Jen's Fish Den

[Jen]

Okay...I think I'm going to try this. Forgive my photo quality. As I've said, I didn't realize that one had to be a photographer with an awesome camera in order to fully experience the aquarium thing! I don't know when I'll get to the "nice camera" addition...but it's not here yet, so I'll have to make do.

So, last summer my husband gave me a 24-gallon nano for an early birthday present. It had been up and full at an LFS for about a year. I moved it here, with the assurance that there would be no problem with that. I thought I'd done adequate research, but trusted the LFS guy more than I should.

5 Fish died, and fish continued to die. The only one who lived through it all was Toby, my yellow watchman goby. Here is the tough little guy:

 

[sasquatch]

Hey Jen! dont stop now, thats some super purply rock! come on shutter bug back to the camera lol

 

[Jen]

So...I'll continue. Hubby is off playing tennis (yesterday he was at the Byron Nelson all day...rough life for him!!!) so I'll have a little time this morning as I enjoy a leisurely few hours :coffee: .

So, eventually I ended up having tried these fish recommended by the LFS guy:
5 clowns--not all at once, in succession--all died, 2 yellow tangs, one after the other--what was he thinking???--both died, royal gramma (dead), cherub pygmy angel (dead in 24 hours), 6-line wrasse toward the end (Fender--he lived) and probably more which I've forgotten due to the trauma of it all! :tears:

I did 2x/week water changes, which was a pain, and tried so hard to do everything right. Eventually, I decided to try making it a tank solely dedicated to two clowns (one died) and a bubble-tip anemone. Got rid of the 8 or so corals I had (tried not to think about the total loss off $$$ that had occurred :verymad: and set about trying a new approach.

 

[sasquatch]

lets hear a bit more on the fish deaths, sounds so sudden, did you ever find a cause?

 

[Jen]

3rd cup of coffee in hand (no worries...it's 1/2 decaf!), and ready to add more about Jen's Den. This feels very self indulgent to sit and write about myself...but oh well...fun for me...thank you!

Looking at my pics I am reminded that my camera dating is off. Those pics were taken in about October or November. (See, I really am completely technologically inept!)

So, where was I...Okay, so the nano wasn't as fulfilling as I'd hoped for, and far more frustrating than I could have imagined. My sweet husband wanted me to have the tank, originally, because I was spending most of my time off of my feet due to a very bad foot injury in early '07. I was in a cast and then a boot for 16 weeks. Then, still barely hobbling around for about another 4 months. It's been getting better day by day, and I'm fairly "normal" (well, my foot is anyway) now. I'll never be able to jog, or even really walk far distances, but I can least carry on with my normal daily activities. (Which fortunately do incluce being a pro athlete of any type.)

Oh, I'd better insert a fish picture of some kind, so those in it for the pics don't head off and never come back:

Hahahahahahaha...I went searching for pics on hubby's computer and found this old work picture. (He's much grayer now...but still handsome!):laughroll

 

[Jen]

Sas,
Thanks for joining me in my upstart efforts!
Fish deaths: Yes, they were all sudden. I almost gave it all up. I think the first round was that the tank was just toxic after the move. The sandbed was totally disturbed and I'm thinking it re-cycled, and I didn't know enough at the time to realize it. The clowns typically didn't eat, breathing was rapid and labored...then death. I think the first tang starved to death, as it got very very skinny before dying...although I was feeding the tank daily. The second just never ate at all and died. The pygmy angel hid, never ate, and died so quickly. A royal gramma died of apparent ich. Whatever it was, it was something only that last clown and the goby could endure.

 

[Dentoid]

Jen, it sounds like you may have gone a bit too fast in the beginning. Reef tanks are like fine wines, they get better with age. Take it slow. Research every fish you would like to put in your tank. Don't let the person at the LFS sell you something you know very little about. For instance, there are no tangs that are suitable for a 24 gallon tank let alone two of them! In a tank your size adding one fish at a time then waiting 4 weeks in between is the norm to allow the biological system to process the new wastes.

Sure a 2" Yellow tang or Hippo tang is a cute little fish, but their adult size is upwards of 18"! In a small system these fish are stressed and generally don't make it a year. Then you hear of the "hopeful" reefers that "plan" on upgrading to a larger tank when the fish outgrows the tank. Well more often than not that time never comes because the fish either dies from stress or the "hopeful reefer" gets disenchanted when things seem to never go right. Furthermore, stress may not be recognized by the beginning reefer so they wonder why their fish keep dying.

