Tank turned 49 this year

deaclauderdale

Well-Known Member
Dried seaweed is not good enough because of the same problem with dried (sterile) foods. Dried seaweed is fine but I would supplement it "every day" with clams and, if possible, live worms. Mysis are not bad but they are mostly shell so salt water clams are much better. Tangs are considered by many to be ich magnets. They get that more than other fish due to their habit of living in large schools and the lack of that in a tank. That stresses them out because they never live alone. They also eat live, fresh, bacteria covered seaweeds in the sea which is nothing like dried nori that we give them. It makes a huge difference.

"Ingredients-clam"
The class are purchased at a store Paul, or do you harvest those as well?

Reef keeping is life!
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Ibuy the clams in a supermarket, like where Supermodels come from. In California you have different clams. It doesn't matter as long as they are raw and fresh. You can probably use abalone.
Don't use scallop, shrimp, octopus or fish fillets. You need a whole animal like a clam. Earthworms are also fine but I think a water worm would be better like blackworms which come from California. If you want to add some fresh bacteria, go down to the shore and get some mud or sand from the sea. I know it is cold, the bacteria don't care.
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
A friend of mine gave me some large rocks he "acquired" in the tropics for me to put in my tank. So I did. But to fit them in I had to remove some pieces that I am giving away. My clingfish used to hide behind that rock and now I can't find him. I used to target feed him every day and I am sure as soon as he gets hungry, he will stick his head out from wherever he is hiding. Everyone else is doing great but my bangai cardinals are beginning to show their age. They are very large and just starting to show some beginnings of cataracts. That happens often on fish with large eyes in a brightly lit reef tank especially when they get old. The female slowed down a lot and hides most of the time. She eats well but I have to shoot the food into her cave. The male still comes out for food. I am not sure how long bangai cardinals live so she may make another five years or more. I really can't remember how many years I have kept them in the past.



I had to remove this piece.






Here they are much younger.
 

cracker

Well-Known Member
Nice rock Paul, also I have been wondering what affects these bright lighting we use are doing to our fishes eyes . Particularly the intense blues some use to get corals to fluoresce . What's Your OP on this?
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Puffers, big eyes, squirrelfish and bangai cardinals often go blind in reef lighting because those fish live under overhangs and in caves. You can cure them in a week or two if you put them in dim light so it is not permanent.
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
My tank seems to be doing great, no problems that I can tell. I recently "spoke" to Albert Thiel who informed me that bangai cardinals in the sea only live 2 or 3 years old. (which seems pretty short for a fish that size) Mine are older than that and one seems to be getting cataracts so I don't feel to bad. I love it when fish live to their assumed life span. My pair are still fine but I can see they are slowing down and I have to wake them up sometimes to eat.
I have never dove in the sea with Bangai Cardinals and it is one of my diving regrets because I doubt I will get the opportunity to do that in the future.

 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
... I recently "spoke" to Albert Thiel who informed me that bangai cardinals in the sea only live 2 or 3 years old. (which seems pretty short for a fish that size) ...

I would also think bangai cardinals would live longer. Then again, I think Albert Theil often "lacks credibility". Like Wikipedia often says "citation needed".
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Albert Thiel started in this hobby right after I did. He is a pretty smart guy so I would go with him. But I still would not be 100% positive. My fish generally die of old age so time will tell. They still look pretty healthy but they have not spawned in a few months.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Albert Thiel started in this hobby right after I did. He is a pretty smart guy so I would go with him. But I still would not be 100% positive. My fish generally die of old age so time will tell. They still look pretty healthy but they have not spawned in a few months.

I don't want to turn the thread into a debate about Albert Theil. I'll just say that I don't agree with him on many things, and that I'm not going to post any more about it.
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I also don't agree with Columbus and feel the world is still flat. Copernicus said some silly things about the universe, Di Vinci couldn't even build a helicopter, Noah was a lousy seaman and probably didn't even have a Captains license. Adam and Eve had two kids. Both boys, but they populated the world anyway (how does that work) Nixon was not a crook and Lindsay Lohan has talent :lol:
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
According to Wikipedia, Bangai cardinals only live one to two years in the sea and a little longer in captivity which I assume is the reason one of mine has the beginnings of cataracts. I have them longer than that and will hope for the best.

Quote:
Unlike many other species of marine fish, the Banggai cardinalfish lacks a planktonic stage in its life history.[4] The species has a short life span, reaching around four years in optimal conditions in captivity, and perhaps 1 to 2 years in the wild.[4]

 
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