Griev's 50 Gallon Lagoon AIO - #SavePinkyTheWrasse!

Griev · Jul 19, 2020

My mangroves don't appear to be doing much above ground, but they don't look bad either. Hopefully they'll show some signs of growth soon. Might not be getting enough nutrients, even with the mud in the mangrove box.

The box I printed is performing awesomely. The flow rate is perfect and none of the mud gets stirred up into the return chamber. Now I just need them to grow! Dang slow growing land corals.

wonroc · Jul 28, 2020

some seriously nice corals

mitten_reef · Aug 21, 2020

tank is looking great

Griev · Aug 23, 2020

So for the last three to four weeks, my pink streak wrasse was completely MIA, and I had given up hope of seeing him again. Must have found a tiny gap in the lid and gone carpet surfing, I thought. I'd even gotten a flasher wrasse to replace him!

Well one day as I was messing with something in the sump, something moved below the water! So he did manage to find a gap in the screen, but he ended up in the SUMP! It's way too narrow and awkward to try and get a net in there, so I first tried baiting him into a Ziploc bag.

That didn't work, he was too smart or too suspicious. Either way I had to figure out something! Thus began operation #SavePinkyTheWrasse

Griev · Aug 23, 2020

(cont. #SavePinkyTheWrasse)

Well the solution to this problem was obviously 3d printing! (This thing has paid for itself over and over again at this point)

Popped into fusion to design a fish trap that would fit into the rear chamber of my tank

It fits into the rear chamber like this and Pinky gets baited into the trap with a little food

Then as soon as he's just a little too comfortable in the new open space... pull up!

Trapped! (or so goes the hypothesis)

Time to get things printing and find out if my scheme would work!

Griev · Aug 23, 2020

(cont. #SavePinkyTheWrasse)

13 hours later I had my fish trap!

Popped it in and had him caught in less than two minutes!

Griev · Aug 23, 2020

(cont. #SavePinkyTheWrasse)

He's back in the acclimation box to readjust to society. He's as far into that 90 degree pipe as he can go. Anyone know if there's a chance he and the flasher will co-exist without murdering each other?

TheWB · Aug 23, 2020

Griev said:
(cont. #SavePinkyTheWrasse)

13 hours later I had my fish trap!

Popped it in and had him caught in less than two minutes!

That’s amazing. What a great idea. You’ve done some really cool stuff with that printer.

jcolliii · Aug 26, 2020

AWESOME job - glad you found and successfully rescued the little guy! It'd make me nervous putting him in with another wrasse. Not a flasher, but I would still be worried - tough one for sure.

Griev · Aug 26, 2020

jcolliii said:
AWESOME job - glad you found and successfully rescued the little guy! It'd make me nervous putting him in with another wrasse. Not a flasher, but I would still be worried - tough one for sure.

So far they've showed no interest in each other, so keeping my fingers crossed!

revhtree · Aug 26, 2020

Griev said:
So for the last three to four weeks, my pink streak wrasse was completely MIA, and I had given up hope of seeing him again. Must have found a tiny gap in the lid and gone carpet surfing, I thought. I'd even gotten a flasher wrasse to replace him!

Well one day as I was messing with something in the sump, something moved below the water! So he did manage to find a gap in the screen, but he ended up in the SUMP! It's way too narrow and awkward to try and get a net in there, so I first tried baiting him into a Ziploc bag.

That didn't work, he was too smart or too suspicious. Either way I had to figure out something! Thus began operation #SavePinkyTheWrasse

HAHA they are sneaky little buggers!

Griev · Aug 29, 2020

Tanks looking good! Here's an updated full tank shot.

This guy's keeping an eye on things.

Mangroves are also growing (well most of them)

!

Griev · Aug 30, 2020

He did it again... HOW!?

HOW?!?!?!

Luckily I still had the fish trap and it didn't take long to trap him again and get him back into the main tank... but seriously... HOW?!

TheWB · Aug 30, 2020

Griev said:
He did it again... HOW!?

HOW?!?!?!

Luckily I still had the fish trap and it didn't take long to trap him again and get him back into the main tank... but seriously... HOW?!

That’s crazy. Pinky cannot be contained

Griev · Aug 30, 2020

TheWB said:
That’s crazy. Pinky cannot be contained

I couldn't believe he got out again! If he gets out again I'm going to have to set up a camera to see how the heck he's getting out.

Griev · Sep 6, 2020

KJoFan · Sep 6, 2020

What kind of wrasse is Pinky?

Also, crazy he gets out, those lids fit pretty tightly from my experience. However, I know with mine there is a slight gap between the edge of the frame on the lid and the back acrylic piece that leads to the back filtration chambers. Maybe enough of a gap there for him to find his way out?

Griev · Sep 7, 2020

KJoFan said:
What kind of wrasse is Pinky?

Also, crazy he gets out, those lids fit pretty tightly from my experience. However, I know with mine there is a slight gap between the edge of the frame on the lid and the back acrylic piece that leads to the back filtration chambers. Maybe enough of a gap there for him to find his way out?

He's a pink streak wrasse. I think he was jumping through the gap near the mangroves. I covered that section with some cardboard and no more escapes yet.

He's also leaving the flasher wrasse completely alone, keeping my fingers crossed there.