Damon Jensen
Active Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2019
- Messages
- 208
- Reaction score
- 170
- What state or country do you live in
- California
I have been in this hobby for about 3 1/2 years and have learned a lot, mainly by mistakes.
1) Don't take anything for granted. Do not assume your tank in fine or your fish are good. tI may be too later. Check your water.! Watch your fish.
2) We are creating ecosystems, I did not understand what each piece of equipment was doing, how sumps and overflow worked. Thus a little too much water impacted oxygen levels
a) don't over clean...sounds strange, but because my the excess water, and removal of too much bio matter in my sump drowned my fish (I did save them with an emergency bubbler)
3) There are a lot of cures, stick with QT before and for medical care.
a) I tried the vodka method to control my water levels in conjunction with trying to cure and internal parasite on an very cool angler! Don't do the vodka...even master of the hobby. I put about a 1/2 a cap into a 55gl, and it killed everything!!!!!
4) Even small openings can equal death.
a) beautiful ribbon eel transitioning sex about 14 inch. Small opening and what I believe was help from the cat=equals dead eel
b) A solid black dogface puffer (never seen another like it) flipped out of my tank through a 4 inch gap in my top=black blob on the floor
5) Compatibility or as I like to say $75 lobster dinner. I bought a 6 in spiny lobster, my eel and triggers had a lovely dinner
a) I will there is always a chance that fish will mix, but remember the price.
b) I do add what we call canaries (canaries were used to detect gas in mines...if they died, human left) We will add something small for the fish to go after and leave the new fish alone. Normal they just have to get through the first night
c) there are some really cool poisonous fish, keep in mind in most cases if they die without stress you will be ok....however, if they get stressed and die...….lots of carbon and remove the ammonia.
If you are counting....3 complete tank nuking!!!! However, my Picasso trigger and Zebra moray have survived it all and the current ick. 3 1/2 years
6) Building your tank with a purpose. After some trial and error, I realized I like aggressive fish. They like to eat my cleaner shrimp, so I went with blue streak wrasse to help keep clean. I do add the shrimp but realize their life span is short. Nudie brand, didn't even make it to rock before it was dinner.
7) Aptasia-once it is in the tank, you have to be aggressive. have several aptasia eaters. Treat with Aptasia X, before scraping. I have it in my sump and over flow. Every other week I get in and treat and drain, that helps to control spread. If I see it in my DT, I hit it with the X immediately....I am kind of obsessed with killing it
a) Similarly with Ich and other issues. Don't believe they are no in your tank.. I have lots at least 6 fish to it.
b) just because you get the fish from a store and or captive bread does not mean you won't get aptasia and sick fish
8) this is an expensive hobby!!!! Starting out you might go cheep, but in the end you have to spend the money.
a) I have a massive ick outbreak and no QT. I spent $300 on an emperor angle, let alone the rest of the fish, and was trying to treat the ick with a QT. End of the day 2 20gl complete tanks=$250. If I save this fish and my tank it will be a miracle.
My current tank I bought everything new. The only piece I am now missing is RODI. Other than that you name it I had to buy it. The one thing I am really seeing with this ick outbreak...is my fish were very healthy. There was stress introduced into the tank and ick broke out. Almost every fish has it, except two of my triggers that are completely unaffected! The stress was trying to treat one fish with herbal cures and a power outage.
9) Even when you think you have your system dialed in, it is still a fragile ecosystem that a simple change can destroy. I am not a tree hugger, but I love these fish, thus our oceans are threatened and thus the earth is threatened.
1) Don't take anything for granted. Do not assume your tank in fine or your fish are good. tI may be too later. Check your water.! Watch your fish.
2) We are creating ecosystems, I did not understand what each piece of equipment was doing, how sumps and overflow worked. Thus a little too much water impacted oxygen levels
a) don't over clean...sounds strange, but because my the excess water, and removal of too much bio matter in my sump drowned my fish (I did save them with an emergency bubbler)
3) There are a lot of cures, stick with QT before and for medical care.
a) I tried the vodka method to control my water levels in conjunction with trying to cure and internal parasite on an very cool angler! Don't do the vodka...even master of the hobby. I put about a 1/2 a cap into a 55gl, and it killed everything!!!!!
4) Even small openings can equal death.
a) beautiful ribbon eel transitioning sex about 14 inch. Small opening and what I believe was help from the cat=equals dead eel
b) A solid black dogface puffer (never seen another like it) flipped out of my tank through a 4 inch gap in my top=black blob on the floor
5) Compatibility or as I like to say $75 lobster dinner. I bought a 6 in spiny lobster, my eel and triggers had a lovely dinner
a) I will there is always a chance that fish will mix, but remember the price.
b) I do add what we call canaries (canaries were used to detect gas in mines...if they died, human left) We will add something small for the fish to go after and leave the new fish alone. Normal they just have to get through the first night
c) there are some really cool poisonous fish, keep in mind in most cases if they die without stress you will be ok....however, if they get stressed and die...….lots of carbon and remove the ammonia.
If you are counting....3 complete tank nuking!!!! However, my Picasso trigger and Zebra moray have survived it all and the current ick. 3 1/2 years
6) Building your tank with a purpose. After some trial and error, I realized I like aggressive fish. They like to eat my cleaner shrimp, so I went with blue streak wrasse to help keep clean. I do add the shrimp but realize their life span is short. Nudie brand, didn't even make it to rock before it was dinner.
7) Aptasia-once it is in the tank, you have to be aggressive. have several aptasia eaters. Treat with Aptasia X, before scraping. I have it in my sump and over flow. Every other week I get in and treat and drain, that helps to control spread. If I see it in my DT, I hit it with the X immediately....I am kind of obsessed with killing it
a) Similarly with Ich and other issues. Don't believe they are no in your tank.. I have lots at least 6 fish to it.
b) just because you get the fish from a store and or captive bread does not mean you won't get aptasia and sick fish
8) this is an expensive hobby!!!! Starting out you might go cheep, but in the end you have to spend the money.
a) I have a massive ick outbreak and no QT. I spent $300 on an emperor angle, let alone the rest of the fish, and was trying to treat the ick with a QT. End of the day 2 20gl complete tanks=$250. If I save this fish and my tank it will be a miracle.
My current tank I bought everything new. The only piece I am now missing is RODI. Other than that you name it I had to buy it. The one thing I am really seeing with this ick outbreak...is my fish were very healthy. There was stress introduced into the tank and ick broke out. Almost every fish has it, except two of my triggers that are completely unaffected! The stress was trying to treat one fish with herbal cures and a power outage.
9) Even when you think you have your system dialed in, it is still a fragile ecosystem that a simple change can destroy. I am not a tree hugger, but I love these fish, thus our oceans are threatened and thus the earth is threatened.
