Magic Kiwi's Tank Journal Thread

[thmh]

Thanks for a detail progression write up! Definitely worth following this thread, thanks Shawn!

~Tony

[kien]

Good to hear that everything is trucking along! Where is that FTS at??

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by thmh

Thanks for a detail progression write up! Definitely worth following this thread, thanks Shawn!

~Tony

Thanks for the encouragement! I wish I had followed a more scientific method in evaluating the ozone but it's hard to find the time and energy after a long day to do a proper write-up etc. I try not to be a fan-boy for any particular product but I've been amazed so far.

Originally Posted by kien

Good to hear that everything is trucking along! Where is that FTS at??

I dunno, where's your's? lol

[kien]

Originally Posted by Magickiwi

I dunno, where's your's? lol

OH SNAP! touche. haha.

[Magickiwi]

It was a big night for livestock for my tank last night. Did a refresh on some of my cleaning crew; 20 nassarius snails, 5 turbos, and 3 emerald crabs (one male and two females). In addition I added a RBTA to my daughter's tank and a plate coral to mine.

Also I'd like to talk about my ambitions as a reef keeper. When I was six years old my parents gave me my own fish tank, since I am allergic to cats and dogs (I love my two dogs now though) and my mother is terrified of snakes. The first fish I asked to put in it was a yellow tang... Of course being six I didn't know that there were essentially two environments that fish are found in: freshwater and saltwater. Naturally my heart was broken because I only had a freshwater tank so I left with a few guppies and the good old flying fox algae cleaner. As the years went on I wanted to make the jump to saltwater but didn't have anywhere near enough money to do it on my own. So I planned to set up my first marine tank the "right" way. Meaning I would have to wait until my finances were such that I wouldn't have to buy low quality gear and that I could keep whatever I want (within reason).

Last night I finally got my yellow tang... I fell asleep in my chair watching him swim so gracefully and slowly. I really got an excellent specimen too, his yellow color is deep and rich and there are no flecks of other colors. His fins are all intact with no nips or tears. He ate twice for me last night and once at the LFS before I left with him. There were no problems at all acclimating him, I did the drip method just to ensure success, and as soon as he was released into my tank he started doing slow laps around the rock work. Within an hour he wasn't shy at all and wouldn't hide if I came to have a look. It's interesting that even though he is just about flourescent yellow his skin does not react to the purple night lights; he's black as coal under them.

For me this was an event that closes the loop on a lot of my ambitions in aquaria. I have a thriving reef tank done my way and my yellow tang "Maui" to enjoy it.

Livestock list as of now:
- 2 green (blue) chromis
- 2 pink skunk clownfish
- 1 hippo tang (Dori; my daughter picked the name)
- 1 yellow tang (Maui)
- 1 green brittle star
- 4 emerald crabs (three females and a male)
- 40+/- blue and red legged hermit crabs
- 3 peppermint shrimp
- 2 skunk shrimp
- 1 sand sifting star
- 1 black knobbly sea cucumber
- 1 spider conch
- 2 lettuce nudibranchs
- 1 green carpet anemone (Sarlacc The Magnificient)
- 1 RBTA
- 1 metallic yellow rock flower anemone
- 30 nassarius snails (give or take)
- 15 turbo snails
- 10 astrea snails
- 10 margarita snails
- 1 rock crab living in my sump

Coral list:
- 1 six headed torch coral colony (green)
- 1 metallic orange ricordia colony
- 1 daisy polyp coral colony
- 1 green star polyp colony
- six colonies of assorted zoas and palys (some are brand name some are beautiful no-name)
- 1 metallic green plate coral (started extending its feeding polyps within five minutes of being in my tank)
- 1 blue staghorn frag
- 1 ponape birdsnet frag
- 1 frogspawn frag (which seems to be growing like I'm giving it steriods...)
- 1 red, white and blue acan frag that is doing well but isn't thriving where it currently resides
- 1 blue mystery coral that hitchhiked in on my live rock

On a side note my ORP reading was 258 after my daylight cycle. The setpoint for my ORP controller is 250 so my ozone generator hasn't produced ozone in a couple days now. It's almost like my ORP hit a tipping point and is increasing on its own now.

[Kryptic4L]

Cool story bro.

It's amazing how many people never end up with the fish that got them motivated in the hobby to begin with. Congrats on getting your tang and your in before the export ban

[kien]

Indeed, a great story. My son who is 6 has had a fresh water tank in his bedroom for a year now and he has started to ask me when he can convert it to salt

[Dearth]

It is always good to follow your childhood dream and you finally got to make it happen....



On a side note

FTS PLEASE!!!!!!!!

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by Kryptic4L

Cool story bro.

It's amazing how many people never end up with the fish that got them motivated in the hobby to begin with. Congrats on getting your tang and your in before the export ban

I get the feeling that a lot of our hobby may be "in before the ban". I try to buy ORA fish where I can because I have a strong belief in what they are doing and I recognize the possibility that fish farms may in the future be the only way for us to get exotic fish. And rightly so, if the technology and husbandry techniques support it.

Thanks for hearing my story guys It's the small things in life that make a difference to a person's well being.

[Magickiwi]

It has been a hard week at work. More than a week, a couple weeks now... I get home after work and someone knocked over a bunch of my coral. My frogspawn was resting on its side, my acans were almost upside down, etc. I grab my CA glue and get more miserable by the minute as I'm gluing the errant coral back in place. Stupid rock won't stupid stick to the stupid glue BAH!!

Finally all coral is moved into place and I stand back to look at it when down to my left I see my RBTA has climbed up a bunch of my rock work and my GSP frag is in danger of nem warfare. Oh look it's also stinging my favourite zoas. They are just brown and orange swampy tidal pool zoas but I call them Cleveland Browns, after my favourite NFL team.

As I'm glaring at my RBTA there's a flick of movement in the edge. As I clue in to what I've been staring at it dawns on me. My pink skunks are playing in the RBTA! Hot damn!!! I've been hoping for this as they don't show any interest in my Haddon's and there they are playing and bobbing along. That's great! I look around at the rest of my tank and wow my torch coral polyps are getting long. That rock anemone is the most gorgeous banana yellow I've ever seen! Hey look my yellow tang Maui is actually eating nori for the first time! A colony of the prettiest pink and purple zoas that I think look like Utter Chaos even though they most likely aren't.

So cheers to my pink skunk clowns and even my RBTA for making me smile and brightening my outlook after a rough couple of weeks.




P.S. You can see my Cleveland Browns just to the left of my RBTA and pricing starts at $500/polyp.