redneckgearhead
Active member
congrats!
Barely made the club but time for my 180 upgrade (Warning: Progress may be slow)
- Thread starter nightOwl
- Start date
nightOwl
Premium Member
Thanks! Now if they would just get back on schedule. If they keep it up and lay in the place they are laying now I may be able to try my hands at raising some babies. In the 90 I could not get to them easily. The location they have chosen in the new tank is perfect for me to collect the new babies.
General Updates - Glass Cardinalfish
I do not think I am catching my males in full cycle yet or they are not holding full cycle. Hopefully they will continue to repeat the process so I can get a better idea of how long it takes. I know the Banggai Cardinalfish "“ Pterapogon kauderni hold for around 20 days or more. I will try to increase the feeding so that they can increase the number of days they can go without food. This is what I use to do with my clowns when they first started. As I keep them longer I could tell that if I feed them more the larger the clutch would be. Time for more feeding!!!!
Breeding Notes Recap
8/22 - Thought the mouth looked weird on two glass cardinalfish
8/23 - Same.
8/24 - Realized the weird mouth things was the males holding eggs. Only one male still had eggs.
8/25 - Same.
8/26 - Both had released eggs.
8/27 - Nothing.
8/28 - Nothing.
8/29 - Male looked like he was gasping for air. After further inspection repeat male with eggs...just looks like a white mass. Similar to Clowns the females seem to be bigger. My biggest female "chases" other females from around the male.
8/30 - Two males with white masses in their mouth. No sign of the eyes yet.
8/31 - Two males with white masses in their mouth. Still no sign of the eyes yet.
9/1 - Same...
9/2 - Same...noticed one of the males mouth has a darker mass now.
9/3 - Two males with white masses in mouth are starting to darken a little. I think the eyes may be starting to form.
9/4 - Noticed a third male carrying an egg mass in his mouth during feeding. The males seem to enjoy "sniffing" during feeding time.
9/5 - Three males eggs.
9/6 - Three males holding eggs. The one with the darker mass seems to adjust the mass more in the evenings.
9/7 - Two males with eggs
9/8 - No eggs all fish have released.
9/9 - Same.
9/10 - Cerith eggs 6 shape
9/13 - Cerith eggs 9 shape
9/16 - Two males with eggs
9/17 - Two males with eggs
9/18 - Two males with eggs
9/19 - Two males with eggs
9/20 - Two males with eggs
9/21 - Two males with eggs
9/22 - Two Glass Cardinalfish males with eggs , Clowns laid eggs FINALLY
9/23 - No eggs for Glass Cardinalfish
Breeding Notes Recap
8/22 - Thought the mouth looked weird on two glass cardinalfish
8/23 - Same.
8/24 - Realized the weird mouth things was the males holding eggs. Only one male still had eggs.
8/25 - Same.
8/26 - Both had released eggs.
8/27 - Nothing.
8/28 - Nothing.
8/29 - Male looked like he was gasping for air. After further inspection repeat male with eggs...just looks like a white mass. Similar to Clowns the females seem to be bigger. My biggest female "chases" other females from around the male.
8/30 - Two males with white masses in their mouth. No sign of the eyes yet.
8/31 - Two males with white masses in their mouth. Still no sign of the eyes yet.
9/1 - Same...
9/2 - Same...noticed one of the males mouth has a darker mass now.
9/3 - Two males with white masses in mouth are starting to darken a little. I think the eyes may be starting to form.
9/4 - Noticed a third male carrying an egg mass in his mouth during feeding. The males seem to enjoy "sniffing" during feeding time.
9/5 - Three males eggs.
9/6 - Three males holding eggs. The one with the darker mass seems to adjust the mass more in the evenings.
9/7 - Two males with eggs
9/8 - No eggs all fish have released.
9/9 - Same.
