View Full Version : New PBT QT
Hello all,
Last week at the LFS they had a rather large (about 4") powder blue tang in their tanks. I see them all the time but this one struck me. He was in a very small "cell" about 18"x18" and happy as a clam. Came up to the glass to greet me, stayed close while I was there and he has an extremely calm disposition. I watched him for half an hour and he wasn't rapidly pacing, eyes were normal and no flashing.
I've kept PBT's sucessfully (until I introduced a fish with flukes that took him out) before and I've always wanted another. It just so happens I've had a 26' bow front with a Deltec skimmer (rated for a 300g tank) set up for a couple of weeks with a bunch of rock that I was going to take down (change of heart on a second tank) so I thought "this is great timing, I can use that as a QT".
The store has had him for a week and he was eating the red formula 1 pellets like they are going out of style. So I had the LFS hold him for another week. I've checked up on him over the past week and today the week was over so I went to check on him again and brought along some formula 2 pellets and red nori soaked in garlic. He ate a few of the forumla 2 pellets and a few free floating pieces of nori but spit more than he ate. But as soon as the formula 1 went in he went formula 1 (vroom!) on them.
So I decided to bring him home. I did notice 2 or 3 flukes on his chest in the white areas but no visible ich. So when I got him home I started by giving him a 50 minute acclimation combined with formalin 3 in the acclimation water. After the acclimation I took the skimmer offline and put prazi pro in the QT.
I'm not really a fish guy, more of a coral guy, so I'm looking for some tips, "watchouts", ideas etc during the QT process. I know this is a controversial subject but I'm not really treating for ich since I have ich in my DT and I've kept a PBT (along with the hippo tang I have now and some other sensitive fish) with ich in a tank. I believe (flame suit on) that an extremely healthy, mature and well fed tank can keep ich in check but I do want to make sure he is clean otherwise.
My plan is to leave him in QT for a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks or longer until he looks good, eats well and has regained his strenght. My display has about 12,000 gph moving through it so he'll need to be strong. After the QT I plan to dip him once more in formalin 3 before introduction to my display. All the fish I have in my display are very clean (I never see it but I know ich is in there) and have been there for coming up on 2 years so I want to keep the garbage out.
For fun, here is my old PBT. He had a very similar dispotion to the one I picked up and loved attention and to be fed by hand.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2314-1.jpg
I turned my skimmer back on but turned it all they way down so it won't skim to keep O2 levels in the tank high.
Update
She has been in my QT for 2.5 hours and I put some nori soaked in Zoe and garlic. She will not eat any off the clip but if I break up smaller pieces that float into the water column she is eating them.
She is also picking at the rocks and a small diatom bloom and appears to be eating that as well.
I'd like some advice on additional medications (if nessesary) before putting her into my DT in a few weeks.
Thanks
Charlie.
Update
Four hours in my QT. I've seen a number of flukes that have fallen of her face but there seems to be about 10 or 15 more still attached. I'm guessing they're flukes, they are opaque and attached on one point of the fish and what would be the "tail" of the fluke is flapping in the current.
She has started to eat from the nori clip now in very small bites, when she gets too big of a bite she spits it out. But when it hits the power head and breaks into a bunch of little pieces she goes right after them and eats them.
I have a 1,300 gph power head in there and she loves it, spends a lot of time in its stream and fighting her reflection in the glass. I moved the power head to blow across the top so she could rest tonight and she went into a cave and didn't come back out until I brought the stream back down where she could swim in it.
For now I'm glad she's eating veggies. Since the QT is still only about 2 weeks old I have decided to do daily 5g water changes (roughly 20%) and add 1.5ml of prazi pro to keep the saturation in line for at least 7 days.
Wish me luck
zac312
05/19/2011, 07:26 PM
those are my favorite fish i had one and he did very well for the first 2 months then i woke up one morning and he was covered in ich and died 3 days later i plame it on me not having light timers and buying one that was mising part of his back fin due to a shipping problem :(
That stinks :(
I know they're hard to keep. Most of them I see at LFS are super stressed. Eyes dialated, pacing the tank and in general just not happy. It may sound corny but after you've spent some time in the hobby you can tell happy fish from stressed/upset ones.
