Helen's RSM130

[whip]

Delareef is 100% correct on the RO top off plan.

Nice pics and I am really happy you have some life in the tank. Congratulations.

To be honest with you, the way I used to acclimate my livestock was really bad, but I never had issues. I used to just dump them in. Period.

Since I knew I was skirting disaster,I started doing it correctly with my new tank. Here is the link I used.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=157

I use their drip method. The only thing I do different (learned from YouTube) is that I don't knot the hose, but instead, I use a little air valve. Works like a charm and I feel a little more secure than I did when I was just dumping things in.

 

[Drew]

That's awesome news Helen! I your clowns!

 

[miro]

Thanks guys! I knew my salinity was more towards to the low rather than high so maybe i just got it to perfect by accident now
But yea, this makes more sense, with the salt staying the same etc, kinda a DOH moment
Its weird how you can get so caught up with the testing of the water and dont really think about much else, but well i am here to learn!

I see that the clowns are not big on exploring? they like the tanks left-front corner, they seem to like eachothers company and are always together, i take thats good?
Definitely need more cuc asap! Everyones pooping so much

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Love the beautiful clowns !!!

and great advise ^

 

[whip]

Thanks guys! I knew my salinity was more towards to the low rather than high so maybe i just got it to perfect by accident now
But yea, this makes more sense, with the salt staying the same etc, kinda a DOH moment
Its weird how you can get so caught up with the testing of the water and dont really think about much else, but well i am here to learn!

I see that the clowns are not big on exploring? they like the tanks left-front corner, they seem to like eachothers company and are always together, i take thats good?
Definitely need more cuc asap! Everyones pooping so much

From the start, I was on the low end of salinity. I was reading 1.023. To get salinity up, I simply exchanged my RO top off water container for a container of saltwater at the correct salinity. It took longer than I thought it would to get my salinity up to 1.026 (about 7 days), but it worked. Once it reached 1.026, I simply took my saltwater top off container out and inserted my RO water again. I tested daily as I didn't know how fast it would happen and I didn't want to go over.

As for the clowns not using the tank; I had the same issue. I believe it is their nature. I posted an "I need a fish!" thread in the livestock forum and I got a ton of suggestions for fish that use different parts of the tank (and the rockwork).

Thread actually is a pretty good read and got hilarious when someone posted a shark on there.

http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/i-need-a-fish.94804/page-3#post-1298081

 

[miro]

Ok! Work has been so busy that i havent really had any time nor energy for much else, but about time for a tiny update!

Both fishes seem to be very happy and they like eac hother, 1 of my hermits is dead, im quite sure that the other one kicked its ass. Havent had the chance to add anything else yet. (2clowns,1hermit,2snails)
Came home and saw that he was dead and pieces of him lying around, some still in the shell, then suddenly the gigantic snail appeared from the sand and made its way to the corpse (he is super fast), sat on top of it and sucked the shell empty lol Well atleast i got to see more of the snail than just the antenna he pokes out from the sand!

Here he is, after eating the dead hermit he was patrolling around that rock, i was afraid that he would go after the other one since i read they might eat other living things in the tank(!), so i sat there with the big tweezers, ready to move him He ended up just cruising around and has come out alot more now (Hermit on the stone there)
Also this brown layer was in the tank for days, covering pretty much everything, but it has cleared out now

I noticed some tiny green flower-like thingies growing from the LR (1 of the 3 that has been in the tank from day 1) What are these?


On the same rock, there is this "bush" like thing growing out of a darkpurple (corallinealgae?) patch, any ideas?

And here on the 2nd LR you see some fluffgrassgreen algae but also a couple thick-bright green ones, still just algae?

Could it be that im lucky and something awesome is growing out of the LR, something besides algae?

After the 21st of june, once im back home, i will be getting some more livestock in it! Need cuc! the tiny snail is doing such an epic job cleaning but gosh he is super slow!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

your last pic is... Neomeris annulata

http://www.melevsreef.com/critters/neomeris-annulata

 

[miro]

Thanks! Think it looks very nice, and from that link it sounds like something people would like to have But then i did some more googling and most come up as hating it, also no one really has it in their menu either...
Not sure what to do with it, thinking of letting it grow

 

[Oxylebius]

View attachment 42852
Here he is, after eating the dead hermit he was patrolling around that rock, i was afraid that he would go after the other one since i read they might eat other living things in the tank(!), so i sat there with the big tweezers, ready to move him He ended up just cruising around and has come out alot more now (Hermit on the stone there)

Great photo!!! You've got a predatory whelk there - Babylonia zeylanica.

I wouldn't trust them around my snails or bivalves (they like to eat clams!).

They are often sold as Nassarius, but they are not related to Nassarius spp. and are not safe for the reef aquarium (IMHO).

Beautiful whelks! But, unfortunately they have ended up in the aquarium trade and are being sold as reef safe. If you don't mind replenishing your snail population a couple times a year, then by all means keep this beauty of a whelk. Just be aware of what you've got and what it likes to eat.

 

[miro]

Thanks Oxy! Yep, i ended up reading more *afterwards*, that oh btw, it likes to hide & then eat others!
I will keep an eye on him, he has been cruising around the whole tank, met the other snail & crab and didnt seem to be interested in them (yet)
What i read before buying it, was that he will be good for the sand as he shifts through it and was like yey, score! And then i recieved an elephant sized snail that might eat everyone

I did find different exp/opinions on those, they seem to be a big nono with clams but with others they have been ok, so i´m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best for now, i do like him!


find the snail thats how he looks most of the time
My son loves to watch when he burrows, gets suuuper excited

 

[Oxylebius]

Correct, it is a sand burrower. Like the nassarius and conchs and other whelks, they bury in the sand during the day and leave their snorkel out of the sand

 

[Delareef123]

Hey Helen,
Haven't heard from you in a while. How is the tank coming along?

