Lynn and Frank's saltwater adventure.

[lcstorc]

I have proudly added the new button. I think I definitely qualify.
Waiting for the sea pen to quit pouting. I think he got stung by one of my frogspawn while floating around the tank so he is now in the pony tank and starting to imprpove. I hope to have pics of the new additions tomorrow.
I also moved the scooter blenney to the fuge with 2 bags of live pods and added 1 bag to the reef. Hopefully he will come around but he wasn't looking very good. He certainly should have access to lots of pods now I just hope I was not too late.

[blue_eyes53813]

I need that banner too... Lynn we should all sign up for counseling

[lcstorc]

I think you qualify as well. Copy the pic and join in. I hate to be lonely.

[Craig Manoukian]

Lynn,

Sorry to hear of your losses. A caution not to add to much too soon. Can cause ammonia spikes which can as you know, be hard on fish. Say "go slow and let it grow", eh? Gotta remind myself of that always!

[Gina]

How's your Scooter doing Lynn?

[bluespotjawfish]

It's a good thing it was a chromis that jumped out and not your new Bluespot. Oh wait, you got coral instead of a new Bluespot? Do you need more pictures to help you focus? Have you tried the wire mesh stuff for the top instead of the egg crate (or on top of the egg crate). I still have glass on mine, but should open it up I guess.

Sorry for your loss, really!

[lcstorc]

Well I could not find the scooter blenney this morning in the fuge. Hopefully he is happily eating pods and fattening up a bit. I will look harder tonight when I have more time. I will also post pics of the new corals and anything else that just comes out right.
I do think the bluespot may be taking over my birthday list. Every time I see one or see a pic I want it more and more.
What kind of wire mesh are you referring to on top of the egg crate? I have never tried that. How much light does it block? I am only funning 3 150w 10,000k MH w/4 96W PC bulbs for the reef and I am afraid of blocking too much light. Glass is definitely not an option at least until we get the chiller up and running and I'm not sure I would do it even then. Maybe not that I have the large sump and fuge that may be enough for gass exchange. I'll jave to think on that since I have lost several fish to jumping both before and after the eggcrate.

[bluespotjawfish]

I thought Steve posted something on the wire mesh, I think you get it from the hardware store. Maybe it was the stuff they use to cover rain gutters. I wonder if the wire mesh would pick up heat from the light and add heat to the tank though. Hopefully someone will provide some additional ideas to keep that new birthday Bluespot in your tank. As for pics I can help there:

[lcstorc]

You are killiing me here. Maybe the bluespot for the anniversary and the new tank for the birthday. That is such a spectacular fish and he appears to have tons of personality. Hmm if I get the new pony tank I could make the 24 home to a pair of bluespots. That could be interresting.
EEK Yet another idea to spend money on.

[lcstorc]

Well just have time for a quick update but should have time to post new pics while I am in Phoenix this week.
Update has some good and some bad.
First the good. We got the chiller and plumbed it in last night. A couple of small leaks but I am sure he will have those fixed sometime today so I now have a chiller on the system which should really help come summer. The one I bought also has a heater attachment so I should be able to control the temp within a 2 degree range. At least that is what the book says.
Now for the bad. I lost my scooter blenney. He apparently starved but I really do not think it was due to lack of food. I bought 3 bags of live pods a week ago and added him and 2 bags to the fuge and now see them crawling all over the glass in the reef and the fuge. I only have 2 ideas. 1 something else was wrong with him or 2 I added the pods too late and he was unable to eat them. Regardless he is gone. Hopefully I will get another since we really loved this fish and it was one of the first we purchased. I am going to wait for my new fuge to really get kicking and then replace him though it will not be the same,
The other piece of bad news is I think I will be losing my seahorse shortly. He hasn't eaten in over 2 days and is getting quite skinny. I have no idea of the reason but I think if I do loose him I will switch types of ponies. So far I have only had kudas but think I will try redi next. I just can't give up the ponies entirely since they are my absolute favorite. They are also the primary reason I bought the chiller since they prefer cooler water. I am hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.
One other piece of interresting news is that when Witfull said the plate coral can move he was absolutely correct. (I never really doubted him but it did seem really wierd.) My plate is doing wonderful and has moved himself out from under the arch where I had him acclimating to the higher lighting. Apparently he wanted the extra light and has moved 3-4 inches in the week I have had him. When I get back from my trip I plan to move him to the top of one of the arches since he obviously loves light. He also loves to be target fed and grabs up the mysis we squirt to him.
This is a very interresting coral and I will be sure to post some pics of him on my trip. Hopefully tonight but for sure sometime this week.

[aquaman3680]

Hey lynn... Why not give the erectus a shot? I have had redis before, and you cant really find any great colors with out paying big bucks for them... I just got my own plate coral...Hope it doesnt move

Matt

[lcstorc]

I may give them a try. Just want to try something a bit different and most of the lfs here cary redi. I'll look around and see what I can find.
Thanks for the info.
BTW the plate moved pretty slowly so it wasn't like a buldozer or anything, I think it just wanted more light so it found it. Best of luck with yours I absolutely love mine.

[sasquatch]

Oh dang, sorry about your" scooty", I have given up on them for now, dont know what it is but afer a few weeks to a couple of months they just fade away.What are these bags of pods? Ive never seen or heard of this.Steve

[lcstorc]

They sell them at my lfs and some on-line stores. The pods are in water with a bit of what looks like cheato. They have a very short shelf life. I think the bag said 2 weeks but the ones I bought were less than a week old and you could see the little buggers moving around so I know some at least were live. They are very small so I think they could be amphipods but either way it was worth a try. Now I am just hoping they multiply in my fuge to keep the mandarin fat. BTW I had the scooter for close to a year with no problems at all. It was just the last few weeks we noticed him losing more and more weight.
I am truly stumped particularly since we added him when the tank was brand new (not knowing any better). There had to be almost no pods at that point but he was just fine. Next time I am at the LFS I will look for a brand name for you. That could help you find them on the net. Unfortunately I threw away the bags after I emptied them.

[Dentoid]

Lynn. Sorry to hear about you Scotter. I was considering putting a fighting conch in my tank. Since you so highly recommend them, I thought I'd ask you. Can they be in the main display tank? Do they mess with the aquascape? Do they prefer fine sand or does it matter. I have a mix of fine and crushed coral, however, the larger stuff tends to work its way to the top. How was Phoenix? Thanks for your input.