This one caught my eye because of it's demeanor. I shop a few LFS stores and I don't usually buy fish from this guy because I'm not satisfied with his new fish procedures but seeing the disposition of this fish and how well he was eating I took a risk. Turns out this fish loves power heads.........man did he find the right reefer, my tank has crazy flow.
Right now he is eating very well and it seems like there are much less flukes on him than when I got him. I'll keep this thread updated.
24 hour update:
She is swimming nicely, fighting with her refleciton quite a bit and all but 3 or 4 flukes have fallen off (hopefully not to return). She is eating nori from the clip now and her colors seem to have greatly improved (is that possible in 24 hours?).
Keeping fingers crossed.
36 hour update:
I can not see any more visible flukes. I'm changing the filter sock daily and doing 25% daily water changes until the prazi pro treatment is over since I can't use my skimmer. I've decided to leave the live rock in since prazi is reef safe and she enjoys the caves (tank is bare bottom). If I have to move on to copper or another medication I will remove the rock (hopefully only after the prazi is done so I can skim) and put PVC in.
I'm still dosing vitamin C, zoe and garlic in the nori and she is eating well. I'll take pics soon.
MrTuskfish
05/21/2011, 02:15 PM
If I read this right, you're putting a PBT into a tank that is known to have ich. If that is the case, all I can add is "good luck".
Drewbaby
05/22/2011, 07:04 AM
If a tank has had an ich outbreak and you treat it, from what a majority of sources state the parasite will continue to live in the aquaria lurking in the dark waiting for a fish to become weak or stressed. PBT are known as ich magnets, but they are also kept in most cases in tanks that are too small or overcrowded
It sounds like you should be successful with your adventure mainly based on your patience to QT and the fish's personality
If a tank has had an ich outbreak and you treat it, from what a majority of sources state the parasite will continue to live in the aquaria lurking in the dark waiting for a fish to become weak or stressed. PBT are known as ich magnets, but they are also kept in most cases in tanks that are too small or overcrowded
It sounds like you should be successful with your adventure mainly based on your patience to QT and the fish's personality
Agreed
My tank has had ich outbreaks before (early on in the tanks life) but I have not seen any in over a year, but I know it is still there. In my novice humble opinion ich will often kill weak, malnurished, overstressed & unhappy fish. Very healthy & happy fish seem to be able to fight it off.
Day 2.5 update:
All visible flukes are gone and the fish continues to get darker colors. I estimate the fish has darkened 3 or 4 shades since treatment. I have no idea if this is possible or not (maybe I had too many beers last night?).
She also had a minor pinched belly that has filled in nicely. After some more reading I went and picked up New Life Spectrum pellets and I'm soaking them in zoe, garlic & Kent Vit C along with the nori. She is eating well & I am feeing two to three times a day with daily water changes, filter sock changes and ammonia testing.
I'll try and get some pictures today although with the algea on the glass I'm not sure how they'll turn out. I have chosen to allow any & all algea growth as an extra assistance to nutrient export while my skimmer is offline due to prazi pro treatment.
From a few minutes ago, sorry for the dirty glass. The belly was very skinny when I got him, he was only eating meaty pellets from the LFS but now I have him on almost all nori with some pellets every other day.
I'm happy with his recovery so far, it's hard to see but the belly is very full and bulging a bit. I'm working now on getting some meat on his bones. I'll start feeding fatty foods much more often in 4 days when the first round of prazipro is done. My plan from then is to feed extremely heavy and skim for 5 days then do another 5 day round of prazi.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912669.jpg
This might be a better photo. The first one was taken in direct sunlight and it made it look like his ribs are sticking out but they're not. He does need to fatten up though.
The white spot by his eye is just dirty glass. I'll clean it once my skimmer is back online.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912673.jpg
BADGUS
05/23/2011, 09:20 AM
Nice looking fish,i have yet to keep one successfully.
Day 4 update:
She is eating agressively now. When I put nori on the clip she goes right after it and tears it up. I'm happy to see that.