My point is stock your tank with the species that are suitable, for its size, for the best long term success. 24 gallons limits what you can stock your tank with.

The best rule of thumb for beginners is 1" of adult size fish per 5 gallons of water. In your tank, that's 1-5 adult size fish depending on their size. With your BSJF and Watchman goby you are already at or over the limit for that sized tank without adequate equipment to process the biological wastes. I'm not saying it can not be done, but overstocking requires an astute understanding of the biological process and an unwavering commitment to maintenance. In other words, overstocking should be left to the advanced reefer.

Show us a full tank shot (FTS).

 

[tbittner]

Hi Jen. Great start to a chronicle! I'm sorry it had a sad start though. Lets see if we can't give it a happier story line.

Tell us about the equipment that you have. What kind of nano do you have? Does it have a skimmer? Is it pulling out nasty smelling stuff? What do you have for circulation? The surface needs to be rippling in order to keep the oxygen level up in the water. What lights do you have?

What are your latest test results?

Ammonia - ?
NitrIte - ?
NitrAte - ?
Salinity - ?
Temp - ?

Do you add fresh RO/DI water daily? Where are you getting your water from?

The answers to those will help us to help you. A reef tank is truly one of the most beautiful things to see. We can help you achieve that beauty.

 

[Jen]

Hi Scott,
Yes, I'm now aware of this stuff, but thank you for the helpful words Thankfully I've learned a lot since then! To clarify a bit, the 24-gallon nano was up, running and already had corals and 5 fish in it when I bought it. Since then I have done hundreds and hundreds of hours of research, found a new LFS or two, and have a 120 gallon tank (I just haven't gotten there on the thread yet )
The first tang was already in the nano, and then the second was his "replacement". I don't even want a tang in my 120 now...so I totally get that the guy was not advising me well. The stocking limit that I learned about while researching is why I made the eventual decision to make it a two-clown/BTA tank, with nothing more in there.
More soon on the journey!

 

[Jen]

Hi Terry,
Boy, you guys are on the spot! That's what I get for taking a potty and cereal break! Thank you for all of the kind encouragement and help!:hug1:

Okay, back to the "chronicle", which will answer a lot of your questions, and hopefully you will all will think more highly of my "skills"!

 

[tbittner]

Ahhhhhh, I see! You're getting us caught up to where you are now! How about a sneak peek of what the end will look like? Just a small piece of information would be nice. Such as how many tanks do you have now? 5? 9? 12?



That is one thing the guy at the LFS that got me started said. You don't upgrade tanks, you add more.

 

[Jen]

Sooooooooooooooo...I'd better get on this quick! This entry won't have pics...the computer with the pics is having TROUBLE all of a sudden and runs like molasses in January.:evileye: Repair guy coming today!

I realized it was time for a new tank in about November, and my husband gave me a 120-gallon for Christmas. Still had the nano.
I did so much research...online, books, visiting two new LFSs many, many times, talking with tank owners, more online, more books, etc. Literally hundreds of hours. :read:

Here's what I got:

120-gallon All glass with stand
48" Solaris I-4
Trigger sump: about 40 gallons? In it is a refugium with mud and Chaeto, lit 24-hours a day by its own light. Then the water flows into two socks. Then into a compartment with a EuroReef 135. Then into a small compartment with sponge, and then into the pump area of the sump, with a Mag 1800. (I hope I'm remembering those names right.)
The tank has two overflows on the back, two Koralia 4 powerheads, and TONS of flow.
There's about 150 lbs of liverock (some was purple to start with, from the nano, and the rest has turned purple very quickly)
Put in about 4-5" of live sand

Critters:
tiny reef hermits
nassarius snails
3 mexican turbos
about 10 cerith snails
2 cleaner shrimp (the biggest I've ever seen...they molt about once every 3 weeks.
Seeded the ruge with Tigger Pods (copepods)

More in a minute!

 

[Jen]

Oh, and I do have a titanium heater, but no chiller (seems there will probably not be a need for that with the Solaris.)

I have a 20-gallon QT, which I quarantine most (I say most because I haven't done it for the jawfish or the sandsifter) fish in, and some corals for at least 4 weeks.

So...we've been up and running about 4 months or so now, and it's been fantastic!:bouncer: :bouncer: I ditched the nano when I saw how awesomely fun and rewarding the 120 was. Moved only the goby and a cleaner shrimp over to the 120.

