My Nano Reef Set-up/diary (upgraded 45g) Step-by-step

[1entra]

I got home from work a bit ago and you will never believe... but MY FIREFISH IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN!!

Ive looked everywhere but have seen no sight of it. It also seems to have met the same fate as my 7 previous fish! I still have a bit of hope it's hiding somewhere in the tank but I think I know better.

My damsel seems to have it's tail and anal fins both torn like somethings been nipping at him! But my Royal Gramma seems to be fine!

My params again are all fine and all my corals are again open and look happy!

My starfish however seems to have torn the bottom corner of 1 of it's legs (could have got caught in a pump?!). Both my fireshrimp seem to be doing just fine!

Can anybody please help with possible solutions or advice...

 

[1entra]

Still no sign of the firefish... I think its a goner. Was my favourite little fish as well

Not getting no more stock till the problem of the invisisble killer is solved... :saddam:

 

[trace1]

sorry to hear that 1entra

i thought i had sorted the clicking & crab deaths in my tank but i haven't. althou i'm not losing fish.
i hope you get it sorted soon m8

 

[1entra]

Hadnt seen my starfish since it had one of its legs torn and thought it was a goner but it just re-appeared! phew!

Anyways Iv noticed my damsel wont go to the far side of the tank where it used to live in a cave! I actually seen it sleeping in a new cave on the near side which I find is a bit strange! Do you think this may have something to do wit it having been attacked in it's oriniganl cave

 

[tiger_82_]

Hadnt seen my starfish since it had one of its legs torn and thought it was a goner but it just re-appeared! phew!

Anyways Iv noticed my damsel wont go to the far side of the tank where it used to live in a cave! I actually seen it sleeping in a new cave on the near side which I find is a bit strange! Do you think this may have something to do wit it having been attacked in it's oriniganl cave

Hi 1entra,

First off, fantastic tank man! It looks beautiful! I'm also a reef "newbie" going on 7 months but I think I know the answer to your recent problems. I wrote a post the other night to reply to the problem (my first ever post!) but I must have screwed something up because it never posted damnit so here goes again.

I had the SAME PROBLEM... two dead firefish, both found floating at different times with half their body gnawed off. Very angry. Found my normally crazy/audacious/agressive/fearless bicolor psuedochromis wouldn't enter one Live Rock cave. Avoided it like the plague. Put a small amount of cooked shrimp in front of the cave on a 2 pound fish line with a #10 hook (think tiny tiny hook) - pushed the shrimp (cooked, from the store, the cheap kind, not the $20.00 out of my tank kind...) in to the cave, shrimp got a tug, but nothing was biting, just pulling on it.

Frieked out a bit that something was in MY TANK that I did not PUT in my tank.... ####... damn live-rock. Pulled out the LR to find this creature and kill it.

Took five minutes and a metal closet hanger bent into a hook to pry out Satan incarnated as a crab. The most evil red-eyed crab you have ever seen. There were still parts of my two wonderful firefish left in his cave. Pried him out and with an ever-so satisfying "squish" I became a member of the "crabs are delicious and have no place in my reef tank" club.

I would bet $100.00 that, with no offense meant to anyone else, you have a common crab (emerald or other reef-type) rather than a very rare and costly pistol/mantis shrimp hiding in that cave where your fish won't go near. Mine was probably an emerald (looked just like ones I've seen in the store), but in between finally popping him out of his crevice and smashing him on the garage floor I didn't do a proper species analysis.

If you search around you'll find as I did that crabs usually are happy-go lucky and just eat algae and hold tea parties and your tank is OK with them. Occasionally though they are found to be "opportunistic feeders" AKA they eat anything dumb enough to stick their head within claw reach.

Good luck to you sir and give that crab a good squash from your California comrade.

-Will

 

[fiskkeeperpro]

any updates?

 

[1entra]

No real updates yet guys, I appologise for not having posted for a while but Ive been very busy with work etc so aint really had chance to give the tank much attention or update this thread. I think due to this I have had a red slime algae outbreak in my tank and over most of my sandbed. To help tackle this I have reduced to feeding once every other day rather than feeding daily. I have also lowered my water pumps so they are facing the sand to help stop the slime algae spreading. This had led to big dips in the sandbed where the sand has been blown. Also I have added some fresh rowaphos to my filter to help reduse phosphates. All in all the problem does not seem to be getting any worse but neither is it getting any better so may take abit of time.

As far as the problem of the mysterious predator is concerned, its really weird coz I still hear clicking every night more or less but since my firefish disapeared over a month ago at the end of January, both my remaining fish are still accounted for (yellowtail damsel and royal gramma). The damsel had all his tail nipped a about 2weeks ago and it cant have been the gramma who did it coz the only time the gramma comes out is when its time to feed and the damsel normally nips at him making him rush back into the rockwork! Other than that both fish are in good health and seem happy.

