Meredith's 180 In-wall happy place

[melypr1985]

(In my head talking to myself after reading the cross contamination

“Umm, note to self, need new hoses........”

(Okay, now in my regular voice....)

Glad it worked out! Hope your fish have a speedy recovery!

P.s. thumbs up on hubby helping out!

Yup, cross contamination is a serious problem for everybody. This serves as a huge reminder of that for everybody! Thanks and yeah, he's pretty great.

 

[Maritimer]

Suppose I'll be another one looking for new hoses ... I've been running mine under _hot_ tapwater between tanks, but that's probably a band-aid on a potential bullet-wound too.

Most everything I know about marine fish health - and it's dark flip-side - I've learned from you and the other fine folks in the disease forum here. Guess you've earned the right to fret about your aquascape while you're treating for velvet!

~Bruce

 

[Mal11224]

Wow. I feel so bad about what you've gone through. I applaud you for your efforts and hope that things go well from here on out. Good luck!

 

[melypr1985]

thanks guys! Things are on the up swing... I hope. I've gotten the doser set up and pretty much dialed in. I'm making very slight adjustments at this point and testing daily. The algae is starting to clear up and the chemi clean did it's job. The zoas that have been closed up for the past few months (but not dying oddly enough) have started opening little by little. I also got the metal halides up and going. They are only on for 2 hours a day to supplement but the light is incredible. Oh and I happen to have the chance to buy a 50 gallon drum of Salinity salt by Aquavitro (which is my normal salt) so I did. It's enormous! lol

After the "Rock Remodel" but before the chemi clean. What you can't see is the cyano algae covering almost every zoa colony I have.

New tank addition. Blue Spiny Lobster. Dontcha just love the huge mustache?

The tank as of 10 minutes ago. For some reason I never catch pictures or videos when the white lights are at full strength.

 

[Maritimer]

Are those lobsters reef-safe?! He's a cool little guy!

(Did your kids write you notes on the back glass?! (>__<) )

Tank is looking good, and that zoa garden is going to be impressive when the cyano stops buggin' it.

~Bruce

 

[cameronh]

@melypr1985, is everything ok?

 

[cameronh]

Hello?

 

[melypr1985]

Hey guys. Yeah, everything is ok. I've been spending more time with my family lately. I got a little burned out and I'd be lying if I said that the fish coming down with velvet didn't add to it. I've lost the Hippo tang (yup, the very same one that made it though CP the first go around), my blue star leopard wrasse and my yellow eye kole tang. The rest are doing ok, though I'm a bit worried about the purple tang since he seems to be sulking behind a pvc pipe for the last 2 weeks. I've got an update on the tank though! I've had a doser on the tank for a while and things seem to have leveled off. The zoas are starting to open up more and the corals seem to be doing much better in general. The aptasia problem seems to be ebbing for now, but this nasty algae is starting to get out of control. I've added a sea hare and several turbo snails (even though I hate them), hermits and astrea snails to the tank with little improvement. I'm so close to adding the fish back to display....

leds only and a little blurry, sorry

The QT. Copperband, pair of clowns, black cap basslet, purple tang, achilles tang, diamond goby and cardinal in residence.

The display with the leds and the MH on. I actually really enjoy the tank with the MH on and since they are only on for 2 hours a day, it doesn't effect the temp of the tank or the house at all.

Oh, and you like that really awesome bicolor frogspawn? Me too. There is also a new green carpet anemone on the far left side. He moved a bit from the front of those two little rocks to now being behind them but it's still visible when standing in front of the tank but obviously not in this picture.

 

[Maritimer]

Sorry for your losses, Meredith . . .

The tank looks good, and I can just tell from here, that once those tangs are back in charge, your algae woes will be a distant memory.

~Bruce

 

[Maacc]

Tank is looking good. Take some time out so you don't burn out.
Very sorry for your loses. Your tank will look amazing with the tangs back on patrol.

 

[Brew12]

I'm just glad that you are doing ok. Was getting worried!

 

[melypr1985]

Thanks Ya'll. Thank you for being concerned as well.

