Posting here b/c I'm acting like new hobbyist....

[spammie5]

I have had my 55 gal tank set up since Christmas of last year....recently, my tank looked more like a kelp forest (although not quite as pretty and inhabited) with what I'm assuming is hair algae and I'm down to these tank inhabitants:
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Red Knobby Star
Few Hermits
Few Nassarius Snails
Couple Mexican Turbo Snails
I had a much larger CUC and I had fish too, but in the last 4-6 months, I have not been able to devote the time or money to my tank like it demands and that's what I have now...
So today, I attacked my tank. I scraped off every ounce of hair algae from the glass that I could. I have HA on every single piece of live rock but I did scrape them best I could and capture the floating algae in net. I did a 20% water change and...finally....rinsed all the media in my canister filter....
The last time I attacked the HA was probably 6 weeks ago and that was about all I did: scraped it and caught it in net. I tested my water then and all checked out fine except my pH...so today I picked up some SeaChem pH buffer and after close to 5 hours of work scraping, collecting, water-changing and refilling tank, my water params are this:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
pH: 8.4
Phosphates: 0 ppm
Nitrites: 0 ppm
Specific Gravity: 1.021-1.024 depending on how my hydrometer wants to act...
Temp: 77 degrees
I have fantastic pink and green coralline algae growing on rocks and back glass. I saw isopods and copepods in my tank as of this evening while checking things out with lights off. I do have an increase in vermetid snail tubes but I'm also finding more small tube worms as well.
I am only running cheapo flourescent lights right now until I can afford good T-5s or something equivalent. But in my 48" strip I have a 40w Power-Glo bulb and a 40w Marine-Glo bulb. I decreased the light time 6 weeks ago when I first attacked the HA and went from 11 hours to 9 hours.
I only have the one canister filter plus 2 Koralia #3 PHs...
So, I guess my question is this....what advice can anyone give me at this point other than keep watching it, testing it and performing regular water changes? Or did I just answer all my own questions? LOL....It's been a while since I've been on these boards and been catching up all evening, so posting makes me feel like I'm officially back somehow...
Aaahhh...nice to be back among the swimming....
Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[sepulatian]

If you have inverts living well in there then there should be no reason that a fish wouldn't do well. The fact that pods are out where you can see them shows that the tank is heathy. Why did your fish die before? Hair algae happens. I had it for a bit then bought a Tiger Cowrie. He cleaned up my entire 55 quicky. Here are a couple of pictures from when I first got him.

 

[spammie5]

Oh I've had my share of fish...everything from false percs, scooter blenny, firefish goby, flame angel, but my latest fish that has just..."disappeared" was my white sleeper goby. I just saw him 2 days ago, but today? Nowhere to be found. I'm slightly hesitant to dive in and get more fish until I can make sure that things are all ok.
Yes, seeing the pods made me feel good and my coralline algae growth has been steadily great since I set the tank up. I had a few mushrooms and a feather duster that have since all died...almost like they just dissolved? I contribute the shrooms death to not enough light even though I had them as close to my weak lighting as I could. The feather duster...I have no idea what happened.
When something would disappear - I would always test my water and I never had any rise in ammonia or anything to speak of. So, I'm not really sure why the various fish I had died except the clowns who appeared to suffer from Brooklynella but I don't know that for sure.
Our LFS is....okay. The guy told me today that I probably shouldn't buy any fish from them right now bc they just discovered that their hydrometer was waayyy off and that some of the salinities/SGs in their tanks were nowhere near right. Ohhhh-Kay....
I also had a camel-backed shrimp for the longest time and he mysteriously disappeared too. And he was the most aggressive of the 3 shrimp I had, so I don't know.....

 

[sepulatian]

You may have a mantis. Put a red piece of thin cloth or red saran wrap over a flashlight and check your tank. Do it late at night after the main lights have been out for awhile.
If your LFS is using a hydrometer then I would not trust their knowledge on anything. You may as well taste the water for salinity readings...

 

[spammie5]

I also saw a lawnmower blenny today at my LFS who I thought was huge! He had to have been between 5-6 inches long! He wasn't labeled as a LMB but a spotted goby/blenny? I don't remember for sure but he looked just like the Orange Spotten LMB seen here at SWF.com....And he was priced at $16.99 I think. Might go pick him up on Monday.

 

[spammie5]

I've spent a lot of time in front of my tank after the lights have been off and never seen anything that exciting....but I'll keep looking.
Yeah, our LFS is...well.....not that great but I have had long term luck with some of the critters I've bought from them. I have my own knowledge that I count on and trust when it comes to buying anything there....but, it's the only LFS and the next closest one is 45 miles away and the only thing I bought from them that's still alive is my red knobby star (which was mislabeled when I bought it) and I hope I'm not slowly starving it like I've read can happen......

 

[sepulatian]

I would not buy a blenny, which is a bottom dweller, until you find out why your fish disappeared. Forget the algae, that is ony a minor thing.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Spammie5
http:///forum/post/3112492
I've spent a lot of time in front of my tank after the lights have been off and never seen anything that exciting....but I'll keep looking.
Yeah, our LFS is...well.....not that great but I have had long term luck with some of the critters I've bought from them. I have my own knowledge that I count on and trust when it comes to buying anything there....but, it's the only LFS and the next closest one is 45 miles away and the only thing I bought from them that's still alive is my red knobby star (which was mislabeled when I bought it) and I hope I'm not slowly starving it like I've read can happen......
You have to use a red light. Mantis come out when all is dark, or as dark as it gets for the night. They don't notice the red light.
LFS's miss label things all of the time. It is important to know what things are for yourself. Don't buy anything that you are unsure of.

 

[spammie5]

Yeah, I'm pretty positive this is a lawnmower blenny....I've had the fortunate experience to work in LFStores through college and took a personal interest back when I had a 60g salt tank and a 55g cichlid tank. I can usually recognize and correctly name most fish, I just haven't always had the funds to continue my hobby. I will always research and do whatever is necessary before buying anything...I truly consider myself not a beginner as far as my own personal knowledge when it comes to this hobby and 'oceanography in general, but I just don't have the funds to do everything the expert way just yet. My husband bought me this 55g set up last year for xmas bc he missed seeing the joy I got out of maintaining an aquarium....but he wasn't quite prepared for all the $$ that have to go into it to maintain and perpetuate the joy in the hobby....
Thanks for your late night replies. I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Spammie5
http:///forum/post/3112502
Yeah, I'm pretty positive this is a lawnmower blenny....I've had the fortunate experience to work in LFStores through college and took a personal interest back when I had a 60g salt tank and a 55g cichlid tank. I can usually recognize and correctly name most fish, I just haven't always had the funds to continue my hobby. I will always research and do whatever is necessary before buying anything...I truly consider myself not a beginner as far as my own personal knowledge when it comes to this hobby and 'oceanography in general, but I just don't have the funds to do everything the expert way just yet. My husband bought me this 55g set up last year for xmas bc he missed seeing the joy I got out of maintaining an aquarium....but he wasn't quite prepared for all the $$ that have to go into it to maintain and perpetuate the joy in the hobby....
Thanks for your late night replies. I sincerely appreciate it.
I understand where you are coming from. I don't have the money to do all that I would like to do with my tank either. I focus on health first. I can add better lights and such later on.

 

[spammie5]

I just wish our LFS was open on Sundays. It drives me absolutely insane & it just never fails that I usually end up NEEDING to go there when they're not open. But, at least I even have a LFS...
I'm glad my enthusiasm is back. I've missed enjoying my tank and visiting these boards on a regular basis.