Fish in a BB tank. - Page 2

elephen · 02-14-2006, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwest

In my new 150 BB, I've got: one powder blue tang, one copper banded butterfly, two small clowns, a royal gramma, and the one I'm worried about, a small spotted mandarin.

Since I'm cooking my rock right now, I'm sure there are no pods for the mandarin--should I try to buy some? In the long run, will the bb tank support this fish, or should I swap him out for something else?

-Phil

I lost my spotted mandarin after I went to BB (took a few weeks) although he DID eat frozen brine like a madman. As Weatherson said, he would never keep a mandarin in his SPS tank that is BB because it's so clean, my experience is that mandarins require a little 'dirtier' of a tank but again thats just my limited experience in keeping mandarins. The mandarin I lost I had for over 2.5 years and he always ate frozen food.

Weatherman · 02-14-2006, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REEF-DADDY

Weatherman

Does your foxface suffer from distorted body image?

My Foxface actually is very thin. I'm hoping it's mostly because it hasn't been in my tank very long, and it spent most of the time hiding until I got the Virgatus. I've been feeding both of them Formula 2 and Sea Veggies to see if I can fatten them up. Apparently pinnate red algae and dictyota aren't particularly nutritious fare (I should have known, since they both tolerate low-nutrient conditions well).

REEF-DADDY · 02-14-2006, 04:20 PM

Soon he'll be fat and begging for food like mine

Weatherman · 02-14-2006, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REEF-DADDY

Soon he'll be fat and begging for food like mine

He already is begging.

I have to be very slow and gentle when I lower my hand into the tank to attach the nori to the rock. Both fish try to grab it right out of my hand. I sure wouldn't want to startle either of them and end of getting stung.

REEF-DADDY · 02-14-2006, 05:09 PM

lol I hand feed mine, but I also get nervous with those spikes. Do you know how bad the sting really is?

Have you ever seen yours at night? Looks like a ghost, all white and spotted!

gwaco · 02-14-2006, 06:23 PM

boy sean you are really gonna hate me ! i have 18 fish in my 75 ! only two fit in your defanition - the yellow tang and a mandarin (which doesn't really fit except hes self supporting ) . so far the only fish that is'nt doing well is the mandarin . he was a carry over from the dsb tank , he' s skinny as a rail but seems to find enough to sustain . if i could catch it i would take it out but at this point its impossible .

Weatherman · 02-14-2006, 06:23 PM

My understanding is that getting stung by a Rabbitfish is like getting stung by a bee or wasp. It hurts, but it won’t kill you unless you are allergic. In all the years I’ve kept venomous fish, I’ve been fortunate not to have been stung, or bit, even once.

And yes, I have seen both the Foxface and Virgatus in camouflage mode. The Virgatus will even take on the mottled color during the day if it’s out in open water nibbling on the eductors. The change in color is remarkable.

Orion76 · 02-15-2006, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanT

I have ALWAYS wanted a school of Anthias in my tank.
They are gorgeous active fish and a favorite of mine.
But they don't graze and need to be fed daily, some more than once a day.
And I quiver thinking about putting all those nutrients into my ank.
I don't employ crabs so who is going to finish it off right away if the fish don't get it? Nothing will, it will just sit there and rot.

A lot of it will get swept up and out but not all.

Am I being a little too paranoid?

What are your stocking thoughts on a BB tank?

All you really need to feed (the smaller) Anthias is Cyclop Eeze. It tends to stay in suspension so if you have a food timer they'll get it all out of the water column if you don't add too much per time.

Your corals eat it too

For the stuff that does make it to your rocks brittle stars are the perfect cleanup crew, the second I drop cyclop eeze into the tank I see brittle star arms come out from under the rocks to sweep up any leftovers the fish and corals didn't get

HFG · 02-21-2006, 08:58 PM

Whats the difference between Virgatus and Doliatus?

Brittles rock

64Ivy · 02-22-2006, 05:14 PM

I have had as many as 15 Barlett's Anthias, 6 Olive Anthias, 8 Green Chromis, and 4 Tangs (including a foot-long Sohal that poops like a goose on Ex-Lax) all in my BB SPS dominant tank and I feed like a madman. Nitrates=0, Phospates=0. I credit five things for this:

1. Aggressive wet skimming.
2. Strong, evolving, water flow. By evolving water flow I mean you can't just 'set it and forget it'. As your corals grow, they can create their own own dead spots and also block flow to other corals close to them. This, in turn, gives cyano and algae a place to gain a foothold and away we go. When I give my tank a visual once over, I try to look for these places and do whatever I can to eliminate them. This is where Tunzes, as well as some similar streamers, come in handy. You can easily direct their flow to where you need it .
3. Water changes. I do approx 20% every two weeks (And I have a 500g

).
4 A Sulfur Biodenitrator.
5 A clean up crew made up of of Astera and Cerinth snails.

I used to have a macro refugium but last summer I replaced it with a frag tank. I still have a little Cheato stuffed into a hang-on fish holder but I doubt if it's doing much to keep my phospates down. It's really a refuge to keep my pod population happy.

Oh, and of course RO/DI water...I even rinse my fish food in it.

So I say go for it. But crank it first. Anthias love a lot of flow anyway.

Weatherman · 02-22-2006, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFG

Whats the difference between Virgatus and Doliatus?

They are almost identical to each other.

Here's my Virgatus

Here's a reference showing a Doliatus:

http://www.reefermadness.us/RMD-Siga...doliatusFJ.htm

HFG · 02-22-2006, 07:27 PM

Great! thanks. By these two pictures I favor the Doliatus. I will see what I can dig up for info. Thanks!

Weatherman · 02-22-2006, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFG

Great! thanks. By these two pictures I favor the Doliatus. I will see what I can dig up for info. Thanks!

I agree, Doliatus are prettier. I was a bit desperate to cure an algae problem, so I bought the first of the two that became available at a lfs down here. No regrets. My Virgatus Rabbit has done an excellent job getting rid of my algae.

Here's species summary for Doliatus:

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/spec...sname=doliatus

elephen · 02-23-2006, 10:05 AM

Weatherman-

What all fish do you have in your 120?

wags · 02-23-2006, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weatherman

I have to be very slow and gentle when I lower my hand into the tank to attach the nori to the rock. Both fish try to grab it right out of my hand. I sure wouldn't want to startle either of them and end of getting stung.

Do you have to do anything special to the nori before feeding or is right out of the bag OK? Any kind of nori any better than any other? I saw some for $1.99 here at the grocery store.