Kate's Reef Adventure
- Thread starter GGKate
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my cleaner shrimp molts every few months, I leave them in, 1st time I saw it, I posted here on RS thinking I lost him & learned
he just molted.
my cleaner shrimp molts every few months, I leave them in, 1st time I saw it, I posted here on RS thinking I lost him & learned
he just molted.Gasturbineguy
Member
+1^ calcium
my cleaner shrimp molts every few months, I leave them in, 1st time I saw it, I posted here on RS thinking I lost him & learned
Lol @ that moment of panic when you think your shrimp just bit the dust... then see him hanging upside down on some LR. Good times
Yep when I thought I lost mine, everyone said he was in hiding & hardening his new shell, a few days latter he appeared just like they said and I was very happy
just like they said and I was very happyMy shrimp was standing next to the exo and my first though was that it was an evil hitchhiker about to eat my shrimp! It was swaying in the water jets like it was alive and that see through head is quite disturbing if you've never seen it before. Of course, logically, I wondered how such a large thing could hide for so long, and you have my full permission to laugh, but if I've learnt anything so far it's to expect surprises!
Back to the LFS today. Good news: my tank chemistry is ready for fish! I didn't get any today because they didn't have a pair of clowns in stock, but they're getting more in during the week and expecting me to pick them up next Saturday. I did get my peppermint, and three turbo snails, plus glass cleaning kit.
I'd been a bit worried about brown algae levels, because it all looked a bit murky, but I didn't realise quite how much algae had accumulated on the glass. Now it's all clean, the tank looks fantastic and can see that the CUC have been doing a fantastic job, when I thought they'd been a bit idle! Each of the crabs seemed to be in the same spot every day, so I was concerned that they weren't eating, but yesterday, I plucked a couple off the rocks and popped them on the sand, which is still quite dirty, in the hope that they would have a nibble, and this morning, they'd gone back to where I'd taken them from! I find it quite remarkable that they have mapped out the tank well enough to return to exactly the same position when moved.
Shrimpy, the skunk cleaner shrimp, I was concerned about because I'd not seen him eating. Now, he's nibbling away like a pro, so I suspect that was down to the giving birth/moulting. He's really come out of his shell (pardon the irresistible pun) and is much more out in the open and prancing about. They're real characters, aren't they?
As a keen gardener, snails have never been a favourite of mine, but these are clearing up the remnants of the algae on the glass very well and it's fascinating to see their little mouths chomp away.
The peppermint shrimp, Minty (I'm so original), seems to have dug himself out a little cave under a rock at the back. I know they're nocturnal, but will he come out with the blue LEDs on?
So all continues to go to plan.
Just for the purposes of records, I turned the skimmer on for the first time today, and it seems to be working well.
I'd been a bit worried about brown algae levels, because it all looked a bit murky, but I didn't realise quite how much algae had accumulated on the glass. Now it's all clean, the tank looks fantastic and can see that the CUC have been doing a fantastic job, when I thought they'd been a bit idle! Each of the crabs seemed to be in the same spot every day, so I was concerned that they weren't eating, but yesterday, I plucked a couple off the rocks and popped them on the sand, which is still quite dirty, in the hope that they would have a nibble, and this morning, they'd gone back to where I'd taken them from! I find it quite remarkable that they have mapped out the tank well enough to return to exactly the same position when moved.
Shrimpy, the skunk cleaner shrimp, I was concerned about because I'd not seen him eating. Now, he's nibbling away like a pro, so I suspect that was down to the giving birth/moulting. He's really come out of his shell (pardon the irresistible pun) and is much more out in the open and prancing about. They're real characters, aren't they?
As a keen gardener, snails have never been a favourite of mine, but these are clearing up the remnants of the algae on the glass very well and it's fascinating to see their little mouths chomp away.
The peppermint shrimp, Minty (I'm so original), seems to have dug himself out a little cave under a rock at the back. I know they're nocturnal, but will he come out with the blue LEDs on?
So all continues to go to plan.
Just for the purposes of records, I turned the skimmer on for the first time today, and it seems to be working well.
