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[Dj City]

I am thinking about eventually getting a small one and will take your advice and add it last. I live in the Caribbean so I can catch any size I want as it is not only legal to catch as they are invasive but it is actually encouraged to remove them from the ecosystem! What do you feed it with?

Cool!

I have trained my lion fish to eat frozen food.
I feed him whole cubes of mysis shrimp, silversides, my homemade fish food or anything I feel like feeding him. He's not picky and accepts any food I offer him.

It IS a challenge to get them trained to non live food though but it's worth it.

 

[Dj City]

Newest addition.
Pics taken with no filter...

I need to take a pic with the filter.

 

[Dj City]

Pics with filter...

This is going to be a very pretty piece!

 

[Dj City]

I'm losing one of my acros.
RTN.

I don't have high hopes of saving it as it is RAPIDLY losing flesh. I will just have to wait it out and see where it ends up.

If it dies, I will attempt to remove the skeleton from the plug so I can mount whatever is next in it's place because it was a PAIN IN THE *** to get it mounted where it is.

Before pic (Nov 3, 2020)

Today (Nov 17, 2020)

It's lost a lot more skin since last night.

 

[Dj City]

Well ain't this something...

I'm sitting here WATCHING one of my 3 stripe damsels EATING the flesh of the acro.
That was truly unexpected.

I'm going to have to do some research to see if this is a "thing" for these fish or if he's just eating dead flesh off the acro.

I've had this fish for about 6 years and I've never seen him do this before.

 

[revhtree]

I would bet they are eating the dead flesh but you never know!

How are your other acros doing?

 

[Dj City]

I would bet they are eating the dead flesh but you never know!

How are your other acros doing?

Hey @revhtree
Thanks for stopping in.

Everything else seems to be doing just fine.
I don't know if the damsel is eating dead or dying flesh or if it's eating the coral or if it's just angry with the coral and killed it because it's in what he deems "his space".

I'm 99% sure it's a gonner though. That's a shame because that acro was a nice piece.

 

[Dj City]

Update...

I think this DIY Coral Snow is working.
I've been pretty OCD with it since starting to use it but it seems to be having the desired effect. I have been using the DIY Coral Snow 1 to 2 times a day everyday since starting.

Tank is REALLY clear. Looks amazing. I doubt the camera will show it but I will try to take a pic.
Vermited snails (worms) "seem" to cast less nets into the water when I disturb the sand. Hopefully that's an indication of dead vermiteds.

I will continue with this. Who knows, I may wind up getting a stirrer and putting the Coral Snow on a doser to automate.

Where can I find an inexpensive stirrer?

 

[Dj City]

Well...
Acro is gone. I did not have high hopes of it surviving once I saw how fast it was losing flesh. It did not help that one of the 3 stripe damsels was eating the flesh off the acro.

I just did a DIY Coral Snow treatment and will take a pic once the tank clears up.
I like this stuff. I hope it works to slow the vermited worms.
It looks like it might be working.


I have been testing a theory.
I stopped throwing out older trident reagents and started simply topping them off with new reagent.
No problems so far. I've been doing this for 2 months now and I'm still getting accurate test results.
The reagents are expensive and hard to get so if this continues to work, I will continue to use the reagents I have and stop throwing reagents away as Neptune says I should.


I will keep this updated.

 

[Dj City]

I wish the camera could capture what my eyes see.
The tank is crystal clear and looking really good.
These are early morning pics...

Maybe one day, I will cover the light coming into the house and try to take a pic with no light reflection on the glass.
I think the ambient light makes it hard to take good pics.

 

[Dj City]

Well isn't this special.
My BTA decided to walk into my zoa garden.

Have no idea of this is something to worry about or not.

 

[TheWB]

Well isn't this special.
My BTA decided to walk into my zoa garden.

Have no idea of this is something to worry about or not.

Hopefully it moves on. Don’t want it stinging the zoas trying to make room for itself. I want to add an anemone at some point but not being able to control where it decides to settle in is a concern.

