KeeperOfTheZoo

I just switched to fozen mysis & formula 2. I just have a yellow tang and an ocellaris clown that I'm feeding. Neither have much liquid when thawed. The formula 2 is in a gel base. Would it be worth it to rinse the mysis? I'm not specifically feeding my corals/inverts at the moment. I'm not certain if any would truly help what I have and I hate to add more stuff to the tank. I keep looking at the phyto/zoo plankton liquids but I've read those can really add to the bioload. I'm hoping there's enough in the water to feed everyone. My few softies include: mushrooms (red & hairy) ricordea, pom pom xenia, gsp, palau neptheaand assorted zoas. I also have a Hawaiian duster. Should I add the supplemental plankton or hold off to help water quality? Thank you for the help. Liz

Thank you, I have been told the live rock will leach, wasn't sure if it was true! Makes sense though because Ive changed so much water and I'm very careful about feeding. Sounds like ordering media in bulk would be the way to go. I have been wondering if the ferric oxide worked better than the aluminum based stuff. Any idea what makes one better than the other? Id been thinking about pulling some of my rock and putting it in a bucket with freshly mixed salt water, aerating for 24-48 hrs then testing the water. If the rock is the issue do you think it would show up as phosphates in the water? Not the most scientifically controlled test, but it would be nice to narrow down the source of my problem. Liz

Thanks for the hairy mushrooms and zoas John. Both were open and happy this morning. My silly clown is looking at the mushrooms like they might be her new best friend. Liz

I'm battling a pretty hefty phosphate issue with my tank. Little background... I bought my tank established (2+ years up and running) end of Sept. Got it home, settled and started running water parameter tests. The prev owner had been using tap water and care and maintenence was not a priority. They had green hair algae that was... Wow... Amazing! The entire back panel of the tank was a solid mat of algae! All the visible rock was covered. Anyway, my first water test showed nitrates-60, phosphates- 5!! Amazingly all the fish, crab and mushrooms that came with the tank seemed fine. I plumbed in a 20g sump and a 10g fuge (with chaeto). I added a good skimmer, have gone to weekly 10% water changes (DI water from RCA) and I'm using phosguard in my sump. My nitrates are now consistantly at 0 but my phosphates are at .5. Down, but still too high. They seem to be stuck at .5, have been there for a couple weeks. The hair algae is dramatically reduced (still some on some of my rock), but I'm battling a mild red algae outbreak on my substrate. Any ideas what else I can do to get the phosphates down? I exhausted the last of my phosguard, will be getting more today. It was suggested to me to do small (2-3g) daily water changes, gonna try that. I'm getting tired of seeing the red algae every day! Liz

Yep, go see Laura at Rockin Reefs. Great prices and best customer service ever. Better yet, her tanks are gorgeous and healthy. Liz

My red mushrooms are doing the same thing. In the last month they've been budding like crazy. Is it better to thin them or just let them sort their own issues out? A few of the really big ones are shading out the babies. Will hairy mushrooms extend a foot and bud like regular mushrooms? Liz

Hmm, So I won't be laughed at if I bring my little Sony Cybershot? I keep wanting to make a meeting but it's hard to coordinate getting into town without my hubby & 4 kids in tow! I'll put in a tentative RSVP, ditto on bringing munchies if I can make it. Liz

Would like hairy green mushrooms and chromis if not claimed. Maybe some of the other mushrooms depending on color. I live just outside of Killeen, can be there any time today! Edit... sorry about double post. My computer/connection is having issues today. Liz

I'm outside of Killeen! Can come by today! Please send contact info via PM. Trying to read through the list so I don't get anything spoken for... would like chromis and green hair mushrooms if not taken.

