Starting Over

poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
After the deaths of my two girls last fall/winter (2006), I think I am ready to SH up again.
I have let the tank go, kind of, but here is current reality:
55 gal
sugar sand substrate, solid 2"
90 lb live rock, tonga branch +/-
Orbitz T5 lighting
2 powerheads
Residents: 1 tomato clown, 1 chromis, 1 madarin fish, saltwater mollies, 1 Orange spot goby and 3 peppermint shrimp
The tomato clown started with my 10 gallon and has moved through my 20 and has been in this 55 for 5 years or so.
The LR and substrate has moved with each tank progression and so some of the sub and LR is 7 years old in my system.
My first task is filtration and water movement:
Today, Prizm100 skimmer goes back on and I am adding a bubble bar across the back and a 228 powersweep.
I need to reduce the number of mollies (any one care for a pair?). The OSG does somewhat control the fry, but I want to reduce the number of adults. They are a good source of naturally occuring live food. The other stock will stay. The goby and PM shrimp are the only ones who has never been a SH tankmate.
I have aptasia to deal with. I have not decided what route to take there. Peppermint shrimp seem to prefer mysis
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Good luck with th aiptasia...rotten little pests. The only remedies that have worked for me is boiling water squirted directly into the little beast. What I did was boil all my LR to avoid the massacre that happened in my pony tank.
Love to see pics of your tank
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rykna
http:///forum/post/2465516
Good luck with th aiptasia...rotten little pests. The only remedies that have worked for me is boiling water squirted directly into the little beast. What I did was boil all my LR to avoid the massacre that happened in my pony tank.
Love to see pics of your tank

I will post a couple tomorrow. I've been in it today and it's a bit stirred up..frankly I'd be embarrassed at the moment. It should clear itself tonight.
We have a new Exotic Pet store, they specialize in SW. My daughter and I were in today looking for a few odds and ends. Mo drew my attention to the seahorses.....
I understand now why folks think my ideas are bizarre and a bit risky for seahorses. These seahorses were labeled ORA Kudas and they were SOOOOO tiny! I just started laughing! My horses have always been at least 4-5 inches at purchase. There is no way in HE double toothpicks I would turn these little guys loose in my tank!
I am still learning too. (sigh) I don't know about baby SH. I hope I can find some larger when the time comes. Maybe buy an old brood mare!
 
zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
are those the mollies in the middle of the tank there? i added three to mine today, mom didn't want to pay much so thats all i got hehe.
i got alot of eelgrass and could cut off some leaves and sell to ya real cheap and i'm sure nybutterfly could do the same. she may be able to ship cheaper though. i bought mind from her and it's just recently spread like weeds.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by zeke92
http:///forum/post/2467600
are those the mollies in the middle of the tank there? i added three to mine today, mom didn't want to pay much so thats all i got hehe.
i got alot of eelgrass and could cut off some leaves and sell to ya real cheap and i'm sure nybutterfly could do the same. she may be able to ship cheaper though. i bought mind from her and it's just recently spread like weeds.
Thanks Zeke. Yes, those are the mollies, Lyretail marbles. We originally bought a pair for my daughter's tank (hers was a 20g FW at that time). The female had babies about two weeks after we got them and every blasted one survived. I had given quite a few away. I set up a ten gallon, because we still had too many, batch number two had appeared.
I then decided to acclimate them to salt and after that process one of the local LFS started buying them from me. Folks did buy them in place of damsels (that is not a pleasant thought, but there you go). That LFS relocated because of rent and eventually had to close. Our other LFS (bought my first SH from him 20 years ago!) isn't interested in the mollies. I haven't checked with the newest store, yet. I may acclimate most back to FW and sell them that way. I have heard that is a more difficult process, SW to FW.
All of the above happened over the course of Jan 07 to Oct 07. I decided to downsize. I traded my cigar wrasse (2) back to the LFS and put the mollies in the 55 and emptied the two other tanks.
And here we are.
Appreciate the offer for eelgrass, but if I do buy grass or algae, it will be last. I may need to chase some stock at some point, so am not adding anything at this point. I need to concentrate on getting things cleaned up and out.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
I am noticing a few things:
1) The fish do like the aeration
2) The aptasia do NOT like the aeration. The aptasia do, however, like the sponge that protects the intake on the PH Sweep. I will be 1 less aptasia tonight.

4 days in. Still quite a road ahead.
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
For the aptasias take a superglue tube and stick the end into where the aptasia withdraws and squirt a little in. After it cures pluck it out with the aptasia embedded inside the hardened superglue.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by Flricordia
http:///forum/post/2472373
For the aptasias take a superglue tube and stick the end into where the aptasia withdraws and squirt a little in. After it cures pluck it out with the aptasia embedded inside the hardened superglue.
Squirt superglue into my tank? You are loco, but thanks!

I'll let y'all know how it goes. I have a feeling that getting the tank back in order will probably be the cure.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by Flricordia
http:///forum/post/2472373
For the aptasias take a superglue tube and stick the end into where the aptasia withdraws and squirt a little in. After it cures pluck it out with the aptasia embedded inside the hardened superglue.
Squirt superglue into my tank? You are loco, but thanks!

I'll let y'all know how it goes. I have a feeling that getting the tank back in order will probably be the cure..
Great birds, Flricordia!
 
larrynews

larrynews

Active Member
ditto on super glue i use it in my reef tank all the time the only thing i do sometimes is soak in a bucket of water from the tank for about 20 minutes before i put it back in, but not always and i have never had any problems, i used a copper banded butterfly in my reef for the aptasia problem but that probably wont help in a seahorse tank....
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
That is just bizarre sounding, but OK. I think I will try your bucket idea larrynews. The thought of just sqeezing superglue in there makes me laugh, I can't help it!
Sorry for the loco crack, flricordia
 
koi lady

koi lady

Member
There is a critter that eats aptasia. The Berghia nudibranch. I am thinking of trying a couple. I kill one aptasia with Joe's Juice and then find three more. Maybe the Berhgias will work better.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by Koi Lady
http:///forum/post/2473889
There is a critter that eats aptasia. The Berghia nudibranch. I am thinking of trying a couple. I kill one aptasia with Joe's Juice and then find three more. Maybe the Berhgias will work better.
I know what you mean about the multiplying. I was looking at the superglue yesterday in the store and thought OK, I need a tube, no three tubes...no, maybe six will do it.
The really irritating thing is that I had not added ANY new rock to my tank in at least a year, when these aptasia began appearing. Where on earth do they come from?
I am afraid I need to just start over.
I would not be too bothered by that, but I have a mandarin fish and she will need the LR to supply her food. I am not sure how to make a switch that major without having a bad impact on her. I hav had her almost a year, now and she's very healthy.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
New LFS is getting his shipment of STOP! Aptasia today.
Q= How many aptasia can die and not cause a spike? I'm thinking I have time, so 1 nasty per week, the day prior to water change?
 
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