I received a box of rocks today.

[NY_Caveman]

Ruby wanted to let you know she isn't fat. She is voluptuous.

Oh, I think she is a beautiful, underrated fish. I say fat because we tend to judge pod picking fish by how well they are fed. Kind of like in olden times how folks judged a man’s success by how fat his wife was. Back then, fat equaled success. It was purely observational. Then doctors decided fat was unhealthy. Perhaps. But when the media tell us fat is unattractive, that is pure nonsense. I prefer a well contoured woman.

 

[Katrina71]

Botticelli painted his females to be voluptuous. Wonder how he would paint them today?

 

[NY_Caveman]

NY_Caveman, my very first Midas blenny jumped before I finished my screen top. Sad day. I found another a few weeks later. I put him in QT for observation for almost 3 weeks. Over that time, his nice yellow color faded considerably. Did you happen to QT your blenny and/or experience similar loss of color. I know they change to a darker brownish color when hiding, sleeping or stressed. But this is different. Thanks!

Mine, an African Midas Blenny, was not QTed. He also browns when sleeping. I assume that is natural camouflage while in his sleepy hole. He has maintained an overall rich, yellow color. He also shows pink, orange and everything around those shades depending on his mood (like a mood ring). He also has blueish to purple on his chest and a thin blue outline to his dorsal fin.

I am no Midas Blenny expert, but in my short experience this fish’s coloring can vary widely and often. I would not assume any coloring is permanent. QT is a different environment typically than a display tank, so perhaps he will resume vivid colors when he joins the display. If he is eating and appears healthy, I would continue what you are doing.

I find their behavior fascinating, but often unusual. You probably know this, but they have no swim bladder. It takes them a lot more energy to swim around and stay steady against the flow compared to most fish. For this reason they tire quickly and can often be found resting in strange places. Had I not known this, his behavior may have been somewhat concerning to us. Instead, it just endears him to us and makes him seem even cuter. Like when a challenged little kid has to try twice as hard to keep up with the class and find success.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Mine, an African Midas Blenny, was not QTed. He also browns when sleeping. I assume that is natural camouflage while in his sleepy hole. He has maintained an overall rich, yellow color. He also shows pink, orange and everything around those shades depending on his mood (like a mood ring). He also has blueish to purple on his chest and a thin blue outline to his dorsal fin.

I am no Midas Blenny expert, but in my short experience this fish’s coloring can vary widely and often. I would not assume any coloring is permanent. QT is a different environment typically than a display tank, so perhaps he will resume vivid colors when he joins the display. If he is eating and appears healthy, I would continue what you are doing.

I find their behavior fascinating, but often unusual. You probably know this, but they have no swim bladder. It takes them a lot more energy to swim around and stay steady against the flow compared to most fish. For this reason they tire quickly and can often be found resting in strange places. Had I not known this, his behavior may have been somewhat concerning to us. Instead, it just endears him to us and makes him seem even cuter. Like when a challenged little kid has to try twice as hard to keep up with the class and find success.

My midas blenny does this as well... though today I havent seen him since the dust is still settling from my war declaration on the algae.

 

[NY_Caveman]

My midas blenny does this as well... though today I havent seen him since the dust is still settling from my war declaration on the algae.

Mine definitely goes right to his home if anything is confusing or uncertain.

 

[Katrina71]

In no way was I serious about Ruby. She is really pretty. I actually plan to add one to my tank when I upgrade.

 

[NY_Caveman]

In no way was I serious about Ruby. She is really pretty. I actually plan to add one to my tank when I upgrade.

Ha! I live with three women, you know. Figures, even the female fish are sensitive.

 

[Katrina71]

We are not (sniffle) sensitive!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Ha! I live with three women, you know. Figures, even the female fish are sensitive.

;Hilarious

 

[GoVols]

@NY_Caveman

I'm always a week behind... ;Blackeye

Sorry about you fish loss.

For research purposes... ;Bookworm
Are you still running your skimmer without the cup?
If so, Is it doing the job that you hoped?