9/10 - Cerith eggs 6 shape
9/13 - Cerith eggs 9 shape
9/16 - Two males with eggs
9/17 - Two males with eggs
9/18 - Two males with eggs
9/19 - Two males with eggs
9/20 - Two males with eggs
9/21 - Two males with eggs
9/22 - Two Glass Cardinalfish males with eggs , Clowns laid eggs FINALLY
9/23 - No eggs for Glass Cardinalfish
nightOwl
Premium Member
General Updates - Bluespotted Jawfish Dead 
Well this morning when I went downstairs to do my normal check I noticed two things. Firstly I did not see Speckles anywhere in his tank. Secondly the bio wheel filter was not running. I frantically began looking around on the floor. I checked all the pvc pipes in the tank and did not see him. I unplugged the filter and plugged it back in...no change. I took the top off removed all filter media and tried again. Finally I pulled the siphon tube off and that is where I saw Speckles. He had gotten sucked up in the siphon tube and caught in the propeller of the pump. Even though he was dead it was hard to pull him out of the hole. Lesson learned never set up QT tank in a hurry! A few weeks ago when I set up the tank I could not find the siphon tube end cap. Its the part that looks like a strainer. The tube diameter is about an inch. I kept saying I would find it or make a strainer. It always sucks when a perfectly healthy fish dies. He had been eating like a pig and was eating everything but pellets and flakes. R.I.P. Speckles.
nightOwl
Premium Member
Man, sorry to hear that
Thanks roni. Make sure they have that strainer part on them. It's hard to pull the fish out once they get in there. Its basically a blender
.
nightOwl
Premium Member
It has been a while since I provided and update so here is an update of where things are now and the sad road I have been down. Since the last update I have managed to kill two other fish besides the blue spot. Bringing my death total to three in less than three weeks made me an official fish killer. I was trying to keep them a secret to make a big splash.
Old News - More Dead Fish
After I lost the Blue Spotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti) on 9/28 I was determined to have a new fish. I cleaned the tank with a mild bleach solution and gave everything a vinegar bath. The LFS that I purchased the Blue Spotted from has a sick collection of wrasses. I ended up purchasing a Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) and a Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus) on 10/1. Everything was going well then they just up and died on 10/5. The night before they were breathing heavy. I was sadden to see both fish dead when I came home from work the next day.
The death of so many fish in a short period of time prompted me to get the water tested and then I found the problem. All three losses were newbie mistakes. QT tank + heavy feeding = ammonia which leads to death. Once again I cleaned the tank with a mild bleach solution and everything a vinegar bath. For a day or two I contemplated no more fish. That did not last long. I decided in order for me to have new fish I needed to modify my QT setup.
I built a new stand that allowed me to add a sump to the QT where I could put a real pump and a skimmer. I basically set up a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump
. I purchased a new heater, a ammonia alert device, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests. No more sneaky ammonia spikes .
Since I never got a change to show off my new fish before there death below is what they looked like before they met their demise. Both were very beautiful fish eating well and flashing! After only two days I could say I had the wrasse bug!
RIP - Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus)
RIP - Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus)
General Updates - New Fish
On 10/9 I was back in the store on a mission. I ended up buying a new Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) and two Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) fish. I was lucky enough to get a male and female fish. I kept the mandarin fish in a separate tank for 5 days and treated them with Instant Ocean Lifeguard. The flasher is still in QT. I have him eating pellets. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I will introduce him to the dt in another week or so. The female mandarin eats brine, mysis, and blood worms the male only mysis and blood worms. After there 5 day treatment they were put into the display tank inside containers. This is the same type of container I plan to use when introducing new wrasses. I released the mandarins into the display tank on 10/22 so they can forage on their own. Another reason was the male mandarin was not too happy about my choice of food for him and had started to loose some weight.
10/9
Inside container in DT
Exploring tank
Old News - More Dead Fish
After I lost the Blue Spotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti) on 9/28 I was determined to have a new fish. I cleaned the tank with a mild bleach solution and gave everything a vinegar bath. The LFS that I purchased the Blue Spotted from has a sick collection of wrasses. I ended up purchasing a Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) and a Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus) on 10/1. Everything was going well then they just up and died on 10/5. The night before they were breathing heavy. I was sadden to see both fish dead when I came home from work the next day.
The death of so many fish in a short period of time prompted me to get the water tested and then I found the problem. All three losses were newbie mistakes. QT tank + heavy feeding = ammonia which leads to death. Once again I cleaned the tank with a mild bleach solution and everything a vinegar bath. For a day or two I contemplated no more fish. That did not last long. I decided in order for me to have new fish I needed to modify my QT setup.