I see two new white spots on her face, I don't think they are ich spots but a parasite of some kind. I'll try to get some pics but she doesn't like my camera.
Any ideas on what the parasite could be that doesn't mind prazipro?
Edit: I saw them earlier when direct sunlight was on the tank and on her. Now I can't see them any more. They seemed white (not clear) but I don't seem any more. I opened the window right next to the tank to let a lot of light in along with the 55w PC that is over the tank but still nothing. They were much smaller but similar to the ones I saw when I first got her. Could they be new hatches that only lived a short time?
I've been able to view the fish in direct sunlight again and I don't see them anymore. I'm guessing they were new hatched flukes that didn't last long. I'll keep a close eye out for additional flukes.
Nice looking fish,i have yet to keep one successfully.
Really? Did you QT?
Day 11 update
The fish continues to eat well. I'm still feeding nori daily soaked in garlic, zoe & Vitamin C as well as NLS pellets twice a day.
I did a full 7 days of prazi followed by 3 off (ran lots of lignite carbon) and back to a second 5 day cycle of prazi (already 1 day on the second round of prazi).
Overall she looks healthy but has gotten shy of me peering in at her. Thought that was weird. She retains her reserved demeanor, no crazy swimming or pacing or eratic activity. Very normal and calm swimming.
Few interesting observations
At day #8 (first day without prazi) I noticed a parasite on her face that went away on day 9. Not sure what that was about, I didn't think any could be alive at that point.
I haven't cleaned the glass since setting this tank up a month ago and that seems to be an added plus. The glass is covered in a brown algea that she likes to pick at and I also see tens of thousands of little pods there that I'm sure she's getting some of. She also can no longer see her reflection and that has stopped her from fighting with herself.
I bought a new bottle of prazi for this second round and for whatever reason it is not overflowing my skimmer. Makes me worry that the medication in it is no longer valid. I leave my skimmer on (allowing it to overflow) for this fish since she is so oxygen dependent.
She prefers NLS pellets to nori but does eat nori so long as it has been soaked in garlic. If it has not been soaked she won't eat it. Her weight has grown very rapidly. This is a 4-5" fish and she had a pinched belly when I got her, I estimate her waist band to be 3/4" now. Sorry for calling you fat ol gal! :D
My plan at this point is to wrap up the second round of prazi and give her 1 to 3 additional weeks after that of just massive feeding. This will give me a chance to fatten her up to handle the high flow, populated DT tank and I will also be able to keep an eye out for any additional parasites. As long as she is happy in the QT (she appears to be happy) I will leave her there. Before her final transport to my DT I will do a one hour acclimation with a second and final formalin bath to make sure I got everything.
Day 17 Update:
She prefers NLS pellets to nori, I'm not sure that I'm happy about this but she will pick at the nori from time to time. I finished a second 6 day round of prazi pro, I don't see any more parasites on her. My goal now is to start feeding this girl quite a bit more. The past 2 1/2 weeks I was feeding twice a day, I just installed an Eheim auto feeder to feed NLS pellets four times a day (noon, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm) and on top of that I will be putting garlic & Vit C soaked nori in twice a day for a total of six feedings a day. Good news is that my Deltec is up to the job. I just started running 4 cups of lignite carbon thru my BRS reactor to remove the prazi and keep the water clean during the heavy feeding. The discharge of the carbon goes into a filter sock to make sure minimal (if any) dust gets in the tank.
There is a bit of algea on the rocks and the glass and I can see that she does graze on that but now that my filtration is back online I cleaned the front glass so I could watch for parasites/issues better. She is extremely angry at her reflection so I've decided to leave the tank lights off and open the window that is right next to the tank. Exterior light keeps the reflections away.
SDguy
06/05/2011, 11:26 AM
The NLS pellets will keep her nice and fat. Mine doesn't care for nori either, don't sweat it :)
The NLS pellets will keep her nice and fat. Mine doesn't care for nori either, don't sweat it :)
Great news. I knew the NLS stuff is pretty good but I was hoping for more variety/veggies in her diet, especially as she's going through recovery. I imagine the parasites that she had pulled blood directly from her blood stream which would rob her of protein and iron, both of which I believe are in higher levels in NLS meaty formulas.
