Reefer_Madness

Huh.......sounds like I may be worrying about something that I don't need to worry about. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not really concerned about the timing. I sit and watch rocks grow for Pete's sake. I have lots of patience. It's more about having a food source that is sustainable for a mandarin. It's interesting actually......to me [emoji16] Balancing the ecosystem.... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I didn't think of that..........my other fish did look pretty surprised to see the Hawkfish. It all makes sense now... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

From what I am reading, having enough copepods is always a problem even in an establish tank. Is that not the case?

When I first looked at the picture, I thought your post was sarcasm about the "major snow storm" we were supposed to have in DC. For a spit second it looked like a snowflake on your window.

Aside from having a 43 year old tank like Paul, has anyone had success with the copepod/mandarin balance in their tank without feeding with bags of copepods? I had a mandarin about 10 years ago. This was before the internet told me they were a bad choice. This was before I even knew what a copepod was. I had him for about 3 years before he died during a cross country move, not from starvation. He didn't have the internet either, so he didn't know any better and ate frozen food. I would love to get another mandarin, but now I talked myself out of it from reading too much on forums. I did see a pretty cool "copepod farm" that someone made. It made me have a crazy thought. What if I made this "copepod farm" and put it in my refugium? I could be over simplifying this, but it seems like if I took out all of the filters between the farm the return pump they would just be pumped up into the tank. I may need to shake the farm every once in a while to get copepods loose. If I wanted to get technical, I could plumb it or install a powerhead to blast water through the corrugated holes once a week to push copepods into the current and back to the tank. I've never grown them on purpose, so I am not sure the plan above would work. Thoughts anybody?

Wow that blue dot is expensive!! Pretty, but out of my price range.....or should I say out of my wife's price range. She would kill me!!

Anybody know what this guy is?

I absolutely love mandarins, but I don't think I have the pods to support one. The skunk cleaner shrimp idea is good too. I have shelves of monti around the perimeter, so perching and hanging upside down would be great skills for them to have. This is going to be a hard decision. Color is very important. In the past I have only focused on the corals and I have selected fish because of function and availability. Then they live forever and your stuck with them!!! Hard workers, just not much to look at. I was also scared to overload the system with livestock. In my new 60g tank I only have 2 fish. The same two fish I had in my 30g for 2 years. It's time for a couple colorful bold choices.

Lots of ideas!!! Now it's time for to do research on each...........and pick a few Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm going to look up these guys. I built a cool pillar/column in my tank with lots of holes. It's like a floating island with SPSs on top. Having some activity down in the rock would be pretty neat. Otherwise it will be pretty boring, light free area.

Haha

I am speechless. This is an amazing build Duffy.....

Wow. That guys is beautiful!

So my new aquascaping has a lot of holes, nooks, and crannies. I am looking for some fish that go in and out of the holes. I have a bi-colored blenny that I love. I am looking for other fish that like to perch in the holes. Anybody have ideas? FYI - Eels are not an option...hahah.

He was actually kind of a jerk when he was in the tank, attacking everything. Hopefully his time in solitary confinement gave him an attitude adjustment!! Either way, he is a trooper!!

I can't imagine the pain he has been through. High nitrates, bad saline, toxic levels of 2 part. He's like the Bruce Willis of my aquarium. Or maybe Rocky...

About three months ago a Hawkfish disappeared. No trace. I just figured something got him and had a feast back in the rocks. Fast forward to last week. I started to move everything from the 30g IM over to my new 60g cube. I finished up on Friday and pulled all of the old equipment out. Today, I look in the back and see that the Hawkfish is looking up at me. The talk is at 68 degrees. He had been living in the back chamber this whole time! That is the chamber that my ATO dumped into and where I dosed. He is a tough cracker!!!! So now rather that shocking his system I decided to heat the old tank back up and acclimate him over gently to the new tank. I think he earned that... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm going to give that a try. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

+1 on attending the meeting. Excited to put some faces with names.

Thanks. The iPhone picture doesn't really do him justice. He's getting too big and healthy actually. I'm going to need to figure out how to frag him a little. It would be a good chance to spread the wealth with SWAP if I can figure it out...

The branches are very smooth, and it looks just like the online pics I can find of the Stylophora. That must be what it is.

How do you tell the difference?

It was only a couple of inches when I got it with spaces between the branches, but now it is filling tight and has grown to about 5" diameter. It has also grown into the live rock and up to my green monti with no issues. They seem to be getting along well.

Any ideas? I've had it for about 2 years and it grows like a weed considering how bulky it is. Originally I called it a cats paw birds nest. Any ideas on what the real name is? It's doing very well. iPhone pics of coral suck, but that's all I got. I spent all of my "camera money" on my tank!!