ReefGrammie's 90-Gallon Reboot

[ReefGrammie]

I finally released the Kole tang today. Interesting turn of events.

This is the poor thing 9 days ago after I first tried to save him. I almost didn't post this picture because I felt absolutely HORRIBLE about the whole thing, but it is reality. Introduction without the acclimation box, followed by an all-tank attack. I suspected the clownfish was mostly responsible for the fins/tail, which was confirmed today. The three-stripe damsel below the box was also one of the biggest jerk fish.

After he survived and I kept him in the box to heal up and eat, he was doing much better and I decided to reintroduce him today. Most of the bullying had stopped and he was pretty much being ignored...except for the clownfish. I also kept moving the box around in different locations of the tank so he would be seen in various places....I have no idea if that helped or not,

I tilted the box some so he would swim out and lifted the lid. He finally swam out, only to be chased into the rocks. He seemed ok, but he finally got chased out of the rocks and swam back into the acclimation box! I guess he went back to safety. I left the lid open and he swam out again and this time seemed much better, kind of hanging out in a corner. The clownfish then went into full attack mode, so I had to do something. I've always been able to catch the clown in the acclimation box within seconds, and sure enough, he just swam in there and I closed the lid. The little tang is hanging out above the acclimation box now and none of the other fish are overly interested except the pygmy angel on occasion...mostly a little sideswipe and then back to picking at the rocks.

The clown probably thinks, "I've been in this reef system for 12 years and deserve to be a total jerk if I want." The pygmy angel is next in line at 7+ years. The three-stripe damsel isn't showing the least bit of interest now. Hopefully, the little tang will just hang out above the box and gradually get braver. He hasn't gone for the algae clip yet, but I'll try a little more food later.

My big dilemma is what to do with the clownfish now. My plan was to just let him stay in "time out" in the box for a few days and then let him back out, but I don't know if that's a terrible idea or not. At least I know I can catch him. The other option is to move him into the BioCube for a bit, which is still fishless. I'm leaning towards leaving him in the box and just seeing how the tang does over the next few days. He seems pretty content for the moment just swimming above the box.

 

[najer]

Bin Biocube the clown imo, I have four peaceful clowns in the twins but in two ends.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Is the tang smaller than your damsel and clown?? He’s precious!! Give baby clown a stern talking to. If he can’t behave then he might have to have a bio cube vacation

 

[ReefGrammie]

Well, @najer and @TriggerFinger, Baby Clown has been 'cubed (did you really think I cubed my fish?)! Naughty fish! I decided to release him from solitary confinement in the acclimation box/trap and he promptly went after the Kole tang, which then got the other bullies in the act!

Ugh, I hate this stuff. Fortunately, Baby Clown isn't too swift and I netted him and dumped him in the BioCube. He's definitely going to have a little BioCube vacation for a while! The little tang is smaller than Baby Clown...probably about 2-1/2 inches. He's doing fine again and the other bullies have backed off. He's eating, though he's more skittish after his latest attack. I also taped mirrored tiles on the ends of the tank to give the bullies more bullies to bother. Hopefully, that will keep them busy and distracted!

 

[ReefGrammie]

Well, this stinks! My flasher wrasse jumped....through a 2 inch opening in top of the canopy. I'm not sure when it happened...either last night or early this morning. He must have gone sky high because that opening is about 8 inches off the water line and he would have had to have jumped straight up. I hate losing fish period, but I especially hate jumpers. It's been a very long time since that has happened, I'm guessing at least 10 years. The flasher wrasse was such a pretty fish.

On a good note, naughty Baby Clown is doing fine in the BioCube and the Kole tang is getting braver each day. Whatever I decide to add will have to hold his own because my tank is all semi-aggressive to aggressive fish now. If I'm going to add anything, I probably need to do it before I move Baby Clown back. Sounds like a good excuse to visit the LFS this weekend!

 

[najer]

Sorry to hear about the wrasse.