I built a new stand that allowed me to add a sump to the QT where I could put a real pump and a skimmer. I basically set up a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump
. I purchased a new heater, a ammonia alert device, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests. No more sneaky ammonia spikes .Since I never got a change to show off my new fish before there death below is what they looked like before they met their demise
. Both were very beautiful fish eating well and flashing! After only two days I could say I had the wrasse bug!RIP - Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus)
RIP - Blue Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus cyaneus)
General Updates - New Fish
On 10/9 I was back in the store on a mission. I ended up buying a new Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) and two Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) fish. I was lucky enough to get a male and female fish. I kept the mandarin fish in a separate tank for 5 days and treated them with Instant Ocean Lifeguard. The flasher is still in QT. I have him eating pellets
. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I will introduce him to the dt in another week or so. The female mandarin eats brine, mysis, and blood worms the male only mysis and blood worms. After there 5 day treatment they were put into the display tank inside containers. This is the same type of container I plan to use when introducing new wrasses. I released the mandarins into the display tank on 10/22 so they can forage on their own. Another reason was the male mandarin was not too happy about my choice of food for him and had started to loose some weight. 10/9
Inside container in DT
Exploring tank
nightOwl
Premium Member
General Updates - New Fish Continued
My new Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) is still in QT and I will keep him in there another week or so. I will then place him in one of the containers for a week in the DT. After I think the other fish are use to him I will finally let him go in the DT. Since he is a jumper I have been redoing my initial cover for the tank. I had to resize them for the returns I have coming over the back. I re-cut the cover and still need to do a few modifications.
General Updates - Algae Issues
I have tried a few things liking cutting the lights off for three days and even cutting off my VHO's I think one set of bulbs is bad and I need to replace it. So I will just keep them off till I can buy a new set. The tank had become kinda covered in this stuff. The three days no lights killed the majority of it but there are still a few places it is growing. I seem to have two types. The type on the digi and the type on my rock. I
My new Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) is still in QT and I will keep him in there another week or so. I will then place him in one of the containers for a week in the DT. After I think the other fish are use to him I will finally let him go in the DT. Since he is a jumper I have been redoing my initial cover for the tank. I had to resize them for the returns I have coming over the back. I re-cut the cover and still need to do a few modifications.
General Updates - Algae Issues
I have tried a few things liking cutting the lights off for three days and even cutting off my VHO's I think one set of bulbs is bad and I need to replace it. So I will just keep them off till I can buy a new set. The tank had become kinda covered in this stuff. The three days no lights killed the majority of it but there are still a few places it is growing. I seem to have two types. The type on the digi and the type on my rock. I
SaltwaterAdict
New member
Sorry to hear about your fish, if you don't have a lot of fish in the dt you could add them directly to your tank rather than QT. Everyone does it different, but I've found QT's to be problematic. More flux in parameters and water quality is not as good..
nightOwl
Premium Member
SaltwaterAdict - Thanks. I think I have made it over the hump now with the QT. Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite are things I don't test on my main tank anymore since it is pretty stable. I had forgot all about testing with QT. The first lost was a surprise then when I lost the next two I realized I had something wrong. I guess we get so use to our everyday routines we forget about the little things. I am testing the big three for the QT every few days and everything is fine
. I agree with you on QT being problematic so I just made a new tank. I have a skimmer, UV, ATO, sump, the works . Also with the sump it gives me more time to catch issues than before with the bio-wheel filter. I know a lot of people like to keep them really simple but this works for me now that I am on top of things. The next fish will be another wrasse or a tang once the QT is empty.
nightOwl
Premium Member
A long overdue update! I had to put the tank related things on hold for a while over the holidays since I did not have time to really work in the basement much after work. The last few weeks I accomplished a lot but the tank has been suffering since my last post. Algae issues have been really hurting the tank. As a result the colors are not as vibrant as they were when I added many of the corals. 72" VHO's are proving to be harder than expected to get locally. They are part of the issue along with skimmer issues. I am scheduled to send my pump back next week. This will be my 3rd bubble blaster pump once I get this one come back.
