Aloha! A trip of a lifetime...

[myerst2]

campbell this is the easiest opportunity to make fun of a angelfish lover!!!! They are an amazing group of aquarists who broke many barriers in breeding many different angelfish. The impossible became possible with these guys. Oh, please come back. Regards, Tim

 

[euod]

Beautiful story. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way. Great pics, too. Thanks for sharing and congratulation.

 

[ChuckLawson]

Absolutely great story -- thanks!!

 

[ccampbell57]

Tim I know...I feel so dumb that I never heard of them before! Now that i have their site in my favorites I will be checking in on them from time to time.

I am glad that you brought it to my attention!

 

[ccampbell57]

So far, the Bandit is eating everything in the tank. I took out the clown trigger as he and the bandit were facing off and I was having absolutely none of that.

This guy has taken a liking to the bandit and lets him eat near him (which no other fish in the tank can do). I would assume this is due to the fact that the emperor is almost 4 times the size of the bandit.

 

[Tangwich]

Hey Ccampbell, thanks again for the great story. I'm curious how is the Blueface angel treating the Bandit? Asking because when I had my Blueface, he was boss in my tank and no other fish was welcomed after he was established in my 225g. Beautiful Bandit and spectacular Emperor btw.

 

[kdblove_99]

Sounds like an incredible trip! Thanks for sharing

 

[ziyaadb]

Fantastic story Thanks man, what dreams are made off

 

[ccampbell57]

Hey Tangwich,

The blueface and the Bandit sleep in the same cave of rocks. At first the blueface was the only one that would not face off against thte bandit. He was very curious about the bandit but they pretty much pals from the start.

The queen has been the only angel to really get under the skin of the bandit. She gives a 1 second chase every once in a while and then cruises off.

My emperor is by far the boss of the tank. There is no fish in there that dares to mess with him. The blueface comes out to hang out but when the emperor doesnt want him around he is no where to be seen.

 

[95Harley]

Awesome story and trip. I'll have to give Rob a call and schedule a trip that simply sounds incredible.

I have not been back in 5 yrs, but this story makes me want to book a trip.

 

[Tangwich]

That's great Ccampbell. So what's the fish list in the tank with the Bandit. I'm curious to know what other fish are co-existing with the Bandit. YOu are making me want to turn my 225g into a FOWLR setup.

 

[ccampbell57]

The current stocklist is:

Angels:
Bandit
Emperor
Blueface
Queen

Tangs:
Male Blonde Naso
Naso
Hippo yellow tail

Trigger:
Niger

Prior to the Bandit I had:
Male Crosshatch (passed due to the fact that a 180 was WAAAAY to small for this guy) I would say these guys need at least 400+ gallons.
Clown trigger (started to pick at the bandit last night)

 

[Tangwich]

That's my dream stocklist, but substitute the regular Naso for a Purple or Powder Blue Tang. Great job. YOu wouldn't happen to have a video of these guys in there, would you? I would love to see that..

 

[stunreefer]

Chris,

First off, B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L-L FOWLR aquarium!

This story just got better and better. You made my week!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[ccampbell57]

Tang - No videos...although I could go take one. Ill try later today. I used to have a powder blue tang and he was a little too aggressive with new fish. I liked him, but will eventually be getting an Achillies.

Stunreefer - thanks for the props. I am glad that I could share this with a bunch of other reef nuts like myself!

 

[Tangwich]

Hot damn, I thought a Powder Blue but I completely forgot about how great an achillis would look in there..great choice. Can't wait to see a video, that would make everyone that's viewing this thread go even more nuts over your tank and fish. I thank you on behalf of everyone, especially everyone subscribed as I have done.

 

[myerst2]

I thought I had posted this question already but can't find it. Apologies if this is a repeat. Campbell mentioned the Yellow mouth moray that was caught during his trip. The diver said they are about as valuable as a Dragon. Also that the yellow mouths are endemic to Hawaii. As I am always trying to learn more and more about fish I looked up some info on Yellow Mouths. Are you talking about Gymnothorax nudivomer? If so they have quite a range and are not a Hawaiian endemic. According to fishbase.org Nudivomer is found Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and Transkei, South Africa (Ref. 3257) to the Hawaiian and Marquesan islands, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to New Caledonia. Did the eel look like this?
http://fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.cfm?ID=7465&what=species

Believe me campbell not trying to prove you wrong, just trying to learn something new. If this isn't the eel, do you know of it's scientific name. Thanks, so much. Hows the new guy adjusting? What are you keeping the temp of your tank at? Thanks, Tim

 

[ccampbell57]

Tim - I looked at the eel and this is indeed the eel we caught. I can tell from the head and tail markings. I dont know much about eels so I was going on what Rob told me about this particular specimen. According to fishbase, they are indeed found elsewhere besides Hawaii. I did a little more research on this guy and found some places on line that have them for sale. They are asking for $799.

Though the eel is as rare as the dragon, it is no where near as cool looking IMHO. Plus it has the added factor of being poisonous!

As for the Bandit he is doing awesome. He is swimming around and making buds with everyone nicely. He has made great use of all the nooks and crannies that none of the other larger fish can fit through. He is now eating pellets (small and large size), Mysis, spirolina cubes, and meat cubes.

I moved the temperature of the tank down to 75.9 to come close to what he is used to. It is funny, the fish love the new temp. I used to keep it at around 79-80, but everyone seems very happy at the lower temp.

I have a feeling that is why my crosshatch didnt do so well either. Lower water temps are what these deep water fish are used to.

 

[myerst2]

I think everyone with a FO tank should keep there tank around 76. That is where I keep mine. There are only positive things that can come of it. More oxygen, less fish metabolism, costs less to heat the tank, and I can't remember the rest right now. My tank runs at 75.9 to at the most 77.2. Great to hear a bandit of that size is eating as well as yours is. Do you use any type of gel-based home made food. If you don't I would highly recommend doing so. This is what RCT, (have you heard of RCT. j/k) and the Waikiki Aquarium use for keeping and breeding fish that are usually considered very difficult to keep in captivity. Regards, Tim

 

[Tangwich]

Sorry but I have more questions..can you please go into detail as to the equipment that you are currently running on this system that holds such great looking and incredibly healthy fish? Also what is your qt procedure? Thanks for taking the time.