Updates! Work has been busy but I have a lot to share. Good, bad, indifferent(?) and ugly.
Let's start with the bad:
My Mandarin died. (She is just waking up in the sand bed here. She was not emaciated.) Whatever looked like a grain of sand or a fluke behind her left eye came back while I was out of town the week after Thanksgiving, but this time red. It popped like a pimple and the fish died. My fiancee got it out of the tank quickly and all other inhabitants are doing fine to this day. They were all treated with Prazipro in QT prior to introduction to the DT. I'm hoping this was an isolated incident. I froze the fish if anyone has any suggestions for analysis. I'm very curious as to what happened to her as I don't like anything is my care dying unnaturally.
The Ugly:
Bryopsis. It's amazing how fast this appeared and spread. However, finding it rather quick was helpful. After some research I decided to treat with Reef Flux (Fluconazole). One treatment and all Bryopsis was gone within a week. My Chaeto and Gracilaria survived the treatment unscathed. Some people indicated it killed their macros but other said no way. My experience with this was fantastic. Cheap and easy fix. I like those.
The indifferent(?):
Hydroids. Where did they come from? Who sent them? What do they want? These little alien looking jellies have made their way to my tank. At most I saw about 20 tiny ones. Currently I see around six that extend to 1/4". They appear to only want to sit on the glass in the display tank. I cant spot any on the rocks or in the sump. I don't know if it's possible but I always brace myself to get stung by one hiding in the Gracilaria when I remove pieces to trash or feed the Foxface. I'm told they are neither good nor bad, they just are. So long as I keep them in check. I'm going to source a long dropper/turkey baster to start sucking them out. They are kind of fun to watch when they travel.
Time for some good news:
The Foxface and Hi-Fin Goby are doing great. The Goby somehow picked a cave location front and center in the tank which I am hoping it will do again after we move. (Did I mention that as soon as I set this all up I found out we're moving 20 miles away?) The Foxface is all about eating. Food is literally it's life. I need a profile shot of this fatty. I've reduced the amount of seaweed I put in because I was a little concerned.
We have new friends that will be joining the display tank this Sunday if all goes well. A Royal Gramma and 4 Firefish. I wanted six but these four are great and I'm afraid to upset the balance. There is no aggression between them. The Gramma however, is ignorant at times. I have a suspicion it may become the tank boss. Another added bonus was when the LFS owner scooped out the Gramma a pair of Astrea Snails (I believe) were in the net so he just gave them to me. They have been keeping the QT tank cleaner than ever and will be moving with the group to the DT this Sunday. All 5 fish come swimming to the front of the tank when they see me, looking for food. I'm hoping this friendly nature brings the Foxface out to explore a little more. It's been holding down one the cave it is in front of in the photo of it.
The same day I got these, I picked up 6 dwarf blue leg hermits for my refugium. It was getting little nasty. Those guys have been putting in work. The detritus and algae is definitely reducing in size. I think they made the few Ceriths in the refugium nervous as I found them in the skimmer chamber so they got a reprieve to the DT.
I decided against the Copperband Buttery that was in my initial fish list because I really like Feather Dusters. I have been keeping an eye out but never saw any colors I liked locally. To my pleasant surprise this little one just appeared out of nowhere! It looks redish-brown, I'm hoping it goes more red but I like this color either way. Even better is that it attached at the top of the rock that the Goby cave is under. FRONT AND CENTER. It's the little victories and positives that we should always focus on. I never thought I would get so much amusement and joy out of one tiny little worm...
That's about all for now. I'm shutting down the quarantine tank as I don't want to risk anymore critters through the upcoming move. Unless I find a deal this weekend on a few Fairy Wrasses. I'm going to install a new booster pump and filter on my RODI station and convert one barrel to a salt tank. This way I can do DT water changes easier. All basic water parameters are still fantastic. I just need to do I couple more changes to remove the elements from the rusting metal flakes I found.