Great Start.. Looks nice. One word of advise, don't wait to address the Aiptasia. The peppermint shrimp might not even look at it. I would zap it quickly with Aiptasia X works great. If you don't do it quickly they will spread fast, and there tough to get rid of.
Just some advise from somebody that had it..
Good luck!
Just some advise from somebody that had it..
Good luck!
Gasturbineguy
Member
Well put BackEast!
Also, maybe ask your LFS about the source for their fish stock e.g. wild caught versus farm raised. Don't imagine you'll be using a QT for the first few fish so may be worth having the LFS hold your selected fish a few weeks to make sure they're eating and healthy. That may already be their routine, I would hope so anyway.
Sound like all is progressing well, you will love the clowns when you get them !
Woke up this morning to find the biggest aiptasia nibbled to a stump. Tonight I tried to stay up to catch him in action, but got distracted by an episode of Downton Abbey and on my next inspection, the only other sizable one was gone. Minty is earning his keep! He's also moulted.
Found a small, white starfish on the glass this afternoon, then promptly spotted another small, blue one and an additional white one. Research suggests that it can be difficult to distinguish reef-safe stars from non-reef-safe, so will be keeping an eye on them.
The LFS has an excellent reputation - the winner of best marine supplier in the south for quite a number of years. They have a livestock charter for the sale and welfare of their stock. My family have used them for over twenty years for tropical and outdoor fish, so I have complete confidence in the quality and treatment of their fish. I don't know if it's common practice, but I really like the fact that they won't sell you so much as a snail without doing a water test.
Found a small, white starfish on the glass this afternoon, then promptly spotted another small, blue one and an additional white one. Research suggests that it can be difficult to distinguish reef-safe stars from non-reef-safe, so will be keeping an eye on them.
The LFS has an excellent reputation - the winner of best marine supplier in the south for quite a number of years. They have a livestock charter for the sale and welfare of their stock. My family have used them for over twenty years for tropical and outdoor fish, so I have complete confidence in the quality and treatment of their fish. I don't know if it's common practice, but I really like the fact that they won't sell you so much as a snail without doing a water test.
I picked up my pair of beautiful clowns (Eric(a) and Ernie) today. They seemed to have settled in very well. For the first couple of hours, they stuck within inches of each other, exploring the tank together, but later, they seemed to become more confident and even playing a bit in the water jets and picking at algae. Shrimpy (skunk cleaner shrimp) took a very keen interest and almost immediately started to feel them with his antennas and made quite a few attempts to swim up to clean them.
I've got to feed them tomorrow, but I have questions about that: the food the LFS has given me is a large flake, and the instructions say to break it up to the appropriate size for the fish, and doesn't say how much to give them; it also says to sprinkle it on top for surface feeders (which I'm guessing the clowns are not) or put it at the bottom or in the middle for others. Would it be appropriate to give them a pinch, crumpled into little pieces and place it at about half way down the tank?
I also have some frozen food cubes of brine shrimp, bits of shellfish and spinach, but since the LFS says not to feed on the day of purchase, it seems logical that they should just have a light meal on their first full day? Shrimpy is munching away quite happily on the LR and Minty polished off the last visible aiptasia last night, so I don't think he's starving - plus I've seen him nibbling away at the LR, too. So I thought I'd leave that a couple of days - does that seem sensible?
I've got to feed them tomorrow, but I have questions about that: the food the LFS has given me is a large flake, and the instructions say to break it up to the appropriate size for the fish, and doesn't say how much to give them; it also says to sprinkle it on top for surface feeders (which I'm guessing the clowns are not) or put it at the bottom or in the middle for others. Would it be appropriate to give them a pinch, crumpled into little pieces and place it at about half way down the tank?
I also have some frozen food cubes of brine shrimp, bits of shellfish and spinach, but since the LFS says not to feed on the day of purchase, it seems logical that they should just have a light meal on their first full day? Shrimpy is munching away quite happily on the LR and Minty polished off the last visible aiptasia last night, so I don't think he's starving - plus I've seen him nibbling away at the LR, too. So I thought I'd leave that a couple of days - does that seem sensible?
Gasturbineguy
Member
Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to feeding time tomorrow.
