My 20 Long...

[JonRigby2005]

Here is my 20 long, not a whole lot going on my buddy was tearing down his 15g, so I took everything and got it in my 20g about 2.5 months ago, 2 weeks ago I built my canopy with a 175W MH coralife 14,000K, Now I am planning on setting up a 29g with a sump,and fuge. So I am not going to add anything new to this tank untill the new one is up and has cycled. For now I will just try to keep what I have alive. Filtration is just LR, 1 powerhead, and a HOB filter with no media (just moving water).

Tank inhabitants
one firefish
one purple dottyback
6 scarlet hermits
12 blueleg hermits
10 astrea snails
some green striped mushrooms, and some purple mushrooms (all the mushrooms have spread all over the tank, little itty bitty shrooms everywhere.)
one zoanthid polyp (I think)

Tank & Stand

Full tank

Fuego the firefish

Dottyback

Some shrooms

Anyone know what that spot is on the purple shroom?

Or what the red stuff is in last picture? I guess it is some kind of bubble algae. It is slow growing and tough to remove so I have just let it go. I am scared I will pop one trying to remove it and make it worse. Any suggestions?

 

[BlueNano22]

Very nice

 

[redvipe2010]

Great pics!

 

[chocolateblnt]

Uh oH! ... Dottyback :eek2: Those fish are nasty towards others ... as soon as it get's crowded he'll start harrasing & chasing the other fish! I would get him out a.s.a.p. he'll be a problem in the future.

To trap the SOB ...
Take a water bottle ... cut the neck off ... turn it around and put it back into the rest of the bottle to make a funnel! Stick food in there and voila instant trap. The fish will swim in the hole and then panic and won't be able to get out; that's when you get the bottle out because they'll only fall for it once maybe twice!

I also have the same type of Red Bubble Algae ... everyone was like "don't pop em" BLAH BLAH BLAH speculation and more BLAH... it's not a pesky algae! It's actually quite decorative and once they find a balance in your tank they will stop spreading and only grow in their original spots. Some invertebrates will feed on them like my Bi-Color blenny picks at 'em sometimes and will take a chunk ... even starfish. Oh and they will spread to their comfortable population if you pop 'em or not!

Here's a photo of where they originally populated on a certain rock and that is there densest population ... otherwise they are found sporatically in my tank. I think the starfish was cruisin' and eating some too!

 

[lilprincess]

I have an orchid dottyback in my 20L (moved over from my 46) and I've never had a problem w/ it. In fact, the dottyback is the most peaceful fish I've had in both tanks. FYI, it has been housed peacefully w/ a flame angel, coral beauty, percula clowns, six-line wrasse, royal gramma, and blue devil damsel.

 

[chocolateblnt]

Pseudochromis are semi-aggressive fish, why take the risk?! ... Not to mention all the fish you've housed them with can definitely hold their own against a dottyback.

Flame Angel- Semi-Aggressive
Coral Beauty - Semi-Aggressive
6-Line - Peaceful but fast enough to avoid & defend fromm orchid dottyback
Royal Gramma - Peaceful but fast enough to avoid orchid dottyback
Blue Devil Damsel - A B!tch Highly Aggressive
Clowns - You have 2 so they can watch each other's back

What other fish is it housed in your 20L because an extra 20 gallons makes a huge impact on fishes territorial tendencies! IMO you have a pretty aggressive tank. I think sh!t's going to hit the fan as soon as this tank starts getting crowded especially with more peaceful fish i.e. gobies, clowns, blennies, firefish etc.. ... so I am here to heed warning!

 

[lilprincess]

My dottyback is currently w/ just 2 percs. And while I mine may be an exception to the rule, he's very timid and always has been.

Anyway, JonRigby2005, love the tank. Keep up the good work! Although if I were you, I'd get rid of or at least reduce the number of blue legs you have. I don't have quite as many as you, but I want them out.

 

[JonRigby2005]

This will all be moved to a 29g tank in a couple months, when I do I am going to add 2 percs. and that is it for fish (maybe a goby or jawfish but probly not). The dottyback and the firefish get along great. So if it can get along with the 2 clowns it can stay, I love the color of the dottyback. He's a very curious fish too, when I took the pictures he kept swimming right towards the camera to check it out, I couldn't hardly get a side shot of him. The firefish on the other hand is very timid, i had to aim the camera at his little cave and wait.

 

[lilprincess]

Lucky you, I wish I could get a picture of my dottyback. I got a few pics the first day I got him (about 4 years ago) and have never been lucky enough since. He never comes out into the open for more than 60 seconds at time (even during feeding he dashes out, grabs the food, and then he's gone). And I've tried waiting outside his lair, but he sees me (or the camera) there and he'll use the back exit. lol

Great pics though, love to see more as you go along...

 

[JonRigby2005]

Unfortunately this is an expensive hobby and I am putting all my extra money toward the upgrade, so no more livestock for a while. I going to be setting up a 29g with an external overflow to a 10g sump, plumbed to a 5g fuge, auto top-off, with probly an AquaC Remora skimmer (I haven't decided for sure yet on the skimmer). Just buying piece by piece, and I got a ways to go, but hopefully will be easier to maintain to keep all my critters happy.