TigerinNC
11/14/2008, 12:13 PM
First off, let me thank the many users of RC fo their input into this hobby. The wife and I started out knowing less than nothing. Basically getting a hand-me-down tank and heading to the LFS and trying to buy fish. Luckily, my LFS had morals and told us to go home. Reading this forum has saved a ton of money and fish.
I have a 55g tank w/ 70#s of LR, 3" sand bed, HOB skimmer, 10g DIY refugium/sump, biowheel filtration, 2 Korilla 3 powerheads, 110w VHO lighting (about to add MH). PH 8.3. No visible ammonia or nitratites. Nitrates are slowly coming down to now about 20 since adding the refugium a week ago. Current stock include 2 damsels, 1 yellow tang, 3.5" maroon goldstripe clown, a GBTA, 2 skunk shrimp and misc hermit crabs, snails. I have discovered 3 small mussels/scallops and a tiny white starfish over the last month that have piggybacked in off of something. Misc zoas, a frogspawn and leather constitute my corals but will increase after the MH's arrive.
My first experience with clowns was not so great. The first two were false percula juveniles. They were introduced to the tank together and immediately took to the BTA. No problems the first day. The very next morning, one was dead next to a powerhead and the other just gone. Broke apart the entire tank and couldn't locate him. The only explanations I could come up with was a mad leap out of the tank through a 1" opening and being eaten by the golden retriever who treats the tank as his personal TV or the CUC managed to break him completely up in one night.
The next death came trying to mate with our current maroon. We introduced a new juvenile directly and it was instant war. I managed to get the new guy out but unfortunately, he didn't last the night after the 20 minute butt kicking he took (poor dudes fins looked like what probably happens to the ears on the chocolate Easter bunny at Mike Tyson's house)
This time around has been much better. We've given it much more time, although not exactly by design. I purchased the new maroon and on Monday of this week, I put him into a seperation container within the main tank and right beside the BTA. The female didn't really show much aggression toward the new male and whenever she came close he would start start shaking.
My plan was for the next morning to switch the two clowns up. It would give the new guy a chance to figure out the tank arrangement w/o the female beating the hell out of him. Well, as with the best laid plans, I ended up getting sick. Turns out a nasty bug swept right through a neighborhood football party from Sunday and put me and most of the party out of commission. I spent most of the day Tuesday at the doctor's office getting 4 liters of fluid pumped into me. The little guy would have to continue life in confinement.
By Wednesday evening, I was finally feeling back to normal. I prepped the tank for the switch. I got up at about 5am on Thursday and caught the female sound asleep in the BTA and after a couple of misses, got her into the containment chamber. I released the male and he spent zero time roaming the tank, instead heading directly to the BTA. I set the female containment chamber so she was right beside the BTA the whole time. Thursday night, I decided the time was right. I moved around a couple of rocks around the BTA to disorient the female then let her go. She immediately went up to the new guy in the BTA and pushed him out, but didn't bite at him. The two got along pretty well for the next couple of hours with her occassionly nipping at him and his response being the bump against her side and submissive quivering. The only problem I really had was the larger damsel and the tang. The tang wouldn't really attack but would do the intimidation thing by continually swimming over the top of the new guy, who had been kicked to a rock ledge beside the BTA. The damsel was being a real pain though. He would swim in front of the clown and slap his tail at the clown. All attempts to capture the damsel failed. I decided turning out the lights might settle everyone out. I moved a rock to give the new guy a better place to hide and then kind of hung out for a while. Sure enough, everybody chilled out after dark.
This morning, Friday, ticked me off. First there was a tear on the male's top back fin. I didn't know who caused it but as soon as it started to get light in the house, the tang and damsel started showing up to continue the previous night's abuse.
I'd had it. I moved some more rock so that it created a crevice by the BTA that the male could possibly retreat to. I also took a couple of fish nets and made a barricade so the damsel and tang can only approach from one direction. It worked better than I thought. So far, the setup has allowed the little guy to stay hidden and gets him right next to the BTA and the female. Over the last 3 hours. I've watched the male and female start swimming side by side in the BTA. The female has even gone so far as to chase off the tang several times.
