BornToHula's 240 Gallon Build

[BornToHula]

Juiceman has my fish trap but if he's done with it, you're more than welcome to borrow it. I'll let you two work out the details of exchanging it. Here's how I use it if it helps.

You are awesome! I'll send Juiceman a PM. I do have a tool like the sea squirt that should work.

[+olaggie01]

I've got a melanarus if you want. I sent a PM

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BornToHula]

I've got a melanarus if you want. I sent a PM

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah, River City had one that I bought this morning.

Just a heads up, I didn't receive the PM if you sent it.

[+olaggie01]

That's strange. Oh well.

[BornToHula]

Yesterday when I bought the melanurus wrasse I also bought a red fairy wrasse that I couldn't resist. This morning the fairy wrasse had Ich (he had white spots all over and was rubbing on things).

I dosed New Life Spectrum Ick-Shield powder this morning which will be maintained for 21 days. I'm not sure how fast acting this treatment is, so I may attempt a freshwater dip after work to provide him some relief.

[FarmerTy]

I'd personally do TTM if it were me but the powder should work as well. Make sure there is no light over it as chloroquine phosphate, the active ingredient in the powder, degrades under UV. Also, any water changes, just put the same amount back into the tank... i.e, remove 10 gals for water change, dose back in enough CP for 10 gals. I'm sure stuff you already know but just wanted to mention just in case.

FYI, freshwater dips mainly provide relief from flukes and marine velvet, but not ich, as the theronts burrow under the skin and are unaffected by the freshwater dip. But if you do the dip and a bunch of white specks fall off, then at least you know you are dealing with velvet, which can also be treated with CP.

Good luck sir!

[BornToHula]

I'd personally do TTM if it were me but the powder should work as well. Make sure there is no light over it as chloroquine phosphate, the active ingredient in the powder, degrades under UV. Also, any water changes, just put the same amount back into the tank... i.e, remove 10 gals for water change, dose back in enough CP for 10 gals. I'm sure stuff you already know but just wanted to mention just in case.

FYI, freshwater dips mainly provide relief from flukes and marine velvet, but not ich, as the theronts burrow under the skin and are unaffected by the freshwater dip. But if you do the dip and a bunch of white specks fall off, then at least you know you are dealing with velvet, which can also be treated with CP.

Good luck sir!

I actually did not know about chloroquine phosphate degrading under UV. I turned the on the aquarium light this morning, I'll have to shut it off at lunch. Its just the light that came with the tank so hopefully it won't have a large effect on it.

I know theoretically the TTM may be the best method, but honestly I don't have the time or will to do it now.

[FarmerTy]

I don't think its affected a ton so I think you're fine. I don't turn them on at all just in case. Ambient room light should suffice for the QT anyways.

[BornToHula]

I haven't been able to move any fish from the 75g to the 240 yet. After losing the Blenny to jumping out, Crystal wants to make sure I make screens to cover the top of the tank. I was just going to cover the rear of the canopy, but on closer inspection it would be possible for a fish to jump through the front as well since there is about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch opening. Better to be safe than sorry. Just waiting on some more clear netting from BRS.

In the meantime I managed to install the loc-line on the returns. It seems to have cut down on the micro-bubbles in the tank - but the algae is still causing some when the lights are on full blast, so no clear water just yet.

Also,I wonder why the skimmer foam would be coming out of the holes on the top of the skimmer instead of falling down into the reservoir? The foam seems to be defying gravity and its causing it to smell in the process!

[FarmerTy]

Too foamy! I'd just adjust your skimmer and skim drier. Probably just new tank gunk in the water.

[BornToHula]

Crystal and I ended up at River City after going to a friend's crawfish boil on Saturday. She saw Powder Blue and Hippo tang that melted her heart so we ended up getting them! They will go through the ich treatment with the wrasses for 21 days.

I know the powder blues are notorious for ich but so far to visible signs. Both are eating, though the powder blue doesn't seem too interested in food yet and is only picking at the nori throughout the day.

[FarmerTy]

Nice score! Make sure any other tangs after the powder blue are bigger and more aggresive or he'll kill them for sure.

[BornToHula]

Nice score! Make sure any other tangs after the powder blue are bigger and more aggresive or he'll kill them for sure.

Thanks! Good to know, the only other tang we will be getting is a purple tang so we'll need to keep our eyes out for a big one.

