Lorraine's Rebuilding of 125 gal Tank

[charlir1954]

Even after your disaster, you still have a nice tank. I'll bet it will be spectacular again in a short time and probably better than before.

[bluespotjawfish]

Thanks. Here are the stats of my tank today:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 mg/L
Phosphate 0.5 ppm
Alk 14.4 dKH (water going into the tank is 10.7 dKH)
Calc 420 ppm (bumping the calcium up to this with B-Ionic Calcium Buffer)
Magnesium 1260 ppm
Salinity 1.024
ph 8.0
Temp 78

My Maroon clown has taken a liking to my fuzzy mushroom. So far the mushroom doesn't seem to mind it. Some of my mushrooms have already split. Bluespot has another new home which is where we can see him again. The fish have let the candy corals stay in the same place for a whole day now, so hopefully they will bounce back.

http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/Re6FW9Wu

Check out the link about to my new photoshow of my tank as it has progressed to date! Here is a sneak preview:

[lcstorc]

I love your photoshows. Is that a free site like photobucket?
Everything looks great. Don't worry about the clown hosting in the mushroom they often host in mushrooms which are closely related to anemones. Mine seems to be hosting in my scrolling hammer now. unfortunately his anemone died so I am glad to see him find a new host.
BTW the look on the face of the bluespot is wonderful. You should post that pic separately so lazy people can see it. I still want one, but can't make myself spend the money right now. Maybe someone will be nice with a lfs gift certificate for my b-day in June. Want a new pony tank for my anniversary so the bluespot will just have to wait till b-day time.

[bluespotjawfish]

I get photoshow free with my Comcast internet service. I haven't used photobucket. Here is a pic of bluespot in the same place, with a few new corals. I have gotten Christmas, New Years, Mothers Day, 4th of July, Birthday, Labor Day and Thanksgiving all in the past few weeks and none of that compares to bluespot. Enjoy yet another photo...

[lcstorc]

He is adorable. Someday I will break down and buy one.

[bluespotjawfish]

Boy what a difference just a few days has made. Even without cleaning yesterday, there was no gunk on the rocks at all when I cleaned them today! Nitrate, Phosphate, and Alk are continuing to decline. There is almost order in the universe again! Current stats:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 1 mg/L
Phosphate 0.1 ppm
Alk 13.0 dKH
Calc 420 ppm
Magnesium 1260 ppm
Salinity 1.024
ph 8.0
Temp 78

New addition:

[bluespotjawfish]

THE UNIVERSE IS OUT OF ORDER -- BLUESPOT IS MISSING --

[bluespotjawfish]

Check out the updated photoshow. We found us a new Bluespot today, but we are still hoping the other one shows up - we miss him!

http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/Xa8ig3uW

[lcstorc]

Oh no! Not bluespot. I love that fish. Is the coral a sun coral? If so know that you have to target feed them preferrably with the cut bottle on top. Each head needs to be fed so they can be quite challenging.

[lgerold]

I'm glad your tank is feeling better. Do two bluespots do well in a tank together? Do bluespots eat ornamental shrimp like cleaners?

[bluespotjawfish]

So far the sun polyp has been very cooperative. I have already used your bottle idea for filter feeding it. It also opens up when I feed the fish, so I filter feed right after the fish are fed so I don't have to coax him at all and the fish aren't as annoying.

IME Bluespots are very well behaved with everything. Of course if something comes toward there hole, they open their big wide mouth to convince them they don't want to try. They usually don't even occupy the same area of the tank as cleaners. Bluespots stay on the bottom in a hole, the cleaner's I have had found a place about mid-level in my tank. My Bluespot has shared his hole (when the hole was big enough to) with other fish and anenome crabs.

I do warn you that they are costly, AND they do like to jump, especially when they are scared (like when you first introduce them to the tank or you are cleaning the tank). I forgot how fast, how high, and how often they jump. I was glad my tank was covered yesterday when we added the new guy. He was jumping even in the bag.

