Pocky's RSM 130D Adventure
- Thread starter Pocky
- Start date
Pocky
Member
I just read an article about Brown Jelly Disease. After reading it, it triggered a thought. A couple weeks ago, I noticed 3 or 4 tentacles of the Torch had tiny little punctures on them. I have no idea how they got there. But I noticed that the punctures healed themselves so I wasn't worried. I'm assuming now that Brown Jelly Disease was festering within the coral from those punctures.
Corals - Bacterial
Corals - Bacterial
that would be my 1st guess too... the torch didn't get it from your tank, but had it & the lfs should replace it
Pocky
Member
I'm actually not sure that the punctures didn't happen in my tank. I was so OCD about looking at my tank, and I didn't notice the punctures until after I was continuously inspecting the Frogspawn and Torch because Crabby was hanging all over them. In any case, I am going to wait to get my nitrates down and under control since I need to do filter feeding for the spiny oyster. I'm not sure how that's going to affect the nitrates yet since I just started. I did a 20% water change yesterday and will see how this week goes.
I'm not sure anyone knows for sure what exactly causes the brown jelly, but I'd guess that wounds don't help. When I got a 6 headed torch a few months ago I mangled some of the heads in handing it and trying to attach it to my rock. After about a week, 3 adjoining heads died off, one by one. Never saw any brown jelly though, and my emerald crab was eating the dyeing heads. It stopped at 3, and the other 3 have been fine and splitting into new heads. It's not always easy to figure these things out.
Pocky
Member
It's been awhile since I've posted, so here is an update.
After the bad week, I still had a few difficulties including finding a nudibranch on my blue zoas, losing two of them, and the last one just disappeared when I woke up one morning to find the frag plug upside down. It was on the substrate, so my only suspect was Crabby Paddy who was strong enough to pick it up and turn it upside down. I was constantly being tormented by him. I bought 3 new blue polyps as a replacement and to my horror, the next morning there was nothing on the frag plug. Luckily, I found the 3 tiny polyps on the substrate with only one that was damaged and was able to glue it back. That day, I built an egg crate cage for the polyps and they have been thriving since. As you can see, Crabby still wanted to get at the polyps. With the cage around his favorite blue polyps (he didn't mess with the pink ones), he was fairly well behaved for a few weeks until I bought some new corals this weekend. He really liked the African Blue Xenia. It was there at midnight and by morning, it was groundhog day again. The rock was there but no trace of Xenia. I was so hoping I would find it on the substrate like the blue polyps, but they were nowhere to be found. And I fought off Crabby with a feeding stick 3 times to stay away from the bubble and fed him a shrimp pellet before I went to bed. The Xenia was next to the bubble so there is plenty of circumstantial evidence. Unfortunately for Crabby, the last straw was when his meals were more expensive than mine, so he took a ride back to the LFS. I have been so relieved ever since (no more guarding the tank to break up fights with snails and worrying about him messing with corals and fish). He was not super aggressive, but still a handful that I would rather not deal with. I was constantly trying to feed him in the hope that he would leave my other creatures alone, but it was never enough. I now feel such freedom!
Biggy trying to keep Crabby in line while Crabby thought, "How come I can't reach those blue polyps? There must be a way in!"
On a happier note, the bubble and spiny oyster are still alive (it's been almost 2 months since I've had them) although the bubble has not recovered as quickly as I had hoped. It was growing more flesh, but some of it receded. Not sure if anyone was picking at it. Maybe it will do better now that a certain someone is no longer in the tank. It is still eating well when I feed it. I also feed plankton and rotifeast every day or every other day for the spiny oyster. I've been surprised that ammonia/nitrite/nitrates are all 0.
I've also added a few frags/corals.
The replacement African Blue Xenia (Cespitularia) after Crabby ate the first one. I love the color when you shine a flashlight on it at night as seen in this picture. It looks pink with light blue accents during the day. I've also attached it to a small rock to try to contain its growth just in case it gets out of hand.
Alveopora - Didn't know it was hard to keep until I got it home and did some research. We'll see how it goes.
Purple mushrooms of two varieties
Raptors Peace Favia - You can see the tentacles out.
Full Tank Shot - I have 4 fish now. We added a Yellow Watchman Goby (my son won) and a pistol shrimp at the end of January and just added a Bluegreen Chromis. The YWG has not found the pistol shrimp yet. I hope they will find each other one day, although the pistol shrimp has a burrow and rarely comes out so their chance of meeting is slim at this point. The tank is still bare in the full tank shot, but I'm excited for my underwater garden and all these frags to grow. I already see two new tiny blue polyps growing. Can't wait to get more frags!