I am not anywhere close to as qualified with any DIY stuff at all, so the LFS (Dallas North Aquarium) installed everything and guided my first few months.

It cycled VERY quickly, we think because of all of the live rock and so much of it being established already. All tests were go and I added two bangaii cardinals (who are apparently an unhappy male/male pair and I'm trying to get them, or at least one of them OUT, as they bicker

Then after about 2 weeks added 4 blue/green chromis. I like them a lot, but they have separated into two pairs, kind of eliminating the "schooling" function, so I'm, again, trying to remove one of the pairs.

Other than an initial bout of a tiny bit of hair algae (enter the mexican turbos) and then later a couple of weeks of a small cyano outbreak, which I fixed with more snails, less feeding and a sand sifter, everything has run smooth as silk.

Here's the routine:
Water changes 1x/week until 2 weeks ago, and I've switched to 1x/every other week to see how that goes.
Protein skimmer cup gets full and emptied about every 5 days. (Very ugly, very stinky!)
Water going in RO/DI...both for top off and changes. I top off daily, probably a little less than 1/2 gallon.
I test weekly, or more often if I'm concerned about a coral or something.
Temp: 79-80.5
Salinity: 1.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 0
Nitrities: 0
Phosphates: 0
pH: 8.3 (This fluctuates ocassionally to 8.2 or 8.4, but not usually)
Calcium: 425-475
Alkalinity: between 8-10

I feed a rotation of mixtures (soaked in Selcon or Garlic Extreme) of:
New Life Spectrum Pellets, H2O Frozen Cubes (Spirulina/Mysis/Brine, etc. mixed in one cube), Frozen mysis, Arcti-Pods, Frozen Cyclopeeze, and sometimes some krill or scallops for the sun coral. I dose the corals directly with DT's phytoplankton, and Brightwell Aquatics Coral Tissue Supplement. I dose the tank 1/week with 1/2 doses of Kent: Tech M, Iodine, Stronium/Molybdimide and Essential Elements. I run Rowaphos if I see any algae issue beginning to crop up.


Hmmm...that's all I can think of right now. Phewwww.

 

[Jen]

Oh, yeah, fish and corals:

Fish:
Toby the yellow watchman goby
2 Cardinals (on the way out)
Chromis
Clown pair (Paco and Penelope): one black and white ocellaris, one orange and white ocellaris (they paired up IMMEDIATELY in the QT and have done GREAT ever since.)
Filamented flasher wrasse
Royal Gramma
Blue spotted jawfish (Bob)
I am considering adding a male with 3 female harem of lyretail anthias. Any thoughts? I am debating whether I'd rather add one large fish...for visual interest.

Corals:
Large bright green hairy mushroom rock
blue sponge
yellow sun coral
single head octopus frogspawn about 5" across
bright green hydnophora
some bright orange/pink ricordia
bright pink/peachy montipora capricornis
Tri-color frogspawn--branching with 4 heads
Favia--bright green and peachy/red

I promise I will post pics as soon as I can

 

[lcstorc]

WOW Sounds like a great setup. Now all we need are pics.

 

[Dentoid]

For crying out loud! You know what you are doing! I now recall something about the 120 and was a bit confused when I saw you were chronicling a 24 gallon. I thought, why is she putting a BS in a 24 gallon? Now it all makes sense. You've gotta be quick on the keyboard around here. It's better to nip it in the bud, I always say, so that bad habits are not reinforced.

Here's to your continued success!

 

[sasquatch]

lol, Scotty wash brushing when he shoulda been flossing, looks like the hundreds of hours of research paid off (now if she can only figure out the camera deal)

 

[Jen]

Scott...thanks, and back atcha with the toast to future success!

Sas...I'm tryin, I'm tryin...if I can get my teenage girl to stay home long enough, I'll have her give me a complete tutoring lesson so I don't have to wait for her to do step 1 (that would be getting the pics from the camera onto my computer). Then I'll need to quit spending so much money on the tank and buy a better camera soon! Computer guy is finishing up, so pics soon.

 

[Jen]

Fam pics (I love them even more than the fish h: )!

Son, almost 15, Daughter, almost 17

 

[Jen]

Dogs:
(I am very embarassed that the pics my daughter put on here are of them in their Halloween costumes, which my sister bought for them as a joke!:laughroll )

Cocker/Golden Retriver Mix
2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels