATI fixture, but can't bring myself to spend $750 on a 6 bulb fixture... most likely will end up with the 6 bulb Tek light)... I'd vote for T5s over the 58 myself, as I think you can get some beautiful colors and very nice growth in your display that way, and keep the MH over the Eclipse as frag grow out... one 175w MH is gonna leave you wanting over a 3' tank IMO... I'd also look at saving your money and getting a higher grade fixture that the one at fishneedit, which ever way you go... T5s without individual reflectors are no where near as good as ones with, and fans on T5 fixtures increase output as well (T5s do best at about 95F)... If I go with the Tek, I'll have to add fans to each end to get it to preform at its peak output, but I can do that kind of mod without too much trouble... I'd really think you would need at least 2 MH pendants and possibly some actinic supplementation to get enough light and the best colors on the 58

Do a bit more research on T5s, and I think you'll want them on the 58 in the long run

[Slakker]

I do indeed want to try out T5's on the 58, but as the Halide is what I have, the Halide is what I'll be using for now. When/if I get a great deal on a 6x39w fixture, I may think about replacing it. I've been thinking about picking up another 175w setup in addition to my current one. Truth be told, I love the colors I get out of the 14k Hamilton bulb, and I love the shimmer effect. I can't wait to see it in action on a bigger tank, and I've already got 2x39w T5's in place for actinic supplementation. If I see fit, I could swap one of those out for a 10k and see how it looks.

Also, so much for waiting a few months. One of the stores close to me (my favorite, actually...not as glamorous as the other store in the area, but the staff has always been genuinely friendly and helpful) is going out of business and is having a Buy One-Get One Free sale on salt livestock...

So I made my carpool partner wait at her office while I "worked a few minutes late" to stop by and check things out, came home with a Bar Goby of some sort and what was sold as a "Blue Sided Velvet Wrasse," but in my googlings I've yet to find any real information on it. I was assured that it's reef safe, and it's going in my now-fallow 12g where most of my corals still reside, so we shall see.

I'll have pics up in a bit - PROMISE - FOR REAL this time I just gotta get these guys out of the bag and start them acclimating.

Edit: Grand total on these two fish was a cool $30...so I think I got a pretty good deal

[Mykel Obvious]

Ok, I'll just wait right here till you get the photos posted

If they got the name right, then I think this could be your wrasse: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...53&pcatid=1153

All Fairy Wrasses are way cool IMO, and that should be a beautiful fish for sure, hard to pass up a buy one get one sale... sucks that the extra friendly store is going out of business though, that's what happened here as well, only I don't have another store that I would buy a fish from (ich infested hair algae laden tanks :shudder: )

Ok, so 14k Hamilton with two T5s wouldn't be too bad... add the extra MH if ya go for more SPS... me, I plan on bypassing MH all together, but I would like a bit of shimmer... I need about 10 or 20 LEDs to go with the T5s I guess (that's what I REALLY want... the $2000 LED lights that do the whole moon cycle and sunrise/sunset function... just what I need for a 65 gallon tank But then again, if I had the money to spare )

Can't wait to see your new acquisitions!!

later,

[Slakker]

I wish they had the female coloration pictured! The body shape is very similar, but it's hard to tell when the colors don't match up.

Funny thing is, I wasn't really planning on a wrasse of any kind...but this guy/girl was pretty cool looking and I remembered seeing it in the store about a month ago, so odds are it's pretty healthy. The Goby was new, but I've been wanting a more open-water fish and he was really active and looked good.

I just put them into the tank after a little less than an hour acclimating...I was really worried as in the bucket they were literally snuggling with each other on the bottom, but now that they're in the tank they seem to be doing okay. I'll hit the lights on in a few hours to see how they react and get some pictures.

[Slakker]

Hmm...seems like my light timer has a mind of its own...turned itself on a few minutes ago despite the switch being off, so I just kinda let it go. Must be fate, right?

