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PeeperKeeper

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Everything posted by PeeperKeeper

  1. Whatcha got in the box? Dottyback? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  2. I'm an eye doctor. I keep peeples peepers peepin'. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  3. Yes, I think you are right about keeping it running even when you aren't "using" it. When you're first starting out (meaning the first year or two) unfortunately, you will probably have some casualties, even if you do everything right. Sometimes you get a fish that for whatever reason is not able to survive, perhaps even from the way it was captured. Anyway, the point is that you will likely "need" your QT for a while. Secondly, I think it would be a bad idea to use an "empty" tank. When fish come in, they are really scared and stressed. They would be much more likely to succumb to the stress and die if they didn't have some places to hide in the rock. I also agree that you need to let the QT cycle with some rock and/or sand just like a regular tank. Since the new fish are already stressed from their travels, you don't want big swings in the chemistry of the water to stress them further. If you have to use strong medications in the water, it would probably also kill the inverts that come in on the live rock, but it's actually the bacteria you want on the live rock to help cycle the tank. Depending on what type of meds you have to use (copper or other antibiotics) the bacteria may or may not be affected. I'm not sure which "fish people" you've been spending time with, but be sure to go to MANY local live fish stores and talk to LOTS of different people. You'll get many differing opinions and will probably want to pull your hair out because one person will tell you something that you think makes sense, then you'll talk to someone else who will tell you it was completely wrong! That's the best way to learn, though. Then come here and tell all these great reefers on ARC what you heard and you'll get still more opinions! Good luck!!
  4. I do okay keeping up with the day to day stuff on my tank, but when something needs to be taken apart, I get a little intimidated. I've noticed lately that the flow is reduced through my system. I'm not sure if the main pump needs some maintenance or if there's something clogged on the SKWID or in the plumbing or what. Can someone come in and see if they can figure out the problem before the tank inhabitants start getting sick? I'm willing to pay cash or if you need any eye care or new glasses or contacts, I can trade out. Also, recommendations on tank maintenance companies who can work on an as needed basis would be great. Seems most of the ones I know have their regular customers (doctors' offices like mine except the doctors aren't into the hobby so much as they just want a pretty tank in the waiting room) that they do EVERYTHING for but since I generally take care of the water changes, cleaning the skimmer, etc. I only need them when something comes up and then it's hard to get on their schedule.
  5. I do quarantine my new fish. I've been burned before with having a healthy tank and bringing in a newbie who sets off a chain reaction of ich. With all the rock and corals, once a fish is in my display tank, there's no way I'm going to tear everything up to try to catch it if it's sick, so I'd rather put them in a Q tank first so if I have to medicate I can. I've had my Q tank running with no fish for a while, but every once in a while I put some food in it to keep it cycling. Now I just bought my first new fish in ages, a Mandarin, and he's in the Qtank. On the plus side, since there were no fish in the Qtank, there are lots of pods. It's a small tank, so I'm doing regular water changes in case it can't handle the load of a fish who's actually getting fed regularly.
  6. I've wanted a Mandarin for a long time, but while they aren't all that expensive, I never felt my tank had enough pods to support one, especiallly since I also have a 6 line. So I didn't want to get one and kill it. But the other day I was at the new Deep Blue Aquariums and they had two of the most beautiful HUGE male Mandarins. I asked if they happen to eat frozen food and he said yes, they do! Really? Can I see? Well, they were more interested in "talkin' smack" with each other through the glass than eating at the time, but he said they were normally piggies and they'd been there a couple of weeks. I decided to take a chance. Well, sure enough, the next morning after I put him in my quarantine tank, I offered some frozen mysis and he TOTALLY went after it! I'm so excited! I think Mandarins are the most beautiful of all fish! This guy is awesome!
  7. Oh, I hate to hear that. He was gorgeous! (Andrew, we need a crying graemlin)
  8. I'm so mad at myself! I totally spaced on the frag swap Sunday. I really wanted to go too, and there's no reason I couldn't have made it except I totally forgot about it. To answer your question, I originally said $10 a head on the frags, but that was when they were 4 or 5 heads and now they're 8 or 9 each. So I may be able to frag one again into a 4 or 5 head if you don't want to spend so much, or I'd take a little less than $10/head if you want a big piece. I've got 2 left still, but I need to look at them to see if there's a good way to frag one again. If you want to see them live and in person, my office is Parmer Eye Care, in the HEB shopping center at the intersection of Parmer and Mopac.
  9. Is this, by chance from the nano tank at Rivercity? If so, sold!
  10. I'd love to see some interesting color zoas at the swap. Anyone planning to bring some? By the way, those Candy Cane frags I'm bringing are an awesome neon green! I'd like to get cash for them though, so I can send it to Amy. I'll pay cash for zoas out of my own reef fund. I'd just like to keep them separate.
  11. I still have two of the four frags I was advertising in this post: http://www.austinreefclub.com/index.php?showtopic=1837 Amy and Dave still need help. Dave has made miraculous progress. He is now walking and talking, but with difficulty. He is about to be discharged from the rehab hospital, but he will now need some equipment to help him get around the house, and it's going to be a full time job for Amy to care for him without the hospital staff's help. The frags have essentially doubled in size since I posted the pics. They each have about 9 heads. They could probably each be fragged in two again. I'm going to try to make it to the frag swap Sunday.
