Tim's 29gal Biocube Reef / Angler Fish tank build

[tarpon]

I think its funny that you're fishing for a fish that fishs back. (Say that 5 times fast)

 

[TLTGF]

I'm sure it's even funnier to watch me do it!

EDIT: Now that I'm thinking about it, I did see one of the funniest things I've seen so far...

Here he goes (the angler), climbs up over an old dead slipper coral skeleton, and he's really focused on a big ol' isopod. He watches it intensly, never moving his eyes to anything else. He comes a bit closer, and slowly lowers his lure to about 1-2 mm from the pod. He then immediately starts his dance and shakes the lure and jigs it up and down, never losing focus.

The little pod has no interest or clue as to what is happenening of course. The angler moves ever so slowly to get just a wee bit closer, when all of a sudden...

BAM! Out of nowhere the chromis comes swimming at full thrust, mezmorized by the lure, and on the attack. The angler pulls it back within a millisecond of getting his lure bit, and nearly falls off the side of the coral after being so caught off guard by this blindsided frenzy.

I laughed, out loud.

 

[TigerBarbs]

Hahaha that's funny

 

[TLTGF]

Ignorance + Intuition = discovery.

Since this was my first BC and also my first go round with the Maxijet series of pumps, I didn't really know what to expect. My maxijet seemed to be completely underpowered and virtually useless, and a bit loud.

So I started searching for how to quiet the pump down, and really didn't have much success. Today however, I was working in all the tanks, picking up frags, rearranging corals and rocks, etc. So I decided to go ahead and try to phyisically move the MJ around and see if I could reduce the noise.

Well, here is my find. The intake side of the pump was "sucked up" to the small baffle in the chamber and it was basically plugged up like putting your hand over the shop vac hose. The "flow" i was seeing in the tank was the minimal trickle of water seeping though the vacuum seal.

As soon as I moved it away, the water starting splashing everywhere and I even created quite a sandstorm in the tank temporarily.

I'm glad to say, I am now much more impressed with the MJ1200 than I was before, and I thank god that the pump didn't catch fire or burn out from being so plugged off for so long.

However, the pump, now slightly turned to alleviate the vacuum issue, is now even louder. It is touching nothing but the output tube. Is there any tricks to quiet this?

Also, my back chambers now sound like waterfalls, which is fine, because now I understand how the purigen, chemipure and fuge will work.

 

[Jlsardina]

Nice tank! And love the fish selection!

 

[Greenturtle]

One way that I have learned to keep the back chambers quieter is to have a high water level back there. Higher water = less of a drop from each chamber.

 

[TLTGF]

It's not the water splashing that is bothering me, it's the actual vibration / noise from return pump. The waterfall will subside when A) I raise water level and B) I add a layer of filter floss

 

[rob_mango]

Little up set woke up to ring the angler dead.... So I did some research and found out that the guy who bagged him up for me did a no no and took him out of the water.... So he took in air and was not able to get rid of it..... So I called the lfs and of corse they wanted a water sample to check if my system was good and it passed with no issues.... So I am getting full credit for him but it is still a bummer the angler died from someone not knowing what to do when handling one of these.....

 

[TLTGF]

Sorry to hear that man!

I read up a lot about that exact thing. I took mine out of the water, but I made sure he didn't need to burp... There is also a thing that some people call "Sudden Angler Death" or SAD, that happens a lot as well, where for supposedly no apparent reason, the angler dies shortly (within a day or two) of being placed into an aquarium.

I hope this doesn't deter you forever, because honestly, this is by far my favorite fish. It is so entertaining to watch him day-to-day. I'm thrilled with my experiences.

 

[rob_mango]

Oh no I am still getting another one but I might just wait until his home is ready so I don't keep him in the refuge

 

[TLTGF]

That's cool - wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[rob_mango]

But I now have 2 yellow tail damsels I have to do something with lol

 

[Marquis]

I was thinking of setting up my 50 for breeding sea horses but I might research these his instead was just reading how they breed that's awesome

 

[Photoevangelist]

I was thinking of setting up my 50 for breeding sea horses but I might research these his instead was just reading how they breed that's awesome

If you breed frogfish I'm following you too!

 

[FTMMWS]

Sorry your angler died..
I have had to burped my big one a few times..He'll get a little too excited and come right up to the surface and gulp up air along with the fish..

Definitely will follow an angler breeding thread..I have seen many attempts on other forums to no avail

 

[Marquis]

I never knew you could burp a fish just give it a lil squeeze? and i don't expect to breed them but I'm definitely looking into keeping one

 

[rob_mango]

Yeah how do you burp it???? Next time I get one I will make sure to do it

 

[FTMMWS]

I just hold him(underwater) and just kinda rub his belly with my thumb and finger on either side..Like squeezing a toothpaste tube ,but gently..You can usually feel the air bubble and you'll see it come out ...
I also read you can give them a pea,,basically put it in their mouth and i guess it causes a reflux type of thing and they release the air..I always burped mine though..

 

[Hondatek]

Very interesting ft. Would the same technique work if say a puffer sucked in air ?

 

[rob_mango]

Wow that's crazy.... Thank you I will do it next time but if he never leaves the water how do you know if he needs to burp