Here is an interesting before & after only 2 1/2 weeks apart. Both photos were only adjusted using "auto color" in picasa so no playing around with colors.
Before:
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912673.jpg
After (with flash, glass is dirty):
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912675.jpg
These were also taken today, I'm not happy seeing the spine and some ribs but I hope that I can get her fattened up with these NLS
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912687.jpg
Best belly shot I could get
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912694.jpg
davez104
06/05/2011, 03:37 PM
I don't have much to add except to say that my powder blue doesn't eat a lot of nori either. It eats NLS and my home made seafood mix mostly. It does pick at the nori, but doesn't show the same enthusiasm as the mimic tang or the scribbled rabbitfish.
Good luck with it, they are a beautiful fish.
Cheers,
Dave.
scuzy
06/05/2011, 05:37 PM
Well my new pbt is eating mysis, h2o frozen mix, nls pellets , formula one/two flakes and lots of nori strips.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
I respect some long time members like SDguy and some others. I did some google research and I've found many many people that have kept difficult fish like PBT, Moorish Idols and others on NLS alone.
What shocks me is that I've been reefing for over 5 years and I've heard rumblings of NLS from time to time but from what I've been reading they need their own forum. After hours of searching I've not found anyone that has anything bad to say about it. I read that the makers of NLS say that it has enough veggies to feed a tang exclusively. I thought that to be impossible and just empty self promotion but I've found several tang keepers that keep PBT's and Archilles with NLS feedings alone. With that, I promptly removed the nori clip that was going unused and I'm counting on my NLS to get my PBT fat in the coming week or two before introduction to my DT.
In the past I've fed mostly mysis. Two weeks ago I started using Roggers (I had a chance to meet one of my idol tank owners 143gadets, he highly reccomended it) and I just bought NLS for the first time last week. Moving forward I'm going to start feeding NLS to my DT twice a day (via auto feeder) and Roggers Reef Food at night when I get home.
I've had semi pale SPS colors for a long time, I'm wondering if my almost exclusive mysis diet was to blame.
SDguy
06/05/2011, 05:53 PM
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912687.jpg
Best belly shot I could get
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912694.jpg
Belly looks great. Visible spine, not so much, but knowing you dewormed the fish makes me confident that over time, she will fill out nicely. Mine showed a slight spine when I first got it too.
Belly looks great. Visible spine, not so much, but knowing you dewormed the fish makes me confident that over time, she will fill out nicely. Mine showed a slight spine when I first got it too.
That's great news, thank you SDguy. I'm going to give her one to two more weeks (or more) in QT with NLS four times a day. When she starts to fatten up I'll put her in the DT.
She destroys the NLS pellets when I put them in. Even if it's only been an hour since her last feeding she acts like it's been weeks. That makes me hopeful that she will fatten up.
SDguy
06/05/2011, 06:03 PM
Be careful, I've gotten so excited about how well a fish in QT is eating, that I've thrown tons of food in, forgetting how it can impact water quality :o . Keep a close eye on ammonia.
Belly looks great. Visible spine, not so much, but knowing you dewormed the fish makes me confident that over time, she will fill out nicely. Mine showed a slight spine when I first got it too.
Advice question
Not sure if you read the whole thread but I not only gave her two rounds of prazi but a 50 minute bath in full strenght formalin before she went into QT. I thought about one more formalin bath as I acclimate her to my DT just to "make sure". Good idea or bad idea?
Be careful, I've gotten so excited about how well a fish in QT is eating, that I've thrown tons of food in, forgetting how it can impact water quality :o . Keep a close eye on ammonia.
I may be guilty of this :hmm2:
SDguy
06/05/2011, 06:05 PM
Advice question
Not sure if you read the whole thread but I not only gave her two rounds of prazi but a 50 minute bath in full strength formalin before she went into QT. I thought about one more formalin bath as I acclimate her to my DT just to "make sure". Good idea or bad idea?
At this point I wouldn't do any more prophylactic treatments.
At this point I wouldn't do any more prophylactic treatments.
