The 20g high fish inhabitants are down to the 2 mummichogs, at lease one mud crab, and about a dozen grass shrimp. The SG is currently at 1.012. I plan to drop it back down to 1.008 and keep it there. From that point on, it will be my QT tank prior to introducing fish to the larger tank. If the killifish surive this, then they'll go in the display. If not, then I can also keep the tank fallow since I probably won't collect any more fish until next spring or summer.
The 20g long is doing great, as are the fish. Cyano seems to be dying back a little each day. My dilemma is what to do about this tank in preparation of the larger tank set up, because everything is going into the main tank. I believe in the hypo treatment, but am a little gun shy after what happened with the 20g high. If I do the hypo treatment in this tank, it will be done slow and carefully, watching pH closely too. Right now, I use a floating hydrometer. I also have one with the swinging arm. But, I'm considering purchasing a refractometer...rather, I plan on purchasing one. I won't continue until I do.
It's fascinating watching the fish totally ignore the mud crabs. They sit right next to them, land on them, sit on them, look at them, and the crabs do nothing in response. Once in a while, they'll raise their pincers a bit, but don't pinch, as if to shoo the fish away. More often, the crabs retreat to their hiding spots especially if the fish approach rapidly. The crabs seemed to stick to their hiding spots for longer periods of time.
These fish are still sub-adults or juveniles. They feed from my hand, but at the same time, they're very spooky and always on edge. The blennies move all around the structure, and when they do, they're always tight to the cover. When out in the open, if they're not feeding, then they don't stay there long. But, they don't sit and hide all the time, they're always on the move. Some of them have favorite hiding and perching spots, but they don't seem to be married to them. The blennies are the most assertive species in the tank, not fearing the other fish. They're more spooky about my presence. I kind of like that, because they tend to act normally except for at feeding time.
The gobies tend to hide and stick their heads out often, but aren't shy about being in the open. They can be skittish, but not quite like the blennies. They can be aggressive, and will chase anything away, but they are often chased more by the blennies than they other way around. The blennies sort of see them as a nuisance rather than fear them.
The skilletfish hide the most, but, they move around a lot too, most always attached to a shell or the glass, but sometimes hug the bottom, especially at feeding time.
4 out of the 6 blennies in the tank will take food from my hand. The other two, the smallest, sit on one side of the tank and wait for the current to bring their meals to them. 3 of the 6 skilletfish will take food from my hand, the others hunt food down or hang out near the 2 blennies. The gobies will sometimes take food from my hand, but the other fish chase them away. If they were the only species in there, then all of them would do it. The skilletfish stick to my hand when they feed, but they get territorial, and chase the blennies and gobies away as well as competing skilletfish. The blennies come right back though.
All of the fish mistake my hand for food at times and bite. The blennies tend to peck, but can bite a bit hard. The gobies put a lot of effort into biting and the bite is strong, but their teeth are much smaller, so don't grab much. The skilletfish have larger mouths and stronger jaws, and hence, the stronger bite, especially if they get ahold of a fold of skin. None of the bites hurt, but it is a good way to get to know the capabilities of your fish. I don't recommend testing triggerfish though
