BTLDreef's 180 Tank Build - Page 3

Well, we had a casualty. Our mystery wrasse found the tiniest hole to jump through and went tile surfing yesterday. I guess that solves the fight between my husband and I on whether or not we were keeping him, LOL. My McCosker's looks really beat up, so I'm assuming those two were having a fight when the Mystery wrasse jumped. I would not be surprised if he dies/jumps as well. He looked bad last night and wouldn't let me catch him.

I decided to keep the PJs. The guy who wanted them had a 72G bow with 2 tangs and a Foxface in it. I couldn't let them be subjected to that. Sold the Fridmani Pseudochromis, Yellow Watchman and Flame Angel last night. The 155 now is just running with a Fluval until I get the rest of my snails out of it and a few more cups of sand.

So here's our stocklist:

1 Blonde Naso tang

1 Purple Tang

1 Yellow Belly Hippo Tang

3 PJ Cardinals

1 Tail Spot Blenny

1 Black Combtooth Blenny

1 McCosker's Wrasse (if he makes it)

1 Copperband Butterfly

1 Coral beauty Angelfish

1 Blue Cleaner Wrasse

1 Bristletooth Filefish

1 Bullet Banded Sleeper Goby (aka Dragon Goby) - couldn't get rid of my one eyed fish!

In the 35G refugium:

2 Ocellaris clownfish

1 Bristletooth Filefish

1 Yasha Goby/Pistol Shrimp combo

We're going to add:

Pair of Blue Star Leopard Wrasses - won't be for quite a few months. I really want this tank to get established before trying them. And I need to set up a really nice established QT for them first as well.

Trio of Anthias (probably Resplendents or Red Saddled, possibly may try Ventralis, don't know)

Borbonius Anthias (because my husband is INSANE)

Yellow Assessor or Yellow Candy Hogfish (Two Spot Hogfish/Twin Spot Hogfish)

Labout's (laboutie) Fairy Wrasse or Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse *If we don't do the Ventralis Anthias, I'm going to do a Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse*

Mandarin - haven't decided which type. We might not do one if the Leopard Wrasses really do well.

Very happy to have it up and running finally. And to only have lost one fish in the move, and due to jumping isn't so bad.

The McCosker's looks 100x better today. I really thought he was going to be dead this morning, but today he's happily swimming around. His tail is a little tattered, but nothing worth worrying about at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AquaKnight 

The unfortunate departure of the Mystery, is surely going to help the odds of the Leopard pair though... I have a leopard/mandarin combo in my 90, I think with twice the tank, you should be able to support an additional leopard if you wanted.

 

 

 

BTW, what's the difference between a Yellow Candy hogfish, and a Two Spot Hogfish?

I had wanted to get rid of the Mystery wrasse, even though it was very docile. I didn't want the risk. But my husband was really attached to that fish for some odd reason.

I think with the tank size, plus a 35G refugium, we'll be okay. I just like the idea of doing a pair of these guys for some reason, rather than just one.

There is no difference, LOL, I forgot to put the (Two Spot Hogfish) in parentheses, since that's what it looks like more places are starting to call it, or "Twin Spot". I probably should have just put the scientific names, but I didn't feel like looking up the ones that I don't remember, hahaha.

Any thoughts on the Ventralis Anthias? They're beautiful, but I'm not sure if it's worth the risk. I've had really good luck with Anthias in the past. I just gave my trio of lyretails away. I got bored with them, they reminded me too much of "goldfish of the sea."  I'm afraid of them being a deeper water species, etc.  I'm also looking at the Red Saddled Anthias (Pseudanthias flavoguttatus) and the Resplendents (Pseudanthias pulcherrimus), which might be safer bets. I want to get that Purple/Yellow combination of colors, so it might be less risky to do with with the Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis). All expensive, not as common fish. I've had some tell me that none of these fish are worth the risk, and will not get along together on a local board, but interested in what you have to say about it.

The risk with the Ventralis is that they have a poor survival rate, and really just the financial aspect. I've been told that they don't do well in a well lit reef. I'm honestly probably going to skip this fish, but it still might happen. I don't plan on adding any new members for awhile, and the first new addition will probably be a fairy wrasse, so I'll have to decide then what I'm doing.

I, too, love seeing mixed anthias tanks. And under my LEDs, the colors just really pop. That's what got me really thinking about the Ventralis, was the colors. We're probably going to end up with the Red Saddled in all honesty. The Borbonius is a definite, if we find one locally again. My husband is obsessed with this fish and has demanded that at some point, it goes in the 180   I have no been able to find any one that has the Red Saddled in stock in quite some time though, so that may be a whole different issue to deal with. I'm going to have to talk to  Cranberry and see how hers are doing, she's one of the only people I know that actually have them. If I can't find them within a reasonable amount of time, I'll go with the Resplendents, and when I do find the Red Saddled, it will just be an excuse for another tank!

Diatom bloom is almost over. Here's some updated pics:

Our New Addition, an African Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (male):

Best Friends:

Find the fish(s):

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slice 

I see a jawfish (?) behind the barnacles and I *think* I see one partially obscured by the reflection upper center.

 

That's my little tail spot blenny hiding in the barnacles. Ever since I gave him a barnacle cluster, he doesn't swim around the tank anymore. He's so lazy, he waits for me to squirt food down there now too!

There's actually one more fish, right in the center of the picture. No one ever can find this guy in my tank, but I always know where he is. If you look just to the upper left of the tracyphyllia, you should be able to see my little "Chameleon of the reef" as he literally changes color to blend in. The one I keep in my display refugium stays green since it's always around plants.