Starbuck88s Newbie Tank

starbuck88 · Nov 2, 2020

I'm afraid my latest update isn't good news. I feel absolutely awful. The smaller of the 2 clownfish got hurt by the bigger one, just one cut and after monitoring it, it started to get infected. We had everything on hand to start a QT up, got him in the QT and after a day in there he stopped eating. The fish store medication didn't seem to be working.

So we ended up giving him Antibiotic baths (VET Advice) and placing him back in the main tank, what really sucks is the final day, that morning, the infection was receding, we were hopeful one more day and he'd eat. Later that night he died and we were with him when it happened.

We were told to put him back in the main tank which the previously dominating clown loved having him back but when he died the other clown fish saw it all and has been skittish and not right since (since last night), wouldn't eat this morning but has eaten now thankfully.

I keep blaming myself, I keep saying what if, I got seriously attached and now I don't know what to do.

starbuck88 · Nov 4, 2020

Still reeling from losing our first fish, we are going to fetch a mate for our remaining clown. After reading so much on this forum it seems if we want him to take kindly to a mate we need to act sooner rather than later so that is what we're going to try and do.

The QT is being cleaned out, filters thrown away and will restart the QT when we get the new clown.

We have a breeders net on standby for any aggression.

starbuck88 · Nov 6, 2020

Now have a new mate for the remaining clown. He is in Quarantine now, he's a black and white juvenile, here is a video.

I didn't want to get one so quick after losing one of our first ever marine fish but like I said in the post above, we needed to get one quick to temper any aggression for the solitary clown in the DT. This little guy is smaller, is from the same shop that do ICH and other management very well, it's tank bred etc. So we'll keep our eye on him and then get him in the DT in a few weeks.

He's eating really well and swimming about well too. I feel having a black one instead of another orange means it's less of a 'replacement' for the poor fish we lost.

starbuck88 · Nov 13, 2020

There has been some changes in the tank set up, I have got rid of the inlet pipe with built in surface skimmer, it pulled in too much air and wouldn't let me run the filter as fast as I would like. Every water change was a bit of a nightmare as I'd have to burp out the filter every time and getting it all out so that the filter would run quiet was a pain.

So a new glass inlet and a separate surface skimmer has been added. I appreciate it clogs up the 'view' but maintenance is much easier now. I am thinking about swapping the cannister to an OASE to get the heater out of the tank and built into the filter.

We have also got Fluval Phosphate remover pads and Seachem Purigen in the filter now too. Along with the clean up crew the rocks look almost like they did at the beginning again.

The 2 clowns are getting on incredibly well...

Lionel checking out the camera, he is a very inquisitive little creature and tries to clean your face if you get up close to the glass...

This is now the 2nd time he has malted in the tank. See him chilling upside down under the bridge and his empty exoskeleton on the right. So fascinating.

So we're not sure how they got introduced into the tank but we have had an explosion of Copepods in the tank. The only thing we have introduced apart from the clownfish is the clean up crew, everything was netted in after acclimating so I can only assume some eggs or pods were in the shells or something.

The 2 clowns are enjoying picking them off the glass and eating them!

Will the tank now just carry on providing these or will they all get eaten/die off? We'd love to get a Mandarin Dragonet.

Added some cleaned shells for the hermits and one has changed homes, we actually watched him swapping shells trying them on for size. Again so great to see!

starbuck88 · Nov 16, 2020

We've got our first Corals!

Left to right:

Ricordia, Acans, Mushroom and Hammerhead.

This is what they looked like after a polyplab reefshot dip and then put into the main tank. Let them sit here for a bit before we start moving them around in the tank on the rocks etc to find where they like the best.

One of the Hermits.. 'Imma clean dis for yu'

The hammer started opening up..

Under blue light...

and the rest

Not the best blue/fluoresce photos, I've got a new lens and filter coming for the DSLR to take proper photos. These were done on a phone.

starbuck88 · Nov 25, 2020

The cheapo light wasn't going to be good enough, so I ordered and fitted a new Viparspectra.

Going to get some conduit to run down the corner of the wall to hide the cable a bit. The corals have reacted very well so far in the tank. All opening right up. Acan lovely and big and fluffy. I was surprised at how big the hammer is now.

We've also fetched a sand sifting diamond goby, he is in QT now

There is sand in the QT now since this photo (that we know we'll need to throw out if any issues occur) he wasn't happy at all with bare bottom and the sand has calmed him down no end. Seemed it's 50/50 if people QT with sand or not with these but he's definitely happier with!