Weeds

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm not too crazy about big fish in this tank anyway. Medium is fine. I've been looking at the bristletooths for a while now, to help with detritus. Seeing a Tomini in person the other day rekindled my interest. I agree, he makes a great focal point!

[Michael Hoaster]

Well said Dawn. It is hard sometimes to stay the course. Especially if it's a fish. It was tough removing Phyllis the Filefish and Mister Zippy the Atlantic Blue Tang, but they both became bad for the overall ecosystem, and had to go.

By making these tough choices, I'm rewarded with a diverse ecosystem that functions well.

[Michael Hoaster]

duplicate post…

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Well said Dawn. It is hard sometimes to stay the course. Especially if it's a fish. It was tough removing Phyllis the Filefish and Mister Zippy the Atlantic Blue Tang, but they both became bad for the overall ecosystem, and had to go.

By making these tough choices, I'm rewarded with a diverse ecosystem that functions well.

If you decide to go with a tomini or one of the other bristletooth tangs, I hope they behave in a manner that benefits the ecosystem. It seems that there are the occasional renegades who do not follow the rules of their species.

I too would have liked to try a sandsifting starfish but never have, even when I had a bigger tank because I did not want the substrate depleted of worms and such. I even wonder if f a YWG is bad idea for the biolife in the sandbed. At least I have the refugium to replenish things, but I will have to ask more questions on that.

Maybe visit a LFS with your wife so she can see some beautiful fish. My hubby actually asked if I needed anything at the LFS. I have spent enough $ lately so I am going to refrain and use some self control.

[Michael Hoaster]

Yes, renegades are a big concern. What if my bristletooth decided he liked String of Pearls? Yikes!

I'm not sure, but I believe Yellow Watchman Gobies are sand bed killers as well. I can see the attraction though. A clean, sterile sand bed is attractive, especially if you are fighting sand bed algae. I would think that there are sand sifting fish that don't go after worms, etcetera, but I don't know which ones. That's why I've chosen a Cucumber and Fighting Conch. Their mouths are tiny and selective. When I look at my sand with a magnifying glass, I see wall to wall spaghetti worms. That's how I like it!

Not a bad idea on the wife. I'm already laying the groundwork. Today I told her I was thinking of getting my QTs ready to go. "Wouldn't it be nice to get a bigger fish you could see better?" She said YES!

[ThePurple12]

Score 1 to Michael!

Watchman gobies aren't HUGE sandbed killers, as they stay in one spot all day (their burrows). But I've seen mine eat a bristleworm, and they pick at pods on the sand.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks ThePurple12! Next phase: get her invested. I'll do that by showing her pictures of the fish I'm considering, and ask her to pick her favorite. Then I'll causally ask her if she'd like to come up with a name for it. Mmmwahaha…

[ThePurple12]

Genius.

[Michael Hoaster]

She knows what I'm doing. It's all part of the game. It's fun! This is probably all part of an even bigger scheme she's working on ME. Marriage is deep…

[Apercula]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks Apercula, and welcome! I had read that it was on the aggressive side, for a bristletooth tang. How was yours?

I had no issues with aggression from mine. It was in with clowns, a gramma, a wrasse, a pair of lyretail anthias, maybe a dwarf angel. I cant remember details at this point. Everyone got along well and were healthy until the tank overheated and I lost about 90% of the contents.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

She knows what I'm doing. It's all part of the game. It's fun! This is probably all part of an even bigger scheme she's working on ME. Marriage is deep…

I had to laugh when I read how you present the possibilities of new fish to your wife. I agree with ThePurple, you are a clever, sly one! I also smiled when you said that it is a game and she is on to you.

Dave knows most of my ploys also and I can never fool him either. After almost 40 years of marriage I just look at him with big imploring eyes and when it comes to the fish tank, it pretty much always works.

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks again Apercula! That's great info that I really needed. Between yours and Dawn's experience, I've got a good sense of how a Tomini would do for me.

[Michael Hoaster]

Glad to hear you got a laugh from that, Dawn. I see you have your own tricks as well! You and Dave are about a decade ahead of us, as we're approaching 30 years.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Glad to hear you got a laugh from that, Dawn. I see you have your own tricks as well! You and Dave are about a decade ahead of us, as we're approaching 30 years.

Well congrats on almost 30 years! Those years go fast, especially the longer you are married!

