The build thread: 430gal. display

[Ummfish]

And I finally downloaded Barry White's greatest hits, but I haven't started playing it yet. It's no secret: Lots of food.

This is just a short video from this morning to commemorate that the filefish are at day 183 in my care, seven months and two days. They've also now been five months today with no access to live coral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdqgTDErHqA

 

[Ummfish]

Ooops. I meant six months and two days. Dang math....

 

[Zooid]

It's no secret: Lots of food.

Here's my secret......Lots of food and high temperatures

 

[Zooid]

That is excellent Andy. Over six months with no coral and they are still chubby. Great job!

 

[Ummfish]

Thanks, Gale. They're a little thinner than they were there. I've cut down on the amount of prawn eggs that I'm offering them and it seems to be helping a little. I was starting to get pretty nervous about fatty liver.

Another bunch of horse photos, perhaps? I know you all hate seeing pictures, but I still can't help showing this guy off. His mate doesn't spend nearly as much time near the front glass, but I hope to get some of her soon.

Here's a closer crop of that one:

And a pouch shot:

And one of his tankmates:

 

[Ummfish]

Sixline wrasse embryonic development series.

 

[Ummfish]

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9MeSOzU27k

 

[Ummfish]

Check this out!

Papa finally popped! My lovely bride spotted 'em this morning and we managed to get eight out and into a goldfish bowl kreisel. Looks like they are taking rots. I'm working on hatching out small strain BBS. One is already hitching!

 

[Zooid]

Wooohoooo excellent. I thought his pouch was looking huge.

 

[Ummfish]

And here's video of the young 'uns. I don't know if you can see it on the YouTube-compressed video, but I can make out silver bellies so it looks like the rots are working. Hopefully I'll have enough to keep 'em going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyaRbDUc1xA

 

[Ummfish]

Wooohoooo excellent. I thought his pouch was looking huge.

Thanks, Gale! I was still worried that it might be a parasite issue or something. But it's pretty cool! They are tiny--smaller than the amphipods that are trying to get into the goldfish bowl--but they seem like good swimmers. I've added a hitching mesh to the tank since some of them look like they want to settle already.

 

[Ummfish]

Here's a video of the kids at the end of their first day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJMCga7fas8

 

[Ummfish]

And another video of the longest-lived sixline prolarva I've seen yet. Lots of yolk left, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJND7CZRLA

 

[Ummfish]

Kids, day two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPy1dan4KQs

 

[Ummfish]

I love video and all, but I have to pull out the still camera every once in a while. Day 3:

 

[Ummfish]

BTW, sad news. I lost the rest of the seahorse babies. Next time....

But, the Citron gobies are spawning again tonight. This time they chose an actual coral to spawn on:

I'm surprised. The one in the photo took a big piece of urchin spine in the side (black mark on its left side in photo) earlier in the week and I thought I was going to lose it. But the wound healed over and it's been doing fine.

 

[Ummfish]

Well, I did manage to take some more photos last night. Looks like something ate the eggs overnight, though. I wouldn't put it past the male, as he's had a hard week and could probably use some extra nutrition.

The complete photo:

100% crop:

200%:

 

[Zooid]

Excellent pics.
BTW, congratulations on your election to the MOFIB board.
Gale

 

[Ummfish]

Thanks, Gale! (Sigh ... time suck!!! You just wouldn't believe....)

 

[Ummfish]

I finally got a really good nitrate test kit. So now I know that my nitrate _isn't_ actually 0. In actuality, it's 1.

Had some problems with the acros recently. I had a big die-off of some of the algae at the same time as my kalkwasser gave out. The pH took a plunge down under 8 before I could get the kalk up and running again, so I lost a couple of frags and a couple of small colonies. Now that I'm solidly back up over 8.1 all day, things seem to be resolving. At any rate, it was only the acros that showed any issues.

Sorry I haven't done a lot of updating (like FTS) lately. I'm pretty slammed for time recently and the extra I have has been going to plumbing the larval system. I want to try with some sixlines, soon!