Some new fish...

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15626605#post15626605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zoom
I like to keep my fish for many years so i stick with what works for me i have small numbers of fish and i just keep them well fed and clean .
I will not put any new fish in my tank other than what i have that is it.
It stress me out to have all this problems involve with adding new fish in the tank i just don't like it at all .
I don't know have you do it Recty

I actually enjoy the swapping of fish, I like having new fish and to be honest I dont like "mean" fish. When they start getting older/bigger/whatever causes them to start being jerks, I'd rather swap them out to someone around town or the LFS who has a huge tank. There is a local lady who has gotten a lot of my other fish and enjoys them and then the LFS has some too, it's kind of cool actually to be able to get new fish but I can still go see my old ones in a tank that will take them forever to outgrow.

I dont work at the store, but I'm there all the time. I do all their web page design and computer support and any odd jobs like hooking up some ozonizers, or setting up all their security cameras. So I get to see my old fish all the time.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15626935#post15626935 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BrianD
I am curious. Am I understanding the most recent posts correctly to understand that you recently ordered 2 large angels and a cleaner wrasse to go with the fish you already have in your tank?

Nah, not really understanding correctly. Yes, the cleaner wrasse is for the main tank. I'm not really sure what the plan is at the moment with the other angels. Truth be told, my tank is in limbo. I've been purposefully not bringing this but, but I actually have the tank up for sale. I'm in the market for a new house so I'll be moving soon, I've got a baby on the way in 33 weeks, a lot of things changing... and I got an offer on my tank that I'm probably going to be taking, I told the guy I wanted to think about it for a week or two so I've got to make a decision within the next couple days. If I sell it, I'll be setting up a smaller reef tank, like in the vicinity of 75-125g. Yes, I know that is too small for a regal and a false personifer to live long term, but I could have them in there for a year or two easily, or just until they start seeming cramped. Like I've said earlier, I have a really easy time offloading fish here and getting newer, smaller ones.

All in all, I've never had a problem in the past with re-homing fish that have gotten too aggressive or too large for the tanks I've had, so I dont feel like I'm going to have a problem now.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15627350#post15627350 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
I just don't see getting a fish if you don't have the tank ready. Just my opinion though.

To each his own, I suppose. With my situation being what it is, this is the best time for me to be able to devote some time to getting some relatively tricky and fickle fish eating and happy and thriving. A couple months down the road my time is going to dwindle a lot more and I'd rather have a couple well eating and hardy fish going, instead of trying to buy them in the middle of everything else happening.

Long story short, this is going to work out just fine for me. I either keep my 210 and I'm still setting up a reef tank, or I sell my 210 and I'll set up a reef tank. If I dont sell my 210, I might end up getting rid of my emperor and maybe my dussu (the LFS guy would love it in his 600g) and placing the other, newer angels in the main tank. I'd have to eggcrate and see what happens. If the existing angels have issues, then I'll deal with it as needed.

Bottom line, I enjoy seeing new fish and the challenges of dealing with them. As long as I'm not killing them off unnecessarily I'll keep doing what works for me

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15627489#post15627489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by klasiksb
Personally I think you just have too many bigger, aggressive fish for that size tank. I hope you get everythng figured out. I do appreciate you posting, it helps me see that some of my desires will not work either.

No problem. That's why I've kept this thread going instead of starting multiple threads that would be a lot harder to go through, this way you can just sit down and read through 40 pages of just the common mistakes and problems the average person goes through, and see what works and what doesnt and base some of your decisions off it, or at least help you to make a more informed decision than otherwise

 

[BrianD]

What species of cleaner wrasse did you purchase? I am sure you are aware of their dismal survival record in captivity.

 

[Recty]

Yeah, if you read through the last couple pages of my thread it details my thoughts on whether or not to go with a cleaner wrasse... I was on the fence for a while but eventually decided to try it. In my 5 years or so of salt water keeping, I've never felt like I had the stock to keep a wrasse that feeds on necrotic tissue alive, but I think I might be to the point where it works.

I mentioned in the last page or so that this will be the first and last one I buy, I wont keep buying over and over again if it dies.

The one I purchased is an African, which supposedly has much higher survival rates than the Hawaiian version.

 

[Recty]

Well I'm trying fresh clams, soaked in garlic and zoe and vitamin C and getting nothing as far as a feeding response from the regal. Tomorrow when I try I think I'm going to just do a clam on the halfshell, nothing added to it and see if maybe all the additives are throwing the regal for a loop and making it not want to eat.

The regal right now is just circling around above the clam, like it's interested in the smell but it's not close enough to really look like it wants to take a bite.

 

[BrianD]

What is the species? "African" doesn't mean anything to me. I rarely even see cleaner wrasses mentioned on the board because it is so rare that they survive.

 

[Recty]

It's a Labroides dimidiatus, from Africa.

 

[tcmfish]

Yes they do bad in captivity but as I have worked at various LFS I have noticed that many come in eating mysis and brine. The ones we put in displays did great too. I think they just need a lot of large fish too to keep them busy and healthy. I would never recommend one for a small tank or a tank void of large fish.

 

[BrianD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15628279#post15628279 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Recty
It's a Labroides dimidiatus, from Africa.

It was always my understanding that this was the most commonly imported (and available) cleaner wrasse, and also the one with the same dismal survival record. I would be amazed to find something has changed.

