Taking the Plunge

[Schwe]

And, while I'm being a complete postwhore on my own thread, I figure I'll post a quick recap of my progress:

November 6 2007:
found drilled 90G on Craigslist for a killer deal

Thru November 18 2007:
Tank's back glass is cleaned and repainted. Inside of tank is disinfected and cleaned with a diluted bleach and rinsed with Dechlorinator. Bulkheads replaced.

Thru November 30 2007:
Refinished the stand and canopy twice! (yes, twice! boyfriend tried to "surprise" me by staining it while I was at work, but he made a royal mess of it, thick sticky stain! Poor guy had to res-sand/strip the whole thing. Then, I had to show him how it's really done. )

Bought panels of glass from a local glass shop and custom built the overflow box myself.

Constructed and installed Hoefer Gurgle Buster standpipe.

Tried to find used 20L, but had to purchase new.

Purchased QuietOne 3000 from RC member on drygoods forum.

Purchasedabout 60lbs of LR from local reefer on craigslist, getting out of the hobby. Got my first inhabitant! Astrea hitchhiker.

December 9, 2007:
Tank filled with 160lbs. of Aragonite.

Started to fill with Ro/di water.

Nitrates spike to 15.

December 16 2007 (by birthday):
LIFE! Several bristleworms spotted in the rocks and sand.
Mild Diatom bloom.
Nitrites nearly zero.
Nitrates 10.

December 27, 2007:
Pods are crawling all over the glass.
No algae bloom, but Astrea has hair algae all over his shell.
Nitrates zero.
Pick up 2 Chromis.

Thru January 5 2008:
First loss: Damsel sucked into Aquaclear powerhead. Powerhead removed.
Sponges begin to engulf rocks.
Got 10 Nassarius snails from local LFS.
got Chaeto from local reefer.
Flood our spare bedroom and hallway with Ro water. DOH!
Purchased 2 Ocellaris.
Purchased Diamond Goby- did a remarkable job cleaning up the sand bed!
Purchased 10 Zebra Hermits.

January 13 2008:
Baby feather duster spotted in rocks!
Clowns start to exhibit pairing behavior.

January 23 2008:
Added 10 more Astreas.
Added Potters Angel.

January 27 2008:
Installed two Koralia 3's.

[jefnalyssa]

Now you need a FTS for the recap.

[Schwe]

Ask and Ye Shall Receive!


My fav inhabitant:

He is so fast, I need to use a flash to catch him but it washes out his beautiful coloration.


Along with a recap, a summary:

Age: running 2 months (since 12/09/07)
Stats:
90 AGA
drilled w/custom overflow
HGB standpipe
20L sump
RS100 skimmer
Quiet One 3000 return pump
2x Hydor Koralia 3
2x 200W Stealth heaters

Lighting:
40W GE Aquarays bulb (came with tank)

Inhabitants:
2x TR Ocellaris Clownfish
1x Chromis
1x Diamond Watchman Goby
1x Potter's Angel
11x Astrea Snails
9x Nassarius Snails
8x Zebra Hermits

Losses
1x Chromis (via powerhead)
2x Zebra Hermit (fighting? Molting? Unseen predator?)
1x Nassarius snail (via hermit, stealing his shell)

[melev]

You are a post whore?

[Schwe]

Originally posted by melev
You are a post whore?

well, I am learning from the best!

[chris wright]

Originally posted by Schwe
Joyce, Thank you!

I did not quarantine the first few fish because A) They're a hardy species and not prone to bugs like ich and the like B) they were the first additions and C) the 20G had fish in it! I just sent my FW guys to the local LFS to find new homes and am going to clean out the 20G really well and that will be my quarantine tank for any future additions, who will probably be more sensitive species and thus in need of some TLC (*cough*tangs*cough*).

Here's a question.. will a HOB filter and a heater be sufficient for a quarantine tank or should I buy a little skimmer as well? Should I be proactive and QT in hypo from the get go, or QT for observation and then treat?

Since 6 weeks is the typical recommended QT time, we might swing by the LFS and pick up a tang we're interested in, so that by the time QT is done, the tank should be ready for its final addition, too!

And here comes the cry for help..

POLL TIME!!

A) Purple Tang
B) Powder Brown Tang
C) Kole Tang
D) Yellow Tang
E) OTHER

I think most reefers don't QT at the start up of their tank, unless upgrading.

Your idea for the QT tank is fine. You could add a skimmer if you like, but I would do regular water changes instead. It's just as easy.

Just be carefull with Hypo. just remeber what works for some, doesn't work for all. I haven't tried it, but the fish in question will determine this procedure. A clown would be lucky to survive, in my opionion and not worth the risk.
I would be more inclined to lower the salinity a little, but rely on visual inspection of the fish. Treat the tank with medications if you like. If you do try Hypo, remeber to change the salinity slowly, so as not to shock the fish, and cause more problems than it's worth. Remember that stress will be the biggest contributor to generall sickness.

Ah tangs At least you have the right size tank to avoid the Tang Police Personally I like the purple tangs, and the PBT's, but I would start with the purple or yellow, as it is an easier to care for fish.

OR

Here's mine,

[Schwe]

Thank you Chris, as always.

I really like the look of the powder browns as they aren't the typical tang (yellow, hippo) that you see. However they seem to have exploded in popularity and I don't want to have the typical, cookie cutter tank. Purples are very beautiful as well, but VERY expensive.

[chris wright]

Don't I know it. You may be lucky enough to stumble across one though. Some LFS owner's don't know what they are selling, and you can pick up a good buy, but not in this case I'd imagine.

