Fluval Chi

[Autumnsky]

I bet Kevins gonna be poopin blue. That is understandable why no one likes Kevin!

Dang, how lucky to get the Pom Pom with pink poms!!!

Well maybe you will get a really nice Lavender Mushroom when they finally become available.

The critters look good.

 

[Laeris]

The entire CUC. Also the only pic I have of the Pom Pom crab. Twee little pink pompoms! Maybe I'll call it Tweechi. Twee meaning super cute, chi for small and a play on twitchy because they move about quite a bit. The three spots near the top left corner that might be confused for carbon are the nerites. Bitty.

The hermits are going in the 35 as soon as it's safe. I thought I was going to get tiny ones. These guys are so not tiny. There's a site dedicated to amphi- and copepods that does BOGO and bonus inverts from time to time. I'll order there next time and hopefully get smaller hermits.

Yellow rose goby has come out of hiding after lights out. Tried to get a pic, it fled. Poor thing.

 

[Autumnsky]

Love Tweechi. Love to see him all colored up and settled in. That has got to be one of the most adorable little critters in a SW nano tank! And the Nassarius shimmying out of the sand for supper.

 

[Laeris]

I love my cleaner shrimp! When I get home, he gets a hand. Best manicure ever! Hahahaha I feel bad, though. The fish won't stop by his cleaning station and he seems frustrated, waving his antenna at them and all. I feel so bad, I put him in there and he can't do what he wants to do.

 

[Delapool]

What do you do there?? This saltwater tank business sounds way more complex than freshwater.

 

[Laeris]

It isn't too bad, actually. Clean bucket, pump and heater for turning RODI to 1.025 specific gravity saltwater. Top off tank with RODI before water changes. Check the length of sweeper tentacles before adding corals and that's simply an observation, no tentacular stuff in my tank. Mind the flow, really, really don't over feed. If you're going to use floss, clean it most regularly after feedings to avoid nitrate spikes. Nitrates are not anyone's friend so keep them <5ppm. Over simplification, but that's the biggest takeaways I have at the moment. Oh, and mind who wants to be nearly blown away by flow and who likes an eddy instead XD


The yellow rose goby and pistol shrimp have found each other and paired up. Saw the goby swimming nearly straight up and down keeping an eye out for the shrimp to do some maintenance to a particular entrance. Cleaner shrimp has my cuticles looking amazing. He's now named Oswald after the OCD poltergeist from A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett. It fits.

P.S. Watching a larger shrimp like that molt is startling to say the least.


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[Delapool]

Lol - I'll have to look up the Terry Pratchett reference. I have most of his books but not sure on that one.

That sounds pretty amazing. I always thought a small SW tank would be too hard but it doesn't sound too bad, just regular cleaning?

I'm also wondering how you go with temperature control or not needed. Over summer that may be a problem here.

 

[Laeris]

I don't have AC either, but I'm pro at cooling solutions. No worries! Mostly water changes. Yes, it's more work more frequently but worth it IMO when I see the pistol shrimp ambush an arthropod. Khehehehehe

 

[Laeris]

Finally got the lavender mushroom! Worth the wait, paid for 1-3 heads, got 5. I'll get a daylight photo tomorrow.

 

[Laeris]

They were puking their guts out when I first opened the box. In a few weeks with some care, they should wind up recovering beautifully.

Received a mix of copepods and amphipods that went right into the hob, a really tightly closed three polyp duncan, three sexy shrimp and five snails-three nerite and two marginella, which brings my snail count to seven. Pretty sure Kevin ate the first three tapestry nerites. Got the less fancy kind this time.

Duncan is already open, and it looks like one of the smaller (looks like a solid band-male) sexy shrimp has decided it's his.


This larger one seems to like the mushrooms. Probably also male, solid band.

 

[Laeris]

I just now realized a pod photobombed the shot. Haaaaa!

 

[Delapool]

Looks nice (er, I think - it's a little bit all SW greek but like the shrimp!).

 

[Autumnsky]

Very nice mushroom - great deal for the wait. I tried to buy a big rock of them the other day but no one knew what the price was so they didn't want to sell it.

Good shot of the photo bombing pod and the shrimp. They are so fun to see.

 

[Laeris]

MacGuyvered a light filter with a pair of sunglasses. That's the red scooter, Rigel, at the bottom. The Duncan was knocked down earlier when I was cleaning the tank so it freaked out a little. Its sexy shrimp had no cares to give about the event.

The candy canes are getting split soon. They can't agree what a good spot in the tank is.

 

[Laeris]

One of the mushrooms taffy pulled itself and split in two. ?? It only took two days! I'm going to leave the other one on the sand where it fell unless it starts looking miserable. I spot fed them which was well received. They're so cute the way they ball up to omnomnom.

Thinking about trying to breed mysis in a 1.5g that's currently home to Kevin, a piece of live rock and a load of ogo.

 

[Autumnsky]

You might put a piece of rock rubble under the mushroom that popped off that will give it something to hold onto.

Never have seen anyone breed Mysis, they are a cold water shrimp - always worth a shot. Pods of course since you have a freebie mouth to feed there. It is so exciting to watch the development of the tank!

There is a medium + sized Blue leg hermit for your bigger tank when you are ready/ if you want him, just give me a heads up when you're headed through the North (I'll need to catch him).

 

[Laeris]

Bpo got his Fiji/pukani live rock today with a fair amount of rubble, I'll bring it up to him. I can do that once it's cured. Not putting that in my tank without knowing what's in/on it?

I'm afraid to put any hermits in my tank now. Kevin almost ate my feather duster. I was so angry, I briefly considered snatching him out of the tank and throwing him outside. I'm glad I didn't. Not his fault, he's a crab doing what crabs do.




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[Autumnsky]

Yeah, that's the thing - this guy is getting bigger. I was told he wouldn't get any bigger but he did. I didn't know - some stay smaller, some get bigger, now at least I know better.

There is another home for him if you don't think he's a good fit. Yes the little guys are just doing what they do. In the absence of their natural foods and with a great expanse to roam as a habitat, a feather duster can really look good I guess. There hasn't appeared to be any issues, but I would like that to stay that way.

 

[Laeris]

I second that. I target feed the sexy shrimp to make sure they don't decide to snack on corals. They're not very opportunistic feeders, but they will eat on them if they're hungry enough. Hermits are more opportunistic, in that they'll take the easy meal vs anything they have to chase down

 

[Laeris]

They're so cute! Duncan + sexy shrimp are a win combo if you can't do anemone.