Population control with feral cats is actually a real challenge, much more so than with pet cats. I really like the trap/neuter/release policy that many of the rescue groups in Austin have adopted w/ regard to ferals <I worked with TX Siamese rescue, Travis & Williamson County animal control for years before getting burned out on the politics). A lot of people don't realize is that if you keep a population steady (ie- release fixed cats vs. just removing cats) it tends to be a much healthier and more stable population overall. Catching cats to fix them isn't easy. I have several feral cats that are totally trap shy. Not only that, but even in a trap a feral cat can be incredibly hard to handle. Pounds for pound cats are one of my least favorite animals to deal with. Give me a horse or cow any day!! Is the Animals Trustees of Austin clinic still up and running? I've literally run hundreds of cats through them (didn't cover all of it financially myself, but did the leg work hauling to and from) and never had a single problem. They will do other minor vet work pretty cheap too. In my case, nature tends to even the balance. We neuter & spay our 'pet' cats, even though there isn't a low cost option close to me (I live N. of Lampasas about an hour and half N of Austin). The ferals we don't mess with. We've had a few times where it seemed like the population was getting a little high, then it would even off. There are predators out here and these are not pet cats. We have one indoor/outdoor cat that we rescued as a tiny baby. He was so sick I thought we were going to loose him. He had a broken tail, horrible ear mites and a massive URI. He's just about 2 now and the most spoiled rotten lap cat there ever was. We have 4 tame outside cats that can be pet. Our ferals are in the low teens. I just lost both my old girls this past year. Miss Kitty was 13, had her since she was an itty bitty baby. I'm not sure how old Jasmine was, she came to me as an adult but I had her for 11 years. The rattlesnakes really do worry me. More for my kids than the cats. I'm really surprised our livestock guardian dog hasn't been bitten by anything. He has no sense of self preservation at all. Doofus. Folks down a ways found a nest of 20 something baby rattlers a year or so ago. Yikes. Course, the most worrisome thing was when we had mountain lions coming right up into peoples barns and pens in my area and killing calves, goats, sheep... anything little and easy. Had the game warden show up one day and tell me the mountain lions were so bad that I shouldn't let my kids out to play alone at dusk and dawn (prime hunting times). For a while I'd sit outside and watch the kids play with a gun in my lap. When it's 110 out the only time the kids can play are mornings and evenings, and you can't keep 4 kids penned in the house all day. Thankfully we never saw a big cat (see bobcats here and there). They rotate their territories and move on after a while. We didn't loose any of our animals, though our neighbors lost several sheep and a friend lost her calf and a goat we'd given her. I still look up in the trees on occasion though when I go out to feed. I've heard so many stories out here of people getting ambushed by mountain lions up in trees. Ah the joys of country living. Liz

My feed store has 55g blue plastic barrels for $5. However, the owner doesn't know what was kept in them. She bought them and didn't think to ask. Grr! I bought one quite a while back (year?) and cut about 1/4 of the top off to use to water livestock (horses and cows). So far, no problems for them but then they wouldn't be as sensitive as fish. The barrel I cut open was totally clean, looked brand new and had no odor. There are no labels on the barrels. It's kinda driving me nuts. Wish I knew what, if anything had been stored in them. Would really like one for fish water, but I'm too nervous to risk it. Think I could use a cheapo goldfish as the 'canary in the mine' to see if the barrels leach anything into the water <poor unloved goldfish>? She had 10 or more barrels last time I thought about looking at them. I have to run by the feed store today anyway, I may just get one. If nothing else it'll make a good water bucket for the stupid bull... the barrels are mostly indestructible! And if he keels over...well... I'm about ready for him to be steaks anyway.... edited to add... I'm using a 35g trash can w/wheels. Works just fine. I have a spare mag 7 pump with a hose attached that I can drop in to mix and pump the water out into my water change buckets. Need a really long hose then I can run it from the muck sink / salt water mixing area to the tank. Which is of course all the way across the house. Liz

PM sent for the 2 chromis!

What a pretty baby! Might even be younger than 3 months if those eyes are still blue and aren't gonna change. We have a whole colony of barn cats. When we moved onto our little farm 6 years ago our one neighbor down the way had a ton of cats. All but one of mine (a very young male kitten) were fixed. Well, needless to say if you put out better (or any!) food than the neighbors the cats will come... and they will multiply. Most are so wild we can't touch them. Every once in a while I find a baby that's been abandoned and that one becomes a pet. We go through a lot of cat food <I can't see not feeding them, a lot of folks don't feed their barn cats but I can't bring myself to do that>, but I can't complain. We very rarely see a mouse (which is saying something because I live very rural, we don't even see mice/rats in the feed room) and better yet no rattle snakes! All our neighbors have found rattle snake nests, not us. So far anyway. Not sure if it's the cats or my large flock of chickens/turkeys/peahens. We see adult snakes from time to time (so far just big rat snakes in the chicken coop), but no nests and no rattlers. Our last neat rescue was a baby possum that had fallen off its momma into one of our water troughs. I'd never raised a possum before, truly neat critters. I carried him around in a pouch until he got old enough for me to feel comfortable leaving him in his cage alone. Now he's all grown up and likes to raid the chicken coop for eggs. Liz

