Some new fish...

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14873817#post14873817 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danorth
My qt just for all to read is a 10 gallon with a $9 HOB filter from walmart, a $10 heater from walmart and about 5 lbs of live rock that goes through the copper treatment. Oh, and a clamp on home depot light. All in a 10 gallon tank. Never an ammonia spike, steady ph, and fits under the stand so I keep it 24/7. I never likes hypo because it didn't seem to work right and made my fish bloated. Sounds like you know more than I. That achilles looks pretty thick so it stands a very good chance I'd think. Hey, sent a pm too.


Oh, and with the emp and ich on the eyes, mine did that too for about a month until I got the cleaner shrimp (main reason) and the emp would sleep near the shrimp. Haven't seen it since. I remember that someone said cleaner shrimp don't eat ich, but the **** was gone within a week of adding one.

Yeah, my QT is pretty simple too. It's a 29g with a hob filter from Petco, nothing fancy.

I'm doing hypo on the main tank because there is no way I can copper the whole thing and I want the ich gone.

Most of these fish have done great through one hypo treatment, I dont have any real concerns for doing another although only time will tell.

BTW, I answered your PM like 20 minutes ago

I definitely plan on getting cleaner shrimp sometime, but that will have to be after the hypo is over with.

 

[Recty]

Couple updated pictures...

The scribbled is still hiding but isnt jammed down into the rocks, he comes out but stays really close to his favorite hidey hole.

My salinity is now down to 1.016 and the achilles already looks better.

The goldflake is still doing great. I dont see a spot of ich on him although it would be hard to with his pattern and small size. He is eating mysis and brine about 5 times a day now, I've been feeding him a lot.

 

[yukonblizzard]

Beautiful!! I am glad they are all doing well for you. You have some of the coolest fish in your tank.

 

[danorth]

Great looking fish in that tank!!! If the GFA has ich, you should see it on the black spot on the head and top back fin that is also black I'd think.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Glad the achilles is doing better! Gorgeous fish! I think my favorite is still the emperor, can't wait until I upgrade and get a huge CXI emp! Let us know how the achilles does, I am considering hypoing my tank if it will make it ich free, even though I don't see any signs of ich on any of my fish, although I'd have to remove my corals first, that is if my angels don't do it first!

 

[fender4string]

Wow that really was a fast improvement with the achilles. I was wondering how he was doing and I'm glad to hear it's positive.

That scribbled really is awesome. A LFS has a two scribbled angels and they are even more amazing in person. The electric blue on the edges of the dorsal and anal fins is insane.

How did the other fish take to the introduction of the new guys?

 

[Recty]

Thanks for all the compliments guys, they are really some gorgeous fish.

Now, if I can keep them alive for a couple years I might take credit for their good looks

Yeah Dan, I'm pretty sure the goldflake doesnt have ich, I cant see it on the black portions of him.

I also cant believe how quick the achilles cleared up. I think maybe it was just stress making him really weak from being moved. He basically got acclimated to a tank on Monday morning, then about 30 hours later got acclimated to another tank. The first time, he had a long boring cold flight from Hawaii that ended with 59 degree water temperature, so I can see how he would be stressed. I'm glad he is making a good recovery though.

Scribbleds are crazy cool looking in person. This is the first one I've seen in real life and I was like WOW when I opened the box. One of the prettiest fish I've ever seen.

The dussu chases the achilles from time to time, but it's half hearted. The dussu is decently fast but the achilles is greased lighting, so the dussu better just cover his butt and hope when the achilles grows up he doesnt get payback.

The emperor didnt like the scribbled at first but now seems to pretty much ignore him. Although right now the scribbled is still not coming out of the rocks much, so it's hard to tell what the relationship there is going to be.

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14879452#post14879452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
Glad the achilles is doing better! Gorgeous fish! I think my favorite is still the emperor, can't wait until I upgrade and get a huge CXI emp! Let us know how the achilles does, I am considering hypoing my tank if it will make it ich free, even though I don't see any signs of ich on any of my fish, although I'd have to remove my corals first, that is if my angels don't do it first!

You have just got to see one of the Xmas island emps in person to appreciate it. This thing is an awesome looking fish, just crazy crazy colored. I've seen normal emperors in pictures and at LFS's plenty and this one is just nuts compared to them. I really love the orange tail and lining of orange on the back top fin. I'm hoping he lives a long long time and gets some more inches.

 

[Recty]

Cool, I was just watching the tank as I sat here at the computer and the achilles is picking nori pieces from the water that the other fish shredded. He doesnt eat right from the clip yet, but at least he is eating That is the first time I've seen that, previously all I ever saw was him grazing on the rocks.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Glad the achilles is eating. As far as the ich goes, it could have been going thru its cycle so I'd continue the hypo (you probably still are). It seemed that a lot of the ich in the first pic was almost external, not really under the skin, don't know if that means it was getting ready to pop off or not? So when are you adding the goldflake to the display? I think he will get overlooked being so small.

