Matt - 1, Larry #2 - 0

Yes, that's right, folks! Larry #2 is down! I saw him sneak into a rock while I was feeding the fish, and so I pulled the rock out, and put it into a bucket full of freshwater. It took him a while, but eventually he either got uncomfortable enough from the lack of salt, or cold enough because the bucket wasn't heated. Either way, he's out of the rock, and out of my tank! Only two more Larry's to go, and I'm mantis-free. Here's a picture to commemorate the occasion:

Unfortunately, Larry died in the process of getting him out. If I can get any of the others out alive, I will gladly donate them to the local public aquarium, as I did with Larry #1.

Better Shots

Well, I've been messing around with my new camera, and I was able to get better shots of Elizabeth II. Also, I think it is getting more comfortable in the new tank, because it is hiding less... I was even able to get a shot of it swimming around (as opposed to hiding). Anyway, here are the two best shots I've been able to get so far. I'm sure more will follow in the coming weeks.

New Camera... New Photos!

Well, my new camera finally came, and I was able to snap a few new shots... in this set, we document tank rearrangement, new corals, and new fish. So, without further ado, here are the new photos:

New Royal Gramma - we'll call it Elizabeth II. This is the best shot I could get, because it likes to hide in the PVC pipe.

My new mantis trap. So far, I've trapped 2 hermit crabs, 3 snails, and the starfish... but no mantis shrimp! These "Larrys" are getting annoying.

Top-Down shot of the flower/rock anemone.

Top-Down shot of the left side of the tank. From left to right are: flower/rock anemone, new orange monti cap coral, clownfish (Nemo), frogspawn coral.

Front view of left side of tank. I also moved the purple gorgonian to the sand bed. It seems to like it there better.

Top-down shot of new Purple Rimmed Green Monti Cap coral.

Front view of Purple Rimmed Green Monti Cap coral.

Top-Down view of Frogspawn coral.

Front view of frogspawn coral.

Top-down view of orange monti cap coral (2 frag pieces put together).

Front view of the orange monti cap corals.

And finally, a full tank shot (FTS). Things are really starting to fill in.

Lastly, I'm trying something new - I couldn't get a great shot of Elizabeth II, so I tried shooting some video of it. Let's see of this works:

New Arrival

Well, I finally got the quarantine tank in working condition, so I decided to go get my first new fish since the cleanup. After looking through my various options at the LFS, I decided to go with a Royal Gramma. I know that I have tried this fish once before, but it died within a few days, so I'm not counting it. :) For now, I can't take any pictures because I do not have the new camera yet. However, once I get the new camera all set up, I'll have to get snapping.

While I was at the LFS, I decided to have a conversation with my trusted advisor about the new sump project. It was determined that a standard tank does not exist within the parameters determined by my stand. The closest tank I could find was a 15H, which is approximately 15 gallons, but narrower and taller (the "H" stands for "high") than a normal 15 gal tank. However, there is a small space issue with that tank. So, now I am looking into getting a custom tank made. Once I can start getting price quotes, it'll determine whether I can reasonably afford to do this project.

For now, I have high hopes that this will work out. I have researched overflows, rubble rock, deep sand beds, and other equipment that will be required. I will keep you posted on how things go...

To Cover or Not to Cover... That is Today's Question...

I know I've been promising pics, but I recently ordered a new camera, and sold the old one. So for the next few days, I am camera-less. Once I get the new camera, I'll start to take pictures again. Then, you'll get to see all the progress. :)

Until then, the topic is covering the tank...

Well, I've been debating this topic in my head a lot, lately. Right now, I have the tank mostly covered. By that, I mean the covers don't go all the way to the back to allow for the various tubes, etc. to enter/exit the tank. To be honest, even with the tiniest space open in the back, I did already have one fish jump out (Pinnochio, the Longnose Hawkfish).

When I spoke to my trusted advisor at the LFS, he said that he could point out which fish are likely jumpers and which aren't (although it's never fool-proof). If I were to remove the cover, I would be limiting myself to fish that aren't jumpers (from an already limited list based on other tank parameters). I'm not 100% sure that I'm entirely OK with that.

By removing the covers, I can use the clips provided with the lights to elevate the lights up off the tank. This will help with protecting the lights from splashing, keeping heat from the lights out of the tank, and ease of access for my hands to do work in the tank. The heat loss is one of the big points here, because the summer is coming up and I'm not entirely sure how the tank is going to handle the heat that my house seems to generate in the summertime. Besides the lights being higher off the tank, the surface will be exposed. Considering the mixing that my powerheads provide, the water surface is rather turbulent. This will provide for rapid evaporation, and should keep the water temperature rather constant. It also means more refilling of my top-off reservoir, but I'm OK with that. :)

So, what do the rest of you think? Post comments here or on Facebook.