I finally put down my floor and all I have to do is paint the trim and attach it to the wall. It turned out really nice. I will tackle the steps later. I can say I have remodeled a basement now. One less thing on the bucket list.
After self leveling concrete cured a few days...
General Updates - Algae Issues
I have to identify what the new algae is but its growing fast! The other one is still cyno.
I am not sure what the snail is in the picture but a few have been popping up in the tank.
General Updates - Random Pictures
It is hard to get a picture of the Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) but the colors are beautiful and he is getting plump...
A few corals have had this happen but they come back. I am not sure what the cause is. Hopefully it will come back.
I finally put down my floor and all I have to do is paint the trim and attach it to the wall. It turned out really nice. I will tackle the steps later. I can say I have remodeled a basement now. One less thing on the bucket list.
After self leveling concrete cured a few days...
General Updates - Algae Issues
I have to identify what the new algae is but its growing fast! The other one is still cyno.
I am not sure what the snail is in the picture but a few have been popping up in the tank.
General Updates - Random Pictures
It is hard to get a picture of the Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus filamentosus) but the colors are beautiful and he is getting plump...
A few corals have had this happen but they come back. I am not sure what the cause is. Hopefully it will come back.
dahenley
New member
That snail looks like a
Nassarious (bad spelling)
Elephant snail
Tonga snail.
All are about the same thing, just labeled different.
What is weird, is they normally have lighter shells because most live in the sand and use their nose to smell food, then come out.
Almost like a conch but way smaller.
That's not to say that's what it is, but its a guess.
Also, nice to see an update! Its been a little while and I really enjoy this thread. Your descriptions and explanations, and the detail you put in things.
I wish i could train myself to be like that
Nassarious (bad spelling)
Elephant snail
Tonga snail.
All are about the same thing, just labeled different.
What is weird, is they normally have lighter shells because most live in the sand and use their nose to smell food, then come out.
Almost like a conch but way smaller.
That's not to say that's what it is, but its a guess.
Also, nice to see an update! Its been a little while and I really enjoy this thread. Your descriptions and explanations, and the detail you put in things.
I wish i could train myself to be like that
nightOwl
Premium Member
dahenley - Thank you for the identification on the snail. I was thinking it was a Nassarius Snail (Nassarius sp.) as well. Then this morning I was searching and found some pictures that look exactly like the snails in my tank. I think it may be the dreaded "whelk"
. I will have to capture one and examine the snout. I don't keep clams so right now I guess I am OK if they are whelks.Thanks for the kind works about my thread
. Hopefully updates will be a little more regular now. I want to see if I can bring the colors back to where they were when I first started.
nightOwl
Premium Member
Steve,
You know you would get the good friend discount.
I am glad to see your tank project is moving along smoothly. You made me start missing my tank again. Now I have to make mine look pretty before you are all done...LOL.
nightOwl
Premium Member
General Updates -Flooring Done (well almost)
I have just about completed the floor now. There are two area near the bottom of the step I have to complete but I am happy. I put the vents back in place and they make a huge difference. My work was not complete without a new toy so I brought my own Brad Nailer that can shot up to 2-1/8" brads. After a trip to Home Depot and reading a few reviews I decided on the item below. I was able to nail and fill all the holes and it looks great.
General Updates - Algae Issues
Due to my algae issues I was forced to call in a "clean-up" crew of sorts. I have been battling the cyno and hair algae for a while now. I placed an order which arrived last Friday 2/3. At first I was a little nervous because the size of the box did not reflect what I had in mind. I ordered 50 Medium Blue Legs (Clibanarius tricolor), 100 Astraea Snails (Astraea tecta) , and 100 + 22 (by accident) Cerith Snails (Cerithium sp.). I can now say Astraea snails are becoming one of my favorite snails. Within 4 days they have mowed down the majority of the nuisance algae in my tank. They are even brave enough to venture on the Tunze guards and eat the algae while the pumps are on. They are pretty strong! They are not really concerned with the cyno but the hair they are wiping out. The packing job of the items was pretty good. It had been a while since I ordered a clean-up crew so I forgot most are shipped with very little water. I was concerned that there would be a lot of die off but followed the directions and I did not loose one critter. The place I ordered from is not a sponsor so I don't think I can say the name but they are based out of Florida and I will be ordering from them again. I like how I received multiple emails explaining their processes.