After the bad week, I still had a few difficulties including finding a nudibranch on my blue zoas, losing two of them, and the last one just disappeared when I woke up one morning to find the frag plug upside down. It was on the substrate, so my only suspect was Crabby Paddy who was strong enough to pick it up and turn it upside down. I was constantly being tormented by him. I bought 3 new blue polyps as a replacement and to my horror, the next morning there was nothing on the frag plug. Luckily, I found the 3 tiny polyps on the substrate with only one that was damaged and was able to glue it back. That day, I built an egg crate cage for the polyps and they have been thriving since. As you can see, Crabby still wanted to get at the polyps. With the cage around his favorite blue polyps (he didn't mess with the pink ones), he was fairly well behaved for a few weeks until I bought some new corals this weekend. He really liked the African Blue Xenia. It was there at midnight and by morning, it was groundhog day again. The rock was there but no trace of Xenia. I was so hoping I would find it on the substrate like the blue polyps, but they were nowhere to be found. And I fought off Crabby with a feeding stick 3 times to stay away from the bubble and fed him a shrimp pellet before I went to bed. The Xenia was next to the bubble so there is plenty of circumstantial evidence. Unfortunately for Crabby, the last straw was when his meals were more expensive than mine, so he took a ride back to the LFS. I have been so relieved ever since (no more guarding the tank to break up fights with snails and worrying about him messing with corals and fish). He was not super aggressive, but still a handful that I would rather not deal with. I was constantly trying to feed him in the hope that he would leave my other creatures alone, but it was never enough. I now feel such freedom!
Biggy trying to keep Crabby in line while Crabby thought, "How come I can't reach those blue polyps? There must be a way in!"
On a happier note, the bubble and spiny oyster are still alive (it's been almost 2 months since I've had them) although the bubble has not recovered as quickly as I had hoped. It was growing more flesh, but some of it receded. Not sure if anyone was picking at it. Maybe it will do better now that a certain someone is no longer in the tank. It is still eating well when I feed it. I also feed plankton and rotifeast every day or every other day for the spiny oyster. I've been surprised that ammonia/nitrite/nitrates are all 0.
I've also added a few frags/corals.
The replacement African Blue Xenia (Cespitularia) after Crabby ate the first one. I love the color when you shine a flashlight on it at night as seen in this picture. It looks pink with light blue accents during the day. I've also attached it to a small rock to try to contain its growth just in case it gets out of hand.
Alveopora - Didn't know it was hard to keep until I got it home and did some research. We'll see how it goes.
Purple mushrooms of two varieties
Raptors Peace Favia - You can see the tentacles out.
Full Tank Shot - I have 4 fish now. We added a Yellow Watchman Goby (my son won) and a pistol shrimp at the end of January and just added a Bluegreen Chromis. The YWG has not found the pistol shrimp yet. I hope they will find each other one day, although the pistol shrimp has a burrow and rarely comes out so their chance of meeting is slim at this point. The tank is still bare in the full tank shot, but I'm excited for my underwater garden and all these frags to grow. I already see two new tiny blue polyps growing. Can't wait to get more frags!
Loved the pic or Biggy trying to keep Crabby in line while Crabby thought, "How come I can't reach those blue polyps? There must be a way in!"
Congrats on son's new watchman ! Tanks looking really nice !
Congrats on son's new watchman ! Tanks looking really nice !
Pocky
Member
Thanks, everyone! I seriously feel a weight lifted off my shoulders with Crabby gone. When he was put back in the LFS tank that we originally got him from, he wandered to the live rock and started picking algae off like a model crab citizen. Some poor unsuspecting buyer will think he would be a good bubble algae eater and get him. Watch out! 
Pocky, I just read your post on my thread so I came here to read your thread. I totally relate to your journey which is full of the same kinds of worries, doubts and small triumphs as mine.
Taking a destructive tank member back to the LFS is a tough call, but one that I was also pushed to do. Actually I guess we have done that twice now, with the Canary Blenny that was dive bombing the Nassarius snails and also with the bossy blenny-abusing clown fish. Tough to do, but also such a relief! So how is your tank doing now? Any new inhabitants?
We seem to have hit a sweet spot with our tank in that all of the peeps are existing peacefully at the moment. We have added 2 Pom Pom crabs recently and they are quite fun, though mostly nocturnal- we only catch glimpses of them. Our Porcelain crab is always visible and attached to the Duncan corals that are right in the front of the tank in the sand bed. In fact he has never moved from that area since he has been placed in the tank. Our firefish is really a mellow well adjusted dude, or dudette. He is a great eater and is always swimming right in front checking us out fearlessly.
I'm happy to converse with someone in the LA area that also has a Red Sea Max tank. Do you have any other favorite LF stores? I am planning another run to Vivid some time in May. It is a long drive for me so I have to save up to be able to get enough when there to make it worth it.
I totally relate to your journey which is full of the same kinds of worries, doubts and small triumphs as mine. Taking a destructive tank member back to the LFS is a tough call, but one that I was also pushed to do. Actually I guess we have done that twice now, with the Canary Blenny that was dive bombing the Nassarius snails and also with the bossy blenny-abusing clown fish. Tough to do, but also such a relief! So how is your tank doing now? Any new inhabitants?
We seem to have hit a sweet spot with our tank in that all of the peeps are existing peacefully at the moment. We have added 2 Pom Pom crabs recently and they are quite fun, though mostly nocturnal- we only catch glimpses of them. Our Porcelain crab is always visible and attached to the Duncan corals that are right in the front of the tank in the sand bed. In fact he has never moved from that area since he has been placed in the tank. Our firefish is really a mellow well adjusted dude, or dudette.
He is a great eater and is always swimming right in front checking us out fearlessly. I'm happy to converse with someone in the LA area that also has a Red Sea Max tank. Do you have any other favorite LF stores? I am planning another run to Vivid some time in May. It is a long drive for me so I have to save up to be able to get enough when there to make it worth it.