Tank turned 49 this year
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Paul B
Well-Known Member
This seaweed is growing in a marina near mine and as soon as I can leave my wife for a little while (she just came home from the hospital and has to use a walker for a while until she can walk on her own)
I want to collect some and see if it will grow in my tank. Of course it will probably take over the entire tank but who cares? That would be so cool. I have not seen this type of algae before and it may be new to the western Long Island Sound.
I want to collect some and see if it will grow in my tank. Of course it will probably take over the entire tank but who cares? That would be so cool. I have not seen this type of algae before and it may be new to the western Long Island Sound.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
Tank is getting kind of boring, everything growing well and stinging each other. Most fish still spawning, or at least smiling. One of my banana fish has a large case of pop eye but it is healing nicely. To bad, I wanted to catch him so I could cure it in 10 seconds but he is getting cured on his own. I think I scared him when he saw me with a needle.
Some of the older hermit crabs grew huge but not as large as the 12 year olds that died, hopefully of old age. Poor montipora keeps growing in the wrong direction so it gets stung and tries to grow a different way., then something else stings it. I like the torch corals much better than the SPS. They just look better. I always liked the movement as SPS bore me to death. The spawning clown gobies already liked a large piece as they laid eggs all over it and not it looks like a hair algae farm. Those fish just don't care how much things cost, they just want to spawn, spawn, spawn, that's all they do. For such little fish I don't know where they keep it all.
Some of the older hermit crabs grew huge but not as large as the 12 year olds that died, hopefully of old age. Poor montipora keeps growing in the wrong direction so it gets stung and tries to grow a different way., then something else stings it. I like the torch corals much better than the SPS. They just look better. I always liked the movement as SPS bore me to death. The spawning clown gobies already liked a large piece as they laid eggs all over it and not it looks like a hair algae farm. Those fish just don't care how much things cost, they just want to spawn, spawn, spawn, that's all they do. For such little fish I don't know where they keep it all.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I wasn't bored today, I had a flood. Now that's entertaining. At least something different happened. A nice, Noah flood. I thought the tank was leaking but my final DI filter on the tank from the auto fill. The tube filled with seaweed. I usually check that but with my wife in the hospital and all. I forgot. But it got me excited so all is well. I love it when something happens. I hope, when I look out my window, I see Godzilla.
I got my shop vac out and sucked up the water. Now I see my leak barrier does not work so I can crawl under there and re design the thing.
I got my shop vac out and sucked up the water. Now I see my leak barrier does not work so I can crawl under there and re design the thing.
Snid
Active Member
Your attitude reminds me of an old Matt Groenig cartoon "Life is Hell". He had this not-so-smart character playing with crayons when a bully came up and broke them all in half. The not-so-smart character looked at them for a second, and instead of crying smiled and shouted with joy,"Now I have twice as many!"
Have you ever considered or tired a tank of local livestock? It would have to be kept cooler than a tropical tank, but you'd have something kind of unique. Years ago, my parents would rent a place on the bay side at the NJ seashore, and since I'm not much of a beach fan I'd set up a 5 gal or so tank, and collect the local flora and fauna.
My experience was similar to what you found out, although I did find out that SW angles do like to eat those yellow sponges that grow there. I never found any anemones, but did find some small feather duster worms. Lots of interesting seaweeds too. I'd bring what I got home, and it made an interesting tank.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I just got back from the south shore where I was at my friends house on the water. I picked up a load of amphipod infested seaweeds which I just put in a live bearer trap hanging in my reef. In a couple of days I will remove most of the seaweed which will die in the tank. I just want the bacteria and amphipods along with anything else that is alive.
Tomorrow I will go to my boat which is on the north shore and collect again.
You can't have to much life in a tank and you have to take advantage of it if you can
Tomorrow I will go to my boat which is on the north shore and collect again.
You can't have to much life in a tank and you have to take advantage of it if you can
Paul B
Well-Known Member
One of my clown gobies disappeared which is a relief. She probably died of old age or just retired as she laid eggs every week for a couple of years and between her and her boy friend killed a large acropora by covering it with eggs. I think that was their intention all along.
I am not going to replace her as I still got her boyfriend and he looks like he is also getting on in years. They don't have a very long lifespan, maybe 5 years or so. The rest of the fish are doing great and many of them are still spawning. I don't know exactly hao many fish I have as some of them hide for weeks and I rarely get a glimps of them. The pistol shrimp are still digging up the tank and making things fall.