Both my shrimps and all my CUC (as far as I'm aware) is still accounted for also so it really is strange. All my corals still seem happy and are growing nicely so water quality is goo I'm assuming but I have not tested for anything since just after cycling coz I dont believe I ned to unless something in the tank dont look right. I currently carry out a 25% water change every fortnight religiously.

Thank You for taking your time out to write and help advise me on my problem tiger_82_ it is highly appreciated. I will try to carry out what you have mentioned and see if it works for as I do not wish to/am going to add any more fish (coz I beleive that would be cruelty) till I have caught what is responsible and I hope it's soon! I really hope it turns out to be a simple predatory crab and I can catch it easily as you managed to do so. It really is a pain in the backside though as this problem really has halted the progress of my tank for the time being!

Anyways I will keep you guys updated soon as I have any updates.

 

[SkiFletch]

Good luck gettin things settled at work and in the tank

 

[1entra]

Thanks Ski

I'm getting there slowly but surely... The red slime alage is slowly starting to retreat and disapear so so far I am starting 2 win back the battle! Il keep you updated

 

[tehauthority]

I'm simply in awe, I spent the past 5 hours reading this literally. And wow....... This is what I plan on doing for the next few months is starting a marine tank....

I cannot believe how horrible your luck is where I thought mine is terrible so mine will probably be worse, but wow.... I cannot believe the fish loss' I think you just have a neighbor with a fetish for Clownfish, lol. Anyway you've came a suuuuuuper long way and everything looks amazing. I'm planning on getting my tank started tomorrow,,, but hopefully no LR passengers. Anyway, good luck to you and I'll be staying active on this thread very interested.


Also one more thing. How big was your tank??? I'm guessing 45g, like ur sig says? but I wasn't sure.. Thanks and good luck.

 

[tiger_82_]

Hey 1entra,

I am really glad to hear everything is still going well. My reef tank has been having similar issues, mostly the brown/purple slime algae and diatoms and also the red flatworms.... ugh what a pain. I think I am going to remove the psuedochromis and take him back to my LFS and get a credit on buying a six-line/pajama to keep those flatworms in check. Oh and the slime algae, it sounds like you've already got it under control using the flow but one thing that helps is a conch. I got a haiti crown conch (all that was available at the LFS...) and he gets down under the sand and really stirs things up. I originally bought four nasarius snails thinking they would stir the sand but they just chill with their little pipes sticking up from the sand and the DONT MOVE A DAMN GRAIN o' SAND unless I drop some cooked shrimp in specifically for the lazy nassarius. Beautiful, lazy funny little nassarius. Anyway, Conch = less slime algae on the sand bed, more flow = you're doing better than I am at keeping your tank clean.

Take care my UK friend, take care. Oh and kill that damn fish munching crab when you can. He's in there just waiting for someone to get lazy. Note: you could get SUPER crafty and make a miniature crab trap! That would be SWEET!

-Will

 

[1entra]

Hi guys, hows everyone doing? Firstly I'd like to appologise for not having posted for a while, it's just that I have been very busy with work and family and have hardly had any time for myself let alone anything else...

Anyways the tank has come on immensly even though there have been some ups and downs since the last time I posted and I have many new additions. Thank you all you guys that have posted with regards to the mystery predator in my tank especially tiger_82_. All advice and comments have been taken into consideration.

I managed to capture a crab approx 1" diameter about a month and a half ago and since then the clicking has stopped and I have not had not more fish losses since my firefish back in january (fingers crossed)! The crab was very similar to the first crab I ever caught from my LR when I initially set-up.

To start with the downside of things first, I lost my starfish about 2months ago, it's legs started to deteriate until just the main body was left and it was at this point I decided I best get it out of the tank before it nuked everything! Also I was away for a week last week for a business trip down London and I came back to find one of my fireshrimps has disapeared, but I think it may have genuinly died as the other one is alive and well and nothing seems to have had a go at it in any way.

Now the good side of things, as neither my damsel or my royal gramma seemed to have been attacked I decided to get myself one more clownfish for the final time... and it's still alive!!! Yippeeeeeeeee! So then I got myself a Banghai Cardinal and then just a week ago I treated myself to a common firefish! So that is my fishcount to date.

And now I'm going to stop jabbering on and instead going to upload some pics so let me know what you think please guys as all comments are welcome...

 

[1entra]

 

[1entra]

And finally guys just last few pics... My camera aint the best in the world but please do leave me some comments as it's always good to know what others thinks... Also if you have any questions then just ask... hope you enjoy ;o)

 

[nanoreef11]

Your tank is looking really good. Keep up the good work.