I really do hope the tangs help keep this algae under controll. It looks awfully similar to another tank I had at the store that I had to break down completely because nothing I ever did helped with the algae. It looked awful and I was tired of fighting with it. I really hope this isn't the same thing.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thanks Ya'll. Thank you for being concerned as well.

I really do hope the tangs help keep this algae under controll. It looks awfully similar to another tank I had at the store that I had to break down completely because nothing I ever did helped with the algae. It looked awful and I was tired of fighting with it. I really hope this isn't the same thing.

Tangs should help.

 

[Maacc]

You may want to think about a few pounds of garf grunge to help introduce some competing flora and fauna.

 

[cameronh]

Sorry for your losses.
Just haven't seen a post from you in awhile so I was just checking in.

 

[Rob77]

Hey guys. Yeah, everything is ok. I've been spending more time with my family lately. I got a little burned out and I'd be lying if I said that the fish coming down with velvet didn't add to it. I've lost the Hippo tang (yup, the very same one that made it though CP the first go around), my blue star leopard wrasse and my yellow eye kole tang. The rest are doing ok, though I'm a bit worried about the purple tang since he seems to be sulking behind a pvc pipe for the last 2 weeks. I've got an update on the tank though! I've had a doser on the tank for a while and things seem to have leveled off. The zoas are starting to open up more and the corals seem to be doing much better in general. The aptasia problem seems to be ebbing for now, but this nasty algae is starting to get out of control. I've added a sea hare and several turbo snails (even though I hate them), hermits and astrea snails to the tank with little improvement. I'm so close to adding the fish back to display....

leds only and a little blurry, sorry

The QT. Copperband, pair of clowns, black cap basslet, purple tang, achilles tang, diamond goby and cardinal in residence.

The display with the leds and the MH on. I actually really enjoy the tank with the MH on and since they are only on for 2 hours a day, it doesn't effect the temp of the tank or the house at all.

Oh, and you like that really awesome bicolor frogspawn? Me too. There is also a new green carpet anemone on the far left side. He moved a bit from the front of those two little rocks to now being behind them but it's still visible when standing in front of the tank but obviously not in this picture.

I love this tank !!!! I really was inspired to get mine done ..after I ran across your thread .....I love in wall aquariums .......very good job!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[melypr1985]

a few pounds of garf grunge

What is "garf grunge"??

 

[don_chuwish]

What is "garf grunge"??

Don't even go there. Ordered some from them once - got a muddy handful of sand that smelled like it came out of a septic tank.

 

[melypr1985]

hello!! I'm dropping back in again. No picture updates to share today but I do have news.

I ended up losing my copperband butterfly unfortunately. He was back in the display and eating aggressively as usual, then just stopped one day and the next was stuck to the MP40 when I got home from work. No outward signs of anything wrong with him so I suspect internal issues. Possibly caused by the two 3 month QT's it went through and exposure to all the meds.
The Purple Tang is still sulking, though I now think it has more to do with the achilles tang usurping it before the velvet outbreak as that's when the sulking started. What a cry baby! He's fine, just not swimming all over the tank like he used to. He'll probably get fat and become a "couch potato fish".

The good news here is that I have a new batch of fish in the QT. I got a lot of gift cards for christmas (the biggest from my husband who knows exactly what I want) and went a little crazy with them.
My QT is chocked full of fish:
5 squampinis anthias
female bellus angel
lubbock's fairy wrasse
sailfin fairy wrasse
exquisite fairy wrasse
Pair of Spotcinctus Clowns (beautiful!!!)

and I think that's it. Yup!! I went a little... ok A LOT crazy with my Christmas fish. lol They are all beautiful and eating well. I'm going copper this time around since I have all the wrasses and anthias in there. I really hope I didn't just jinx my luck with them with this post!

 

[melypr1985]

Don't even go there. Ordered some from them once - got a muddy handful of sand that smelled like it came out of a septic tank.

Ew. Thanks for the heads up, though I don't think I was going to get any anyway. My display has enough problems without throwing in random things in hopes that it will work! Ha!