A large montipora was overgrown by an encrusting gorgonian that grew faster and it killed it. But that is a good thing as it is normal (but expensive)
It is perfectly normal for corals to out grow neighboring corals and kill them, that is what they are supposed to do. I didn't put the montipora or gorgonian there, they just grew there so it was not up to me to move them. Survival of the fittest happens in the sea and in a mature, healthy tank.
I am not going to replace her as I still got her boyfriend and he looks like he is also getting on in years. They don't have a very long lifespan, maybe 5 years or so. The rest of the fish are doing great and many of them are still spawning. I don't know exactly hao many fish I have as some of them hide for weeks and I rarely get a glimps of them. The pistol shrimp are still digging up the tank and making things fall.
A large montipora was overgrown by an encrusting gorgonian that grew faster and it killed it. But that is a good thing as it is normal (but expensive)
It is perfectly normal for corals to out grow neighboring corals and kill them, that is what they are supposed to do. I didn't put the montipora or gorgonian there, they just grew there so it was not up to me to move them. Survival of the fittest happens in the sea and in a mature, healthy tank.
Basile
Well-Known Member
I have had a local animal tank longer than my reef tank, but not continousely. I am at the sea a few times a week and I own a boat so I collect all the time. I am going this afternoon.
I must say i really envy you for living near the sea and being able to collect all kinds of speciment.
Paul B
Well-Known Member
One of my banana fish has a very severe case of Pop eye and if I could catch him, I could cure him in 5 seconds but he doesn't believe me and as soon as I approach the tank with a hypodermic needle, he hides. Go figure. It is healing and now most of the gas bubble has migrated to his forehead which makes him look like a Cyclops. If I get ambitious I will break out the fish trap and try to get him, just because he looks freakish and probably can't read well as one eye is facing the wrong direction.
He will probably get back to normal in a couple of weeks or so.
I am also having a hard time feeding the copperband as he eats a very expensive meal a couple of times a day. He has grown a little larger than I would like and those things like to eat continousely with no regard to how much worms cost. Yesterday I bought some chowder clams which should last a while.
My mandarins are nice and healthy looking but I am not sure if they spawned in a couple of months. My wife's hospital stay put a dent on my fish feeding and they had to go some days fending on their own, which is fine. Mandarins are a very low maintenance fish and you don't have to feed them. They will live fine in a tank with a lot of pods. My tank has plenty of pods and I even feed the pods pellets a couple of times a day.
But if you want mandarins to be really healthy and spawn, they often need additional feedings of worms and baby brine shrimp.
My possum wrasse is still very cool looking as are my pipefish.
I went to a store yesterday and almost bought some purple firefish but I know they jump out as I have lost everyone I ever bought like that. I mentioned that if I buy certain fish like firefish, jawfish or ribbon eels, to save time, when I buy such fish, I just open the bag and throw them on the floor. It's like if I go to Atlantic City or Vegas. As soon as I enter the casino, I walk past the slot machines, craps tables and roulette wheels, find the nearest garbage can and throw in 4 or $500.00. Then I leave the casino and go out for a good time. Why would you want to waste a day losing when you can save time by throwing away the money quickly and move on.
He will probably get back to normal in a couple of weeks or so.
I am also having a hard time feeding the copperband as he eats a very expensive meal a couple of times a day. He has grown a little larger than I would like and those things like to eat continousely with no regard to how much worms cost. Yesterday I bought some chowder clams which should last a while.
My mandarins are nice and healthy looking but I am not sure if they spawned in a couple of months. My wife's hospital stay put a dent on my fish feeding and they had to go some days fending on their own, which is fine. Mandarins are a very low maintenance fish and you don't have to feed them. They will live fine in a tank with a lot of pods. My tank has plenty of pods and I even feed the pods pellets a couple of times a day.
But if you want mandarins to be really healthy and spawn, they often need additional feedings of worms and baby brine shrimp.
My possum wrasse is still very cool looking as are my pipefish.
I went to a store yesterday and almost bought some purple firefish but I know they jump out as I have lost everyone I ever bought like that. I mentioned that if I buy certain fish like firefish, jawfish or ribbon eels, to save time, when I buy such fish, I just open the bag and throw them on the floor. It's like if I go to Atlantic City or Vegas. As soon as I enter the casino, I walk past the slot machines, craps tables and roulette wheels, find the nearest garbage can and throw in 4 or $500.00. Then I leave the casino and go out for a good time. Why would you want to waste a day losing when you can save time by throwing away the money quickly and move on.