430gal., L-shaped display
- Thread starter JohnL
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"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Jonathan--But can you blame them for asking? I'd assume every dermatologist on the west coast asks the same question. Around here, they just pretty much assume that everyone will get skin cancer sooner or later. 300+ sunny days a year (oops, I wasn't supposed to say that where people from out-of-state can hear...) and not a whole lot of atmosphere to protect you.
Jim--Thanks! Sexing the blennies.... According to Wittenrich (if you haven't bought his book yet-- http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Illu...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241218733&sr=8-1 --you should. It's fantastic!!), all the blennies are sequential hermaphrodites, usually with the male ending up as the larger of the two. So, pairing is often a simple matter of buying one very large one and one very small one. Easy. Given the fat abdomen and the speed in which it was lost sometime over the course of the evening, I'm fairly tempted to think that this might be a blenny species where the large ones are the females. The larvae are supposed to be harder than clowns, but not tremendously so, though that varies across species. Especially as "blenny" encompasses a large number of species.
I've not yet found any reproductive or rearing information on this particular species, but I've seen a picture of a lawnmower blenny eggball and I assume it's fairly similar.
Filefish update: I cleaned the glass in their tank and now the male's spent all day attacking himself in the mirror. Sigh. The female's looking lonely.
The tanks' pH is slowly coming up. I've raised it by roughly a point over the last week, increasing the amount of kalkwasser added per day from 1 liter on day one up to 6 liters today. I'm going to keep with the slow increase 'til it gets to where I want (or until the kalkwasser's spent).
I've also just about rigged up my old RO canisters to hold a bunch of carbon (and maybe anti-phos at some future date). Water clarity really sucks at the moment, maybe because of all the algae dying off.
Biowerks--Thanks! Can't do the seahare, my wife has a "no everters" rule for the tank.
Jim--Thanks! Sexing the blennies.... According to Wittenrich (if you haven't bought his book yet-- http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Illu...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241218733&sr=8-1 --you should. It's fantastic!!), all the blennies are sequential hermaphrodites, usually with the male ending up as the larger of the two. So, pairing is often a simple matter of buying one very large one and one very small one. Easy. Given the fat abdomen and the speed in which it was lost sometime over the course of the evening, I'm fairly tempted to think that this might be a blenny species where the large ones are the females. The larvae are supposed to be harder than clowns, but not tremendously so, though that varies across species. Especially as "blenny" encompasses a large number of species.
I've not yet found any reproductive or rearing information on this particular species, but I've seen a picture of a lawnmower blenny eggball and I assume it's fairly similar.
Filefish update: I cleaned the glass in their tank and now the male's spent all day attacking himself in the mirror. Sigh. The female's looking lonely.
The tanks' pH is slowly coming up. I've raised it by roughly a point over the last week, increasing the amount of kalkwasser added per day from 1 liter on day one up to 6 liters today. I'm going to keep with the slow increase 'til it gets to where I want (or until the kalkwasser's spent).
I've also just about rigged up my old RO canisters to hold a bunch of carbon (and maybe anti-phos at some future date). Water clarity really sucks at the moment, maybe because of all the algae dying off.
Biowerks--Thanks! Can't do the seahare, my wife has a "no everters" rule for the tank.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
And, another filefish update. Day 125 in my care! And 65 days in a tank with _no_ corals....
Male:
Female (sorry the glass wasn't so clean):
And a random blue-spot photo from yesterday:
Male:
Female (sorry the glass wasn't so clean):
And a random blue-spot photo from yesterday:
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Pretty crazy right? That's the poor jawfish that had rock accidently dropped on it at the fish store. The jaw's pretty bent up, but the fish seems to have recovered really well.
The male file's been crazy since I posted this with almost constant displays. Here's one right in front of the camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiei80SPObc
The male file's been crazy since I posted this with almost constant displays. Here's one right in front of the camera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiei80SPObc
driftin
New member
Why can't I quote you in my reply? 5 tries and no luck. Let's try a quick reply instead...