Dave and I have tried to really make our time count with the motorcycle trips, some mission trips and and shared projects together. Even getting into aquaria started out being a hobby we entered together with Dave being the one with more experience and knowledge. I of course had more time at home to devote to our aquariums and then when I did get a job it was at a lfs, so I became the primary fish person. Dave never stopped enjoying them however. I guess that is why it is such an easy sale when I want something new. I try to police myself because Dave tends to be an enabler! LOL

[Michael Hoaster]

And congrats to you, going on forty years!

Today I went to work on my two quarantine tanks. They had been sitting in the cabinet under my display, unattended for over a year. Believe it or not there were some fragments of red macros still alive! And some pods! No light, no heat, no filtration or water movement, and somehow life finds a way. I was tempted to throw them in the display, but decided not to.

I had battled Uronema in them, which means there could still be Uronema in them. It needs no fish host and can survive on detritus. This why I bleach sterilized everything wet. The hardest part was scraping lime off the glass. Luckily I had an old metal edge scrapper for glass tanks. It was drudgery but the tanks look good!

I got them back in the cabinet and now I'm waiting for the filters and heaters to dry, before I get them up and running tomorrow. It'll be great to get that done! I have another, larger tank I can use if needed, depending on what I end up getting. It would useful if I got another Royal Gramma harem.

Next I'll check to see if I have enough medications on hand, and restock as needed. From previous experience I know that I'll need it from day one. I don't want to waste a day if anyone is sick.

After the horrendous luck I've had, I'm determined to have a success with QT.

[ThePurple12]

I'd love to see another royal gramma harem. Any other fish plans, other than the Tomini?

When I was just starting the hobby and first heard that name (royal Gramma), and then saw the scientific name (Gramma loreto) I wondered if it was a joke. Nope!

[Michael Hoaster]

I'd love another Royal Gramma harem! Or, it would be cool to get a harem of captive bred Fridmani Basslets, if I could find a good deal on them. Royal Gammas are more likely.

I'm not set on a Tomini. But I'm definitely considering some kind of Bristletooth. I was even thinking of a Hippo too! Now that you've got one, I'll see how yours does for you. Let me know what flora he goes after. If he ate caulerpa that would be fine. Red macros, not so fine.

I'm not sure what else. But I'm looking!

[ThePurple12]

Yup, I’ll let you know what he eats. I hope he won’t eat the macros, but what matters to me the most is the seagrass. We’ll see!

[Michael Hoaster]

He might go after some of the epiphytic algae on the grass. Which may have the same effect as eating it, in that he damages the blades in the process. Feeding him well might lessen his appetite for salad.

[vlangel]

I am with ThePurple, I too would love to see another royal gramma harem! I have always loved them and seeing them in v1 behaving more how they do in the wild was really cool. They are such a striking color also.

[Michael Hoaster]

Me too. I actually got on KP's site last night. I came close to pulling the trigger! I wanted to see what the total cost would be, with a few other add-ons and shipping. So I'm getting close…

[Michael Hoaster]

Last week I dosed a fair amount of Sodium Silicate, for the sponges. I've also been adding Phytoplankton for them. I kind of expected an uptick in Diatoms, but no. There is a large bag of Silica sand already in the sand bed, so I guess there was already a good baseline of silicates in the water. My hope is to give the sponges an added food source, as well as their building blocks for growth.

Today I dosed Ammonia, followed by Phytoplankton, which is maybe a dangerous combination. I could end up with pea soup! I'm kinda curious if I could. It would be cool to maintain a manageable, sustainable population of Phytoplankton - without the pea soup.

When I cleaned up my canister filter I moved the location of the return outlet hose to just over the wave box. This strengthens the current a bit, which is nice, plus I'm directing all that CO2 laden water directly to the plants that need it.

Today I gave the grasses a haircut. So now they're all about the same height. I'm curious to see how they grow back, with the renewed dosing of Ammonia and CO2. It's an experiment. Ideally, they'll all grow tall together, but I suspect they'll come back unevenly. We shall see.

The mangroves have both lost their growth tip leaves, so that could be the last of them. Kind of a bummer, but not too big a deal. I'll leave them in and see if they bounce back. Adding them was kind of an impulse buy/experiment. What did I learn? Planting them submerged in a 30 inch deep tank may have been a bridge too far. I wonder if I had kept CO2 running without a lapse, would they have made it? I think the ideal setup would be to have them planted in rich soil, but with the growth tips above water. If I tried them again, maybe I could fashion a way to mount them emergent, without it being too hideous. That would encourage prop roots to grow. With mine already in good dirt, they didn't seem to need any. I'll file away this experience to use another day, perhaps.

