Mike Mays Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Added two new fish (lavender tang and fire angel) and a rock covered in green mushrooms. I will post pics when the fish come out from the rocks. Edited July 26, 2011 by Mike Mays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Here's a pic of the lavender tang. He is fast, so tough to get him clearly! This is like the 13th snap. Got a lot of tail shots and shots of it turning, before I got this one shot. I'll get another one eventually. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 That's a beautiful fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 (edited) New Fish! Also got a couple of really pretty pink wrasses, but they are shy like the flame angel. A pair of Bangaii Cardinals as well, but also shy at the moment. My maroon clown (Marlin) is not sure what to think about all of the company. Edited July 29, 2011 by Mike Mays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Also found this bristleworm today. Is he good or bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Your maroon will eventually think she owns the whole tank And bristleworms are good ... a great part of a clean up crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Your maroon will eventually think she owns the whole tank And bristleworms are good ... a great part of a clean up crew. Thanks, James. I always wonder about those things that I knowingly didn't put in my tank. You know, like Aiptasia and other creepy crawlies. The maroon was the only fish in the tank for over a week, but most of the fish that have been added since are larger than he/she. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 My two pink wrasses are not wrasses but anthiases. So my tally of fish is as follows in order of add: Maroon Clown Lavender Tang Flame Angelfish Foxface Rabbitfish Yellow Tang Green Mandarinfish Banggai Cardinalfish - 2 Only two corals yet: Rock covered in green mushrooms Kenya tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Oops, forgot to mention the percula/ocularis clown. Again, I thought there would be a problem with the maroon, but I guess because the new one is bigger, the maroon has left the new addition alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Well I've had my first two losses. My green mandarin found dead, missing most of his greenness on one sideand i found pieces of one of my Banggai Cardinals. I'm thinking there may have been a scuffle, but do not know between which fish. Or was it the giant bristleworm? gonna try to device a trap for the worm - He's easily 4-6" long and just scary looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I would imagine your mandarin starved to death? They require pods unless you can pellet train them... though I have no idea the condition of your live rock to foster pod growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Tanks too new for pods IMO. I made the mistake of buying a mandarin goby... bought 2 bottles of pods and then just fed frozen mysis and brine and it switched over to those from pods. Im going to start seeding my tank with pods soon so I can get another goby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 The bristle worm would have only been doing its job by cleaning up dead things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+C Lo Slice Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 With all due respect, are you sure you're not adding too much too soon? That's a huge swing in bioload in just one month's span, going from a brand new setup (unless I'm missing something?) to eight fish. Just my opinion. My tank has been up for four months and I have four fish, and I was concerned for awhile that I may have been moving too quickly. Have you tested your water recently? I was just thinking skewed parameters may have led to a death 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Nitrites were a little high, so did a 20 gal water change this weekend. I was thinking the same thing about the number of fish added. Will not add any more for awhile to allow these guys to settle down and to allow me to get a feel for what needs to be added/adjusted. Mindflux, that is what I was thinking on my mandarin as well - not enough established goodies for him in the rock. As to the cardinal, my lavender tang has been quite the bully to all the fish. One of the Anthias is his current target. I'm hoping the Anthias will make it, but it's not looking good. The Anthias is looking a bit beat up. If I can't get the tang to stand down, I'm gonna make it one of the first fish in the FOWLR tank that my son and I are planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 no offense taken on your comment, C Lo, my wife went to the fish store and brought home many of the new guys. Hopefully, we won't lose any more and then can add another in a month or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxmandarin Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 bumping changes up to 30 gallons would help considerably given the bioload, i do 15-20 gallon changes on a 72g it is one of my most stable tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 cool. thanks for the info mike. I'll add that to my weekly ritual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 Well, it's been awhile since my last update. Things have been crazy! I'm now down to my maroon clown, lavender tang, yellow tang and a melanurus fairy wrasse. I believe I've been hit with a parasitic or bacteria outbreak in my fish. the fish that died (a pair of anthiases, foxface rabbitfish, Flame Angel, Green Mandarinfish, pair of banggai cardinals). Each time a fish died, they went from being aparently fine (good color, activity and eating) to very pale and lethargic, almost overnight. The latest loss was a percula clown. Just like the flame angel, the perc had good color activity and appetite and all of a sudden, I found it on the bottom of the tank almost totally bleached out. Each and every water check proved to be spot on (I even took samples to the lfg to verify). I noticed yesterday that the lavender tang was swimming somewhat sporadically and it looked like he was trying to scratch himself on the sides with his pectoral fins. (Funny I call him "him". I don't know if it is a he or she). I did some research and got some Rally Ruby Reef to dose the tank and some Metronidazole to add to the food. Hopefully I can knock whatever this out and quit killing fish. It is a bit $$$ expensive. Kenny (my son) frag'd a nice variety of zoas and small colony of star pollups and a couple of red mushrooms. One of the zoa colonies was on like a branchy looking rock/coral skeleton and there was a bonus! A small clam that went easily missed due to it being covered in coraline. it's about the size of a large marble. I will post some pictures as soon as I find the battery charger for my camera! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasonHoff Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 get your self some nitrifying liquid bacteria for salt water! your tank is in its cylcing process if you have nitrites! your fish are very sensitive to this untill you tank bonds ammonia, (bioload) and nirites! to then get some nitrate! hopefully as little as possible in the end! but it does take a long time depending on how you do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cob Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 If there's one thing I miss it's my 144 half circle. Don't think I've ever been more satisfied with a tank. Hope you can keep your chin up and keep it going. I'd personally just let it sit for 3 months without adding anything else. You'd be surprised how great a system can run when it has time to do it's think without us expediting everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Thanks for the words of encouragement, Mr. Cob. I was close to scrapping the whole idea a couple of times over the past month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cob Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 yeah stick with it, that's a sweet system one of a kind not seen everyday. I regret selling mine and a year or two from now you would too. Time is the biggest reward in this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Mays Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) Full tank view Green bubble tip anenome Candycane Acan (Christmas gift from son), green ricordea, Mellow (the yellow tang), Cleaner wrasse that loves to get in the way, below Mellow is a beautiful patch of zoas - blue center green outside This brain has doubled in size over the past six months Marlin is the original inhabitant of the tank. He's seen many come and go. He pretty much stays on this side of the tank Not sure what kind of palys these are, but I love the mint green color and they have spread to other areas in the tank. These two Rose bubbletips just split a week ago. The pair of skunk clowns love them! The montipora on the right has tripled in size since I got it at the ARC meeting at Kevin Locklear's house (October I think?). Just below the Montipora on the left you can see a nice patch of star polyps. This maxima has the most beautiful blue flesh. The mushroom rock has sent many 'shrooms forth to populate other areas of the tank. This pair of cleaner shrimp have provided snacks in the form of shrimp spawn a couple of times. These two patches of zoas have been covering the rocks at the top of the tank. So current fish and such are as follows: Maroon Clown (Marlin) Yellow Tang (Mellow) Lavender Tang Melanaurus Wrasse Juvenile Red Coris Wrasse (looks like a clown right now) Pair of Skunk Clowns (Pinky and Yes Dear) Fighting Conch Emerald Crab Pair of Cleaner shrimp 3 peppermint shrimp All pictures taken with my iPhone Enjoy! Edited February 20, 2012 by Mike Mays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I'm so happy to see an update on your tank. Looks like things are going well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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