YHSublime

Plus I hear they are a-holes of a fish... not from personal experience, just many others.

Great photos... WHAT is THIS?! I wants!

This would be an awesome entry for the POTM "feeding time"

+1 My clowns suck away at the RBTA.

How bizarre.... and AWESOME!

Looks like a bristle worm. I don't mind them, and think they add to the biodiversity in a tank. They will sting you by releasing their spikes into your skin if you touch them, but it can be pulled out or brushed out after soaking in vinegar or even using super glue on top and then pulling it off!

Thanks all. I have done a little searching around, and it's possible that the pistol could certainly have been the culprit. At night I used to hear the pistol cracking off like nobody's business. It was usually because the mandy slept very close to it's burrow, I believe. This is just a theory, but I can't understand how all my other fish would be (IMO) thriving, and the mandarin who was fat and healthy just wound up dead? It was also very fresh when I found it in the AM, still had color and meat on it, I had no time to handle in the morning on my way out the door, and that night it was just skin. I did a water change and figured I would stop trying to keep them dragonets for the time being.

IMO this is the best way to do it. By adding all that diversity from healthy tanks, Robs entire old sandbed in your fuge, marcos macro, and your seeded rock, you may end up with better than what you would have gotten from Tampa Bay... JMO. I think you're doing it right, you've been so patient with the whole process, and it will pay off in the long run. It's like $1 today, or $10 next month, and all you have to do is wait.... I wouldn't be so set on this idea. If you dip and QT all your corals, and QT and treat your fish appropriately, then no, I don't think you will introduce pests anyways. Talk to Marcos about this, I know he's got a strict regiment for all his corals and fish, and it looks like you're already looking into it. I think a lot of people worry about fish introducing problems, and tend to forget about corals. Just remember that you can QT corals as well (and some folks will tell you ALWAYS) remove corals from plugs. Your pod population will get there, that last thing you probably want to hear is "don't rush it," but.... well, seriously, don't

Touché. The connotation with flatworms is a negative one in my mind, interesting if you can get then id'd

Pics? I can't imagine you would want flatworm before adding acros

I have made the mistake many times. See half my FS threads, haha

Loving the aquascape, the tank looks amazing, well done, all that sps will be nice once grown in!

Bingo. Thanks tom. Thanks Tracy, I'll probably just pick some up at that price!

hahaha, smart ass. Unless that actually is yours... then we have to have a conversation over a beer

Thanks all. I'm more so vexed at it's death. Nothing appeared to be bullying it, like I said, all my other fish are doing fantastic. I wondering if my Pistol shrimp had something to do with it, I hear him clicking away often, usually it was at the mandy, who slept close to his burrow... mystery solved?

This ID looks spot on based on your pictures.

Wow, NICE shots everyone. This is going to be a good month for sure for pictures!

3 months

No worries, it happens I guess. I seriously can't understand what happened. Things are stable across the board with the tank. It's been about 2 weeks, I saw it yesterday. That was a slow reaction if that's the case.

I found my target mandarin dead this morning, shoved behind a rock, attached to my urchin (who i don't know how it got in the tank, only see it at night.) I'm at a loss about what happened... all my fish are healthy, eating, and are colorful and fine, my clowns are even spawning. The mandarin was FAT and eating well, there are pods all over my tank, so I know it wasn't a lack of food. This will be the second mandy I've lost, the last one was chased out of the tank by some a-hole lemon chromis (and that one was eating frozen *SIGH*) I think I'm over Mandarins. They are so pretty and cool to watch flutter around the tank, but I'm starting to feel cursed in that area.

Normally I would say, "great, more meat!" But the was it just a mutation, ooooooor did something unnatural cause that to happen....

Haha, always. Thanks man.

Thanks much!

Looking for this tubing, I have an air water ice typhoon III. Anyone know what size it is? 1/4"? Can I get it at a hardware store?

Nope, I'll include them!