 

[BrianD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15628501#post15628501 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tcmfish
Yes they do bad in captivity but as I have worked at various LFS I have noticed that many come in eating mysis and brine. The ones we put in displays did great too. I think they just need a lot of large fish too to keep them busy and healthy. I would never recommend one for a small tank or a tank void of large fish.

I don't think "bad" quite covers their track record. I would encourage anyone reading this thread who might consider a cleaner wrasse to please do more research and familiarize yourself with the dismal survival odds. It not only will most certainly die, but it also removes a valuable piece of the ecosystem from the reef.

 

[Recty]

The regal didnt eat from the half clamshell but man, the rest of my tank did.

The biggest eaters compared to their mass were the lemonpeel and the cleaner wrasse. The wrasse was really in there chowing down, it was funny to watch. The lemonpeel attacked that clam too, I've never seen him be quite that ferocious

All the other angels picked at it, but if I walked anywhere near the tank they stopped and came over and swam by me like they wanted pellets! I guess that's a good thing.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Ahh no don't get rid of the duss and emp! They were here from the start (since the triggers atleast)! Although I am sure they are growing out of your tank, especially that duss. So your going reef huh? SPS I guess if your keeping angels? What tank would you switch to? Angels like a meredithi would need a 210g eventually. Interesting to see how your stock list and tanks change over the next couple of months. Its definitely to each his own, because I love my fish and could never give them up unless I had to.

 

[sean A.]

Hey Recty I saw a Scribbled Angel at my LFS yesterday and it had those same lumps on it's side too. I asked one of the guys who worked there what they were and he couldn't answer it. I asked if they would give a warranty on the fish and they still said no.

 

[fender4string]

Wow more new fish! Been awhile since I've checked the thread I've been a little busy. I hope that queen pulls through. How's she doing?

Congrats on your coming baby man! That's exciting. If you sell the tank I'm assuming you'll get rid of all your stock (other than the regal)?

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15630723#post15630723 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
Ahh no don't get rid of the duss and emp! They were here from the start (since the triggers atleast)! Although I am sure they are growing out of your tank, especially that duss. So your going reef huh? SPS I guess if your keeping angels? What tank would you switch to? Angels like a meredithi would need a 210g eventually. Interesting to see how your stock list and tanks change over the next couple of months. Its definitely to each his own, because I love my fish and could never give them up unless I had to.

Yep, the dussu is out growing my tank very fast... within the next 6 months or so I'd need to get rid of him anyway, I bought him knowing I couldnt keep him for more than a year or so. I had debated buying either a 6" or a 10" dussu and I went with 6" because I knew the 10" dussu would basically outgrow my tank in 2" which comes pretty fast with these fish.

If I do go the reef route, SPS would be the way I would go. Some personifer and regal angels do OK around brain corals, which I like so I might try out a couple LPS with them but most likely I'd just stick with LPS.

The personifer would need a bigger tank eventually but I'm buying it small so it shouldnt be a big deal for a while. As always, I've got plenty of people around town who will buy my fish

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15630953#post15630953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sean A.
Hey Recty I saw a Scribbled Angel at my LFS yesterday and it had those same lumps on it's side too. I asked one of the guys who worked there what they were and he couldn't answer it. I asked if they would give a warranty on the fish and they still said no.

I wouldnt buy a scribbled or any fish that had bumps on it's side like mine did. You made a good choice not to buy it, imo!

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15634081#post15634081 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fender4string
Wow more new fish! Been awhile since I've checked the thread I've been a little busy. I hope that queen pulls through. How's she doing?

Congrats on your coming baby man! That's exciting. If you sell the tank I'm assuming you'll get rid of all your stock (other than the regal)?

The queen actually was dead this morning when I checked on her. I'm surprised, because yesterday she started swimming around the tank again and ate some pellets out in the open, not just from behind the rocks. I figured she was going to pull through but this morning I found her dead.

Her stomach had really odd looking bumps in it, I pulled her out and put her in a tupperware dish and looked at her for a little while, it was like she had eaten small marbles and they were lodged in her stomach? Not sure what it was or if it was even anything, but they arent bothering her anymore if they were.

I really liked my queen, I'm upset she died. I dont have the heart to dissect this one and see what the deal is, I'd almost like to and see if she had something bad in her stomach but I dont feel like cutting up a fish I really liked.

I'm excited about the coming baby as well It's going to be a life changer, it's already changing things and it isnt anywhere near being born yet.

Yeah, if the tank sells I'll be getting rid of pretty much everything in there but the regal and the replacement personifer I'll eventually get, or if I just get a refund from BZ then I'll just keep the regal. I'm basically going to keep each of the fish in their own 29g QT for a couple months and do the whole QT thing while I get the reef set up. I'll be able to get already established rocks, really nice ones from the LFS and corals and what not, so I should easily be able to have the tank up and going and stable within a month, then a couple months later place the fish into it.

 

[sean A.]

Yeah I wanted to bring it to there attention. They acted like they didn't
care.

 

[Zoom]

should easily be able to have the tank up and going and stable within a month

Good luck.....:rolleye1:

 

[Recty]

It's not really that hard to have a stable tank in a month, if you're taking already existing rock and placing it into a tank that is set up and ready for it. The LFS is just minutes away from my house, this would be pretty similar to just moving a tank from the bedroom to the living room for most people, just transferring rock to a new tank shouldnt cause much of a cycle at all, if any.

I've done it before with 75g tanks and had literally no ammonia or any other spikes.