Good luck hunting something down, but remember, that even if everyone has one, they don't have the one in your tank. They all have a personality of their own

[Schwe]

Yeah.. I can only dream of finding a nice tang in an ignorant LFS owner's shop. If they were truly ignorant enough to sell it cheap, I doubt their husbandry would justify the risk of buying a poor specimen-- damn Catch-22!

Sadly, the LFS that I like near me is very far from ignorant. LOL. I bought all of my fish from them and they have been very healthy. They did have a powder brown there last time I visited but I don't dare go back and see one and be tempted to buy it... I need to save my $$!

[albertan22]

Hi Schwe, I've been taging along with this thread for several weeks. I've been planning my own 90 gallon for awhile now, but have recently been wondering if I should be saving for a 120 gallon instead of the 90. Now that you've been up and running for awhile I'm curious, are you happy with the size of your tank? What about the sump?

I know most on these boards will always tell you that bigger is better, but I don't have the room nor the budget for a massive tank. Plus I prefer the look of a 4 foot tank.

[Schwe]

albertan22,
Thank you for tagging along! I would say that you should go for as large as you can comfortably afford. I say comfortably because you will always end up going over budget-- ask any reefer! I am happy with 90 gallons. I would have gotten a larger sump (29G) if I could, but I couldn't afford it.

Always take advice and opinions with a grain of salt. Filter the info and extract what applies to you and your current situation. You'd be surprised how many "experts" there are out there. Craigslist is a great resource. If you noticed at the beginning of the thread, I paid $150 for my tank, stand and canopy. It took a little bit of elbow grease, but the "fixer upper" tank was made to what I want. I think that's even a bit of an advantage to these things... if you are willing to invest the time, DIY is the way to go. I got 60lbs. of LR for $120 on craigslist as well.

Bigger tank = Bigger expenses. Bigger lights, more salt, more rock, more sand.. you get the picture. Plan ahead! Don't go into debt with an all-out tank and then be unable to afford maintenance.

Spend the big bucks on good investments! A good skimmer will put you in the poor house for a week or two, but will pay off in the long run as you won't have to replace or upgrade it later on. Buy the largest skimmer you can afford so that it can handle a heavier bioload and compensate for lazy weeks that you might neglect your tank duties. Get an energy efficient light and return pump so that you won't be battling heat issues. I think I may be getting a bit redundant now.

In the end, spend lots of time planning and deciding what YOU want and YOU enjoy. Forget about those people who want to tell everyone what to do. Too often there are too many cheifs and not enough indians!! Take your time and enjoy the ride.

[albertan22]

Good advice, thanks!

[chris wright]

Originally posted by Schwe
Yeah.. I can only dream of finding a nice tang in an ignorant LFS owner's shop. If they were truly ignorant enough to sell it cheap, I doubt their husbandry would justify the risk of buying a poor specimen-- damn Catch-22!

Sadly, the LFS that I like near me is very far from ignorant. LOL. I bought all of my fish from them and they have been very healthy. They did have a powder brown there last time I visited but I don't dare go back and see one and be tempted to buy it... I need to save my $$!

Well it's good to know that you can get healthy stock. So they should be able to give you some tips as well, considering your giving them a little business.

Good advice to by the way. It's sad seeing people going over budget on big tanks, and skimping on the running and maintenance, causing their livestock big problems.

[NanoGurl]

Great advice! Tank is looking great too!

[Schwe]

Thanks, everyone!

I always end up enlisting one of the people who work there for help when picking out a new addition. I've just gotta keep in mind that their intentions aren't entirely altruistic, either. It's a business, after all.

I think I'm going to wait and let the tank mature some more. Get my boyfriend to order those lights that were supposed to be my birthday present two months ago... ...and get some corals!

[chris wright]

Come out swinging and yelling "Where's my bloody light's dammit"

[chris wright]

Come out swinging and yelling "Where's my bloody light's dammit"

[Schwe]

What's wrong with my angel?
I came home to find him SUPER pale and kind of having seizures! The lights were still on in the tank and he was up at the top right corner of the tank. I know that some fish lose coloration when they sleep, but all lights were on. When I look at the tank with the lights out in the early morning his colors have never been pale.




God I hope he's OK. I'm losing my mind over this.

On a lighter note, what do you think of the clown?






Is s/he just a fat pig, or is that extra chubby (Eggs)?

Also, new photo of the featherduster:

[melev]

I'm not sure why your angel looks like that.

Did you feed your tank, and observe its behavior? The rest of the fish look fine.

[chris wright]

I'd post in the fish forums and see if anyone who has more knowledge about them can help. Sorry to see your fish this way, but the clowns look good.

As Marc said I'd still try feeding the fish too.

[Schwe]

I fed the tank and everyone acted normally, except the angel. He never eats what I put in the tank anyway, though. He eats from the veg. clip and picks at the rockwork. He's nice and fat so I'm guessing he's not starving. I checked the water params right away, too. Everything seemed to be in order.

Thanks for the advice.

[Schwe]

Son of A ICH!

Potter's Angel was starting to act normal again, picking at everything and eating Nori. He still preferred to stay near the powerheads.

...Now, everything is making sense.

Unless, by some divine miracle I am wrong about the white spots on his fins, he has ich.

The flow my the powerheads probably was providing some relief for the poor guy.

I'm trying to get a picture of him but all the camera is picking up is the spots on the glass.

[Schwe]

Here's prob the best pic I will get

[melev]

He looks good to me. Let's hope his resistance will build up.

[Schwe]

So, do you think that I should leave him in the DT and hope for the best? He is nice and fat but I don't want to wait for him to decline before I yank him & everyone else and put them in QT. His colors are still very washed out.

Also, is this a normal time-frame for disease? It's been 3 weeks since we got him.