Anyone know a good tank moving company in the Maryland/Delaware area? haha
Let's start with the bad:
My Mandarin died. (She is just waking up in the sand bed here. She was not emaciated.) Whatever looked like a grain of sand or a fluke behind her left eye came back while I was out of town the week after Thanksgiving, but this time red. It popped like a pimple and the fish died. My fiancee got it out of the tank quickly and all other inhabitants are doing fine to this day. They were all treated with Prazipro in QT prior to introduction to the DT. I'm hoping this was an isolated incident. I froze the fish if anyone has any suggestions for analysis. I'm very curious as to what happened to her as I don't like anything is my care dying unnaturally.
The Ugly:
Bryopsis. It's amazing how fast this appeared and spread. However, finding it rather quick was helpful. After some research I decided to treat with Reef Flux (Fluconazole). One treatment and all Bryopsis was gone within a week. My Chaeto and Gracilaria survived the treatment unscathed. Some people indicated it killed their macros but other said no way. My experience with this was fantastic. Cheap and easy fix. I like those.
The indifferent(?):
Hydroids. Where did they come from? Who sent them? What do they want? These little alien looking jellies have made their way to my tank. At most I saw about 20 tiny ones. Currently I see around six that extend to 1/4". They appear to only want to sit on the glass in the display tank. I cant spot any on the rocks or in the sump. I don't know if it's possible but I always brace myself to get stung by one hiding in the Gracilaria when I remove pieces to trash or feed the Foxface. I'm told they are neither good nor bad, they just are. So long as I keep them in check. I'm going to source a long dropper/turkey baster to start sucking them out. They are kind of fun to watch when they travel.
Time for some good news:
The Foxface and Hi-Fin Goby are doing great. The Goby somehow picked a cave location front and center in the tank which I am hoping it will do again after we move. (Did I mention that as soon as I set this all up I found out we're moving 20 miles away?) The Foxface is all about eating. Food is literally it's life. I need a profile shot of this fatty. I've reduced the amount of seaweed I put in because I was a little concerned.
We have new friends that will be joining the display tank this Sunday if all goes well. A Royal Gramma and 4 Firefish. I wanted six but these four are great and I'm afraid to upset the balance. There is no aggression between them. The Gramma however, is ignorant at times. I have a suspicion it may become the tank boss. Another added bonus was when the LFS owner scooped out the Gramma a pair of Astrea Snails (I believe) were in the net so he just gave them to me. They have been keeping the QT tank cleaner than ever and will be moving with the group to the DT this Sunday. All 5 fish come swimming to the front of the tank when they see me, looking for food. I'm hoping this friendly nature brings the Foxface out to explore a little more. It's been holding down one the cave it is in front of in the photo of it.
The same day I got these, I picked up 6 dwarf blue leg hermits for my refugium. It was getting little nasty. Those guys have been putting in work. The detritus and algae is definitely reducing in size. I think they made the few Ceriths in the refugium nervous as I found them in the skimmer chamber so they got a reprieve to the DT.
I decided against the Copperband Buttery that was in my initial fish list because I really like Feather Dusters. I have been keeping an eye out but never saw any colors I liked locally. To my pleasant surprise this little one just appeared out of nowhere! It looks redish-brown, I'm hoping it goes more red but I like this color either way. Even better is that it attached at the top of the rock that the Goby cave is under. FRONT AND CENTER. It's the little victories and positives that we should always focus on. I never thought I would get so much amusement and joy out of one tiny little worm...
That's about all for now. I'm shutting down the quarantine tank as I don't want to risk anymore critters through the upcoming move. Unless I find a deal this weekend on a few Fairy Wrasses. I'm going to install a new booster pump and filter on my RODI station and convert one barrel to a salt tank. This way I can do DT water changes easier. All basic water parameters are still fantastic. I just need to do I couple more changes to remove the elements from the rusting metal flakes I found.
Anyone know a good tank moving company in the Maryland/Delaware area? haha
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