Darth_Tater
Member
Lots of purple and pink in there! Is that Tank Boss of yours a color variant of a Domino?
Sk8r's Reef Rebuild
- Thread starter Sk8r
- Start date
Yes, she's a golden domino---not an artificial color variant, probably a sub-species: they occur in the wild, and breed true. You find them hanging out in massive magnifica anemones in the South Pacific, along with clowns and black dominos: I have seen film of this, understand. My diving is limited to very tame stuff. She buzzes like a rattlesnake when annoyed and that vibration seems to unnerve other fish: you can hear it across the living room. Dascyllus grow to about 4.5 in tanks---I've seen one I think tops that at the Seattle Aquarium, but I'm not sure of species. They're not a type for a tank under 100 gallons, but given enough room, they can mellow out. Takes them about 3 days to decide a new fish is neither lunch nor a burglar, and then they calm right down. The baby blues had a scary week when they first went in (replacements from the list of lost) and I had to station upended nets around their hiding place to keep her and Mr. Stripes away from them, but now the tiniest of them (under an inch) happily hangs out right beside her cave.
Changes in the tank---first, the sps are doing well---or WERE doing well until Mr Stripes (3-stripe dascyllus) decided the green pocillopora was lunch. I feared my hopes for an sps tank were toast until I did some thinking and tossed some spirulina into the tank: hysteria and gratitude on the part of the damsels, particularly the dascyllus. I'd changed their feeding to a meatier type, mostly mysis, and I now know from people wise and experienced in damsels in the wild, they do need green. Nowhere in the recommendations have I ever read this, but it is definitely true for the dascyllus. My first damsel tank produced algae on its own: this one is phosphate-poor, resulting from the nitrate battle (NoPoX)---and the poor damsels were craving salad, so the poci filled in.
The poci is a mess, but there's tissue left. It may survive.
And I managed to get the dascyllus to accept another new fish---a matted filefish. She's rather timid about the dascyllus, hovering up at the top rather than risk the wrath of Ms. Domino, who has chased her a bit, but no fins were ever nipped. Curious fish---several times got stuck to the intake of the gyre or blown rapidly across the tank, but never damaged; and does learn to avoid the intake and stay out of the 'wind'. She's supposedly aiptasia-control, but mostly she likes mysis: hopefully she'll grow bold enough to go down and expand her diet: I have several patches waiting for her.
Outside of that, doing well. The monti is growing a bit, the aiptasia aren't, and the poci is still putting out polyps in the undamaged areas, so we'll see.
The poci is a mess, but there's tissue left. It may survive.
And I managed to get the dascyllus to accept another new fish---a matted filefish. She's rather timid about the dascyllus, hovering up at the top rather than risk the wrath of Ms. Domino, who has chased her a bit, but no fins were ever nipped. Curious fish---several times got stuck to the intake of the gyre or blown rapidly across the tank, but never damaged; and does learn to avoid the intake and stay out of the 'wind'. She's supposedly aiptasia-control, but mostly she likes mysis: hopefully she'll grow bold enough to go down and expand her diet: I have several patches waiting for her.
Outside of that, doing well. The monti is growing a bit, the aiptasia aren't, and the poci is still putting out polyps in the undamaged areas, so we'll see.
heathlindner25
New member
Reason #88 why not to get damsels....lol
Sorry to hear of all the problems Sk8tr but glad to see things are getting back on track for you.
I'm in Fl and just went through a 4 day power outage after the first hurricane in 11 years came through a few weeks ago. Had to constantly add ice in the sump to control rising temps but had a generator to keep other tank functions operating normal.
I'm in Fl and just went through a 4 day power outage after the first hurricane in 11 years came through a few weeks ago. Had to constantly add ice in the sump to control rising temps but had a generator to keep other tank functions operating normal.
heathlindner25
New member
Tank is coming along nicely, time to start buying some coral.
vikinglord13
New member
What do you plan to do about the coralline outbreak? Are you just going to let it stay there until your SPS/LPS out-pace it?
reef thief
New member
+1
When you put a damsel into your tank you have become tankless. It's his now.
Well, Mr Stripes has finished the poci, and I'm not surprised: once started, often they do carry on. And pocis ARE a type many otherwise no-nibbble fish will go after, so I just hope he has not, like a bad puppy, learned a bad habit, and won't do the same again. I'll try to find something less tempting. I'll go back to lps if I have to, but so far he's shown absolutely no interest in the montipora.