LOL!! So Gabriel you're saying the survival of my corals isn't due to the wonderful extended life properties of coralife bulbs!?! I'm still shaking my head at how old those bulbs are. I think I like my softies even more now. Tough adaptive little critters, and pretty too. Is there a place local to buy bulbs at a reasonable price? I've looked and they are about $65+ per bulb at local stores. They are $20 something at hellolights. More than 50% isn't a savings I'll scoff at (even with shipping added in), plus I live an hour and a half N. of Austin so it's a drive for me to get to a 'local' FS. I like to buy local too but I manage to maintain all my various hobbies by being as frugal as possible. My growing saltwater addiction is actually second to my other main ($$) hobby which is my little farm (yes, a farm type farm... horse, cows, chickens and turkeys oh my! Never mind the kids rabbit, ball python, cockatiel, three fresh water tanks, cats, dogs and other more regular domestic stock... I truly am the keeper of a zoo). I'm in one or the other of the two LFSs I know of in N. Austin pretty much every weekend buying something, even if it's just water (until I can find a good deal on an RO/DI unit). And of course can't forget Rockin' Reefs! Though I missed Laura on our try into town last weekend. Wah! Anyway, just want to say I agree... local is wonderful. Unless I find a really great deal online! Will check with Prof (Dave @ Epic Reefs, right?). Thank you for that reference! Would very much like to support the folks who are a part of ARC. Nick... I am so lost on bulb brands! Heck, I'm still trying to figure out if I should stick with 10k or go to 12K or 14K, think the 20K will be way to blue and I'm not real, real keen on super blue looking tanks (though Laura has one that is beautiful and if I had more than one tank I might try a small one for the novelty of it). I hope more folks will chime in on that topic. Maybe you could start a new topic talking about bulb quality? Liz

Are the different types of Xenia more/less invasive? I just purchased some pom-pom xenia and think it's beautiful! Would actually like it if it took off and spread. Course, not all over my tank.... Right now I have two little clumps. One on a fairly isolated rock, another on a large rock that is part of my overall rock structure. One has already sent a 'shoot' off in another direction after a branch got stuck under the rock and couldn't get to light. I'm waiting to see if that bunch that is shaded will die or keep seaking the light. I find myself stopping and watching the xenia open and close, open and close... thought I was nuts until I caught my kids doing it too! Reefman, I'm a bit N. of you outside Lampasas. If you put the palys on an isolated rock would they be easier to control? I'd really like some blue in my tank, and as empty as it is the idea of something taking off and growing sounds nice! Might regret it later but my few corals just look lost right now. I'm going to stick with softies and I really like the zoas & palys. Will send you a PM. Liz

Thanks Wippit. I wish I'd had months to study up on getting a saltwater tank. I kinda fell into a deal that was to good to pass up. Went to buy a bike from a lady off of craigslist, showed up at the door for the bike and she said 'Ya know anyone who wants a saltwater set up'. Had a week to crash course study and I've been winging it ever since. I haven't done anything horribly wrong yet (yet!), but there are things I would have done differently already had I known what I was doing ahead of time and I've only had my tank since the end of Sept. This is a wonderful forum and I've already met several really, really nice people. I was just telling my husband how awesome it is to find a group of people who are so motivated to promote the hobby and help newbies. I need to get to one of the ARC meetings. I just want to sit back and listen to the people who know what they are talking and absorb info. Liz