 

[miro]

Oops, been a while! Was on a mini-vacation and going for another one soon.
Everything is still the same - no one has died, yey!
Theres quite a bit of algae but my cuc is a 2man band, well 3 but the big snail is just chilling under the sand
I was away for 5 days and my other half who stayed home and was supposed to feed the 2 tiny clowns, he managed to overfeed ofcourse, cos he "felt bad" and thought they werent getting enough food
But well, he has even more to learn than me, will do better next time

I finally put in an order and the new members are going to be delivered tomorrow:
Goby & shrimp pair
2x Astrea Phoebia (turbo snail)
2x Lunella Coronata (crowned turban snail)
Lysmata Amboinensis (Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp)
2stk Tectus Niloticus (top shell)
Tripneuste gratilla (Pincushion Urchin)
Clavularia, will be my very first coral

I must admit im a bit bored with my clowns, they have the same "routine", lights off - come in front of the tank and stay low in left corner, lights on - stay in the middle at the back wall, and they come up for food – thats it!
Maybe there will be bit more action once the newcomers are in the tank. Im really looking forward to the goby & shrimp pair, as much as i´ve read and seen it should be a fun couple to observe!

 

[Pat24601]

Glad to hear it's chugging along nicely!

Clowns are a bit like that. I like them, but they don't really do much.

 

[Delareef123]

Good to hear Helen. My clown tends to stay in one spot as well. Lucky for me its right in front of the tank. He is a nipper. Attacks my hand every time I put it in the tank. Good sign, it means he likes his territory.

 

[miro]

Hmm, mine dont nip but seem to like their spots, they do eat well and play around sometimes with each other. They started moving around a bit more after i added the newcomers, cleaner shrimp was very interested in them

Added the newcomers yesterday, will take a new pic once the new snails have had time to cleanup a bit
Pinky and the Brain: I thought i was going to get a yellow watchman goby but ended up getting a Pinkbar Goby. He(Pinky) is quite shy at the moment, he did come together with this tiiiiiny shrimp friend (Brain) whom i havent seen again, if they are together, then they are well hidden, since Pinky is staying behind a rock at the back wall where i can barely see

I really love the cleaner shrimp, I find its very fun to watch him! Ended up being more excited about the shrimp than fish - didnt see that one coming!

The Glove polyp came with the a nice piece of rock, covered with coralline algae and a ton of feather dusters! As much as i´ve read its easy to take care of, so i think its a good starter-coral for me

Sea urchin was dead on arrival, even tho it was express and over night delivery , was really looking forward to seeing it in "action"!

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Next big thing is to decide on lighting and fix&swap! The fans on the side had been swapped by the previous owner but he used some weird size so they were slightly too small and had put in some plastic bits for support - now they are super noisy and i have to poke & smack them around to be silent
Also i really dont like how hot the hood gets and how it also affects the water temp, yep even here in Norway!
Im still drooling at Steves Leds, good quality + easy to install for a total noob.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Cleaner shrimp are great !

 

[DaveR11]

Hmm, mine dont nip but seem to like their spots, they do eat well and play around sometimes with each other. They started moving around a bit more after i added the newcomers, cleaner shrimp was very interested in them

Added the newcomers yesterday, will take a new pic once the new snails have had time to cleanup a bit
Pinky and the Brain: I thought i was going to get a yellow watchman goby but ended up getting a Pinkbar Goby. He(Pinky) is quite shy at the moment, he did come together with this tiiiiiny shrimp friend (Brain) whom i havent seen again, if they are together, then they are well hidden, since Pinky is staying behind a rock at the back wall where i can barely see

I really love the cleaner shrimp, I find its very fun to watch him! Ended up being more excited about the shrimp than fish - didnt see that one coming!

The Glove polyp came with the a nice piece of rock, covered with coralline algae and a ton of feather dusters! As much as i´ve read its easy to take care of, so i think its a good starter-coral for me

Sea urchin was dead on arrival, even tho it was express and over night delivery , was really looking forward to seeing it in "action"!

----------

Next big thing is to decide on lighting and fix&swap! The fans on the side had been swapped by the previous owner but he used some weird size so they were slightly too small and had put in some plastic bits for support - now they are super noisy and i have to poke & smack them around to be silent
Also i really dont like how hot the hood gets and how it also affects the water temp, yep even here in Norway!
Im still drooling at Steves Leds, good quality + easy to install for a total noob.

Have you had a free manicure yet from your cleaner shrimp....?

 

[miro]

Hah! Didnt even know you could

But the shrimp sure seems very curious, positive and super chill.. I think im getting another one, so he can have some company I just offered him a piece of nori(with tweezers) and omg he was stuffing his face with it, i finally saw where his mouth was

Also how is it with gobies, can i get another one that is not the same type? Or are they territorial/hostile between all types. (Really want a yellow watchman)

 

[Oxylebius]

Oh yeah, those skunk cleaners give manicures and you can find a number of YouTube vids of them cleaning divers teeth! Kinda gross if you ask me.

BTW, you can get two and they will live together nicely. But, don't get more then two. Two of the three will pair up and the third will be killed by the mated pair.

These shrimp are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning it has both male and female reproductive organ as a mature adult. They are unable to fertilize themselves, so they will pair up with another to fertilize each others eggs. Anyone looking to breed cleaner shrimps - or regularly spawn shrimp larvae to serve as natural zooplankton for their corals/fish - only needs to place two shrimps together in the same tank. My two fertilize each other eggs and release larvae monthly. My clowns go nuts for it. You can find a vid I posted here (it was taken awhile back). Oxy's RSM250