[offroadodge]

I had a purple and powder blue together. Took a day or two and they were fine. But until then u would think they are out to kill each other. Enjoy

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

[BornToHula]

I Jinxed myself. The powder blue has white spots as of this morning . Hopefully this isn't a sign that the Ich Guard powder is not working.

Video after feeding this morning. Some aggression is being shown between the tangs, this is the worse I've seen it:

[BornToHula]

Got quite a bit done this weekend!

Made frames for the screen covers:

Screen covers installed:

Ty's fish trap is a little large for the tank but we managed to catch the following and move them to the 240:

Rose Banded Fairy Wrasse

Pink Spotted Goby

Tiger Pistol Shrimp

Fire Shrimp

Still need to catch & move:

Clownfish Pair

Black Cap Basslet

2 Emerald crabs

The Rose Banded wrasse didn't take the move well, he has just been hiding for the past 48 hours, hopefully he will start coming out soon.

Crystal helping catch fish and shrimp:

[FarmerTy]

Good luck on that basslet. I'd starve the tank out to increase your chances. An empty stomach is a great motivator to take some risks.

The clowns should be easily swooped by a net at night when they are nestled into the anemone. Just put on a red LED headlamp and get in there with a net in the wee hours of the night. I've never had my clowns go into the trap... it's like their butts are glued directly to the anemone.

For the powder blue tang, you will need an ich-free tank for its continued health. That means 76 days fallow in the DT and QT'ing all additions for at least 30 days prior to introduction into the DT, sadly yes, this includes CUC. I would say most will not want to do that so I'd think long and hard about if you want to do the same. Also, like mentioned before, it will probably be the last tang you get into the tank as it will kill any you add after that once it establishes a territory. There are tricks such as the mirror trick to distract it long enough but more often then not, they will not relent and will kill any new additions of tangs. If you do try to add some later, I'd add a batch of fish instead of just one. That way the aggression can be spread out.

Let me know when you're done with the trap, got someone lined up right behind you to use it.

[BornToHula]

I'm in no huge rush on catching the basslet, I'll just snag him once I move the rock over.

Any fish going into the tank is to be quarantined for 30+ days. All fish get full-length doses of pazipro and ich guard treatment. How do you treat a CUC for ich? Copper, chloroquine phosphate and freshwater dips will kill snails.

[FarmerTy]

Sadly, as you have realized, you cannot treat the CUC so I just employ a 30 day QT with no new additions before adding them to the tank.

Ideally, 76 days would be better but I think I'd have issues with CUC dying of lack of food before I get them into the tank. The real goal is to decrease the odds of bringing in an ich cyst with them but with any form of prevention, even TTM, the odds are never 100%. We just try to play the odds in our favor as best as we can.

[bfrench]

sorry to hear about the ich cool to see the build coming along though

[BornToHula]

sorry to hear about the ich cool to see the build coming along though

Thanks! All the fish with ich are in quarantine, none of the fish in the display tanks have ich as far as I can tell, so no damage yet.

There is a risk that the current fish in the display tanks have ich but its just never shown itself, but its just a risk I'll have to take.

[BornToHula]

I'm getting worried about my Rose Banded Fairy Wrasse I moved from the 75 to the 240. I moved him Saturday night and he hasn't come out of hiding since. I can barely see him under a rock and only way I can tell he is still alive is he changes his position every once in awhile. He doesn't respond to food at all.

I think I may have injured or spooked him in the transfer - I used a colander instead of a net and he flipped around some once he was out of the water. It didn't seem too traumatic at the time, but I don't know what else it could be. Everything else I have moved over is doing excellent.

I wonder if its worth moving rock and attempting to get a better look at him to see what the issue is? Whats the longest you have had a fish go into hiding for?

[BornToHula]

Bleh, the wrasse passed away today. I'll miss the guy

My fish survival rate isn't doing too good this month and its bumming me out. I hope the transfer of the clowns goes better, or else I think Crystal will revoke my reef privileges.

[BornToHula]

Got the Carbon/GFO reactor switched over. I really like using the silicone tubing, its so much easier to work with than the regular tubing. I think next time I'm going to go with black instead of clear so algae doesn't grow in it.

[FarmerTy]

What fish do you currently have in the display? How was the wrasse doing in QT? I'd be surprised if bouncing around on the colander caused any physical injuries, or at least enough to kill it. Sorry for the loss by the way. This hasn't been a good year for wrasses in general for the club as a whole.