Gasturpineguy, you made me recall a childhood memory where our tropical fish would follow the food can from one end of the tank to the other, if you waved it across. My parents have a rather large pond that used to be well stocked with goldfish and tench, who would noisily surface for food if they heard the vibrations of tread upon the decking. Things I'd forgotten about, but makes me think that maybe it's not all coincidence that Shrimpy comes to look me in the eye when I sit on my little stool by the aquarium!
The clowns seem to have started their battle of the sexes...
Gasturpineguy, you made me recall a childhood memory where our tropical fish would follow the food can from one end of the tank to the other, if you waved it across. My parents have a rather large pond that used to be well stocked with goldfish and tench, who would noisily surface for food if they heard the vibrations of tread upon the decking. Things I'd forgotten about, but makes me think that maybe it's not all coincidence that Shrimpy comes to look me in the eye when I sit on my little stool by the aquarium!
The clowns seem to have started their battle of the sexes...
Sorry to have been absent for so long. Everything's been going pretty well. Two weeks after I got my clowns I got a toadstool and a rock of zoas and a very active, flower-like coral I cannot recall the name of. Two weeks ago, I bought a Royal Gramma, who took to a nook between the back of the tank and a rock for three days, but then seemed to blossom, but now I've not seen him for six days. It's only a small tank, so if it'd died, surely he'd be floating or being pushed around the tank by the power heads...
Feather duster tube worms are sprouting up all over the place - mostly bright orange, but some purple and white, some green and white and some too small to determine.
I took this video tonight, just after I'd given them their weekly feed of what seems to be mostly frozen brine shrimp, but also purports to be mussels and copepods.
[video=youtube;DUvBzUo4VFQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUvBzUo4VFQ&feature=youtu.be[/video]
(For commentary, skip to 50 seconds or so.)
Feather duster tube worms are sprouting up all over the place - mostly bright orange, but some purple and white, some green and white and some too small to determine.
I took this video tonight, just after I'd given them their weekly feed of what seems to be mostly frozen brine shrimp, but also purports to be mussels and copepods.
[video=youtube;DUvBzUo4VFQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUvBzUo4VFQ&feature=youtu.be[/video]
(For commentary, skip to 50 seconds or so.)
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Good update, hope your Royal Gramma is still alive and re-appears soon. The "flower like active coral" is a Pulsing Xenia, I do believe. They are know to spread very fast.
If you Royal Gramma died, you may not ever know because if you have bristle worms (and most of us do) they probably did their job & cleaned up the remains. I wouldn't hesitate to try getting another Royal Gramma if that one doesn't show back up soon. They are awesome fish to have.
I love your talking accent...I hate mine so I'd trade you in a heart beat if possible!
If you Royal Gramma died, you may not ever know because if you have bristle worms (and most of us do) they probably did their job & cleaned up the remains. I wouldn't hesitate to try getting another Royal Gramma if that one doesn't show back up soon. They are awesome fish to have.
I love your talking accent...I hate mine so I'd trade you in a heart beat if possible!
I know I did have bristle worms, but I haven't seen any in ages - do they really clean up that quickly? The day before it disappeared, it was so very active - almost constantly about and making him place in the tank.
Thanks for the naming of the coral - I did have it on a card, but it got lost. I'm fairly certain it did spread, but it's either been blown to a new position or it's died. The powerheads have blown that frag of zoas I mentioned in the video half way around the tank, but now they're under then and outside of their force.
If you have the Oklahoma accent and you came to the UK, I guarantee you everyone would love your accent!
Thanks for the naming of the coral - I did have it on a card, but it got lost. I'm fairly certain it did spread, but it's either been blown to a new position or it's died. The powerheads have blown that frag of zoas I mentioned in the video half way around the tank, but now they're under then and outside of their force.
If you have the Oklahoma accent and you came to the UK, I guarantee you everyone would love your accent!
You might try Super Glue Gel to glue those frags in place...one big glue glob & quickly stick them to as flat as place as you have close to where they seem to do good. You can watch frag super gluing on you-tube, for how to.
Yep, y'all would think I sounded like a real hillbilly to hear me talk
Yep, y'all would think I sounded like a real hillbilly to hear me talk