OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef

[chris wright]

Originally posted by jnarowe
So, on a lighter note, my reef is looking good but I have been noticing the clams closed up or partially closed up and I cannot figure out why that is. I don't see anything picking on them, but I wonder if it isn't the cleaner wrasses. It started after I put them in the tank.

Anyone have enough experience with clams to give me suggestions as to what to look for?

Yeah fireworms. Might sound stupid, but a reefer in Australia had similar problems. Upon investigation he found worms hosting in the clam, probably after food, and it irritated the calm.

In my tank I have Eurythoe complanata fireworms, as it turns out a lot of Aussie reefers do to. Unfortunately, most people write them off as bristleworms, pretty broad considering that's a hole species.
Anyway, my Goniopora was retracted for a few days, and I couldn't work out why, until close observation, I found this little 3 inch worm atop my goni stealing food, and judging by the retraction it was getting stung.

I caught the worm because it wrapped itself around the goni. Once it was removed, and with careful target feeding, my goni has recovered and now is doing real well. I think the same for one of my trachy. Caught another worm much smaller, but....

[jnarowe]

So you recommend pulling the clams for inspection then?

[Scythanith]

Hey Jonathan,

Hope you're feeling better and the holidays are treating you well! As for the tang, all I have been able to do to entice feeding on really sick fish is to use live brine shrimp freshly hatched. But if the fish is at the point where you're needing to hold it into the current it's not looking promising but good on ya for trying to help the fish out! Sorry I don't have much in the way of the clam problem, don't have any myself.

Anywho, have a killer New Year and no swimming in the reef tank after you've downed a couple celebratory drinks! The skimmer may overflo!

Cheers,
Scott

[jnarowe]

Thanks Scott...yeah, it doesn't look good but you never know. It's gills are bright red but its breathing is regular. It just can't maintain its position in the water. I have a marine biologist arriving now to see if we can't bring it around.

[chris wright]

Originally posted by jnarowe
So you recommend pulling the clams for inspection then?

Yeah I would mate.

I just went and found the address for you. Here's a link to the guy I was talking about

Freds SPS MASA

Page 7 you'll see his claims spawning, and page 8 you'll see the fireworms and his comments. After removal the claims opended up again.

You'll have to register, but that's no big deal. The site is the Aussie forum.

[chris wright]

Well it double posted, but only went through once

Oh well

[jnarowe]

So I have been working with the sailfin for the last couple of hours. Greg has confirmed that it is definitely starvation. Oddly enough, it seems to be gaining strength. I have been holding it in front of the Vortech for short periods and it has gradually been less tolerant of that. It is trying to swim now, and I force fed it cyclops marinated in vitamins. I will be force feeding it about every two hours through the night to see if it doesn,t come around.

Here's some pics & a vid:







You can hear Greg yaking about some BS, but I didn't feel like editing the video...

[jnarowe]

Thanks for that Chris!

[chris wright]

No worries, glad to help, maybe.

Good luck with the sailfin, poor bugga

[gkarshens]

I hope you can save it!

Looks like you got every mod in the biz watching this thread. Better be good! *folds hands in lap and sits up straight*

[jnarowe]

no doubt Gabriel. I just did another force feed on the sailfin. It does seem to be getting more energy, but in very small increments. The owner had been told to feed it (and the other 4 fish) about 1/2 teaspoon of food per day.

It bothers me in the sense that they didn't realize that something was wrong, which obviously means they don't really watch the fish. But it also bothers me that their maint. guy told them to feed it so little as a "cure" for their algal problem. The system in question is horribly built with very little filtration and the sump is just one big detritus trap.

Sherman has been over there to visit and can attest to that. The sailfin is alert. Its eyes are clear and moving quite a bit, and it has started to flex a bit when I hold it. Too bad its swim bladder function is shot. I have been contemplating trying to rig something up to keep it properly oriented, but I dont really know how to accomplish that.