Ok, so I've officially had another of those 'I'm very new to reef keeping' kinda moments. I got in touch with the lady I bought my set up from. I'd already determined pretty much just shy of the purchase that she was well meaning but pretty clueless about saltwater aquarium keeping. If my hours of crash course studying hadn't clued me in, her long list of 'Things I've killed' would have done it. **shudder** I bought my tank the end of Sept. I still feel like I got a great deal on it, but it's been a major lesson in how NOT to do things thanks to it's previous owner. Hence my fondly dubbing the poor thing my 'rehab reef'. Anyway, I'm replacing the bulbs in my lighting fixture as I'd planned to do since getting the tank (I have a list of things I'm replacing/upgrading). Nothing fancy, I have a 72" 4x96w power compact Coralife fixture with LED moonlights. None of the LEDs work anymore, but that's not my primary concern. I figured with the overall lack of attention to detail given to the tank by the old owner that the bulbs in the fixture had to be old. What I didn't realize was just how old they were! Six year folks. The gal emailed me back and said she didn't realize you had to replace bulbs before they burned out and she figured the bulbs were about the same age as the fixture was because she couldn't remember ever replacing them. Note to self: always ask how old the bulbs are when you buy a lighting fixture. But hey, in my defense, at least I know the bulbs need to be replaced more often than every 6 years. So, my next question(s) is.... will replacing the bulbs shock/stress the few softies I have in my tank? How do I go about helping everything adjust? Even better question, how are any of my corals managing to get enough light from 6 year old bulbs to survive? I thought the spectrum would shift after 9-12 months and make the bulbs mostly worthless!?! I have red mushrooms (that are budding like mad, even the babies are now starting to bud), a green ricordea, zoas, palua nepthea and pom-pom xenia. All of which are healthy and beautiful. I also have a few frags of purple digi, one is just as happy as can be, the other couple aren't extending all their polyps. I realized after the fact that I don't have enough light for them, even if my bulbs weren't ancient. I'm still shaking my head over this... six year old bulbs. Yikes. Oh, one more question! I was going to order bulbs from hellolights.com. Was going to go with their cheaper no-brand bulbs instead of coralife bulbs. Are these bulbs decent quality? I haven't read anything negative about them. Someone on a yahoo list I'm on suggested ordering really cheap-o bulbs from aquatraders.com, but I've read horrible things about stuff from aquatraders. Mostly their equipment, but I've also found some posts on other forums talking about the poor quality of the bulbs, though some say they are decent. I don't want to cheap out on the bulbs, obviously I can replace with coralife and expect a long, long life span (cough, cough)... but if I can save a few dollars and get good quality from hellolights I'll be even happier. Liz

Thank you Charles for the beautiful little tang.

Hmm, Well bummer on the anthias being hard keepers but that's good to know. I think I'll avoid them for now. Dave, getting a pretrained mandarin is almost like cheating. I'm jealous! I was thinking of periodically dumping in a bottle of live pods to diversify and restock what is in my tank. I'll keep reading all the various articles on training them to eat other foods and hope for the best. Liz

Thanks Stephen, exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Sorry you lost your mandarin. Do you know if anthius (any of them) eat pods? I've debated getting a small school of them but somewhere in my research it was mentioned that they can be heavy pod feeders, but then other sources say not at all. Ack!! Dave, how did you get your mandarin to eat frozen foods and what kind? I read an article that said many will eat roe, specifically the kind used on sushi. I looked at the capelin roe sold at the oriental market, but it's got all kinds of preservatives, soy, etc added. Not sure if that would be ok for the fish. Liz

I'm so glad this topic came up! Being so new to all this I feel like I could sit and ask questions all day long and many are so rudimentary! I bought my tank established (2+ years) but neglected. It's been such an adventure ever since. I just pulled all the fish that came with the tank out and now I'm restocking which is both fun and frustrating. So many beautiful fish, so many that won't work together! Right now I have an ocellaris clown and a mandarin. Will be adding a yellow tang today. Thus far the clown ignores pellets and flakes and only eats mysis. The mandarin after a little over a week has already plumper up but that little guy makes me nervous ( 125g tank, 100+ lbs mature live rock and cc, 10g fuge crawling with pods but still...). My biggest concern is adding another fish that would tap the pod popolation. Is there any way to really ensure the pod population stays high? I can see them in my tank, even some tiny free swimming guys (babies?). I research everything to death and feel like I have a great mandarin set up. Would love to teach it to eat 'dead' foods but it shows zero interest so far. Ok, sorry to ramble on! I've wanted a mandarin for a long time. This is **the** saltwater fish for me. Liz

PM sent!!

So glad he's settling in and keeping the goby busy. I waited a about a week before feeding him when I moved him with my tank. He'll poke his head out and let you know when he's hungry. He's a rather poor hunter, hence my using a skewer to make the eating process easy on him. When food is delivered on a stick he's very happy to act like a fierce hunter! Lol!

John,The little clown is doing great! It settled in and is swimming all over the tank. Frags and the Kenya are all looking great too. Thank you again for your generosity with all the frags! Liz

John,The little clown is doing great! It settled in and is swimming all over the tank. Frags and the Kenya are all looking great too. Thank you again for your generosity with all the frags! Liz