With any tank, re the apt comment above, re who owns it---yes, to a certain extent, you're the landlord, but the tenants will sort of dictate how the tank turns out. So much grief happens for new folk who have 'a tank' and 'a plan'---because tanks, even if you have a lot of experience, will turn out as a combo of the tank's capability, the intersection of the lighting and flow you have, the rock arrangement, and the critters you get---those that WILL thrive will outpace those that don't, and some people enjoy the serendipity and some don't. My last tank was a great lps tank: grew hammer coral so fast it was overpowering everything in the tank. This tank is different in depth, lighting, flow, and it's had some adventures, but we're getting there.
With any tank, re the apt comment above, re who owns it---yes, to a certain extent, you're the landlord, but the tenants will sort of dictate how the tank turns out. So much grief happens for new folk who have 'a tank' and 'a plan'---because tanks, even if you have a lot of experience, will turn out as a combo of the tank's capability, the intersection of the lighting and flow you have, the rock arrangement, and the critters you get---those that WILL thrive will outpace those that don't, and some people enjoy the serendipity and some don't. My last tank was a great lps tank: grew hammer coral so fast it was overpowering everything in the tank. This tank is different in depth, lighting, flow, and it's had some adventures, but we're getting there.
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Darth_Tater
Member
How many fish does the new addition make? Are all the others damsels?
The tank inhabitants: 105 gallon, 2 Fiji blues, 1 4.5" golden domino, 1 2" b&w 3-stripe dascyllus, 1 yellowtail (more may be in the future), and a matted filefish. No nipped fins.
Damsels need room: 100 gallon minimum for the crew I have. They're bright, brilliant colors, and they're rarely still, always in and out among the rocks or playing in the (strong) current. The key to having a properly peaceful damsel tank is to get all small fish, and let them grow together. The 8 day blackout killed all but the two dascyllus, who were by that time large, and gave me a special problem, because a big domino is not going to tolerate intruders calmly. I used several tricks to get the small fish in there, the filefish was canny and self protective, and now they swim beside the big girl with no problems. You just have to allow for territoriality with them, and definitely don't overcrowd. THey're ok with other species, who don't directly compete with them, but they hate chromis, absolutely hate them. Never combine them.
Damsels need room: 100 gallon minimum for the crew I have. They're bright, brilliant colors, and they're rarely still, always in and out among the rocks or playing in the (strong) current. The key to having a properly peaceful damsel tank is to get all small fish, and let them grow together. The 8 day blackout killed all but the two dascyllus, who were by that time large, and gave me a special problem, because a big domino is not going to tolerate intruders calmly. I used several tricks to get the small fish in there, the filefish was canny and self protective, and now they swim beside the big girl with no problems. You just have to allow for territoriality with them, and definitely don't overcrowd. THey're ok with other species, who don't directly compete with them, but they hate chromis, absolutely hate them. Never combine them.
Darth_Tater
Member
Oops, did it say the fish list in your signature when I asked? That would explain why you never mentioned it! Looks like I need to revisit my fish list for the long shallow tank I'm setting up. Well, will set up if vehicles stop breaking and hogging all the money.
Lest you think that things go smoothly when you've been at this for decades. Of the corals in my tank, 2 are old and beaten up badly. 1 was really thriving. The fourth one was a beautiful poci---until a b&w dascyllus damsel ate most of it.
Well, consultation says maybe it was shortage of greens. But another experienced voice says---they do this before breeding. And one of my two dascylli is huge, definitely sexed. The b&w not so much, but maybe male. They're a lot like clownfish.
So---I get another, an orange montipora, less appetizing. And some long postponed reef putty to be sure things stay put.
So---I manage to put it in and secure it. But the beaten-up candycane and the poci fell to the bottom of the 36" deep tank with the 12" canopy on. I go down after the grippers and retrieve both with no problem. I get the half-eaten poci in place, and while I'm securing the mangy candycane---the top rock (no, I'd been out of putty when I installed that---) rolls and dumps the gorgeous sunset monti, the pretty one, into the depths of the maze. I can't even spot it. And that's the one I SHOULD have puttied first.
Rather than disassemble the reef hunting it, I resign myself to the hope that the big dascyllus will kick it out of her cave during housekeeping, at which point I can grab it. But small chance.
Sigh.
These are at least, little locally-grown frags that don't cost hugely, but!!!!! the pretty one? Sigh.
At least I'm getting the info I need about how the lights/gyre are performing. The branching monti, the new one, is putting out polyps like mad, which it hadn't done in the store.
Annnnnnnnnnnd...the filefish, which until now has hung near the top, eating mysis, but NOT the aiptasia she was sworn to eat, has suddenly taken an interest in aiptasia. Maybe it's the stinky putty in the water. Maybe it's the new rock arrangement, which builds higher near one of her hang-out spots, but she's eating. Case of an ill wind nevertheless blowing somebody good.