[gkarshens]

A bobber and some fishing line???

[steve the plumb]

Don't pollute the Lounge with your whining. Thread closed.

what was this I went to the get steve the plumb a premium membership and I see this notice.When did you whine.You didn't complain.If anything the thread was for me.They never notified me they closed it.Then I find out they banned dahn.Did I miss something.What happened.It was nice of you guys to try and do a good thing for Christmas and you get in trouble for it.Whats the world coming to when you can't even do a good deed for someone.

[jnarowe]

nasty. I was trying to devise a corral, but I just don't think it will work. If I hang it in a net, that will also cause problems.

[jnarowe]

Originally posted by steve the plumb
Don't pollute the Lounge with your whining. Thread closed.

what was this I went to the get steve the plumb a premium membership and I see this notice.When did you whine.You didn't complain.If anything the thread was for me.They never notified me they closed it.Then I find out they banned dahn.Did I miss something.What happened.It was nice of you guys to try and do a good thing for Christmas and you get in trouble for it.Whats the world coming to when you can't even do a good deed for someone.

Sorry, I cannot comment on that.

[steve the plumb]

OK I was just wondering.I was away all day and things happen.You know I am mentally challenged.

[jnarowe]

you are in good company Steve.

The sailfin took a turn for the worse. Its eyes have started to cloud up. I am going to give it another couple hours, and then I think I will have to euthanize it. It has lost some of its awareness now. So sad since it seemed to be recovering.

[Elliott]

jnarowe: I am impressed with your care and concern for your sailfin, I've not had much success at treating fish. Only one fish that I can remember that was very close to dying and made a full recovery, but I had nothing to do with it's amazing comeback.

[chris wright]

It's not Jon's, it's a customers. Good to know there are people willing to help out others though

Shame the fish probably won't make it though, sounds bad now

[jnarowe]

R.I.P. Time of Death: 6:07 am. It was a long night. It tried to eat, but it just could get the valve to work, and I doubt its metabolism could process it anyway. It fought a long hard battle.

And to correct my previous post, my wife brought home the food they were feeding and it was actually about 1/4 teaspoon of pellet they were instructed to feed their fish. The had it set up in a weekly pill organizer and the food didn't even cover the bottom with a single layer.

[Goodwin9]

Valiant effort.

[jnarowe]

Well, it's always a bummer, and that fish was alert to the very end. I just wish people would pay more attention to their fish. Now I have to lecture them. I have been trying to get them to get rid of the system. They got royally ripped off when they bought the franchise, and they don't want to put any more money into the aquarium.

They want to pay me to maintain it and I have refused so far because they don't want to spend the money to make the system rght. It's undertsandable since they paid $5K for a 125g glass reef ready and stand, some total POS of a DIY skimmer sized for a nano, and a sump that has a floss drawer that cannot be opened. And they got it used with the franchise!

And they want to pay me $120/month to maintain it...I am trying to convince them to get rid of it. I really don't want to deal with it and the other local guys just don't know enough about people and fish to manage it successfully either.

BTW, the salinity was 1.028 and the water was fairly polluted.

[mrcrab]

Originally posted by jnarowe
It's undertsandable since they paid $5K for a 125g glass reef ready and stand, some total POS of a DIY skimmer sized for a nano, and a sump that has a floss drawer that cannot be opened. And they got it used with the franchise!

Sounds like the same folks that sold my sister-in-law her system. After she saw mine, she had to have one. Laid out 5k for a total POS. 90 gal acrylic tank that's way to tall, pc lighting and a trickle filter...Aaaaargh, then they maintained it. The tank was all scratched up inside a couple of months, not to mention the death's and algae issues.

I haven't said a word. Serves her right for not at least asking for advice and the funny thing is we get along just fine.

[jnarowe]

Well, stupid is as stupid does.

[Elliott]

how did you calculate that you needed 3K watts (3 x 1K) on a light mover for your tank?