Discussion of the Week ~Husbandry~

[mojoreef]

Alright then. Now for the next (long awaited ) topic of discussion. Husbandry in corals and fish. What is husbandry. How can it effect our tanks and thier occupants. What are some working examples of how to practice it. What happens if you disregard it.


Have fun folks


Mike

[aquaticsdeptleader]

good practices

obey and pay?

disregard it

you dont wanna know

jim

[wasabi]

water change monthly 15-20%
check ph meter daily.
check calcium reactor daily.
check temp daily
test alkalynity monthly.
feed 1/2cup of food 5 days a week.
reach into tank for no apparent reason daily.
break large monti digitata coral weekly.
spill saltwater on carpet daily.
break acyrlic scraper blade weekly.
drop magnavore 8 into sand weekly.
stare into 2000 watts of halide untill near blindness weekly.(i dont know why i do this, like im going to see the par changing from day to day))
move frags into a better position daily
think of something new to better the tank daily.
what does this all add up to ....INSANITY

[Hermit]

A house designed for the fish and corals, but still leaves enough room for people to stare into THEIR home.

[Geoff]

wasabi-you forgot:
smell skimmate weekly to make sure it still stinks.

G~

[Cali Kid]

Sometimes I wonder if I tinker with my tank too often. I also think I put my hands into the tank far too often. Should I always wear a glove when putting my hands into the tank?

I have a bad habit of expecting results too quickly. Thank God (and Tom ) that I got my Calcium reactor working and dialed in. I was going crazy chasing my alk and calcium levels. It seems the less I have to do the better off my tank is

Lately I have been really focused on removing as much detritus as possible. I'm working that turkey bayster like a madman

I think my biggest downfall is not neccessarily diagnosing problems, but coming up with the proper solution to fix the problem without overcompensating or creating additional problems.

[MsReeReee]

Wasabi Oh my gosh this sounds so familiar is this a rare disease that is going around.....................
And there is nothing like gluing your fingers together and the paper towel and is now permently stuck to them.......

[Nubytuesday]

I am glad to see such a serious discussion .

[RWD]

With a calcium reactor and my ro/di system plumbed to the sump, there isn't a whole lot of maintenence. I do a WC on wednesdays and sundays that amounts to about 15% a month. I clean the skimmers at the same time as the WC. Clean the glass (acrylic) every 5-6 days. I do other things as needed such as clean the pump intakes, overflows, oil the pumps, etc. I feed the fish everyday but not the corals. I have a ph meter and keep an eye on that but I usually don't check the alk and calcium once it's dialed in. Bob

[Cali Kid]

Originally posted by RWD
Clean the glass (acrylic) every 5-6 days.

WOW. I have to clean mine every other day if I want to see my fish and corals
Its almost like it gets a 5:00 shadow. Might be time for a phosphate test or maybe I need to replace my filters on the RO/DI unit

Sean

[wildthings44]

You guys are hilarious!!!
Yes it all sounds so familiar! And about the disease... I don't think it's as rare as we think... and I have heard it's very contagious!
I just did my byweekly wa. change about an hour ago (and by that I mean I spent the whole morning playing in the tank and have just finished an hour ago.... )
As far as other things go I don't do too much... I have started checking calcium on a more reg. basis... but it doesn't change much as I have mostly softies, and I have to clean the glass about every couple of days. I was ripping algae out of the tank on a daily basis but now I have this crew of crabs and snails that kick agae butt!!! (thanks woody! ) I do the turky baster thing daily as well and clean filter pads about an hour after basting the rocks (yes I have a primitive backpack filter... but hey it works!) Lately I have been fighting a plague of baby shrooms that pop off the rocks and just float about the tank... found two reds, a mint, and a couple of blues just today... sigh.

[galleon]

Husbandry is such a broad term that in the public aquarium industry it accounts for often an entire staff of people. Some general issues:

Try to find out where it came from. Keep it only with other animals that came from the same area if possible.

KNOW the animals' requirements on a scientific level.

Don't keep animals whose natural behaviors can in no way be accomodated in an aquarium. Sharks are the first example that pop into my head. Tangs are the second. Tangs are natural roaming grazers. Whether the tank is big enough to accomodate the fish or not, it will not be large enough to accomodate this natural life history/behavior.

[mojoreef]

Thanks Chris that is kinda the lines I was looking for. Is thier an order of things that we should follow in the stocking of our tanks< does this pertain to the introdution of corals to or is more on the fish? Back on the fis. when introducing the fish, Saying that we respect the biotope or not, is this done in regards to size, aggressiveness or what>?


mike

[Alice]

I've seen people on both sides of the fence (and in the middle, lol) about when to add fish. Some people say add corals first as adding fish to a young tank can push the tank bioload to beyond what it can handle. Others say that is exactly why you should add fish first, slowly, so that your tank can grow to handle the bioload and you won't get any nasty surprises that will affect your corals.

Personally, I'm an "all things in moderation" type of person. Want to add a fish first? Fine. Just don't add another one for two weeks. Want to add a coral first? Fine. Just make sure it's a hardy one. I don't think many people can resist the temptation to get a fish in the tank as soon as possible to have some movement and color.

As to what order, it seems that generally most people shoot for adding the most aggressive fish last in hopes the fish will behave itself if it's outnumbered. How well this works seems to rest soley on the individual fish.

Alice

[galleon]

Mike, when it comes to introducing fish, beyond biotope, I would definitely tend to stick to behavior as the guideline numero uno. Like with tangs, you may be able to accomodate the fish, but you will never be able to accomodate its behavior. I would tend to add corals first, but I'm not sure it matters other than altering the perceived territory of fish that are already present if corals go in after fish. Definitely live rock first though .