Well, consultation says maybe it was shortage of greens. But another experienced voice says---they do this before breeding. And one of my two dascylli is huge, definitely sexed. The b&w not so much, but maybe male. They're a lot like clownfish.
So---I get another, an orange montipora, less appetizing. And some long postponed reef putty to be sure things stay put.
So---I manage to put it in and secure it. But the beaten-up candycane and the poci fell to the bottom of the 36" deep tank with the 12" canopy on. I go down after the grippers and retrieve both with no problem. I get the half-eaten poci in place, and while I'm securing the mangy candycane---the top rock (no, I'd been out of putty when I installed that---) rolls and dumps the gorgeous sunset monti, the pretty one, into the depths of the maze. I can't even spot it. And that's the one I SHOULD have puttied first.
Rather than disassemble the reef hunting it, I resign myself to the hope that the big dascyllus will kick it out of her cave during housekeeping, at which point I can grab it. But small chance.
Sigh.
These are at least, little locally-grown frags that don't cost hugely, but!!!!! the pretty one? Sigh.
At least I'm getting the info I need about how the lights/gyre are performing. The branching monti, the new one, is putting out polyps like mad, which it hadn't done in the store.
Annnnnnnnnnnd...the filefish, which until now has hung near the top, eating mysis, but NOT the aiptasia she was sworn to eat, has suddenly taken an interest in aiptasia. Maybe it's the stinky putty in the water. Maybe it's the new rock arrangement, which builds higher near one of her hang-out spots, but she's eating. Case of an ill wind nevertheless blowing somebody good.
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I'm pleased to say that Mr. Stripes has not repeated his predation on the unfortunate pocillopora with the branching montipora. He's leaving it quite alone, nor has he bothered the poci again, having eaten all its pretty green polyps: its skin is intact in places: we'll see if it can come back from this. My knowlegeable lfs fellow tells me a) they sometimes eat weird things before mating---and they're possibly mature enough to have the hormones going---and b) stylophora and pocillopora lack the 'keep away' chemicals that other sps have to keep predation down. Since poci reproduces like mad from particles, this may be a reproductive advantage for it, but not in my limited tank it isn't.
OTOH, we are next going to test something beyond monti on His Nippiness. I can say the chemistry and lighting are both looking good: the monti I *didn't* lose into the mazy depths is putting out polyps and looking exceedingly happy, and the battered acan and candycane are looking happy in their positions, so we are making progress. What I have for lights is a Radion Gen 3 Pro (deep tank) set at about 45% on the general Radiant program preset, dawn to dark, and the depth for the monti and poor poci is about 10" below the water, that for the candy cane and acan about 20".
And a strange little bennie to flipping the rock---found a little bivalve I'd last seen last fall---little clam hitchhiker, finely ridged shell, used to be the size of your little fingernail, now the size of a quarter and quite happily feeding. Count another creature that survived the 8-day winter blackout.
OTOH, we are next going to test something beyond monti on His Nippiness. I can say the chemistry and lighting are both looking good: the monti I *didn't* lose into the mazy depths is putting out polyps and looking exceedingly happy, and the battered acan and candycane are looking happy in their positions, so we are making progress. What I have for lights is a Radion Gen 3 Pro (deep tank) set at about 45% on the general Radiant program preset, dawn to dark, and the depth for the monti and poor poci is about 10" below the water, that for the candy cane and acan about 20".
And a strange little bennie to flipping the rock---found a little bivalve I'd last seen last fall---little clam hitchhiker, finely ridged shell, used to be the size of your little fingernail, now the size of a quarter and quite happily feeding. Count another creature that survived the 8-day winter blackout.
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Darth_Tater
Member
FYI: I just learned that Domino Damsel and Golden Domino Damsel are actually different species.
Domino = Dascyllus trimaculatus
Golden Domino = Dascyllus auripinnis
I thought they were just a color morph like the different kinds of O. Clowns, but I thought wrong. Live Aquaria's picture color looks quite a bit different from yours. Do the males and females have different coloring? Or maybe different collection locations? I just thought it was interesting
Domino = Dascyllus trimaculatus
Golden Domino = Dascyllus auripinnis
I thought they were just a color morph like the different kinds of O. Clowns, but I thought wrong. Live Aquaria's picture color looks quite a bit different from yours. Do the males and females have different coloring? Or maybe different collection locations? I just thought it was interesting
THat one could be quite young: I'm looking at the rock texture in the background. Hard to get scale. They're listing size at max 1 1/4 as shipped---mine is 4 and a half inches nose to tail tip. So that's the pic of a tiny baby. And it's a horrible recommendation to say they can live in a 30 gallon tank. They're very active, want real strong flow, grow very fast, and a 30 gallon doesn't give them much room to maneuver.
