I'm still alive-(long)

bender77

Member
I haven't been here for awhile, but I'm still alive. Life is too busy for me to troll the forums a lot, but I just felt like I needed to update. I've been having one disaster after another with my horse tank, My poor horses have been getting wounds and dying for reasons I couldn't figure out. At first I thought fighting but that wasn't it. Before I knew it I was down to 1 little girl again. Then I had a huge cyano outbreak that was getting out of control. I do 10 to 12 gallon water changes on my 37g every week, vacuuming everything. I use a skimmer a, UV light, lots of flow, cut back on feeding and lighting. Use RO/DI water and was still losing. Then it happened. I went to go feed one morning and saw 2 huge fireworms!!! I'm so careful about everything I put into this tank, I have no idea what they hiked in on. At this point I was at a cross roads. I don't have enough money to to scrap everything and start anew from base rock. I'm fed up with the tank, do I just get rid of it. Do I tank my horse to the LFS and combine my 24 and 12 gallon nano into the 37 cube, have 1 tank and call it a day?
So... I started doing a water change and this is what happened.....,
I threw my horse in my 12 gallon nano since it has no stinging corals. It isn't exactly safe, but figures for a couple of days it would work. All my rock came out. I dipped it in hyper salt water if it could be. If it had corals it had an iodine bath. Everything was then scrubbed with a tooth brush, anything I saw I didn't like I picked off with tweezers and squired with peroxide (I've heard it kills things, didn't know but I was determined) I took all my live sand out and washed it it fresh water, passed it through gaged screen and took out anything size or looks wise I didn't like. I didn't clean my filter since pods like to grow and multiply in there and I figures the bacteria would help keep me from cycling or at least shorten it.
So, then I started anew. I wasn't fond of my previous design, I didn't think it gave the horses much free room, so I decided to make a rock wall of sorts and leave the middle open. So I rebuilt and put my watchman goby and peps and the few snails that I had back. I didn't realize my snail population had gotten so small. After a few days of no ammonia I put my horse back since she wasn't eating well and no happy in the 12. Then it happened. I went to my LFS to get some more PE mysis and they had 2 small erectus in a nano in the front. I asked where they were from and he told me a local guy raised them and brought them in they were the only 2 they had left. So against probably my better judgment they came home with me. They also had 3 catalina gobies in the tank with the horses and begged me to take them. They I argued saying my tank was on the high end of their temp range and they countered with if I didn't someone else would and stick them in their reef which would doom them. I though about it and figured since they were already housed with the horses they've already been exposed to each other and I do like the little boogers. So back home I came with 2 baby erectus, 3 catalines, some new snails for my CUC and food.
So far so good, but I'm still waiting for disaster to strike again. I'm thinking of getting a bristle worm trap just in case I didn't kill all the fire worms (I found 5 BTW) Fingers crossed it lasts.
If you have made it this far THANKS for reading and I will now reward you with a picture or 2 LOL



 

meowzer

Moderator
So sorry to hear of your troubles.....but very glad you hung in there :) looks great....LOVE the catalina
 

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Oh, man, you and I are on such similar paths! I've been off the boards dealing with real life lately also, and my tank has had a mind of its own since I got back from Vacay.
I'm sorry to hear how much trouble you've been having!!! I'm glad you're hanging out!
Question: You said "Fire worms." You mean bristle worms, or something more sinister? I have a number of big worms in my tank, they really never bothered anything.
 

bender77

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///t/392093/im-still-alive-long#post_3479932
Oh, man, you and I are on such similar paths! I've been off the boards dealing with real life lately also, and my tank has had a mind of its own since I got back from Vacay.
I'm sorry to hear how much trouble you've been having!!! I'm glad you're hanging out!
Question: You said "Fire worms." You mean bristle worms, or something more sinister? I have a number of big worms in my tank, they really never bothered anything.
They were really big bristle worms. Lots bigger than the orange and black ones. Like 3 to 4 inches long and about a 1/2 inch thick. Maybe they weren't causing any problems but 3 horses with unexplained wounds in their sides that seemed to appears over night. I just don't know what else could have caused them. I do have a few hydroids but they are small and everything I've read said they won't hurt the larger horses. I'm really at a loss but so glad I got them out. I just hope there isn't more
 
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