New 180 Build - Mini Coop's Dream Tank

[Mini Coop]

Nice! Where can I purchase a ticket?

Apparently from the “invisible ticket guy!” And also, according to my 4 year old who is now obsessed with Saving money for Disney .... “we can invite all our neighbors and sell tickets for our reef town so we can have money to go to Disney! “

 

[Mark Gray]

Omg! The boys were playing...they are in their laundry basket train and asked us to push them - they were going on a tour of Reef Town to see all the fishies!! Pretending every room is full of an ocean!

Oh those fish can be really hard to care for at times. Great build thread i will come back and read it all

 

[Mini Coop]

Oh those fish can be really hard to care for at times. Great build thread i will come back and read it all

Thank you! And thanks for stopping by! I learned a ton through this process! And keep learning! Hoping my mistakes help others!!!

 

[cycled123]

Your boys are adorable! I miss my kids at that age. They are now 12 and 15 and not nearly as cute (shhhh don't tell them)

 

[Mini Coop]

EEEEKKK - Well. I finally got it! My Biota Captive Bred Green Mandarin!! Finally got one - had to get on the site as soon as they released it. He will be here Thursday. I will have 3 Quarantine tanks going on at the same time! HOLY MOLY!

 

[Mark Gray]

EEEEKKK - Well. I finally got it! My Biota Captive Bred Green Mandarin!! Finally got one - had to get on the site as soon as they released it. He will be here Thursday. I will have 3 Quarantine tanks going on at the same time! HOLY MOLY!

How long did it take you to get it? I want one but my new tank isn't ready I have some pods and the other is loaded but I travel so I can not transfer pods all the time

 

[Mini Coop]

How long did it take you to get it? I want one but my new tank isn't ready I have some pods and the other is loaded but I travel so I can not transfer pods all the time

A couple months. I got it from algae barn. They sell out within a few minutes, so I stalked it and had him ordered within 2 minutes of them coming on.

 

[mmw64]

A couple months. I got it from algae barn. They sell out within a few minutes, so I stalked it and had him ordered within 2 minutes of them coming on.

You will love it but be aware they are tiny, less than an inch and don't grow fast.

 

[Mini Coop]

You will love it but be aware they are tiny, less than an inch and don't grow fast.

Soooo....I QT every fish. Always worried after losing a ton to an ich outbreak.
But my LFS said he recommended not QTing the new mandarin. I know the source and they are not very likely to get disease. He also said they don’t do well in QT. Opinions?

 

[Fudsey]

I have done both no QT and QT and have paid the price without QT. But if you trust the source, do it. If not ???

 

[Mini Coop]

I have done both no QT and QT and have paid the price without QT. But if you trust the source, do it. If not ???

It’s captive bred from algae barn. Not sure that should make a difference though.

 

[Crimsontopper]

Aren't they eating frozen if they're captive bred? That should make qt easier.

 

[Mini Coop]

Aren't they eating frozen if they're captive bred? That should make qt easier.

That’s what I was thinking. I also bought extra pods and nano brine. Hopefully that will hold him over. Like @Fudsey said - the minute I go off my standard, I’ll end up with a major issue! And I have QT’d and treated almost every fish in that tank with copper. (They have all shown illness as one point or another). Hopefully he will be fine in QT!

 

[Mark Gray]

How long did it take you to get it? I want one but my new tank isn't ready I have some pods and the other is loaded but I travel so I can not transfer pods all the time

Nice maybe I will get in line too now in two months I think it should be ready. I won't comment on the QT thing

 

[Fudsey]

I'd probably do a minimal QT with him to start. Just observation and treat only if necessary. There are lots of people who don't QT and get away with it. I did for a long time. Now after being fallow since May, I can start adding new fish. Fortunately there is a LFS near me that QTs his fish. I'm going to go there tomorrow and see what he has. I may come home with a couple new inhabitants or not. Just have to wait and see. Unfortunately, he's a 50 min ride.

 

[Mini Coop]

Holy cow! Yeah. Probably don’t have to worry about QTing “squirt” at all! He will get lost in the main tank!!! We are talking about turning his 10 gallon QT into his own little mini reef until he has grown! When my Niger goes in the main tank he will be his first snack!!! He’s SO tiny!! Can I run some live sand in the bottom and a couple live rocks seeded with copepods (supposedly he eats frozen as well) with a normal HOB filter for a while!?!? Little dude isn’t more than 1”!! IF that!!!

And. Other new surprise from today!!

 

[Fudsey]

Funny thing, while at the LFS today looking at his QT fish I saw multiple mini fish like Squirt. I saw a sailfin blenny that was no more than 1/2 " long and a couple dottybacks the same size. I did manage to come away with a couple frostbite clowns that were not that size and they are happily swimming in my DT now

 

[Mini Coop]

Funny thing, while at the LFS today looking at his QT fish I saw multiple mini fish like Squirt. I saw a sailfin blenny that was no more than 1/2 " long and a couple dottybacks the same size. I did manage to come away with a couple frostbite clowns that were not that size and they are happily swimming in my DT now

That’s crazy! So so tiny!!! If I put him in the DT I’ll never see him again! Looks like we might have a new DT in our living room! Lol

 

[Mini Coop]

If anyone following wants to comment or help - I created a thread to figure out what to do with squirt.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-start-a-10-gallon-mini-reef-with-fish-in-it-already.427874/

 

[Victoria M]

Squirt is getting his own tank! Nice excuse to set up a mini tank. Lol