Ok thanks :)
thelostrican
06/05/2011, 08:05 PM
I would do a freshwater bath with conditioned tap water for 5 minutes...and inspect the water afterwards, if the water looks good, I would proced to keep him a little longer in qt, to fat him up a little more...his eyes look funny, keep the water clean.
When you transfer him to your main, count his pellets up, a little ich should could present itself, in my opinion as long as his eating and strong he should beat it...in my opinion ich is always present...if by one week he still has ich, change the pellets to another brands, I always have spectrum and formula pellets...my powder blue eats 23 to 25 pellets in the morning and brine at night....
Always qt...
I learned the QT, like many hobbiests, the hard way. The LFS that you trust that swears they dipped them, run prazi in their tanks and treated with copper have often the same diseases that everyone else has.
I agree that ich is common and usually found in unhappy fish that are malnurished, given the wrong environment or just not fit for captivity. Given the right place ich isn't the ultimate enemy but parasites can be.
geaux xman
06/05/2011, 09:01 PM
do you have any other tangs in your DT?
Update:
I'm feeding 100% NLS and she seems to be gaining weight. I'm feeding 5 times a day and she is a very hungry fish. I'll give her another week or more in QT to fatten up and watch for parasites. At that point she will have been in QT for right at a month.
SDguy
06/09/2011, 05:07 PM
Sounds like things are going well!
Sounds like things are going well!
I hope so. I took some pictures this morning. It seems like the spine is no longer visible towards the front of the fish but still visible towards the tail. I'm impressed at the level of recovery so far, she seems to be putting fat on quite quickly if you compare pics earlier in this thread where the spine is clearly visible nose to tail
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912703.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912702.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912701.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912705.jpg
The main purpose of this thread is to document a recovery of a sick delicate fish and to get help & advice from other experienced reefers. I hope some of this information is helpful to others. I know I've learned a few new things one of the biggest is the use of NLS pellets. I had never used them before in my DT or QT and they are now a big part of the diet of my fish.
scuzy
06/10/2011, 09:51 AM
i feed my fish NLS occasionally and they go at it. But i mainly feed mysis and formula 1/2/prime reef often. So far all my tangs are fat like pigs.
i feed my fish NLS occasionally and they go at it. But i mainly feed mysis and formula 1/2/prime reef often. So far all my tangs are fat like pigs.
I've been feeding mysis as a large part of my fish diet for a number of years. I started researching NLS and I read some articles where people have kept difficult fish like archillies, PBT's and some others on NLS exclusively. I looked at that with a skeptical eye but after replacing the mysis in my DT as the primary food source with NLS along with Roggers I've noticed brighter colors in my fish that I've had for years as well as this PBT that I have in QT gaining weight very quicklly on NLS alone.
My experience is far from scientific but I certianly have seen results in my opinion that have made me a believer. However, I am a big fan of diversity in foods so I will not feed NLS exclusively but I will make it a large part of my fish's diet moving forward.
scuzy
06/10/2011, 11:14 AM
btw awesome powder Blue. Here is mine that i just added to my DT after 3 weeks in QT under cupramine
http://gallery.got-rice.com/Pets/Tank-and-Fish/i-hbNdZFh/0/M/jun-620112-71-M.jpg
anbosu
06/10/2011, 11:44 AM
NLS is a great food to put weight on tangs, especially ones that are a bit finicky like PBTs.
gweston
06/10/2011, 01:58 PM
Great job so far on the PB. She's looking super healthy. Someday I'd like to get one... but have been hesitant so far due to their disease sensitivity and potential for aggression.
But.. eventually when I think I am ready, I'll get one and follow a path similar to you. A good sized QT with a slow methodical regimen.
Here he is acclimating to my DT
It was hard to get a shot but this fish went from skin and bones to fat in 6 weeks using only NLS pellets. She refused to eat nori after I started using NLS and as soon as those pellets hit the water she goes crazy for them.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp027.jpg
Here he is in my DT, still has some cloudy stuff that comes and goes on her fins only. I can't remember the name of the stuff but it's common and not known to be deadly to fish and goes away with time. As far as his body goes she has not had anything visible for many weeks. Instead of her spine sticking out it's now a indention. She has really fattened up.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp037.jpg
Fish looks fantastic...nice job getting her healthy.