I do have a copy of his book purchased at mwp's recommendation. I'm looking forward to whatever information you learn on these guys! Our starry blenny was our second resident and is our only bachelor. We'd love to find him (her?) a mate, but we're more than a little nervous about territoriality etc etc. He's had the tank to himself for years and doesn't like any new-comers. No violence, but a lot of positioning... what a ham. :lol:
I do have a copy of his book
purchased at mwp's recommendation. I'm looking forward to whatever information you learn on these guys! Our starry blenny was our second resident and is our only bachelor. We'd love to find him (her?) a mate, but we're more than a little nervous about territoriality etc etc. He's had the tank to himself for years and doesn't like any new-comers. No violence, but a lot of positioning... what a ham. :lol:
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Jim--Mine was already established when I added the second. I did get one that was quite a bit smaller. There was some aggression (pretty much just chasing, but from all the way across the tank) for the first 24 hours or so. After that, not so much. If you'd like to play it safe, make a little box out of eggcrate or something and line it with mesh and then put the newcomer in there. That way the old blenny can see and smell the new blenny and they can interact but they can't really hurt each other.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
My lovely bride wandered in with a low-end video camera (with really nice optics (Zeiss) ) today. What must I do but immediately try to make a macro lens for it out of a pair of binoculars I found in the basement?
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3CTwhjrYqQ
This is obviously just a test shoot, but what do you think?
) today. What must I do but immediately try to make a macro lens for it out of a pair of binoculars I found in the basement?Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3CTwhjrYqQ
This is obviously just a test shoot, but what do you think?
Wheel of Time
New member
zeiss optics doesnt sound low-end to me!!! 
You do a real nice job updating your thread with pics and video. The macro lens out of binoculars is a nice touch -- clever.
Looks good.
You do a real nice job updating your thread with pics and video. The macro lens out of binoculars is a nice touch -- clever.
Looks good.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
It's just a little Handycam. No filter threads on the lens or anything (humph ).
Thanks! The binoculars thing is just something I ran across on the web. Binocs have pretty decent achromatic optics. So you take the two large lenses off, reverse them to themselves, and tape them together. A little tape around the camera to hold them on and you're good to go. Easy. My lovely bride was horrified at me wrapping tape around the new camera, though.
).Thanks! The binoculars thing is just something I ran across on the web. Binocs have pretty decent achromatic optics. So you take the two large lenses off, reverse them to themselves, and tape them together. A little tape around the camera to hold them on and you're good to go. Easy.
My lovely bride was horrified at me wrapping tape around the new camera, though. Wheel of Time
New member
LOL. I can only imagine the look on her face after you dismantled the binoculars and were taping the whole contraption to her new handycam!!! :eek1:
That's great!
Good tip, though. Im definately going to try it. Thanks
-- Seth
That's great!
Good tip, though. Im definately going to try it. Thanks
-- Seth
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Sure. Works for cameras, too.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Certainly. In fact, I think I'm scheduled to host a club meeting in September if you're interested in that route. I'll probably be fighting the same algae issues. Otherwise, let me know.
Otherwise, let me know.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
By the way, y'all, good news! I've had a female green mandarin in the tank for a while now, but she's been looking lonely (swimming up high in the water column in the evenings before lights out, looking for a buddy). I added a male green a few days ago for her, but it took several days for them to find each other after several near-misses. Well, they finally met late this evening and already look inseparable!
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Double post. Good night!
JCR's Reef
New member
Thats awsome! Mine did the same thing, swam in the water colum and then one day decided to make a run for the threaded ocean...It ate frozen and live food so I dont think it was hunting..Ill wait until I make a top til I add another. One of my favorite fish for sure...Great build by the way..
Hopeful Reefer
Premium Member
Andy, any way to tell the difference between a male and female? I have a psychadelic mandarin in my tank and was curious...
Sounds cool though!!
Sounds cool though!!
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Thanks, Josh!
Jason--Yep, the first dorsal fin on the males is very long and spiky.
Picture of a male:
From here: http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/Mandarin-Dragonet-Green_246_61_4_4.html
Picture of a female:
From here: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=747+871+551&pcatid=551
Jason--Yep, the first dorsal fin on the males is very long and spiky.
Picture of a male:
From here: http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/Mandarin-Dragonet-Green_246_61_4_4.html
Picture of a female:
From here: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=747+871+551&pcatid=551