Yeah, I have never seen cxi emperors in person, but yours looks amazing! I'll have to wait until I upgrade though, which could be another year, I'll just have to live through your pictures

 

[Recty]

Yep, still continuing the hypo, I wont stop for at least 8 weeks, probably more like 12 weeks.

The goldflake is in the sump right now, so he is in the main system he just isnt in the display. I'm a little worried just because he is so tiny... The niger could literally end his life with one chomp and either of the tangs could kill him real easily. I dont think they would but it is possible.

The good news is the goldflake is eating well, but just mysis and brine shrimp which I dont feed the main tank. I need to get the goldflake switched over to eating my food mix and then I'll probably switch him into the main tank. I dont want to have to try and get enough mysis and brine into the main tank that some makes it to the goldflake before all the big fish gobble it down.

Anyone know how fast a goldflake angel grows? They arent one of the larger angels so I'm assuming it probably doesnt grow very fast, maybe another 2 inches in a year for the first year then probably just an inch a year for the next couple?

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

What is in your fish food mix? You don't have mysis in it? Good to see your hypoing your whole tank for 8-12 weeks. I know the GF is in the sump, just didn't know when you were adding him. I don't see him growing as fast in the sump as he would your display, that is if he doesn't get eaten!

 

[Recty]

Nope, no mysis. It costs too much per lb when compared to fresh seafood.

I just do some type of fish, scallops and shrimp, then Selcon, garlic, kent vitasomething or other. Sometimes I mix in shredded nori. I also add NLS pellets to soak up all the juices.

What makes you think he will grow slower in the sump? There is LR down there and what not for him to chew on and in the sump, I can specifically feed him, whereas in the main tank he has to try to get food with other bigger fish around. I've also been feeding the sump like 5 times a day whereas the main tank only gets 2 feedings.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

That is a good mix of food, especially for the triggers but do the tangs eat it as well? I would have thought mysis would have been cheaper, I've been meaning to go to the grocery store and check out the seafood stuff.

Maybe its a freshwater mentality but I feel that the GF being in a small sump would be cramped and stunt his growth somewhat. I know that can be the case for freshwater but not so much salt. Still, it has to have some effect maybe? He can't stretch his fins too much. But I do like the idea of being able to spot feed him, it'll be hard in the big tank with the other big guys, maybe he'll be your CUC haha.

 

[barbianj]

It's poor water quality that is usually associated with a small tank that stunts growth. He's missing out on social interaction, but for now that may be a good thing. If you do have any trouble with the Goldflake in the DT, you can just ship him to me, Recty. I'll even send you some heat packs.

I quit feeding messy foods like mysis because they go everywhere, and they should be rinsed, which is a pain. When I bred the piranhas, my biggest ammonia source was the liquid that came along with the brine and mysis shrimp.

 

[Recty]

Yeah, the tangs eat it as well. It's just marine meat, which is all a little mysis shrimp is, really.

What happens is the two triggers kind of shred it all, then angels eat the medium sized shreddings and the tangs just pick through all the little pieces. My dussu has actually started grabbing big pieces and then tearing off what he can, he is getting a little carnivorous.

My concern is the goldflake has to eat really little pieces, which I dont feed much of and they will get gobbled up pretty quickly in the main tank.

I think what I'll end up doing is for at least another month I'll keep him in the sump, get him really bulletproof then introduce him to the main tank.

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14883739#post14883739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barbianj
It's poor water quality that is usually associated with a small tank that stunts growth. He's missing out on social interaction, but for now that may be a good thing. If you do have any trouble with the Goldflake in the DT, you can just ship him to me, Recty. I'll even send you some heat packs.

Heat packs and some $100 bills, sure

 

[Recty]

Well the new achilles looks almost perfect again, I think I can see maybe one spot of ich left on him.

The dussu definitely tells him when he needs to get out of the way. It isnt too mean about it, but the achilles is smart enough to know not to press the issue.

Here is a shot of the guys hanging out over by the spot the scribbled has decided to call his own.

Hopefully the scribbled stops hiding within the next couple days. He is coming out more and more but still not really coming out, he mainly sticks to the rocks on the left side of the tank.

 

[ccampbell57]

Grant the fish look absolutely gorgeous! I love the size differentiation between the Duss and the Achilies!

I definitely think that you need to keep the GF in the sump for now...he is WAAAAAAy to small for that tank right now.

 

[Recty]

Yeah, he is definitely small. I'll probably wait until hypo is over, which should be the beginning of July, then I'll move him into the display tank. I dont even know if he will be big enough then, how fast do baby goldflakes grow?

Isn't that picture of the dussu and the achilles cool? I need to get a good one of them with the achilles facing the same way so you can see him.

He's about 10 times less mass than the dussu at least. Really healthy looking though, nice and fat and no ich showing so I'm pretty confident he is going to pull through with flying colors.

My tank seems empty now. I pulled the grouper which was like 9-10 inches, the humu which was 5 inches, the clown trigger which was 6 inches and the pinktail which was three inches.

The achilles is small, the goldflake is in the sump, so really all it seems like I did is take out 4 fish and get one large angel, the tank feels empty.

I might need to order some more angels off Diver's Den!