I love NLS pellets...big part of all my fishes diets if they'll eat them.
Fish looks fantastic...nice job getting her healthy.
I love NLS pellets...big part of all my fishes diets if they'll eat them.
Thank you
I've been anti pellet food my entire reefing life, this fish forced me to buy them because of her eating habbits. I was and am completely blown away at the results. I've never seen a fish color up or fatten up so fast. This fish literally went from anemic to lardo in 4 or 5 weeks (first couple weeks I was doing nori).
When I fed it to my DT where I've had clowns for a couple of years I was shocked. They both had quite a bit of black on them, mostly the tops of them. After 3 weeks of NLS pellets the black turned a bright orange along with the rest of their body going a very bright orange.
Not to oversell it, but NLS appears to be the "snake oil" food that actually performs as advertised. I'm a big fan.
curlykid
06/24/2011, 01:20 PM
he looks amazing! haven't seen a fat one like that in a while. Your QT procedure was amazing, quite nurturing. It gives me joy to see fat fish! haha
Thanks Curly, it's hard to get a good photo with a cheap camera and a 20k tank but here is another of her belly. The fish is solid like this nose to tail.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp035.jpg
These were also taken today, I'm not happy seeing the spine and some ribs but I hope that I can get her fattened up with these NLS
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912687.jpg
Best belly shot I could get
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912694.jpg
Here is an interersting thing. These photos were taken only 19 days ago. NINETEEN DAYS!!?!?! NLS pellets only in just over two weeks a fish with a spine & ribs showing goes to fatty fatty two by four.
curlykid
06/24/2011, 03:08 PM
ahh that is one happy fish! makes me want a bigger tank
I'm a lil worried about her in my DT
I put her in 7 hours ago and she stays in the same place on the front glass. Won't go hide in any caves or do anything other than hover in one spot. The yellow is flicking at her a little bit but not much. I put food in and she wanted nothing to do with it.
Hope I didn't shock her too much. My DT water quality is very good and the QT not so much with the heavy feedings over the past 5-6 weeks. I did do a one hour drip acclimation to account for this.
curlykid
06/24/2011, 03:31 PM
hmm, most of the fish i've ever added are shocked for the first day, almost seem hypnotized. and then the next day they are ravenous eaters and highly attentive to their surroundings.
aquaph8
06/24/2011, 06:02 PM
I'm a lil worried about her in my DT
I put her in 7 hours ago and she stays in the same place on the front glass. Won't go hide in any caves or do anything other than hover in one spot. The yellow is flicking at her a little bit but not much. I put food in and she wanted nothing to do with it.
Hope I didn't shock her too much. My DT water quality is very good and the QT not so much with the heavy feedings over the past 5-6 weeks. I did do a one hour drip acclimation to account for this.
I'd go lights out for the rest of the day, may help her to relax and calm down a bit.
Quick update:
The yellow tang bullied and speared the PB for 2 or 3 days and the PB was pretty stressed and not eating during those days, which made me very glad I was able to QT and fatten her up prior to putting her in the DT. At day 3 I got worried and tried to remove the yellow but wasn't sucuessful. After that they have stopped fighting and the PB has returned to being a giant pig. So far things are going well
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp048.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp045.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp052.jpg
CW from the OC
07/03/2011, 12:15 PM
Great job Cham, thanks for posting this progression!
NLS pellets, can you post the full name of the food so I can buy some? Thanks!
Great job Cham, thanks for posting this progression!
NLS pellets, can you post the full name of the food so I can buy some? Thanks!
Thanks
NLS is New Life Spectrum, do some google searches on it. There are a lot of amazing write ups on the stuff. I was using just the regular marine formula but I just started using TheraA formula.
SDguy
07/03/2011, 12:37 PM
Looking great!
Thanks SD
I figured out how to get better pics. Who would have thought the "low light" feature would give the best high light results??
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reeftemp2ISO019.jpg
CanhMan
08/17/2011, 05:14 PM
cham - thanks for this thread.