I'm Baaaaaaaack....

Hello again, world. I apologize for such a long hiatus. I'm sure many of you have been wondering how the aquarium has been going... well, it hasn't...

By that I mean, I have been studying for the hardest test I've ever had to take. It's called the Professional Engineering Exam, or PE for short. It's like the bar exam for engineers. In any case, I had been neglecting the tank a little bit while I was studying for the test. BUT, now that it's over, I'm back to proper husbandry. I promise I'll post pictures in the next few days. I just need to take some. :)

So, what have I been up to? Well, the disaster from about a month ago put a real shock on the system, so I decided to take a step back and figure out what the problem was. I'm still not sure... :) So, to play it safe, I tore down the QT, cleaned it thoroughly with vinegar, and reassembled. I put the filter's biowheel in the DT for a few days, and seeded the new QT water with some of the DT water that I was already taking out for a routine water change. I'm certain that there isn't enough biology in there yet, so I haven't gotten any new fish, but will soon begin that experiment again. More on that to come in the next few days/weeks...

I attended my first LIRA meeting. LIRA is the Long Island Reefkeeping Association. It's basically the Reef Club. It was an interesting crowd, and definitely not what I expected. However, I met a few nice people, and I picked up a few nice corals to add to the tank. They had an auction at the end of the meeting, and many corals were going for around $5. I got one of the $5 ones, as well as a few frags from other members. My assessment is that I probably won't attend every month, but if I'm in the market for something will try to obtain it from the group before paying retail prices for it. Again, I will have pictures soon... I promise...

Special thanks to my buddy Scottley for helping me test on one particularly stressful day during the testing ordeal. You da man!

And now, here's a preview of the blog posts to come in the next few weeks:

1. New Pictures... I promise...
2. A discussion of building my own sump with refugium... I think it's time
3. A discussion of my new fish (once I get them)
4. A discussion of my new corals (recently added and new to come)
5. A discussion of possible lighting additions
6. A debate over covered vs. uncovered tank... pros and cons of both sides.

I know it's a lot, but I have a month of inactivity to make up for! Until then....

Fish Killing Factory?

I don't understand what's going on. I'm suddenly killing a lot of fish... and wasting a lot of money.

About a week and a half ago, I got two new fish from a new LFS that I wanted to try. That was on Saturday. On Sunday, I had found one of them dead. This particular LFS had a 48 hour guarantee, which is why I wanted to try them out in the first place. So, I brought it back. They didn't have any of that kind left, and there weren't any at that dollar level that I liked. So, I ended up replacing it with two smaller, cheaper fish. On Monday, I found one of those two new ones dead in the tank. Livid, I went back to the LFS, and they gave me a store credit for that fish. So, now I've got two fish in the QT, and some store credit. Neither fish is eating very much, and both seem very skittish.

Cut to mid-week. There seems to be some sort of bite mark or something on one of the new fish. The edges of the missing area are all white (on a red fish, it stands out a lot). On Sunday, I decide that it's getting worse, so it wasn't a bite from the other fish. He tells me it's either a skin condition or a fungus. Gives me some special juice, and I go on my merry way... or so I think.

Cut to Monday. The second of the smaller fish in the QT is dead. When I pulled it out of the tank, it looks like its fins are all worn away. Now, I'm diagnosing it as fin rot. The medication does not seem to be working, and the last fish in the QT seems to be getting worse.

Cut to today - Wednesday. I came home, and I couldn't find Pinnochio right away in the display tank. I looked everywhere... or so I thought. Where I didn't look was on the floor behind the tank. Yes, folks, that's right! He jumped out of the tank. Yet another dead fish. I go downstairs, and the QT'd fish's fin seems worse. I'm definitely thinking fin rot at this point. I don't know how long it is going to live, but I am assuming not much longer.

So, in the course of about a week and a half, I have had the distinct pleasure of finding four dead fish, and will likely make it a fifth in short order. What the hell am I doing wrong? This is really discouraging from going any further with this hobby. I have slowed down EVERYTHING. I can't go any slower than I am already doing. I am definitely not buying any more fish until after my exam in a few weeks, but still, this is really disconcerting. Not only am I wasting my time and money, but I'm seemingly killing poor living creatures.

I just don't know...