Roll out the green carpet...anemone that is

**yellowdotz** · 11-04-2009, 01:45 PM

Hi,

I'm new to the site. This is my first post. I had my tank for 3 weeks now. I got a green carpet 3 days ago. Hope all goes well. Here's some pics i took 2 hrs ago.

I have 2 anemones. I had one for over a week now...the white one. It has grown since. I got my tank cycled very quickly. It grew coraline algae in 2 weeks. I'm a

but trying...

**CarmieJo** · 11-04-2009, 09:47 PM

Hi David and

to TR!

Nice pictures! It looks like you have some interesting caves in the rock work. If you have a full tank shot (FTS) I'd love to see one. Tell us a little about your set up. How big is your tank? What equipment do you have? What are your parameters now?

It looks like you have cyano (the reddish stuff and silver bubbles) and diatoms (the brownish stuff) in the tank. They are both common in a new tank. You pretty much have to just wait out the diatom bloom. Siphoning the cyano and increasing circulation to the areas where it is growing will help combat the cyano.

I think you may be rushing things. Anemones really need the stable water parameters of a mature tank. Also mandarins are often exclusive pod eaters. Usually a new tank has not had time to develop a robust pod population so you will likely need to supplement pods or it will starve to death.

**yellowdotz** · 11-05-2009, 02:12 AM

Hi,

Thanks for the pointers. I have 2 gobies, and i regularly dose the tank with biozhyme, which has a lot of pods in them. I have a pretty good population of the lil white critters in the water. At one point they were clouding the water, so I thought it was a good time to introduce the goby. They reproduce in the refrigium. The algae gets eaten up by my turbo snails and emerald crabs. The snails suprizingly slurp up a lot, but they also leave their mounds behind. I caught bristle worms cleaning up the mounds left by the snails. I also caught the bristle worms eating the slime excreted by my anemone. Seems those critters have their uses as well. I hold up a magnifying glass to the tank and the tiny lil pods are linear in shape and i can faintly make out tiny legs. Some are larger and transparent. Some are still moving others not.

I have a 60 gal with 20 gal wet dry drip system and a 30 gal refrigium with a skimmer and some micro algae and live rock in it. I have about 130 lbs of live rock in the tank and refrigium. The rocks have been cycling for some time-some of them for years and have healthy feather dusters in them already, so that helped boost my cycling. Several of My polyps, my purple soft coral and micro algae are springing new life at the base of their stems.

I drip my suppliments into it in separate IV bags (magneseum, stroneum, iodide, alkalinity) and in a 5 gal kalk/vinegar drip. I overdripped my magneseum, and it helped the algae.

It's a basic set up with T10 lights. and one powerhead in the left side of the tank and water being pumped in from holes in the bottom of the tank (via bio filter behind the tank via overflow) toward the back and from a spout from the top (via from the refrigium).

I did have an algae outbreak that seems to be comming under control after i added livestock that feeds on it.

as far as the carpet...i arranged the rocks to accomidate it. I dug out a hole and placed it in between some rocks, and it seems to like that spot. So far the size ranges from 3.5-4 inches in diameter to 12 inches. I spot fed it mysis shrip cut in 1cm sq cubes. It likes to feed on mysis. So far it seems pretty normal. It's still too early. I'll keep u posted. On the progress.

thanks.

**yellowdotz** · 11-09-2009, 12:23 AM

Ok

so far the carpet is doing fine...very fine. In fact it ate both my mandarins and a third today in front of me.

no more gobies for me. I migh thave to stick to clowns =/

**CarmieJo** · 11-09-2009, 12:33 AM

I am sorry to hear that. They are known to eat fish, especially those that like to "perch".

**rayme07** · 11-09-2009, 09:29 PM

Im sorry to hear about your gobys.

**yellowdotz** · 11-11-2009, 02:32 PM

I found my one goby in my refrigium. He fell through the over flow and into the refrigium. He spent 3 days in my carbon sack eating the pods.

**CarmieJo** · 11-11-2009, 05:30 PM

I'm glad to hear you found the little guy!

**yellowdotz** · 11-12-2009, 03:42 AM

haha yah me too.. he didn't even struggle when taken out of the water as if he knew he was being fished out. He likes to swim out right in front of me when I sit in front of the tank. It seems like he's always swimming out to say hi. My best fish ever..

**yellowdotz** · 11-13-2009, 03:30 AM

it's approaching 2 weeks and it's so far likes to stick to rocks and float above the surface at times. seems to reject most of the stuff i tried to feed it. i think it's still full from the fish.

The goby is happy as usual

I still get massive red algae, but I like it.

Here's a full tank shot of my month old setup

**rayme07** · 11-13-2009, 08:40 PM

Thanks for the update pics. Its looking great.

***lReef lKeeper*** · 11-13-2009, 09:46 PM

great pics ...

BTW ... "goby is happy as always" should read MANDARIN is happy as always. that is a target mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus), and technically in the dragonet family of saltwater fish. these guys are usually only pod eaters and classified as expert only, but i dont know any "experts" in this hobby (except maybe Dick [amphibious] here). that is exactly why he got my beautiful psychedelic mandarin when i tore my old tank down.

**yellowdotz** · 11-13-2009, 10:16 PM

thanks for the correction...the guys at petco said it was a target mandarin goby. I just think it's a jewel.

**CarmieJo** · 11-13-2009, 10:24 PM

I would not rely on Petco for information or advice. You may find someone there who knows a little bit but their employees are usually poorly paid and trained. Most of the truly love animals but I would never rely on them for aquarium, exotics or bird advice.

***lReef lKeeper*** · 11-13-2009, 10:34 PM

do you only have 1 mandarin ?? the second pic looks like a psychedelic mandarin (Pterosynchiropus splendidus). it could just be the bottom pattern on the fish though.

**yellowdotz** · 11-14-2009, 01:02 AM

I had one that was mostly bluish and had orange/red highlights. I suspect my carpet ate it. It's still missing. The last one is the same target mandarin.

this guy at my local petco is real good. His tank is incredible, and he has his own reef consulting business on the side. I went against his advise when I added so much livestock so early. I was confident the'll stay alive though I'm sure they'd be much happier in the ocean. My next goal is to get this system running on solar power.

**yellowdotz** · 11-20-2009, 01:07 PM

Anenome Died the other day. It was too soon. Sorry guys

**SaltyDawg** · 11-20-2009, 09:16 PM

I would find a temporary home for the fish and anemone. Let the tank do it's thing and work on the algea problem.

**CarmieJo** · 11-20-2009, 09:22 PM

Sorry to hear you lost the anemone. I think that Salty has given you good advice.

**rayme07** · 11-20-2009, 09:28 PM

I am sorry to hear about your anemone.

V · 11-20-2009, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by yellowdotz

Anenome Died the other day. It was too soon. Sorry guys

ouch, bud, classic migration pattern of "kaboom" just unraveled in your face. Your not the first person to experience this & sure as sh^t wont be the last.
Only those that have been guided correctly by those that care have limited loses or pitfalls of this nature. time to press the reset button, only this time we'll do it more in the realm of correctness yeah! so you still in damage control, whats happening?