I currently have a blue tang and a yellow tang and thinking about adding a powder blue...similar to what you've just done.
How did the blue and PB interact? I thought since they have similar body shapes it might be an issue. I'm assuming since the PB got introduced later it's okay?
cham - thanks for this thread.
I currently have a blue tang and a yellow tang and thinking about adding a powder blue...similar to what you've just done.
How did the blue and PB interact? I thought since they have similar body shapes it might be an issue. I'm assuming since the PB got introduced later it's okay?
My hippo is the rare exception, a giant baby. He runs from my chromis and is by far on the lowest level of rank in my tank. The yellow was a bit grumpy with the PBT but they have worked out most of their differences. The yellow still flashes at the PBT at feeding time and even though the PBT is twice it's size the yellow is dominant. That would also be another exception, most PB's are grumpy lil terds.
IME fish personality changes much like humans and dogs, it's hard to say for your tank.
Reeftanks6
08/29/2011, 05:43 PM
Cham great work, looks like you have a great fish!!
Cham great work, looks like you have a great fish!!
Thanks! :)
She continues to get fatter in my DT. I have a Ehiem autofeeder with NLS that feeds at lights on and I feed when I get home. She also is a big grazer and I have lots live rock for her to graze on. I'll try and get an updated photo.
curlykid
08/29/2011, 06:01 PM
yay!!!
My digi cam has dead batteries so I took a couple with my blackberry phone. Poor quality but you get the idea.
She was flashing at her reflection, so far she only fights with herself.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/IMG00275-20110829-1959.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/IMG00268-20110829-1957.jpg
Reeftanks6
08/29/2011, 09:22 PM
Looking great!! Pmed you about something
BillyC
08/29/2011, 11:48 PM
My local club is placing a group order and I just ordered a small powered blue and look forward to following what you did pretty closely. The only thing I will probably do different is hyposalinity to kill of any possible ich.
Good thread! Gives me hope!
It's been just over 7 months and I figured I would give an update.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912832.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912830.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912827.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912821.jpg
SDguy
12/28/2011, 07:06 PM
Nice job, it's a very rewarding fish.
ingtar_shinowa
12/28/2011, 07:54 PM
Grats! I just had a run in with a PBT. Killed my Kole and a lavender tang (i should have known better) and then when back to the store ;-) This is one of my favorite fish but I think it will be a long time before I try again!!!!
seahorsedreams
12/29/2011, 11:45 AM
Great job! The fish looks fantastic.
shackman
01/05/2012, 02:46 AM
Hey Cham are you running a UV, I have a 125g and am thinking about getting a PBT but was wondering if its necessary to run one.
Nope, no UV. Since these parasites attach themselves to the fish I would say it would be worthless.
jbanks
01/06/2012, 10:44 AM
Cham, it's a pretty incredible feeling when you're able to keep one of these beautiful fish.. I had given up for a while and then in January of 2011, I caught a beautiful one on sale from Live Aquaria.. She ate nothing but Nori and bloodwroms for 7 months and then BOOM... Her appetite opened up and now she is the hog of the tank.. I really love this fish.. Congratualtions on the success you've had with yours!
Cham, it's a pretty incredible feeling when you're able to keep one of these beautiful fish.. I had given up for a while and then in January of 2011, I caught a beautiful one on sale from Live Aquaria.. She ate nothing but Nori and bloodwroms for 7 months and then BOOM... Her appetite opened up and now she is the hog of the tank.. I really love this fish.. Congratualtions on the success you've had with yours!
Congrats to you as well. Would love to see pics of yours too.
Mine was the same way, pellet only (thank god for NLS!!!). Now she eats everything that hits the water.
jbanks
01/06/2012, 09:01 PM
Thanks man! I wish mine ate pellets from the beginning. She wen through almost a sheet of Nor I a day along with the other Tangs in order to keep her weight up... Fortunately, she stayed pretty fat througout her acclimation to my reef. Those spectrum pellets are the Truth! Here is a picture of my girl.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/a271/banksj/IMG_2319.jpg
jbanks
01/06/2012, 09:01 PM
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/a271/banksj/IMG_2403.jpg
geaux xman
01/06/2012, 09:21 PM
does yall PBT bother any other fish or show any aggression towards the other tangs?
my 5" PBT seems pretty peaceful.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/a271/banksj/IMG_2403.jpg
GREAT looking fish!!!!