 

[Dj City]

Hopefully it moves on. Don’t want it stinging the zoas trying to make room for itself. I want to add an anemone at some point but not being able to control where it decides to settle in is a concern.

I hope so.
It's been half hiding for the past 5 or so months.

It looks pretty comfortable nestled in where it is.
Let's see if she decides to open up or move on.

 

[Dj City]

The BTA has moved again. He likes to hide. He's now behind the rockwork.
Let's see where he goes next.

I'm about to go to the LFS and get a Yellow Coris Wrasse and at least 12 bumblebee snails.
They said they have 1 Coris Wrasse and that he is a juvie at about 3.5 inches.
I hope he big enough to put in my tank without my Lionfish eating him as soon as he hits the water.
If he's to small I won't get him.

Also...
I thought this acro was dead. I took an up close pic and I believe it's alive.
If it is, it is the ugliest acro I've ever seen.
What do you think?
Alive and ugly or dead?.

 

[Dj City]

I got the Yellow Coris Wrasse yesterday and 12 more Bumblebee snails.

I should have taken a pic of him while he was in the bag because I may not see him again for a week or so. I've heard it can be weeks till he comes out.
Truthfully, I may not see him again ever.
I stuffed my lionfish full of food in the hopes he would be too full to eat anymore. I released the wrasse and he went towards the bottom of the tank while I held a net in front of the lionfish.
I took my eyes off the wrasse and he disappeared. Lionfish did not eat him but I don't know where the wrasse is. He probably hiding in the sand or rockwork.

I hope he makes it.

 

[Dj City]

Still no sign of the yellow coris wrasse but honestly, I'm not expecting to see him this week at all. Maybe next week hopefully.
Good news is my lionfish belly is not super full so he didn't eat the wrasse.

In other news...

I'm cleaning my return pumps today. First time I've cleaned them since setting the tank up.
I'm using 8 gallons of water and 8 cups of muaritic acid in a 20 gallon tank.

I've never used muaritic acid before but I understand it's the best for cleaning pumps and it works fast so I won't have the system offline for long.

I will update when I'm done.

 

[Dj City]

I forgot to come back yesterday with an update for the pumps.

Muriatic acid works GREAT!!!
Pumps were "out the box" brand new clean and it only took around 20 minutes.

I will be cleaning with muriatic acid from now on.

 

[Dj City]

I just purchased everything I need for my sand vac.

10" Reverse Osmosis Canister 1/2" Ports - Bulk Reef Supply	200900		Ordered1
1/2” Schedule 80 90° Elbow Barb x Male Thread	202660		Ordered1
Syncra Silent 0.5 Pump (185 GPH) - Sicce	207731		Ordered1
30" Gravel Tube - Python

I don't know why it's showing $22.98 when I only paid $18.38

I should have everything by next week.
Can't wait to build this and use it. I have not cleaned my sandbed since this tank got set up.
I would turn the sanded over and use coral snow or turn the sandbed over and use my Fluvial FX6 canister filter but this will allow me to DIRECTLY CLEAN the sandbed.

Should make for a much cleaner tank.

I will update when all parts arrive and I put it to use.

 

[Dj City]

I saw my Yellow Coris Wrasse for a moment.
he came out. I'm happy I was there when he came out because i'm NOT the only one that saw him.

Lionfish also saw him and stalked him.
I was able to get to the tank and grab a net before the Loinfish was able to eat him. I got the Lionfish away and the sudden movement of me and the net scared the wrasse right back under the sand.

I may see him again in another week.
Hope he wises up and pays attention to his tank mates because one of his tank mates will eat him if given the chance.

 

[Dj City]

Here's my little Yellow Coris Wrasse...

He came up out the sand to eat.
My 3 strip damsel harassed it. The 3 stripe is a P.I.T.A.
The lion was headed over to see what was going on but the Wrasse dove right back into the sand before the lion could see what was going on.
It's the damsel that drove him back under the sand