Tank Journal Archive

[daveH]

Just an update on the Elegance coral that was swollen. It's still swollen, but looks really healthy and is eating well. It does relax a bit in the early morning before the lights come on. I'll just won't fiddle with it and hope it settles in.
The lobo that was receeding finally had to go. :(. I don't think it was ever all that healthy.

 

[stubro]

Hi Dave really like your tank looks awesome! Just a question... what are you using to stick the powerboards against the wall of the cabinet?

 

[daveH]

Thanks mate, I just mounted them on screws with the slots on the back of each powerboard.

 

[daveH]

Everything is going good in the tank at the moment. I'm just thinking of finding someone on the northside of Brisbane who wants to swap a bit of coral. I have a really healthy Xenia that I was originally given and has since doubled in size and split in half and walked onto another rock. I would like to swap it for some other softy before the two of them take over my tank. In fact the original one is starting to split again. Anyone interested?

 

[daveH]

Just spotted something new in the tank today. Coming out from under a rock was about a 1mm thick black and white stripped leg/arm about 2cm long. It was tapered really thin at the end. Couldn't see any other legs/arms. I'd post a pic but it's an impossible spot to take a pic. I'll keep trying though. Any thoughts on what it might be?

 

[VaultBoy]

I would say a worm or brittle star... I have several in my tank and you can see anywhere from 1 - 5 arms hanging out of a hole in the breeze!

 

[chimaera]

Sounds like a brittle star arm most likely

 

[daveH]

Well, the circus came to town today for my bangaii!
He's now sharing with a pair of black & white clowns. He's taking the new neighbours really well, A couple of minutes after they were in the tank he came out of his usual corner and took up a front and centre position in the tank and was eyeballing them as they merrily danced around in usual clown fashion not giving a tinkers cuss.
I think it's going to be good for the bangaii, he's certainly out and moving more but no showing any real aggression towards them.
They are all feeding really well, it's quite a difference to see any food (mysis) put in the tank and quickly snapped up with no waste.
Very happy with the new additions - thanks gmax82.

 

[gmax82]

Well, the circus came to town today for my bangaii!
He's now sharing with a pair of black & white clowns. He's taking the new neighbours really well, A couple of minutes after they were in the tank he came out of his usual corner and took up a front and centre position in the tank and was eyeballing them as they merrily danced around in usual clown fashion not giving a tinkers cuss.
I think it's going to be good for the bangaii, he's certainly out and moving more but no showing any real aggression towards them.
They are all feeding really well, it's quite a difference to see any food (mysis) put in the tank and quickly snapped up with no waste.
Very happy with the new additions - thanks gmax82.

Haha so happy that they have a new safer home and cheers for the Xenia its open and lovin it

 

[daveH]

Win, win :)

 

[daveH]

Hmmm . . . The lights just went out for the night and the clowns got a bit panicky, the bigger one (female) has given the smaller one a few nips, maybe because the smaller one was all over her. Have to see how they are in the morning.

 

[daveH]

All three fish healthy and accounted for this morning - no dramas overnight. :)
Finally fixed a microbubble problem I've been having. It was caused by the design of the dual outlet pipework from the return pump.
Inside the 90 deg elbows wasn't completely smooth and was causing a cavatational situation that would result in a puff of microbubbles being blown out of the outlets every couple of minutes - really annoying.
So now I've taken the twin heads off and I let the return pipe just flow into the tank. I then positioned a Hydor Nano 900 pump I had at the same end of the tank and let that do the circulation, which reaches the length of the tank much better than before.
No more bubbles and the clowns just love swimming in the new flow.
Looking for a nice hammer to replace the 2nd xenia I just swapped.

 

[dmck]

wow i want to get mine ot this stage

 

[dmck]

looks great

 

[daveH]

Not being a clownfish expert - my 2 new black & whites are inseperable. The larger of the two I gather is a female and this morning I caught her doing a few rapid wiggles (kinda verticle). I've read this may be an indication she has mating on her mind - is this correct?
Is there something I can do to aid their "affair". I've seen where a flat surface has been placed in the tank for them to lay the eggs.
I'd appreciate any info I can get on this matter.

 

[Buddy]

My clowns have been doing the wiggling/vibrating things for months but still no action. I think they will breed when they are completely comfortable with their surroundings and if they actually like their partner!

 

[daveH]

Update time:
Everything is going good, new clowns have settled in OK the bangaii has accepted them now. Did another complete water test this morning with my new Salifert kits - everything is spot on.
Just looking around for a nice softie to go in the middle to replace the Xenia that I swapped. A hammer would be nice.
Can't believe how well the coraline is spreading through the tank, the rock on the right was bare when I put it in a month or so ago and now it's getting a great coverage with various coloured coraline.

 

[daveH]

The clowns have been getting closer to the torch today, they look like they're trying to host with it. They seem to be giving it a little test every now and then.:)

 

[daveH]

Update time.
The clowns are doing really well and are now hosting in the torch. They're still showing all the signs of maybe mating soon.
They have been good for the bangaii, he was quite a picky eater, now he eats like mad so that the clowns don't steal all his food.
The elegance is good now and opening nicely, eating well also.
Shit those xenias can grow fast, I just swapped away half of it and I rekon I'll have another one to get rid of soon.

 

[daveH]

All these people starting Yashas has made me kick start mine again.
I've had it ticking over for the last couple of months with just some subtrate and have been putting the exchange water from my bigger tank in it lately.
I did a full water test on it today and lo and behold the parameters are damn near perfect. So I'm going to slowly put some rock in it and maybe move a couple of small corals from the bigger tank in so I can get some new nicer corals in the bigger tank and keep the Yasha as a fully functional backup tank.