jphong's 75G + 40G Breeder + 15G Refugium

[jphong]

He IS cool looking. Where did you buy him from? I was thinking of tearing out the algae but wasn't sure if I should or not. Its kinda getting outta control, I adjusted my protein skimmer so hopefully that will help out a bit.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by jphong

He IS cool looking. Where did you buy him from? I was thinking of tearing out the algae but wasn't sure if I should or not. Its kinda getting outta control, I adjusted my protein skimmer so hopefully that will help out a bit.

Sometimes it is better to just "weed" your tank. Pull off what you can and let your CUC do the rest.

I picked my Rainford up at Red Coral for $25. I don't know if I got the last one or not but I think Aquarium Illusions had some also.

They are great. I was on the fence with info about it sifting or not... always conflicting info on the web... but I put him in yesterday and today he is definitely sifting my sand. And again he will graze on hair algae but I do not think he could eliminate it all as you have a good growth going on.

Pull some. Keep your parameters in check and it should be fine.

One thing to watch as well.... if your bulbs get older a poor spectrum can also contribute to hair algae growth. I know your tank is newer so it's food for thought. If you start seeing algae, more than normal, and your bulbs are hitting the 8 month mark or so... consider that as a possibility if everything else is in check.

[noirsphynx]

Looking good! Love the aquascape.

[jphong]

Thanks! Im going to post some new pics with the new pom poms and Rainford goby soon! And hopefully a new tailspot...

[jphong]

Here are some pics of the new tank mates, Pom Pom Crabs, Rainfords Goby, Tail Spot Blenny, Yellow Clown Goby.

And thanks to noirsphynx for picking up the barnacles for me! They look great and hopefully the blenny will make it home

[jphong]

Quick update:

Pom pom crabs showing eggs a few weeks ago, thought Id share some pictures. Made me happy since something must be going right with the tank after so many things starting to go wrong.

Lost the blenny and yellow clown gobies (gobies disappeared after moving the live rock around as I was trying to rescape the tank - reminder to take out the livestock when doing major changes).

The frogspawn and hammer heads werent looking that great for over a week and I thought I was going to lose a few heads so did daily 10% water changes. They seem to be coming back the last few days which Im glad about.

Will post new pics when I get some more time but here's one for now:



Thanks for lookin

[fishytime]

sorry to hear about the fish.....it sometimes seems hard to get clown gobies eating, but it sounds more like you had a mini spike from the scape redux....did you have the rock out of the water for any period of time?

[noirsphynx]

I was sad when you told me about the blenny but to have two more fishies die...... so sorry to hear that. Clown gobies can be so finiky to get to eat. I've had 4 of them, two I could get to eat but two wouldn't(no matter what I tried). I finally picked up another on Saturday from Steve that should be eating.

I'm super happy for you that the pom pom female is carrying eggs You'll soon see her releasing teeny weeny babies but they'll just be good food for everyone Do you still have the two males?

[jphong]

Yes the rocks were out for a few minutes at a time but I kept if fairly wet most of the time. Ill be sure to keep the fish in another tank next time I do a major redo.

I picked up another yellow clown from AI as well as another Rainford! I had to get the kids back together again. The yellow clown was eating when one of the guys was feeding them so I decided to get him. Then I decided I should replace the Rainford that was sick and died a few days earlier. Now they are both in there and eating and looking good. Dawn I hope your yellow clown is doing good and eating as well. And yes I still have the males I see one male at a time as they like to hide most of the time. One thing I noticed is that the pom poms on the female have changed from pink to white - wonder if she lost hers and stole from the males! I want to check under the rocks and see if they are all still alive but I dont want to upset the tank again and move all the corals. Last night I saw the female and I know one male is there so hopefully they are both there!

Last night when taking the pics of the tank I noticed 3 astrea snails that didnt move for a few days. After taking them out I noticed the worst smell to mankind coming from inside of them - dead. Also I picked up the large turbo snail shell and guess what was inside - nothing! I guess with the move and all these things rotting in the water was the cause of my tank not doing well the past few weeks.

Added a Goniopora to the tank - we'll see how long I can keep it alive!

Lindsay I tried to include a pic with some coloration on the hybrid clowns. The color is still darkening as they are still young. Hope this gives you an idea of the color you can expect. I also noticed Bubbles has her dorsal fin was split when I got her and its not growing back - should have called her Spike

Also when I was feeding the corals with the powerheads off the fish kinda grouped up and it was like playtime! The clown was nudging the yellow goby around but it didnt look violent more playful-ish but I can be wrong. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Enjoy the pics and vids!

Vids Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLjOnlriHOE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0mlRFncBMg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcN6SZGNRLg

[paddyob]

Tank is looking good.

I would worry about Goniopora. They are not easy to keep and should not be added to a tank unless you know you have a good chance to keep it alive.

I wish you luck. Keep the pics coming.