  12. Bummer. As it turns out, I had something come up and I will be out of town. I really wish I could go. I'd love to hear the talks about supplements and Ca reactors. My calcium is low now and I've been dosing the heck out of it with Turbo Ca without much luck. Be sure to post the video! *edit: Woo Hoo! This was my 100th post. I'm a reefaholic now. (As if I wasn't one already)
  13. Sean, it's back behind Northcross Mall. It's really hard to find the first time, and I was looking when they actually had a sign. Hopefully the new owners will invest in some advertising because it's not a good location, but it's a beautiful store. Speaking of the new owners and advertising, where are they? Has anyone told them about ARC? This would be the best place for them to start.
  14. I have GOT to get rid of a bunch of halimeda. Where is Deep Blue? I hadn't heard about you yet. I see you're on Burnet.
  15. I'll try to make it. I've missed attending the meetings. I was at the first two, I think and none since then.
  16. Sorry I missed the meeting (again). I've been busy moving and such, so I've only had time to come to ARC sporadically. So how many people were there at the meeting? When's the next one?
  17. I wondered what the name of that calcareous macroalgae that's going wild in my tank was. For some reason, it just recently decided to grow like crazy out of a piece of live rock I've had for many years (several pieces, actually). I guess my calcium must be doing better too. My coralline is becoming a pain on the glass too, but it doesn't seem that much thicker on the rocks than it used to be. Just more on the glass.
  18. I'm not sure if it is actually "pom pom" but I have some pumping xenia you are welcome to. You can come by my office to see if it's what you want. The tank is in the waiting room at Parmer Eye Care, in the HEB shopping center at Parmer and Mopac.
  19. My biggest/oldest zoa colony seems to go through phases of looking unhappy periodically. I have several other smaller colonies, both of the same type and of different types and the rest don't seem to be affected. In the past, I've taken it out and done a zoe dip and it's perked up a couple days later, but I wondered if that was even necessary or if it would have perked up anyway. Any of you zoa experts have any thoughts? Should I take him out and dip him again (it's happening now) or do they just go through phases?
  20. I accidentally brushed against a bristleworm as I was cleaning the tank earlier and I wondered, what is the best way to get rid of the little bristles that stick in your fingers? I'm at my office and was able to look at my finger under the biomicroscope (usualy used for looking at eyes) and tried to pull them out with a pair of tweezers, but they just broke off as soon as I tried to grip them with the tweezers. Finally I just gave up and washed my hands and kinda brushed at them, but I think that just broke off the part that was sticking out and the bristles are still in there. It doesn't hurt badly, and I'm sure they'll work their way out, but I wondered if anyone has come up with a better thing to do? Maybe use something sticky to pull them out? Elmers glue, maybe?
  21. Well, I wish that had been the case, but I'm sure I lost him. The last time I saw him was Thursday and I was encouraged because he actually came out and swam around briefly. But alas, he never did eat, and he went back in the rocks never to be seen again. I'm sure he's gone because I saw a little piece of what could only be part of his skeleton Tuesday. What a bummer! I asked the guy at Aquatek about them and he said part of the reason they're so hit and miss is that because they're "sand divers," when they are collected, they tend to dive into the sand so forcefully that the sand damages their gills. He said if you can get one that they managed to catch while it was still above the sand, they do well, but you can't ever tell if that's the case. I don't know if that's true, but it sounds reasonable.
  22. Yes, as I said, normally I research before buying, but we all get caught up sometimes. I have researched and/or kept many other wrasses, so I at least had some idea of the type of fish. Wrasses always freak me out with their little lying on the bottom habits and I just needed some reassurance. I've had reef tanks for the past 13 years, at home and at my office with the exception of 4 or 5 years when my tank was just a FOWLR for the most part. This tank has been up and running in my office for about 8 years. I have one refugium connected to it and another separate one with no fish which is teeming with pods so I occasionally move a rock from there into the main tank. I understood from Carlos and Randy that Leopard Wrasses normally eat PE mysis and that this one did eat at the store before I picked it up. As far as an update, he was lying with just his head buried in the sand at the FRONT of the tank the whole time I was at the office today, which was just a few hours in the morning. Several patients commented that we had a dead fish, but I assured them he was definitely breathing, and is just stressed. One of my staffmembers suggested stress management counseling for him. I'm wondering if he's up at night. It was suggested in the link referenced above at RC that they may "have their days and nights mixed up" initially after being shipped from elsewhere in the world. He has been in a different location each morning from where I last saw him with the exception of yesterday. I also noticed when looking at him today that he has a bulge where I suppose his stomach might be, indicating he may have been eating when I wasn't there to see. The bulge does seem kinda low to be his stomach though. I think it's right in front of his cloaca, or whatever you call a fish's "exit orifice". I hope he's not "irregular".
  23. Okay, you're probably right, John. I'll just hope for the best and stop buggin him. That makes me feel better that you've had them go so long.
  24. Well, he still hadn't come out this morning, so I started worrying that he was stuck under the rock he had gone under. I could still see his tail and it still moved. I put some food in the tank and the tail started moving more, like he smelled it and was interested, but he didn't come out. It wasn't like he was struggling, just flipping the tail a little. So I decided to make sure he could get out. I moved all the rocks around to get to where I could just lift the one he was under straight up. When I did, he came out and looked stressed of course, but generally intact. He was out in the front while I put all the rocks back, but then went back in to hide in basically the same place when I was done, only now I can't see him like I could before. While he was out, he swam okay, but also layed down across a rock at one point. I could actually move him with my hand without him darting away like a normal fish would. Is that normal wrasse behavior? I'm just worried that he hasn't eaten yet. Carlos said he ate some mysis before I picked him up, but that would have been either Friday night or Saturday morning.
  25. Safari browser checking in here and it works for me!
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