Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank

Nothing I read spoke of lookdowns being picky eaters. Like many Atlantic/Caribbean species, they are considered bulletproof. My LFS owner told me I might need to employ feeders to get them to transition to frozen mysis. Sheldon easily transitioned. I actually think I got UNlucky to get a fish that probably suffered too much stress, in the chain of custody. It really seemed like he had some brain damage. He was not near as sharp as Sheldon and appeared blind at times. Yes, it was a big blow to lose him after so much special care. I'd like to think he lived longer and better than he would have otherwise, under my care, buy who knows.

It was strange how quickly he went. From refusing feeders in the morning, to losing equilibrium in the afternoon, and then dying so quickly. When he didn't eat, I knew something was up.

After I've had more time to think about it, I'd like to discuss what went wrong and the mistakes I made with this fish.

Fortunately, Sheldon is very sharp, chasing down and tasting almost every speck in the water. He's even joining in the feeding frenzy, when I feed flake foods! He's a bit like Zippy 2.0, without the taste for sea weeds…
 
Sorry to hear about Norbert. I think you did about all you could do. It does seem that something was wrong from the beginning. Perhaps he had some sort of internal disease or damage of some sort all along.
 
Thanks, Chasmodes. I agree, he was in pretty rough shape when I got him.

Sam, the LFS had just gotten them in that day, so it wasn't their fault. I think the problem was that it's an Atlantic/Caribbean fish, that came to my LFS through an LA importer, so he took a long, circuitous route to get here. That increased the time without food and who knows how many stops along the way.

So the fault is all mine. I should have observed the fish more carefully from the start.
 
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You can look it another way though, that Norbert's death was imminent, and you were his only chance for survival from the time that you bought him until his death. During that time, I can't see that you did anything wrong. Do you think he'd have died while still in quarantine? Maybe, maybe not.

Where it's your fault for sure is that you lost money!
 
Chasmodes said:
You can look it another way though, that Norbert's death was imminent, and you were his only chance for survival from the time that you bought him until his death. During that time, I can't see that you did anything wrong. Do you think he'd have died while still in quarantine? Maybe, maybe not.

Where it's your fault for sure is that you lost money!
Click to expand...
+1

That last statement would be one my wife would say. Lol
 
Yeah, Darth Tater, I'm still loving' the grammas too! I'm in awe of the stable harem social structure. Who would have thought I could get away with putting seven of them in one aquarium! None have died, they're all thriving, and spawning seems to be happening continuously. I think the fake wall, with its gramma caves is a huge factor. Whatever it is, I've never appreciated these fish as much as I do now. They're my "poor man's anthias school", with MUCH sturdier fish!
 
Yes, Chasmodes, I think Norbert's death was imminent. I think I got him out of QT at the right time, as he was getting restless in the small confines and was scratching up his face. He swam and ate with vigor in the display until Saturday. Whatever got him just accelerated towards the end.
 
So, the tank as a whole, is changing. It's nice to return my focus to the overall ecosystem. Having the new additions of Sheldon and a pretty large school of mollies has added a lot of visual energy to the tank, as well as a new community structure. It will be very interesting to see what happens when the mollies start cranking out the babies. I go back and forth, wondering if I've added too many or not enough. Will their population explode? Will they reach a balance, and what does that look like?

What I'm hoping for is a steady influx of fry that Sheldon and the grammas and bennies can all hunt and eat. In theory, I think it would be possible to get a big enough school of mollies to feed everyone. Then I would only need to feed the mollies! I don't expect to be able to do that with this particular setup, but it's one of those ideals I like to think about.

The grammas aren't particularly enamored with the mollies, as they have a similar body shape. Whenever they swim down to the lower areas of the tank, the grammas 'encourage' them to go back up. It's pretty interesting, visually to see them mingle. The vivid magenta and yellow versus the blinding white looks cool!

So far the endless pool theory is working out swimmingly for Sheldon. It's the idea that, with a good gyre flow, lookdowns can be kept in tanks smaller than was previously thought possible. I suppose at some point, he'll outgrow it, but I think it's going to work well for a good chunk of time.

It's fun to think about how this lookdown/molly experiment will unfold. I think it will go a lot like the blue tang/macro algae experiment. At first, the macros outpaced Zippy's appetite, but as he grew, they could't quite keep up. Eventually, he wiped them out. I think at some point, Sheldon will grow big enough to eat even the parent mollies and then it will be over! In the meantime, it should be fascinating to watch. Even watching Norbert hunting the fry in the QT was a blast.

One more thing to mention: I removed the large "corpse bride" grasilaria. It was just getting too big, crowding out some others. Of course I left a little behind, so I expect it will come back.
 
Those mollies do look great... I was wondering about that so I'm glad you posted a pic of them (a few actually). I just placed an order for 6-8 silver mollies at my LFS yesterday. Looking forward to getting them!

P.S. I posted a thread on my 300 in the Large Tanks forum if you want to check it out. :0)
 
The mollies are settling in more, exploring more of the tank. Several females look pregnant. The grammas seemed to have backed off a bit, so they're venturing lower. It's wild, watching them swim in the current, right alongside the lookdown. I think Sheldon likes the company!

I'm getting quite the motley crew of fish ova hea!

In order of introduction:
6 Barnacle Blennies
7 Royal Grammas
1 Lookdown
13 Silver Sailfin Mollies

That's 27. All these fish were on my original fish wish list, but I would never have guessed I would have this particular combination. There's room for a few more, if I choose well. I see room for something between the mollies up top and the grammas in the middle. Blue Chromis!

Feeding time, with all these fish, is kinda nuts! I'm not dosing nitrate lately, as I think the new guys are providing lots of ammonia 'nstuff for the plants already. I'm still running iron, CO2, calcium and silicate though.

I'm rereading an excellent book, The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium, by Diana Walstad. If you want to learn about planted aquariums this is THE BOOK!

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This looks like a sequence, but it's not.


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Sheldon is the leader of the pack.


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So much visual energy with all these fish!


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Look at that face!


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Not really schooling, but very gregarious.


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Sheldon, reflecting on stuff.
 
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