What do I find? A cloudy tank...what the heck happened, I ask myself, everything should be peachy!

Bar Gobies dig. He found a hiding spot, and started digging it out. Instant sand storm when a 5" fish starts digging a hole in a 12g tank. Awesome to see, though he's very easily spooked. If I walk towards the tank he shoots right into his new hole at lightning speed. I don't know how he moves that fast without hurting himself!

I feel bad about keeping both of them cramped in this little tank, but it'll only be for about a month (God willing both of them stay healthy and don't need to be moved to the hospital tank.)

And explain to me how batteries IN the charger could possibly be dead...did no one explain the concept of trickle charging to Energizer?!

[Mykel Obvious]

Someone needs to steal you a new camera... and a light timer that works

Yeah, he'll prolly keep the tank a mess for a while until he settles in to his newly built apartment... I think they'll be fine for a month (:crosses fingers everyone makes it: ) Just watch your wrasse They are jumpers, so put some screen or egg crate or something over the 12g

We'll just have to wait patiently till the tank clears and the batteries are charged and the stars are aligned in the proper house... just don't forget about us

later,

[Mykel Obvious]

Oh, and I'd google Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura and see what you can find under images

EDIT:
The Blue-sided Fairy Wrasse is a small multicolored wrasse. As the name implies, they have mostly blue body color though they may have orange, green, or purple on their body depending on age and region. They have highly variable color. They are generally peaceful toward other fish but will not tolerate other Blue-sided Fairy Wrasses or similar species. They are safe for reef aquariums as they will leave most invertebrates alone.

[Slakker]

It does look like some of the pictures on there, but it also resembles a few of the pictures of Cirrhilabrus lyukyuensis.

However, it seems to have buried himself in the sand and hasn't been out and about since the lights came on a while ago, so I'm having a hard time remembering the coloration exactly. I've heard a few stories about wrasses burying themselves and just disappearing entirely, so hopefully that won't be the fate of mine. I've got some egg crate over the tank and used a second smaller piece to try to cover up some of the gaps by the HOB filter figuring if he was going to jump, he'd probably pick that spot to do it (just to make me mad).

I'll grab some pictures of the 58 to tie you over The clowns seem to be really enjoying it, have been swimming around exploring the whole place. Must feel like a whole new world compared with the nano!

[Slakker]

Things look kinda funky with just actinic on over there, can't wait to move the halide over for some daylight coloration!

[michika]

Yay for photos!

[ZooZ]

im sure the fish must love all that space

[Slakker]

[ZooZ]

THERE HE IS!! Gorgeous! Glad he is fine. Hope he thrives and lives a long an healthy life

[Slakker]

Yeah, he seems to be doing okay. He's already eating cyclopeeze and spirulina enhanced brine/mysis and is pretty active. He picks on the new dartfish (whose name is appropriate...he's much too shy for me to get a good picture at this point) a bit, but I think they should settle down soon.

[Mykel Obvious]

Nice rockwork on the 58... can't wait to see that covered in corals

Good capture on the skittish wrasse (I'm having the same trouble trying to photograph my two Orchid Dottybacks, nothing but purple blurs when I reach for the camera )... that wrasse is a very nice looking fish!!

[Slakker]

FINALLY an update!!!

Both new fish have been doing really well for the past month, the wrasse is a bit of a butthead and likes to chase the dartfish back into his hole, but doesn't appear to be hurting it and both seem to be getting plenty of food. I expect the 58g will be plenty of territory for both of them.

I moved the halides over to the 58 today and I am really excited...it's gorgeous. I was pretty worried as the bulb was firing up, as it took about 3 minutes before it was actually brighter than my actinics, but it looks great. Today I will be moving all of my corals and both fish over to the 58, as well as doing a long, long delayed water change. Pics will be up in a bit!

[ZooZ]

glad to hear everything is going well. Cant wait to see the tank with the halides and coral!!