I love the PBT's, one of my favorite fish of all time for sure.
does yall PBT bother any other fish or show any aggression towards the other tangs?
my 5" PBT seems pretty peaceful.
Mine doesn't, I know they're usually the bully but she is the wuss of the tank.
geaux xman
01/06/2012, 09:41 PM
how often do you guys feed? i know SPS tanks, water quality is a big concern, so i'm curious.
i'm FOWLR, so i'm constantly dumping food in my tank. 3-5x/day.
i do a lot of ocean nutriton formula 2 pellets too. if you guys want to mix up your food, thats a good option. i feed NLS 3mm pellets to my other angels, but its too big for the PBT. the 4" blue tang would go after it though.
after reading this thread, one thing i did incorporate into my QT-ing routine is Formalin dips. i had read a bit more about formalin dips on WWM first. so now i do about two 1 hr formalin dips on all fish. one sometime mid QT and another before entering the DT. i use Formalin MS, 4ml formalin/4gal DT water.
shackman
01/07/2012, 07:10 PM
Ok Cham so I brought me home a powder blue but it was out of the bag due to my friend owning the pet store and giving me a deal. He is in QT now but only picking at the rocks, will not eat. He did eat a couple of mysis yesterday but now lets the rest go by. He does have good color. Is this a good or bad sign. He has been in QT about 1 day now.
If they're not eating it's never a good sign. You should always see a fish eat before you buy.
Since it's a QT and you're not worried about perfect water quality I'd have food always available. Get yourself some NLS, those pellets are perfect for tangs, specifically sensitive ones like the PBT.
jbanks
01/08/2012, 02:57 PM
Thanks Bro!
One year update photo. She's doing great and is fatter than ever. Overall all my tangs have more "mass" and have a thicker profile width wise as the months pass.
I've fed maybe 3/4 of a bag of nori over the past year. The NLS pellets pretty much sustain them along with mysis.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/Reef2912848.jpg
geaux xman
05/06/2012, 10:01 PM
looking good there bud.
how big is the PBT?
your reef is looking very nice too.
looking good there bud.
how big is the PBT?
your reef is looking very nice too.
Thank you
I'd estimate 4 to 5"
nanoreefbro
05/07/2012, 07:20 AM
I like your perseverance and dedication. I've tried a few times and the only luck I had keeping a PBT was buying one from another local reefer. Glad it turned out well for you. I'd like to add one to my 230 gal but I already have a Bariene Tang in there and they are the same species...
I like your perseverance and dedication. I've tried a few times and the only luck I had keeping a PBT was buying one from another local reefer. Glad it turned out well for you. I'd like to add one to my 230 gal but I already have a Bariene Tang in there and they are the same species...
Thanks :)
I have a hippo & yellow in there too but they both were already in the tank and have even temperments. I've seen some very agressive yellow tangs and I wouldn't have tried the PBT if he was.
I added the PBT last and she is quite a bit larger than the other two. They chase each other from time to time but they spend most of their time fighting their reflections.
Snapped a few more pictures today, my goal was to capture the real life colors of this fish without the actinics making her look bluer. These colors are really close and the last I used the camera flash which washes it out quite a bit (look at the blue/green chromis in the top corner, super washed out) but you'll still get the idea.
I just can't say enough about NLS pellets, the colors that the fish are showing is incredible to me. Maybe it's because I'm not really a fish guy and some minor sucess has me jumping around......
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/PBT029.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/PBT007.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h187/cham_01/PBT039.jpg
Quick update
Just a bit over 3 years and he's still doing great. I've had to take my SPS offline because of time restraints due to life events but the last year or more the PBT has been doing great on NLS pellets only. I have put nori in the tank once or twice in the last year, he will pick at it but devours the NLS and he's in great shape.
Another two thumbs up for NLS
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