.....
.................;Writing

 

[Victoria M]

@NY_Caveman

I'm always a week behind... ;Blackeye

Sorry about you fish loss.

For research purposes... ;Bookworm
Are you still running your skimmer without the cup?
If so, Is it doing the job that you hoped?

.....
.................;Writing

I musta missed this. Now I want to know too

 

[Todvod]

Mine, an African Midas Blenny, was not QTed. He also browns when sleeping. I assume that is natural camouflage while in his sleepy hole. He has maintained an overall rich, yellow color. He also shows pink, orange and everything around those shades depending on his mood (like a mood ring). He also has blueish to purple on his chest and a thin blue outline to his dorsal fin.

I am no Midas Blenny expert, but in my short experience this fish’s coloring can vary widely and often. I would not assume any coloring is permanent. QT is a different environment typically than a display tank, so perhaps he will resume vivid colors when he joins the display. If he is eating and appears healthy, I would continue what you are doing.

I find their behavior fascinating, but often unusual. You probably know this, but they have no swim bladder. It takes them a lot more energy to swim around and stay steady against the flow compared to most fish. For this reason they tire quickly and can often be found resting in strange places. Had I not known this, his behavior may have been somewhat concerning to us. Instead, it just endears him to us and makes him seem even cuter. Like when a challenged little kid has to try twice as hard to keep up with the class and find success.

All the color in my Midas blenny is back! Took about 3 days.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I actually never removed the skimmer cup. Still considering it. I removed the refugium only so far.

 

[NY_Caveman]

@NY_Caveman

I'm always a week behind... ;Blackeye

Sorry about you fish loss.

For research purposes... ;Bookworm
Are you still running your skimmer without the cup?
If so, Is it doing the job that you hoped?

.....
.................;Writing

I musta missed this. Now I want to know too

I just removed the skimmer cup. After 5 days with no refugium Nitrates still tested 0 ppm. I did not think the refugium was doing much nutrient removal so I was not surprised by that. I have also been feeding a little more of what I feed every day.

Losing the cup made the skimmer louder (a high pitched louder). It was pretty quiet with the cup. I will also probably get some spray leading to salt creep. I will figure out some kind of cover if it gets bad. I am also slightly concerned about the ATO. I have my skimmer in the second chamber which outlets on top into the return chamber with the ATO. I worry the bubbles without the cup might affect the optical sensor.

Regardless I will monitor those things and they should be manageable. I will test parameters again in a couple of days and see if they are up. Hoping this works as I am loathe to dose chemicals. I can and I have them (leftover from my freshwater days), but it never works for me as easily as it seems in theory.

 

[NY_Caveman]

BTW, I did not test Phosphate, only Nitrate. I am out of reagent for the ULR Hanna test. I have the Low Range test as well (used when I was curing and maturing rock), but my levels are too low to even try. I am waiting for the Black Friday Sales to kick in to replenish my reagents. Testing Nitrate I feel is sufficient for now anyway.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Overall the tank is doing well. Toadstool, LPS and SPS are all growing and colorful. Only the hitchhiker Palythoas are looking unhappy and I figure the anemone is stinging at them. Oh well, it is his nature.

 

[WallyB]

Sorry I missed the purpose, or reasoning.....

Why remove skimmer cup and keep skimmer running? Aeration, but no skimming?

 

[NY_Caveman]

Sorry I missed the purpose, or reasoning.....

Why remove skimmer cup and keep skimmer running? Aeration, but no skimming?

NO3 and PO4 bottomed out, but I want to keep the benefits of gas exchange. I was getting a dark skimmate, but its rate had slowed considerably. I am hoping letting it run back into the tank will allow me to avoid dosing chemicals. I really want to avoid that in this tank.

 

[Fudsey]

@NY_Caveman you do know that the ULR reagents are only $9, right?

 

[Victoria M]

Ok, I see. Why not turn the skimmer off? Sometimes we do over clean our tanks. If the tank looks good why worry about numbers? Are you trying to head off a problem before it starts?