My main concern now is the torn fin. Hope it doesn't get infected. Any input on what I can do to aid?
Thanks.
I have a 55g tank w/ 70#s of LR, 3" sand bed, HOB skimmer, 10g DIY refugium/sump, biowheel filtration, 2 Korilla 3 powerheads, 110w VHO lighting (about to add MH). PH 8.3. No visible ammonia or nitratites. Nitrates are slowly coming down to now about 20 since adding the refugium a week ago. Current stock include 2 damsels, 1 yellow tang, 3.5" maroon goldstripe clown, a GBTA, 2 skunk shrimp and misc hermit crabs, snails. I have discovered 3 small mussels/scallops and a tiny white starfish over the last month that have piggybacked in off of something. Misc zoas, a frogspawn and leather constitute my corals but will increase after the MH's arrive.
My first experience with clowns was not so great. The first two were false percula juveniles. They were introduced to the tank together and immediately took to the BTA. No problems the first day. The very next morning, one was dead next to a powerhead and the other just gone. Broke apart the entire tank and couldn't locate him. The only explanations I could come up with was a mad leap out of the tank through a 1" opening and being eaten by the golden retriever who treats the tank as his personal TV or the CUC managed to break him completely up in one night.
The next death came trying to mate with our current maroon. We introduced a new juvenile directly and it was instant war. I managed to get the new guy out but unfortunately, he didn't last the night after the 20 minute butt kicking he took (poor dudes fins looked like what probably happens to the ears on the chocolate Easter bunny at Mike Tyson's house)
This time around has been much better. We've given it much more time, although not exactly by design. I purchased the new maroon and on Monday of this week, I put him into a seperation container within the main tank and right beside the BTA. The female didn't really show much aggression toward the new male and whenever she came close he would start start shaking.
My plan was for the next morning to switch the two clowns up. It would give the new guy a chance to figure out the tank arrangement w/o the female beating the hell out of him. Well, as with the best laid plans, I ended up getting sick. Turns out a nasty bug swept right through a neighborhood football party from Sunday and put me and most of the party out of commission. I spent most of the day Tuesday at the doctor's office getting 4 liters of fluid pumped into me. The little guy would have to continue life in confinement.
By Wednesday evening, I was finally feeling back to normal. I prepped the tank for the switch. I got up at about 5am on Thursday and caught the female sound asleep in the BTA and after a couple of misses, got her into the containment chamber. I released the male and he spent zero time roaming the tank, instead heading directly to the BTA. I set the female containment chamber so she was right beside the BTA the whole time. Thursday night, I decided the time was right. I moved around a couple of rocks around the BTA to disorient the female then let her go. She immediately went up to the new guy in the BTA and pushed him out, but didn't bite at him. The two got along pretty well for the next couple of hours with her occassionly nipping at him and his response being the bump against her side and submissive quivering. The only problem I really had was the larger damsel and the tang. The tang wouldn't really attack but would do the intimidation thing by continually swimming over the top of the new guy, who had been kicked to a rock ledge beside the BTA. The damsel was being a real pain though. He would swim in front of the clown and slap his tail at the clown. All attempts to capture the damsel failed. I decided turning out the lights might settle everyone out. I moved a rock to give the new guy a better place to hide and then kind of hung out for a while. Sure enough, everybody chilled out after dark.
This morning, Friday, ticked me off. First there was a tear on the male's top back fin. I didn't know who caused it but as soon as it started to get light in the house, the tang and damsel started showing up to continue the previous night's abuse.
I'd had it. I moved some more rock so that it created a crevice by the BTA that the male could possibly retreat to. I also took a couple of fish nets and made a barricade so the damsel and tang can only approach from one direction. It worked better than I thought. So far, the setup has allowed the little guy to stay hidden and gets him right next to the BTA and the female. Over the last 3 hours. I've watched the male and female start swimming side by side in the BTA. The female has even gone so far as to chase off the tang several times.
My main concern now is the torn fin. Hope it doesn't get infected. Any input on what I can do to aid?
Thanks.