New Additions
So story time (might be a long post). In my 20g (which transferred over), I had 2x Clowns, a Royal Gramma and lawnmower. They transferred very well to the new tank back in December/January. Early January, I added a Juvenile Yellow Tang (just a baby) and a Yellow Eyed Kole Tang (~4"). Everyone has co-existed perfectly. Kole did mostly its own thing, and the Yellow hung with the Clowns in a corner most of the day (although it does venture out). Out of the group, the lawnmower was the bully, always playing overwatch and bossing the two Tangs around.
We decided to add some new Additions:
- Foxface - Love the way they look and their behavior. It will round out our Algae control squad
- Melanurus Wrasse - Parasite Control, plus amazing fish. Is this a wise decision in a tank with 115+ inverts? Probably not, but we will see
- Watchman goby + Pistol shrimp - Something to keep the sand moving, and they are a halarious pair. Again - smart combo with the Wrasse?
The Journey and Delay
I ordered the group from Dr. Reef, and they were shipped on Thursday, for a Friday AM Arrival time. UPS notified me Friday AM, they were stuck in Kansas city - and would arrive on Monday. I assumed everyone would be goners - as thats 96+ hours in a bags, in cold temperatures. Fortunately Dr. Reef has an awesome relationship with UPS and registered as a Live animal supplier. I sent him a note Friday AM, and within 30 minutes (without him or I doing anything), the status was changed to Saturday Delivery. So 48 hours - not as good as 24, but WAY better than 96.
Arrival and Acclimation
They arrived Saturday AM, and all fish were alive. The box was actually still warm as well. The foxface and wrasse looked like they had a rough 48 hours.
Per Dr. Reef's instructions, I skipped the temperature acclimation process (because of the delay) and had a 2g Container with heated low salinty water (1.20-ish). Livestock were added to the water, and over the course of 60-90 minutes, I slowly removed water from the container and added in tank water until it matched my salinty.
The Goby looked perfectly fine initially. The Wrasse and foxface appeared to be on deaths door (labored breathing and laying on their side), but over the course of time perked up. I know they are shipped in some chemicals that probably slow their metabolism down, and some of that may have been working through their system as well
Adding them to the tank
I poorly timed adding them to the tank. it was about 11:55 AM, and didn't think about my auto feeder running at 12 PM. The Goby tactically disappeared and avoided the warzone. The Tangs went on a full court press:
Yellow gang went after the wrasse, and the Kole (approximately the same size as the Foxface) immediately started chasing the Foxface. The foxface didn't seem to give 2 craps, and just put up the barbs. The wrasse immediately dove into the sand (only thing sticking out was their tail). For a bit, I was not sure of the Wrasse just died of shock.
This continued for most of the day. The Wrasse re-emerged in the afternoon, and the Yellow Tang tailed him the entire day. This time less aggressively, but it did not leave its sight.. The foxface tried to chill, but would receive frequent bullying from the Kole. It eventually just had to stay at the top of the tank.
A Truce?
I woke up this AM, and the foxface was sleeping in a cave (when i went to bed, he was sequestered by the Kole to the top of the tank). All of the fish are eating a lot and using the full tank (much more than before). We also had a breakthrough in the last 8 hours and the Tangs are now eating Nori. I guess the new competition made them open their minds a little.
The Kole and the foxface capable of being close to each other. At least sort of. Oocasionally the Kole will take a run at the foxface. The foxface basically goes inverted with the barbs up.
We are hoping the peacekeeping mission is a success.
The Goby and Pistol Shrimp - MIA
Zero clue where the pistol shrimp and Goby are. I put the shrimp into the tank earlier, (to give it a chance to hide from the wrasse). It disappeared into rockwork/sand within 5 seconds. The Goby was added with the other fish. It pearched itself on some rocks for a bit and then disappeared from sight.
My hope is that they were able to find each other and are burried somewhere in the sand. It is also entirely possibly they are in the Wrasse stomach. I guess if I see a pile of snails somewhere we'll know better.
More Additions?
This is a lot of fish for a tank thats pretty new. The latest newcomers went through a ton of stress and would like to make sure everyone is healthy for a bit before adding anything new - in addition to the general disposition of the fish.
We're at our limit in terms of space for big fish for a 48" tank. The Yellow is still a baby, but assuming it stays healthy, we'll have 2 Adult Tangs (albeit smaller varieties) and a foxface. That's a lot and enough for the Tang police to be called.
A few weeks ago, we filled in some rockwork with Corals (some from old tank and a few additions). Over the next 3-6 months I would like to slowly add a few more LPS, and then SPS in the summer.
Fish wise, we'd like to add some schooling fish (Cardinals and Anthias maybe). Open to other areas as well. I love Wrasse's but a Melanurus in the tank is probably self limiting other Wrasses you put into it. Or risk a lot of aggression.
Anyway, time to sit back and chill. Watch these guys hopefully get along and stay healthy.
