Hi all I am swimmer

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swimmer
Puffer Fry
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2017 11:16 am
Location (country): United States

Hi all I am swimmer

Post by swimmer »

hey everyone
55gal saltwater tank that is just about 5yrs old
right now it only has 20lbs of live rock and a mix of soft corals
also some emerald crabs and hermits I use 4 hang over the back
filters one is rated for a 150gal tank 2 for a 75 and one for a 50
I use a mixed set of mediums in each one from crushed shells carbon
ammonia remover phosphate remover bio max ect over the counter stuff
and this set up has served me well for some years my problem is I use
filtered tap water a puria {?} and let my water sit for a few days with a bubbler and salt mix
before changes long story short my levels are 97% of the time spot on

4 months age I started to have a alga out break I like to keep my back wall covered in the long green hair
alga i never scrape it and it looks cool usually it has stayed in check and not spread to rocks or sand
but then i started to get this bright lime green stuff on my sand and it would spread quick
i tried everything and in the end stripped the tank put everyone in a spare tank and started over with new sand
i did my best to clean my rocks but with corals on them i was limited to how far i could go
so after a short cycle time about 2 weeks with just sand in my tank and water changes every other day
i put every one back in the 55 sure enough that lime green came back {shakes fist}
by now you have stopped reading and are hating my lack of punctuation if not thanks for staying with me so far
well a few weeks later my pride&joy gsp got a case if the ich it look like a few pimples at first that became open sores
I followed all the recommended steps quarantine tank ect and it cleared up sure enough 2 mos later it came back only worse I went through this about 5xs over 2016 till finally my puffer passed he was a great fish that grew to the size of a closed fist and never attack the many tank mates that passed through his little world from sea stars to eels the fox face seems to get along best with him of course crabs didn't stand a chance as he would jump up on the dry rock space to get to them fun to watch !
anyway I let me tank go for a while as i was heartbroken and didn't want to look at it now it seems the lime green alga has run its course
and spread of green hair has been put back in check I will be adding more emerald crabs and some red an blue fiddlers if i find them at my pet store
getting ready to set up a fresh water 20gal tank and bring a new baby puffer up to full salt water I thought I would document the experience here and share with other puffer fans
thanks for reading my long winded post
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
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Re: Hi all I am swimmer

Post by Pufferpunk »

[welcome]
I have found this to be extremely beneficial to eradicating algae & also boosting growth & colors of corals & all-around health of fish: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13501
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
swimmer
Puffer Fry
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2017 11:16 am
Location (country): United States

Re: Hi all I am swimmer

Post by swimmer »

thanks it makes sense with all the spilled margaritas on the beach
Bleedingheartmommy
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 185
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:39 pm
My Puffers: Honey (SIP Cantaloupe): C. Travancoricus
Mad Max: P. Cochinchinensis
Apollo: T. Miurus
(SIP Bonnie) Clyde: C. Irrubesco
SIP Orchid
Location (country): USA-Seattle, WA

Re: Hi all I am swimmer

Post by Bleedingheartmommy »

Welcome to the forum, its so fun to read others chronicle their journey through puffer parenting.

I am so sorry you lost your puffer, they really do take a piece of us with them. And the worst is it can be so hard carying out req maintenance on the rest of your tanks after a special fish has passed- almost the feeling of survivors guilt. But these are such rewarding additions, you never can keep "the puffer tank" empty forever. Have you decided the species of puffer yet, I know more then 1 start in freshwater?!?!
"Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger."-Brené Brown
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