As for two Bluespots, I don't think I have two, as the old one hasn't come out at all. I would think that he would have come out if he was around when the new guy was added, but nothing. I have a 125 gallon tank, so I might get away with having two bottom feeders of the same body type, but I typically don't try because it would be too sad if it didn't work out well for both of them.

The new guy is in the middle of digging his hole in the front corner of the tank, right next to me and my couch where I can visit with him all the time (where the old one lived for years).

HERE'S TO A HAPPY, NEW, AND LONG-LIVING BLUESPOT!

[lcstorc]

Go bluespot go.
I am still seriously considering this fish as probably my final addition. In reality it is only the price and jumping that has prevented me from buying one already. They just look so spectacular that they are really hard to avoid if you can find one.
Have you had any trouble with the bluespot and any particular fish? That would be great to know.
Thanks and good luck with the new guy.

[bluespotjawfish]

I haven't had any problems. I thought of you when mine kept jumping yesterday though. I avoid buying other bottom dwellers of the same body type. For example, I wouldn't get another type of jawfish or something like a diamond back goby with the Bluespot in my tank. I do have other two other bottom dwellers (can't remember their name but I think they are in the goby family) who have done just fine with them. Even yesterday when I brought the new guy in, no one picked on him and he didn't pick on anyone. My fish have been around so long that they beat the crap out of any one new, so I was surprised. I bought a bi-color blenny at the same time. He is too cute! I haven't had one for a while because I couldn't find one that I liked and I figured it would get picked on. I figured Bluespot stood a better chance if I introduced him into the tank at the same time. Both are very happy. The new Bluespot has already accepted the anemone crab in his hole (which is very small).

You will know when you find YOUR Bluespot. He will come home with you, even if you don't plan on bringing one home. I saw this guy on Friday and past him up, thinking I would give the old one some more time to show up. I hunted for the old one all day, dreamt about the new guy, then called the store and told them to hold him for me. He was a steal at $90! Two weeks ago they had a several of them for $130! This guy has a lot more color than they did too, so I am very happy! Isn't he cute?

[lcstorc]

They are beautiful fish no debate on that. I actually have a number of bottom dwelers including an engineer goby, and orange spot goby, and likely several that are not in my sleep deprived brain ATM. The tank is 6ft long so I think he could make himself a home somewhere.
How about some pics of the bicolor?

[bluespotjawfish]

One of these days my professional photographer friends are supposed to take some shots of the tank. They took shots of my dogs last year and it was amazing the detail they can get. Bicolor will have to wait until then, because with my camera he just looks like a little black blob. He seems real comfortable with the tank and has several places where he hangs out.

Bluespot has dug a deeper and bigger hole and is eating well. The anenome crab has been kicked out to make his own way in the world.

My sun polyp isn't opening it's tenticles when I feed it for some reason. The mouth itself is opening up for the food, but not the tenticles. I'm having the same problem with the trumpet coral. Wish I could figure out what I am doing wrong. I'm running one set of lights for 12 hours, and the other for about 6-1/2. Each set has 1 blue and 1 white blub. He is under the portion of the tank covered by the 6-1/2 light, but gets some light for the other light too. A portion of him is shaded, but if I put him under any more the fish just mess with him, cause that is their space. Should I cut back on the lighting? Alk is still a bit high (around 12), but I am keeping the calcium in balance with that. I am only doing WC's twice a week now. Still have a bit of Nitrate (2.5) and Phosphates (.25). Salinity is 1.024 and I now have a drip line so the water is auto top off to keep that more stable. I've always had trumphet coral and it has thrived in the past. The fish picked on it a lot when it was introduced, but most of it has been left alone for a while now. There is good fleash covering the heads, they just stay very tightly closed. No one has picked on the sun coral. Mushrooms, frogspawn, hammers are all opening very nicely.

As long as your existing bottom dwellers will not pick on the Bluespot when he is introduced, I don't think he would bother them and they are usually content to move to a place that doesn't bother anyone else. If there is too much competition though he may end up in the back of your tank where you can't see him. Or, he may jump around more while he settles in. I'm not that familiar with the gobys you have. My Bluespot has not jumped since the first day when he built his hole.