Updates about the tank since my last post:
- Got my ATO hooked up; I ended up using the Apex OSCillation command to turn the pump on 4x a day for 20sec each time. My original plan was to use two float switches, one to turn it on/off and the second as a fail-safe off switch. Instead I'm using the OSC timer and just the fail-safe off switch.
- Fish-sitting a couple fish in the QT for Ellabug; they are comfortable in the QT, just chilling.
- 2 of my 3 Red Firefish are MIA. I bought 3 and put them in the DT together. Two paired off and at first were always out and about, the third was pretty much hiding all the time. That lasted a week or two and then they seemed to switch places. Now during the day I only see one out and about. The other two are nowhere to be found. I've checked the overflows, the floor, etc., and had no luck finding them. Don't think they are small enough to get through the screens on the overflow elbows, but who knows.
- My surviving Yasha goby still loves to hide. It's been two weeks or so since I've seen it... today it popped out for a second or two at feeding time. I make it a habit to squirt a little toward the direction of the cave it hides in.
Banggai Cardinals and Emerald Crab Confusination
The Emerald Crab I bought at the March auction died, or so I thought. It was just sitting in the sand in the front of the tank not moving... 36 hours or so later it was still in the same spot. I figured maybe it's time was up, as I had no real idea of how old it might be. I had wondered if maybe it molted, but I couldn't see a hole or anything in it.
A couple days later I saw on-line that PetCo had them for $5 each, so I went to the local store and got two (they gave me a couple bucks off their price and almost matched the on-line price). After about a week I found one upside down under a rock I had moved to a temporary spot. The rock was a little wobbly and it looked like maybe the crab got caught and died.
A week or so later, last night, I was waiting for the dog to come in at about 2:00am so I was looking in the DT with a flashlight. Normally when I do this I immediately see my two Banggai Cardinals. I got these back in May/June as tiny babies from Kiah at 'Oceanus the Inland Reef'. Last night I only saw one of them!?! Looking around for it turned up nothing... except another 'dead' Emerald Crab.
I did some more research today about molting vs. dead crabs and then remembered the shell of the last one was still in my desk trash bucket. So out it came along with my dissection kit. Well lookee there! A little escape hatch/zipper looking thing. Figured I'd post some pics about what to look for in case others were curious:
Earlier today I thought I was back to zero Emerald Crabs, now I'm wondering if I still have three! Wish I had the other two shells still to check the closer.
In regards to the Banggai, I still haven't seen it today. I PM'd Kiah with the news of its disappearance and she mentioned that it might be the male, in hiding with fry. I hadn't considered that, so it's an exciting prospect. For months the two had grown steadily, and then one started to pull ahead and is now almost twice as big. I was kinda figuring the smaller one got bullied or wasn't eating enough/etc.
It's hard not to climb up on my stool and start pulling rocks out to see where all these critters went, if they are still there.
In other non-news... still having a heck of a time with SPS. 90% of everything else is growing great (or at least very stable)! Sad too, cause the couple SPS I have that are polyping up look awesome.
Guess it's time to start looking into dosing or something to keep my params even more stable.