Small box full of hungry critters
Since my phosphates were testing zero repeatedly I thought there also might be some nitrate issues. I tested and nothing showed but just to be safe I added some more bacteria diversity to the tank. I have also stopped running both UV sterilizers for now. The next step is to send my pump back for repair. I was authorized to return the pump so that will be sometime this week.
General Updates - Whelk up-close
I think based on the pattern of the foot of my mystery snail its a a whelk for sure now.
I have just about completed the floor now. There are two area near the bottom of the step I have to complete but I am happy. I put the vents back in place and they make a huge difference. My work was not complete without a new toy so I brought my own Brad Nailer that can shot up to 2-1/8" brads. After a trip to Home Depot and reading a few reviews I decided on the item below. I was able to nail and fill all the holes and it looks great.
Due to my algae issues I was forced to call in a "clean-up" crew of sorts. I have been battling the cyno and hair algae for a while now. I placed an order which arrived last Friday 2/3. At first I was a little nervous because the size of the box did not reflect what I had in mind. I ordered 50 Medium Blue Legs (Clibanarius tricolor), 100 Astraea Snails (Astraea tecta) , and 100 + 22 (by accident) Cerith Snails (Cerithium sp.). I can now say Astraea snails are becoming one of my favorite snails. Within 4 days they have mowed down the majority of the nuisance algae in my tank. They are even brave enough to venture on the Tunze guards and eat the algae while the pumps are on. They are pretty strong! They are not really concerned with the cyno but the hair they are wiping out. The packing job of the items was pretty good. It had been a while since I ordered a clean-up crew so I forgot most are shipped with very little water. I was concerned that there would be a lot of die off but followed the directions and I did not loose one critter. The place I ordered from is not a sponsor so I don't think I can say the name but they are based out of Florida and I will be ordering from them again. I like how I received multiple emails explaining their processes.
Small box full of hungry critters
Since my phosphates were testing zero repeatedly I thought there also might be some nitrate issues. I tested and nothing showed but just to be safe I added some more bacteria diversity to the tank. I have also stopped running both UV sterilizers for now. The next step is to send my pump back for repair. I was authorized to return the pump so that will be sometime this week.
General Updates - Whelk up-close
I think based on the pattern of the foot of my mystery snail its a a whelk for sure now.
great to see you updating this thread again. the downstairs looks great. i think you can mention vendors even if they're not sponsors...at least i've never heard anything to the contrary.
i'm about to put in an order with reeftopia for some cleaners but haven't ordered from them before.
i'm about to put in an order with reeftopia for some cleaners but haven't ordered from them before.
Last edited:
SPotter
Active member
What I really love about this thread is not only do I get ideas for my tank, I also can home improvement tool reviews as well :lolspin:
Your thread has been the inspiration for my upgrade which has turned into an upgrade on steroids!!!! My might be calling you for an explanation since I have placed all of the blame on you
Your thread has been the inspiration for my upgrade which has turned into an upgrade on steroids!!!! My might be calling you for an explanation since I have placed all of the blame on you
nightOwl
Premium Member
Roni - Thanks for the kind words. The place I ordered from was the place you are about to order from...Reeftopia. I was very pleased with the size of the critters. I have ordered from some other places and a medium hermit was more like a small if that. The quality of the items seem to be worth it. They are still mowing down the hair algae as we speak. I am pretty sure you will be pleased with your order and anything over $99 ships free :spin3: woo hoo. Oh and one more thing I liked no stupid box fees or anything either
.What I really love about this thread is not only do I get ideas for my tank, I also can home improvement tool reviews as well :lolspin:
Your thread has been the inspiration for my upgrade which has turned into an upgrade on steroids!!!! My might be calling you for an explanation since I have placed all of the blame on you
Steve,
Thanks again man. You got me back to updating the thread again! I think new tools are the fun part to any DIY project. I realize upgrades never go as planned. The scope creep is crazy but in the end when you look back you will have a big smile plastered on your face. The smile will get even bigger when people visit and see your tank. Please tell the wife I deny all responsibility (it wasn't me) ...LOL.
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