 

[ReefGrammie]

Sorry to hear about the wrasse.

Thanks, Simon.

 

[ReefGrammie]

I'm trying to decide what to add now...here is my current stock list and how long I've had the fish:

O. clownfish - 12 years (currently in solitary confinement in the BioCube)
Pygmy angel - 7 years (tends to be a jerk)
Three-stripe damsel - at least 3 years (can be a jerk)
Azure damsel - at least 3 years
Clown goby - at least 3 years
YWM goby - around a year and a half (paired with pistol shrimp, generally stays in burrow with the shrimp)
Royal gramma - 6 months or so?
Kole tang - just a few weeks

I was actually thinking about a four-line wrasse....maybe a six line. I really love the melanarus wrasse, but my fire shrimp and cleaner shrimp would be goners. A Lubbock's fairy wrasse might also work since they tend to be more aggressive. I also had a few hogfish that were great additions before, but once again, it would be bye-bye shrimp. I love the coloration of the dottybacks, but they can be such monsters. I'm hoping to go to the LFS tomorrow and check out the fish stock. I was thinking I could add the one additional fish, wait another week or so and then move naughty clown back. If he goes back to his bad behavior, his permanent home may be the BioCube!

I intend to add a little fish or two to the BioCube. It will be a peaceful tank, probably a firefish and something else small. I want to get the 90 "settled" first!

 

[ReefGrammie]

New corals are in! I'll have to take pictures when they're no longer ticked off at me. Good thing husband didn't come home early. He hates it when I'm standing at the kitchen counter with coral frags, bone cutters, rocks, and super glue. He would be especially mad because that's his favorite popcorn bowl that I use when I'm rinsing new frags. Shhhh...don't tell him. I do wash it out...mostly. Why does my popcorn smell fishy? Coral dip popcorn - yum. He hates it when I mess with frags in the kitchen, but I hate it when he cleans his golf cleats in my kitchen sink. I guess that makes us even. ;Joyful

Gotta love it when the vendor sends you a freebie with a smiley face on the bag! Thank you, @CherryCorals! Another great shipment...I started off with an order of 2 and it ended up being an order of 10...oops. I just kept adding and adding. So many nice pieces! @sp1187, that's the petroglyph wide open and screaming at me from inside the bag. I can already tell that will be a stunner.

 

[sp1187]

New corals are in! I'll have to take pictures when they're no longer ticked off at me. Good thing husband didn't come home early. He hates it when I'm standing at the kitchen counter with coral frags, bone cutters, rocks, and super glue. He would be especially mad because that's his favorite popcorn bowl that I use when I'm rinsing new frags. Shhhh...don't tell him. I do wash it out...mostly. Why does my popcorn smell fishy? Coral dip popcorn - yum. He hates it when I mess with frags in the kitchen, but I hate it when he cleans his golf cleats in my kitchen sink. I guess that makes us even. ;Joyful

Gotta love it when the vendor sends you a freebie with a smiley face on the bag! Thank you, @CherryCorals! Another great shipment...I started off with an order of 2 and it ended up being an order of 10...oops. I just kept adding and adding. So many nice pieces! @sp1187, that's the petroglyph wide open and screaming at me from inside the bag. I can already tell that will be a stunner.

when I picked up my stuff from the Cherry Corals Polyppalooza Sale, Todd mentioned a March Sale. make room.

 

[ReefGrammie]

when I picked up my stuff from the Cherry Corals Polyppalooza Sale, Todd mentioned a March Sale. make room.

Nooooooooooo! I have no room! Todd's "freebie" was no ordinary piece. They are amazing!

 

[sp1187]

Nooooooooooo! I have no room! Todd's "freebie" was no ordinary piece. They are amazing!

Tidal Gardens is Monday I believe.

 

[ReefGrammie]

Tidal Gardens is Monday I believe.

