Water change, and feeding.

Fed the tank 1/2 cube of Mysis shrimp.

Performed a 2.5gal water change.

The old "stump" of pulsing xenia (Xeniid) is starting to resemble a stalk:



Hitch hiker stripped Brittle/Serpent Star, perhaps 1" wide:



A large clump of the brown Kelp:



Stalks of pulsing xenia (Xeniid) on another clump of brown Kelp:

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Feeding, and pictures

Fed the tank 1/4 "feeder fish" (brine shrimp variety) by California All Natural Pet Foods .

Hitch hiker stripped Brittle/Serpent Star, perhaps 1" wide:



Old "stump" of a stalk of pulsing xenia (Xeniid), starting to grow (sorry about the blury photo):

Maintenance

Removed another pt. of the brown kelp. Will bring it to Josh at work (what I bring to Jim's never seems to survive).

Did a 2.5gal water change.

The Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) is dead!

Found this morning being cleaned up by my "clean-up" crew.

Feed the fish a pinch of Aquatrol Spirulina 20 flakes - they seemed to like it.

"sick tank" Supplies and Prep

Bought from Ralphs:

• Vinegar (to clean hard water stains from tank)

Bought from Jim's:

• Hagen Marina 15w "Aquarium Light Bulb"
• MarineLand Penguin size "A" Filter Cartridge
• Seachem Reef Buffer (to increase pH of FW dip)
• Aquarium Products Organi Cure (Copper 1.25%, Formaldehyde 17% in a tri-chelated form)
• 5gal of NSW

Started cleaning the 3gal hex with Vinegar and water - I'm going to let it soak for a few hours. It cleaned up real well - the tank, hood (not light fixture), HOB filter, and misc parts. I made sure to rinse it very very well. Now it's drying.

I was hoping to do a FW dip on the Clown but I don't think I'll get to it tonight.

The clownfish doesn't look the best, so found a sick tank

The Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) looks like he has a small bit of "cotton" on each of his sides (see pictures below), and his fins are somewhat clamped. I'll have to stop at Jim's at lunch and see what I can do about this - I don't want to lose another fish.

I found in the garage an old freshwater 3gal hex glass tank I had for a short period of time a few years back; it will make a good quarentine/sick tank. It has:

• undergravel filter (not going to use)
• air pump
• ProFile 10 HOB filter
• glass top
• light fixture with a CC-15 bulb
• heater
• stick-on thermometer

It's filthy, and has bad lime/hard water stains.

      

Feed tank, and water tests, and picture

Fed the tank 1/4 "feeder fish" (bloodworm variety) by California All Natural Pet Foods.

Tested Ammonia: (most likely) 0.00 ppm. At this point I don't think I'll be doing any more Ammonia tests.

Small (perhaps 1") bristle worm, among brown algea, Star Polyp colony (Order Zoanthidea/Zoanthids), and snail:

Porcelain Anemone crab appears to be dead, and pictures

While investigating my tank by flashlight, I found what appear to be the remains of the Porcelain Anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai). Specifically, I can see the claws, hollowed out. I still wonder if I have an aggresor in my tank.

Removed the bag of the carbon rods (that come with the Nano Cube) from the filter area.

Bumble-bee Snail (Family: Pusiostoma) and a hitch-hiker snail (top right, stripped):

I know its difficult to see, but this a two-tentacled Hair worm (Spionids), its tube is made of debris "glued" together.



Orangeclaw Hermit Crab (Calcinus tibicen) and a hitch-hiker snail (bottom left, stripped):



Small (perhaps 1") bristle worm:



The "remains" of some of the pulsing xenia (Xeniid) as it "moved" over some of this brown kelp, has now grown into a small stalk of its own right.



Star Polyp colony (Order Zoanthidea/Zoanthids):



Sponge (from Josh):



Orangeclaw Hermit Crab (Calcinus tibicen):

Water test results, and new fish food, and fish!

Tested Ammonia: (perhaps just) >0.00 ppm, and definately <0.25>

1x Pajama (PJ) Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera) - larger than the 1st one, and should "school"

1x (medium-small, and bright red, with three bright white vertical stripes outlined with a thin line of black) Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) (AKA the Spine-Cheek Anemonefish)

0.87oz Aquatrol Spirulina 20 flakes (they apparently use this throughout the store)

California All Natural Pet Foods' 12oz 3 in 1 combo 110 count frozen "feeder fish" (it's bloodworms, bring shrimp, and plankton, in small fish shapes) - recommended by Mark's staff

I'm still bummed about the Royal Gramma (Gramma/Grammatids loreto), that I appeared to have killed in a single day! I took an extra long time to acclimate - perhaps almost 4 hours, mixing in about 1/4 cup of my tank water every 22 minutes.

Feed a pinch of the Spirulina and all three fish ate.

Pictures of the Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) (AKA the Spine-Cheek Anemonefish):

Pictures of the Pajama (PJ) Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera):

Water tests, and feeding

Tested Ammonia: (perhaps just) >0.00 ppm, and definitely <0.25

Fed 1/4 cube of Mysis shrimp with 5ml of Selcon.