Today I plan to get the QTs up and running. I've gotten permission form the 'Boss' to set up the larger QT as well, so I can accommodate a harem, heh heh.

[vlangel]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Last week I dosed a fair amount of Sodium Silicate, for the sponges. I've also been adding Phytoplankton for them. I kind of expected an uptick in Diatoms, but no. There is a large bag of Silica sand already in the sand bed, so I guess there was already a good baseline of silicates in the water. My hope is to give the sponges an added food source, as well as their building blocks for growth.

Today I dosed Ammonia, followed by Phytoplankton, which is maybe a dangerous combination. I could end up with pea soup! I'm kinda curious if I could. It would be cool to maintain a manageable, sustainable population of Phytoplankton - without the pea soup.

When I cleaned up my canister filter I moved the location of the return outlet hose to just over the wave box. This strengthens the current a bit, which is nice, plus I'm directing all that CO2 laden water directly to the plants that need it.

Today I gave a the grasses a haircut. So now they're all about the same height. I'm curious to see how they grow back, with the renewed dosing of Ammonia and CO2. It's an experiment. Ideally, they'll all grow tall together, but I suspect they'll come back unevenly. We shall see.

The mangroves have both lost their growth tip leaves, so that could be the last of them. Kind of a bummer, but not too big a deal. I'll leave them in and see if they bounce back. Adding them was kind of an impulse buy/experiment. What did I learn? Planting them submerged in a 30 inch deep tank may have been a bridge too far. I wonder if I had kept CO2 running without a lapse, would they have made it? I think the ideal setup would be to have them planted in rich soil, but with the growth tips above water. If I tried them again, maybe I could fashion a way to mount them emergent, without it being too hideous. That would encourage prop roots to grow. With mine already in good dirt, they didn't seem to need any. I'll file away this experience to use another day, perhaps.

Today I plan to get the QTs up and running. I've gotten permission form the 'Boss' to set up the larger QT as well, so I can accommodate a harem, heh heh.

Lots of interesting info in this post. I look forward to seeing what ends up in the QTs.

I am also interested in the silica dosing. I still have nualgi, a product I bought some years ago. If I remember it is high in silica. However even without using it I have a lot of sponge growth. I used to have a really pretty pink encrusting sponge but a grayish white encrusting sponge is now my dominant one. I have spots of bright yellow sponges too. I have no idea what I feed that encourages them to grow so well. Maybe it's the frozen foods?

I am sorry to hear about the mangroves. Bummer! Well maybe they will come back and it was a cool experiment even if they don't.

[Michael Hoaster]

Yesterday I got all 3 quarantine tanks up and running. I needed a new hang-on filter for the the big QT, so I asked my wife if she'd like to swing by the fish store with me, trying to play it cool. She said yes and brought the dog along for a mini adventure. She loves bringing him into pet stores and getting lots of dog attention. On the way, I mentioned offhandedly that I hadn't bought any fish in 2020. Am I good or what?

At the store, while her and the dog were soaking up the good vibrations, I slipped back to the salt water fish room, and low and behold, that Tomini was still there! Be cool. It looked good, and it had been there for more than a week, maybe two. When the wife wondered back, I showed it to her and said it was a fish I was considering. I asked if she liked it, and she said yes. "Should we get it?" "Sure." Operation fish-buy was a success! Oddly enough, my head didn't explode, having gone more than a year without a fish purchase. But it was close.

So now I have a new Tomini Tang in the 20 gallon QT. I have acclimated it to hypo salinity, and this morning I started it on General Cure, which has both Praziquantel and Metroplex as it's two main ingredients. I also offered it some food, which it ate, so we're off to a great start. Woo!

I added a scoop of sand from the display to kick start bacteria, as well as some Caulerpa, Ulva and micro algae. There are three different sized pieces of pvc topped with some dead coral skeletons. It has found a place behind the coral, as well as the larger pvc that it can turn around in.

For now I'm referring to it as 'it'. I want it to reveal it's sex through it's personality. Then I'll come up with a name to suit it.

Tomini QT day 2.

[vlangel]

Hooray, A new fish! That seems like a good way to start 2021!

Best of luck with QT. It sounds like 'it' is off to an encouraging beginning since 'it' is eating already. I always feel that is a good sign.

So what behavioral characteristics does one look for when determining the sex of a tang? I have no idea whether Tommy is a boy or girl, I just named mine Tommy because it's a name close to tomini! Ha ha ha. Maybe mine is really a Tomara? I actually had to Google to get a girls name that began with Tom. There are not a lot to choose from and even less that is a name I was familiar with.