The Puffer Forum

Oh dear, if your ever flying past Dublin there always appears to be a few around the stores.

I had a little cyano?dino? issue, not sure which. Looked like dino but wasn't killing anything. I did a lights out but mostly credit my CUC, especially the urchin & conches who are cleaning machines. I also started vacuuming my sand with the siphon and it's done wonders. It's that special grade aragonite, not too fine, just heavy enough to churn in the siphon tube thing & settle back down. My nitrates dropped to almost nothing. I'm learning this hobby is all about patience and giving things a chance to work out. After all my chafing, I was surprised to see from my journal that the cyano issue only ran about a month.

Julia is spitting out any food soaked in Prazipro, altho in the excitement of feeding, I think she swallowed a bit of it. Maybe puffers just come in different shapes? Would it be a good idea to do a Prazipro dip in a hospital tank?

The lights are working great. Good coral growth. The rbta has enormous bubbles & easily over 6". Not that any of this matters to the clowns I tried putting a photo on the glass but no go.

So Julia probably got enough of the Prazipro in because she looks a lot better. Her tummy is nicely rounded even before eating. Diddy is way beefier (he's muscular!) and is pushy at feeding time so I've made sure she gets her fair share (easy to control as they eat right off the chopsticks) They sure learn fast, little brats. I made homemade food for the first time. Chopped up a mix of seafood & froze them in little balls good for a week each. After 2 feedings I gave them some of their store bought frozen, and Julia turned up her nose after a couple bites! She kept pacing under the chopsticks with a "I know you got something better!"

Hey is there a market for frags made by a talented urchin? No, he doesn't carry frags around - he makes 'em! Here he is with polyps he very neatly fragged (so he can look like Marg Simpson): And he skillfully fragged a few Armor of God zoas: Pretty cool 'cos I've seen him manoeuvre in between some very tight spots without damaging the corals. The frags don't seem to mind, they don't even close up. I've since stuck these onto little rocks to give away. I have't dared try my hand at fragging yet so he's gonna make me rich!

So I took the plunge & got a mandarin. I was advised it's best to get one just freshly arrived, and when I saw this amazing, full-of-beans male who was just the right size, I couldn't resist. I got a bag of Rod's Pods to supplement my own population (altho I still scan the rocks/glass obsessively to make sure) as well as cultivating some chaeto. He's been in the tank for 2 months now & I'm cautiously starting to think it might be ok. With his feeding, not the puffers. The mandarin's noxious slime coat is really effective. Everyone avoids this guy like he has the worse BO He hunts every waking moment & swims right between the lovebird clowns or even into a sleeping Diddy, and they just turn politely away & quickly swim off.
Wish I could take better pictures - can't capture his amazing colour. I also got a tail spot blenny, choosing the larger guy available. He is a very charming, funny fellow. Again, wish I could capture his subtle colouring; has a beautiful violet head.
Finally, I was able to find another long nose hawkfish. I do a head count before replacing the lid. Everyone is doing great and I am so pleased with the ton of personality in the tank.

Puffers reign supreme though. They make me laugh as they race out when I enter the room. I really am amazed that fish can interact with me in this way. One time, Julia (she is definitely more in love with me ) brushed up against a mushroom while doing her window thing with me - exactly like my cat does against the wall or leg. It was so endearing!
Also added a Jedi Mind Trick monti and some other coral frags. Finding a great local reefing community. Fun times

Mandarins are very tough to keep, as they eat their weight in pods, daily.

Yes, definitely the mandarin is not a fish you add on a whim and I did a lot of research. My understanding is that my tank is the minimum size for one, and needs to be rock heavy with consideration given to the maturity and pod population. Also no other pod eaters like wrasses. I've added from two pod sources to supplement my existing population, and plan to continue doing so to ensure diversity. There are pods ranging from barely visible (only can see them from their movement) which the mandarin prefers to big fat amphipods that the other fish go for. Pods are all over rocks and glass - I'm going cross-eyed from staring so much because I'm constantly checking, haha. I know two months is too soon to tell, but so far he is healthy and very active.

My SW tank turned 1yr old earlier this month It's been a blast.
I'm starting to daydream about a larger tank (120) and a sump, but I don't know if I would be testing the patience of my spouse too much at this point. Anyway, always nice to dream...

I really wish I could take better pictures than my iphone snaps. Oh well...

Looks fantastic!

Why, tank you!

It's been a while since I last updated. I thought I'd post about Julia's recent adventure. I noticed she was hiding in the rocks more & soon realized she was a bit long in the tooth, particularly in one lower corner. It couldn't be put off & I knew it was time for some dental work. I didn't want to risk clove oil though & decided to try it without anaesthesia.
Catching her was easy as she eagerly comes up to the chopsticks for food. I put her in a shallow container & held her gently but firmly (hands in surgical gloves). She didn't struggle much, only snapping at the clippers a bit. My daughter pushed her lip up with a wet Q-tip as I trimmed carefully. I would have liked to trim more (their teeth are surprisingly big once revealed!) but didn't want to push it. The whole thing took a few minutes & back in the tank she went. She was sure happy to be released!
The next day she was back to her old self, swimming around in the open again. I've learned to recognize that relaxed, confident swimming behavior that tells me they're happy & healthy.

(After a meal): BTW, I couldn't pass up this tank My dream dimensions (72x19x19). It comes with a 40 gal sump. My husband is gonna improve/rebuild the stand. It runs a Herbie plumbing but I am completely ignorant of this whole sump/plumbing thing. Time to research!
Any suggestions welcome!

Fantastic! Is the tank drilled?

Yes it's drilled. I saw it running when I bought it. The previous owner upgraded to a 200+ tank. He was selling for CA$700 last fall but with the new tank coming, he offered it up for $400. Includes stand, sump and return pump.
This was the tank when he ran it: Hope mine will look like that one day

Perfect!

Sad news...

I am just gutted. Despite my vigilance, Julia managed to jump out of the tank. She often goes off to her cave after feeding, so when I missed her at the usual head count (I had taken the lid off a few times doing maintenance) I told myself I was just being paranoid. When she didn't show today I searched all over because she has never missed coming out to say hello, not even after bad anemone stings. I didn't realize there was an overhang of a couple of inches at the bottom of the stand & she was hidden under there even though I thought I had checked behind the tank with a flashlight.

Never thought I would be so heartbroken over a fish. Even on the big reef forums, often they seem so disposable. But she was my best-loved, my favourite. The original $10 fish I ended up spending more than a $1000 on and counting. The one I chopped up clams into tiny bits for. I was so proud of her when she got through her teeth trimming like a champ. So bummed she will never even enjoy the big tank I'm setting up right now for them. And out of all the fish she was the one most attached to me, not just at feeding time either. Even my husband, the cynic, saw that she recognized me & would come out whereas she'd hide if he or my daughter stood there. (We later read an article showing some fish recognize our faces)

Had her for 2 years but it seems so much longer.

I am so bummed. Couldn't even feed the others tonight; had to take a break

I know exactly how you're feeling, so sorry...