Water tests, and changes

The tank looks good, but I decided to test and do a water change, just to be safe.

Tested Ammonia: (perhaps just) >0.00 ppm, and definately <0.25

Performed a 3.5gal water change (turned off the main pump)

Purchases, tests, water changes, observations, pictures

Purchased from Jim's:

• Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Ammonia Test Kit
• 5gal container
• 10gal NSW
• Tram Rio replacement suction cups

Tank looked much clearer when I returned home, but it was definately still suspended particles, and was somewhat cloudy.

Side view of tank, having cleared substantially:

The whole tank, having cleared substantially.

Tested Ammonia: (perhaps just) >0.00 ppm, and definately <0.25>

Performed a 3.5gal water change. Thats the maximum I could change given my current rock and coral configuration; I had to turn off the main pump to do so, without doing so it would be a maximum of 2.5gal. I'll do another change tomorrow morning.

This exposes a weakness of sump-less aquarium tanks: without a sump to to
keep the main tank water at a high level, water taken out is limited by the
"headroom" between the highest water level and the top of highest livestock in
the tank.

The Porcelain Anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) looks a bit odd. It seems to have red/brown/pink-ish splotches on it. It kinda looks like it has coralline algea growing on it.

Electric Blue Hermit crab (calcinus elegans):

View of tank from above:

Star Polyp colonies (Order Zoanthidea/Zoanthids) - retracted:

Red algea, home to many tiny snails, and a couple serpent stars:

This is what they warned me about! "Crashing" Racemosa

This morning I saw my tank and it was very very cloudy. Since I had just tested last night, and hadn't changed anything, I was surprised. None of the livestock seemed to have a problem and then I noticed the Calurpa Racemosa - it had bleached. I have heard it was "invasive", "noxious", and of it "going sexual" and/or "crashing" and then releasing accumulated compounds to the detriment of water quality. I thought I was keeping it under control, as I limited it to a thin patch of about 5" x 6".

Side view of tank as I found it first thing in the morning, under the effect of the Crashed C. Racemosa:



I had only 2.5gal of NSW on hard, so I did a water change, and topped off the tank (< 0.5gal), added a bag of the carbon rods (that come with the Nano Cube) to the filter area.

Some of the problems I've heard of resulting from it "crashing":

• leaching "noxious" compounds
• ammonia build-up due to decomposing plant material
• dissolved oxygen reduction due to decomposing plant material

After work, I'm going to get my 5gal container filled back up with NSW, and get another. This incident exposes my lack of "disaster planning" as far as my tank is concerned. I suspect I'll also get an amonia test, and possibly a O2 test.

Bag of "crashed" C. Racemosa:



Side view of tank after the water change:

Water test results

Using Salifert Profi Tests:

• SG = 1.0275 (unadjusted for temp)
• KH = 8.0, Alk = 2.86 Meq/L (NSW = 8 KH and 2.9 Meq/L)
• Iodide = > 0.03 ppm (NSW = 0.02-0.03 ppm)
• Iodate & Iodine = < nsw =" 0.03-0.04">
• Calcium = 405 ppm (NSW = 400-425 ppm)
• pH = 8.0-8.3 (NSW = 8.1)
• Nitrate = <>

Maintenance

Disassembled and cleaned the powerhead.

Removed some calcerous algea on the glass.

Cleaned up some algea around the output of the pumps, etc.

Stopped by Jim's Exotic Fish for purified water

Gave him the Kelp Sargassum brown algea, and he gave me the water free.

Royal Gramma didn't show for food!

Fed the tank 1/4 cube of Mysis shrimp (and forgot the Selcon, again) . The PJ Cardinal ate, but the Royal Gramma didn't show. I last saw the R.G. the night I put him in the tank.

This is not a good sign!

He looked good that night. Given the other mysterious deaths, perhaps there's a predator in the tank?

Removed about 1 cup of Sargassum brown algea to bring to Jim's.

Pictures

Pajama (PJ) Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera):



Narsarious Snail (Family: Nassariidae) on the glass:



The inside of my Nano Cube tank stand:



Stalks of pulsing xenia (Xeniid), various algea, Porcelain Anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai), and Star Polyp colony (Order Zoanthidea/Zoanthids):



Orangeclaw Hermit Crab (Calcinus tibicen):



Two Ricordea mushrooms (Corallimorpharia Ricordea), and Sand Sifting Star (Astropecten polycanthus):



Hitch hiker stripped Brittle/Serpent Star:



View of my Nano Cube tank from above:


Performed 2.5g water change.

New Fish!

Mostly because anyone who visits our house asks "where's the fish" despite the fact that from a invert standpoint, it's looking great.

Purchased from The Aquarium Center, Sherman Oaks:

• 1x Pajama (PJ) Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera)
• 1x Royal Gramma (Gramma/Grammatids loreto)