No more!!! I did see that about Tidal Gardens, though...I also am planning a trip to the LFS because I re-scaped the 90 a bit yesterday and if I add a few more pieces of rock, I might be able to squeeze in a few more frags. ;Joyful

 

[sp1187]

No more!!! I did see that about Tidal Gardens, though...I also am planning a trip to the LFS because I re-scaped the 90 a bit yesterday and if I add a few more pieces of rock, I might be able to squeeze in a few more frags. ;Joyful

"No more!!!" said every reefer in the history of reefing.

 

[ReefGrammie]

"No more!!!" said every reefer in the history of reefing.

I got more rock today, so I'll make room for more!!

 

[ReefGrammie]

Went to the LFS to pick up some rock and ended up with rock and a six-line wrasse. I wanted a replacement for the flasher wrasse and knew I couldn't add anything peaceful. I was always a fan of the six line....had a great one in my previous 46G. Since I knew this would most likely be my last fish for a while (ok fish, nobody is allowed to die), I decided to get another one. Here he is swimming in his bag.

The pygmy angel immediately gave chase, which I already know would happen. I also figured the six line would win that battle because he's really fast! The jerk damsel also gave chase and quickly gave up because he's too fat to squeeze in some of those crevices. This morning, the little wrasse is zooming through the rocks in typical six line fashion. He should be really happy with plenty of pods and stuff. The angel and jerk damsel are completely ignoring the six line now. Fish behavior is so odd! The Kole tang is doing well and most of his fins/tail have grown back. The angel and jerk damsel take occasional shots at him, but he's fighting back now. He's exploring more and more, so I think he'll be just fine. He's also eating well.

Now my big dilemma is how/went to reintroduce naughty clown. I'm thinking about trying it next weekend. If it doesn't go well, he's easy to net and may have to just live in the BioCube!

 

[najer]

I have 4 clowns and have never seen aggression towards anything but every time I read about clown aggression it rarely gets better, hope the time out works.

 

[ReefGrammie]

I have 4 clowns and have never seen aggression towards anything but every time I read about clown aggression it rarely gets better, hope the time out works.

Thanks, Simon. I do, too. He's usually ok once the new fish establishes its own territory. If clown years are like dog years, the clown is 84. I guess he's just a grumpy old man!

 

[ReefGrammie]

Did a little cleanup on the BioCube today and a little frag gluing. It's coming along! I think the fire & ice makes a nice centerpiece (picture is actually a side view). The green and glue ricordeas are new pieces, along with the 3 zoas closest to the camera; pink diamond, blue kiss, and OG butt muncher (what a name). One of these days, I'm going to take some pictures under the actinics. Of course, there's Mr. naughty clown.

Speaking of clowns, clown goby peeking out from behind the electric daisy stylo. Look at that face! ;Hilarious

 

[ReefGrammie]

So much fish drama! I finally couldn't take it anymore. The three-stripe damsel has been terrorizing the new tang to no end. He also terrorizes everything else in the tank. I decided it's time to get him out. How do you catch a damsel? Good question. I put the acclimation box back in yesterday to give the tang a break. I angled it open with the lid propped and of course, the damsel wouldn't go near the box. I did my usual with the mirror tile on the upper end and the tang started swimming in and out of the box. It at least kept the damsel away.

This morning, I propped the lid back open and added an algae clip to the mirrored end (right side). Caught the clown goby in no time. Ugh. I shooed him back out and watched and waited. Sure enough, the Kole tang went after the algae clip and the damsel went right in after the tang! Talk about a workout, my heart rate was flying. I figured this was my one and only chance to spring the lid. The tang swam out, but thankfully, the damsel tried to swim down instead of up. Caught!

Now he's keeping the naughty clown company in the BioCube. I can't keep them both in there for long, but it will do for now. I actually may "trade" the damsel. He's been a jerk fish for several years. I tried to put the clown back in the 90 yesterday, but he went right after the tang. I may just leave him for about a month and try one more time. At least he's easy to catch!