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)

Pictures

Electric Blue Hermit crab (calcinus elegans):



Colony of some "globe"-ish SPS (possibly Porites?), along with colony of polyps (Order Zoanthidea/Zoanthids)



Stalks of pulsing xenia (Xeniid):



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



Two Ricordea mushrooms (Corallimorpharia Ricordea):

Reef Traders Outpost is back!

Some of you may remember RTOP.COM? RTOP was a very popular Reef Aquaria site from Oct 1995 through Nov 1998, until I let it go to cob-Webs. I just started the new Reef Traders Outpost blog and am getting the old content loaded, so check it out!

Current Tank Inhabitents list has moved...

The inline contents at the sidebar of this bog was inconvenient and no one wants to mess with their IE settings. So, it's moved to an "old" page so it's not going to show up in the blog proper, but will be easily accessible. There's also a link in the sidebar.

Front view of tank"

Purchases, and more tending...

Brought the algae to Jims and received about $5 credit for it.

Purchased:

• Kent Pro ScraperM (Stainless Steel)
• Aquarium Systems/Marineland HoldFast

Used the HoldFast to anchor the Ricordea mushroom rock as it fell again.

Finally was able to clear the glass front and sides of all the pink coralline algae.

Tending the tank...

Cleaned up about 1 pt. of C. Racemosa, and another pt. of the brown kelp. Will bring it to fish store later today.

Repositioned the rock holding the two Ricordea Mushrooms, as it had been knocked over; probably by a snail. Will have to get some epoxy.

Performed 2.5g water change.

pictures

Fromia (milleporella?) sea star:



Stalks of pulsing xenia (Xeniid):

Picture

Side view of my Nano Cube tank, showing the brown kelp and pulsing xenia (Xeniid):

Water change, and pictures

Performed 2.5g water change.

Purple algea:



Bumble-bee Snail (Family: Pusiostoma):



Two Ricordea mushrooms (Corallimorpharia Ricordea):



The stalk of pulsing xenia (Xeniid) has finally separated, stuck on the brown kelp:

Pictures

Stalks of the pulsing xenia (Xeniid), one of which is separating:



Porcelain Anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai):



Empty husk of Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis):

The Cleaner Shrimp is gone...

I fed my tank a 1/4 cube of Mysid shrimp and was watching all the inhabitants "get excited", then I noticed I didn't see my Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). He was under the overhang of a rock low to the sand (which would be uncommon) and he didn't look right. He was moving but his shell seemed odd, and he seemed to be reacting to the food but wasn't going after it.

I left and returned about 30 minutes later and found two Narsarious Snails (Family: Nassariidae), a hermit crab, and a Bumble-bee Snail (Family: Pusiostoma) all over the remains of the cleaner shrimp.

Within an hour or so all that remained was an empty husk.

Was the shrimp mid-molting and was vulnerable? Or could it be a change in salinity (I had let my fresh make-up-water lapse a bit and added quite a lot at the same time)?





Here's a picture of a hitch hiker Brittle/Serpent Star, perhaps 1" wide.

Add more livestock...

Bought from Jim's Exotic:

• 1x 1" Electric Blue Hermit crab (calcinus elegans)
• 1x 1" Porcelain Anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
• 1x 1/2# Tonga branch for the back filter section (almost full now)
• 1x 1/2" Scarlet Hermit (Paguristes cadenati)
• 5" x 2" rock with colony of 2-3 dz Zoanthids polyps, and 1 colony of some "globe"-ish SPS (possibly Porites?), and 2 small stubs of sponge (possibly)

Brought in the qt. of Green Grape Algea (Calurpa Racemosa) to Jim for which he gave me the Tonga branch for free!

Porcelain Anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai):

Scarlet Hermit (Paguristes cadenati):



Rock with colony of 2-3 dz Zoanthids polyps, and 1 colony of some "globe"-ish SPS (possibly Porites?), and 2 small stubs of sponge (possibly)



This is how my tank looks now:

"Weeding"

Cleaned up about 1 qt. of Green Grape Algea (Calurpa Racemosa) - will see if fish store is interested, or will donate to Josh at work for feeding to his tangs.

Green Grape Algea (Calurpa Racemosa) encroaching the top of some live rock:



Kelp, Sargassum (probably):



The ziplock bag of Green Grape Algea (Calurpa Racemosa) and other algea:



My tank of "Weeding"

Algae mis-identification, maintenance, and baby shrimp?

I'm fairly certain that what I thought was "Halimeda goreaui - Green small bulbs in sets of three along long vine" could actually be Caulerpa racemosa, which seems to be universally considered not only a pest but possibly a significant hazard to my tank. "Halimeda species are crusty, calcified algae that look like a bunch of small platelets strung together in a chain" - wetwebmedia.com So, I'll have to thin it out greatly.

Good news is that I've seen what appear to be 2-4 tiny (< 1/4") baby shrimp in my tank, over the last two days.

I also noticed that my main circulating pump was not operating that well - I took it out and thoroughly cleaned it.

Added 2 Ricordea Mushrooms, and pictures

Bought from Jim's Exotic:

• 1 1" Ricordea mushroom with orange ring
• 1 1/2" Ricordea mushroom - all blue

Here's a good shot of the Sand Sifting Star (Astropecten polycanthus):

A picture of the a star Polyp colony (Order Zoanthidea/Zoanthids) surrounded by Green Grape Algea (Calurpa Racemosa):

And a picture of the pulsing xenia (Xeniid) as it grows on the kelp: