Forums / TEAM Marine Depot / Marine Fish-Reproduction, Care and Husbandry - by Dr Frank Marini

Shark tank help, please

AlexAndCoral — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:08:35 GMT

Guys, Gals,

I'm looking at getting another tank. The wife has even OK'd it. Actually she suggested it, so no way I go wrong here.

I'm looking at setting up FOWL shark tank. I've done a little reading, at it seems that most of the smaller cat and bamboo sharks all like a mostly fine sand tank, with some live rock to go and hide under, so FOWL seems to be the way to go. Asking the LFS they recommended pairing the shark with a ray, as most things will pick on the shark. Not a problem with me at all, although I had also wanted a burr fish, and possibly a large angle. Anyone have any experience with that fish combination?

At the moment I'm looking at tanks between 180 and 200 gallons. I've got my eye on a diamond 190 gallon too. That shape would give plenty of swimming room, more than, a normal rectangle. Then I can put some rocks at the back and make a cave, and leave the front open and sandy. Underneath I'll run a skimmer, wet/dry, and Rainbow 4 filter combo (the chem, mech, UV, heater set), which should keep it clean. I know the sharks are messy, so I'll over size it.

I already have a 175 Gallon reef, with RO/DI and auto top-off etc, so I have just about every bit of ancillary equipment already lying around, and can spare all of that.

So, guys... who can point out the flaws? I'd much rather here them today, than after I have this tank set up.

Now, I'm off to buy a couple more fish books to read up,

Alex

Question regarding breeding jawfish...

magellan007 — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:02:47 GMT

I'm very interested in exploring behavior and breeding of Dusky Jawfish.. The only problem is that everywhere I look only the Pearly, Blue-spot, and Tiger jawfish reproduction are discussed.

So first things first, I would need to sex the jawfish. I believe the one I currently have is male, due to his little ritualistic dancing that comprises of him hovering almost completely over his burrow, gaping his mouth, and waving his pectoral fins about (this usually takes place at dusk; obviously his internal clock knows what time it is, since the aquarium lights are still on). So is it possible to use my current male and seek out a female since he displays a desire for one? Or would I have better success starting with small, juvenile jawfish?
I'm also interested in what type of filtration I would need on the breeding tank so I wouldn't have to worry about the fry getting sucked anywhere. (and do adults eat their young once they're set out into the world?)

I realize I may not get many responses due to jawfish-breeding not being a very popular subject, however, any tips and information would be appreciated. If the breeding does not work, I would at least enjoy observing the behavior of the species in the same tank.

Thanks,
k.c.

Male lyretail anthias change back to female?

Superman — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:55:22 GMT

I have a customer tank that was stocked with lyretail anthias. 3 out of 4 of the lyretail anthias are almost males. They aren't picking on each other, but I am wondering if any of these males can change back to female, or if this will simply stall their transformation to male and they will continue to have this drab "in between" coloration.

Saddleback Clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus)

JG — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:50:26 GMT

I currently have two Saddlebacks, one acquired about a month prior to the other, both from ORA. The first fish I added to the tank has slowly developed dark-ish blotches on the body, as if it's gradually switching colors. The body is predominatly reddish/orange but these dark areas are slowly increasing. I know that there are different variants with some having the red/orange and others being black. Any idea if there are color changes during the maturation process with this species?

Thanks,

Clown Fish Question

Bill1426 — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:49:54 GMT

I have 2 false clowns. The bigger of the two, is now making a hole at the corner of the tank.
And often lays in the hole, almost like sleeping.
On top of this, he/she defend that area..

Is this something that is leading into breeding ???

Ammonia Quandry

jjsmommi2 — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:17:51 GMT

This is a bit off topic but,

In regards to ammonia toxicity, I was under the impression that doing a water change on a tank with high ammonia is the very worst thing you can do, i was told it would 'give the ammonia new ions' and make the problem worse. Now reading into it, I see nothing but recommendations to change the water. I'm guessing I was told that because in theory the ph would rise if you did a water change and therefore the actual ammonia, not ammonium, would spike. But what if your ph is the same as your change water, then there would be no problems, right? Or if you added Amquel or something of that nature to the change water then it wouldn't matter at all. This is important for me to understand, as I have a snail system that is having issues.

Thank You

ID please

patrockp — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:54:49 GMT

Dr. Ron,
I found a chitin and a rather prolific snail in an “experiment” tank the other day and would like to know a little more about them before they go into the display, if at all.

The snail is from the Caribbean, about 200 yards off the eastern side of the Grand Bahamian Island. They will bury themselves in the sand and love hanging out in a ball of hair algae. I can’t tell if they are eating the algae ball, but they have kept the glass clear of algae. I have had the tank set up for 1 year and there are around 25 or more in a 10 gallon tank. Did I mention that they were prolific I did not see any for about 6 months, and then one day...... I also came across an egg mass that looks like that of a snail, and though I did not see the snail put them there, my guess would be that these are from the snail pictured here. I guess I will see in due time

Please forgive my ignorance I'm having troubles attaching, so

the snail
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70862.jpg
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70865.jpg
and the egg mass (I took this with a green filter the mass was white)
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70853.jpg

The other ID I would like is for this chitin (for size ref it is on a seachem alertSeachem
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70947.jpg
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/patrockp/?action=view¤t=STA70953.jpg

Thanks for all you do

Tang Talk

Talfish — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:45:53 GMT

Hi Frank,

I just thought you might like to check out this discussion and maybe add your two cents

http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64563

Cheers,Tal

p.s. my fish breeding room is coming along well http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64482

On Fu Manchu and Mobile Invertebrates

captbunzo — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:30:30 GMT

Hey folks,

I am thinking about getting a Fu Manchu lionfish. My LFS has had one for several months that is doing quite nicely, including visibly eating prepared foods. So I might take the plunge and bring him home. My tank is a 45 gallon (200 litre actually) with open rockwork and plenty of caves.

Now, I have done plenty of reading on this topic before. However, I do have a couple questions at the moment.

Mobile Invertebrate Compatiblity
I am trying to convince myself that somehow or another, the Fu Manchu will be compatible with larger mobile invertebrates since the Fu Manchu has such a tiny mouth. However, I also suspect I might just be working really hard to lie myself into believing that. So, out of the following list, are there any critters that might/will make it with the Fu Manchu?

1. Cleaner Shrimp
2. Peppermint Shrimp
3. Coral Banded Shrimp
4. Arrow Crab
5. Emerald Crab
6. Porcelein Crab

Fish Compatiblity
Any of em? Also, how about fish? Right now I have a Red Firefish, Zebra Barred Dartfish and a Scissortail Dartfish. These fish have been in the tank something like 4-6 months and are all quite settled. They have their little burrows and seem to be quite happy and compatible. Will these fish survive the introduction of a Fu Manchu or end up being an expensive lunch?

I am also thinking about eventually getting a pair of Ocellaris Clownfish. This would probably be months down the road from getting the lion so that I can assure he is well settled and established into eating the prepared foods I toss in. Thoughts?

Anyhow, thanks for your time and consideration of my questions.

education question

nay,kid — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:51:47 GMT

I am currently working on an ecology degree at the university of Louisville. My dream would be to move to a coastal school and turn it into a marine degree, biology or ecology. I'm interested in coral and fish reproduction and preserving our reefs. Do you have any advice or know of any programs that are doing great things? thank you very much.

EEL PROOFING TANK

Sandtiger — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:31:16 GMT

Hi,

I have a 210 gallon tank that is filled with live sand and live rock. I want to transfer my eels to this tank, but I have two large overflows. I don't want to pack them with sponge. Is there any material other than sponge that I can use to make homemade overflow cover that are aquarium friendly, and eel-proof?

Regards,

Sandtiger

Help with Hiding Regal Angel

Medicine Man — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:32:01 GMT

Bought a Red Sea Regal Angel from the LFS after it was quarantined there for 1 month. Appeared to be doing well. Was eating and displayed minimal signs of stress. I brought him/her home and placed him into tank after acclimation and turned all lights off until the next day. That was Friday and have yet to see him outside of the live rock. I have seen him several times swimming in the live rock and appears to be picking at it but will not come out. I have a large tank (360 gallons) with a few tangs, chromis and clowns who all get along very well. Does anyone have any ideas or are they just extremely shy fish?

unknown Goby... and Clown

clippo — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:34:16 GMT

back with more strange fishes!

any ideas what species this goby may be?

and hows about this juvenile clown...

many thanks in advance.

I need info about smooth toadfish what do they eat breed ect

Ben — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:27:38 GMT

plz tell me stuff about smooth toadfish not any other toadfish

Butterfly head-shakes

phishy — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:08:04 GMT

Greetings from ME !

I have had 2 butterflies, one was a saddleback and now a racoon. Both seem to have a tendency to shake their heads when I try to feed them. It actually looks like they are saying 'no'... Is this common or a sign of something awry?

I also noticed the racoon seemed to have a very loose stool, some of it actually dissolved when it was released

Last question that is not bfly related... is it an urban legend that a CN caught fish will change the color of RO/tap water if placed in it immediately after death?

Thanks for the feedback!

Denise

can I keep a pink tail trigger and pair of Cross Hatch triggers together?

Reefski — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:31:22 GMT

i have them in separate systems now but would like to put them together in my 700 gallon system i am building.

they are all about 7".

Suggestion for New Tank Setup

calmingcreations — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:55:34 GMT

Hello Everyone:

I am looking for suggestions on how to transfer over a freshwater setup into a saltwater tank preferring a reef setup, however, tank size may not allow it.

Tank Dims:
Length - 60"
Width - 24"
Height - 34"

Current Filtration:
Internal Overflow - Central Unit on one end of tank
Wet/Dry Filter - Tidepole Bio-Wheel Sump

Current Lighting:
Ballasts - (2) Coralife Ez-Ballasts
Bulbs - (4) 20W Sun Glo

This tank will be taken care off on a bi-weekly basis. I was looking at the Eco-System Aquarium system with a high-end skimmer. Looking for suggestions. The tank can not be changed as it has already been purchased.

Looking for suggestions. Thanks,
Joe

Filefish questions

Graveyardworm — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:15:26 GMT

I got this Filefish from a friend. He told me it came into the listed as a Matted Filefish, and that it an aiptasia eater. While it was in QT I placed a rock in there with aiptasia on it which it did eat, it also eats mysis shrimp. I have a small tank with some soft corals, and aiptasia in it that I thought I could put him into to see what he does. So far he's ignoring the soft corals, has been nipping at the aiptasia, and possiply eating small crustaceans. Just wondering if there's anymore info you could provide . Thanks

Maroon Clowns changing color?

mokeyz — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:27:32 GMT

Hi, I have a mated pair of maroon clowns, I have had them since September. They appear healthy in every way, have grown considerably in the last 5 months - they were really little when I got them. They happily live in a e. quadricolor anemone. In the last few days their color is changing and their stripes which were yellow/white are now turning to a greenish color and their maroon is darkening considerably. I hope this is normal and just want some wisdom from all of you.

Thanks in advance...

Marlene

Horn Shark Questions

Reefer334 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:40:22 GMT

Hello,

This is my first post in this part of the marine depot team forums.

My question is I have a califorinia horn shark female, I was looking for a mate for her but I found one at SDC in LA last weekend but I have a feeling it is a different species than my female.My female looks like the typical horn shark heterodontus francisci, but the male I bought looks more like a heterodontus mexicanus or heterodonus sp(cortez bullhead shark).How do I identify which he is?Also will these to sharks still breed or are they to diferent to breed?

Thanks,

Chris

Fish ID please- possibly an angel?

Tim Parkinson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:25:51 GMT

While searching for some information I came across this picture used as an avatar on another bb. I've emailed the member but doubt they will reply, can anyone tell me what the fish is so I can find out more about it.

The picture should be attached

Thanks

Bangaii pending "birth"

LazyK — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:11:14 GMT

Here is a photo of pop with a mouth full

Banggai articles?

LazyK — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:24:00 GMT

Dr. Marini,

In another post you said "Hopefully you have read all the important articles".

Could you elaborate? I want to find all the information I can.

I got lucky in forming a pair. I thought I had a male based on a long streamer on the second dorsal (Scott Michael - Reef Fishes 2 - quoting you[1996]). I purchased another adult without a long streamer. I was wrong. I had the female and purchased a male. Two weeks later he was "pregnant". I was lucky enough to catch the spawning "dance" but did not see the transfer. But he is certainly carrying eggs. It has been a week now. I have my fingers crossed that he carries to term. I have put a sponge in the sump and will be setting up a grow out tank and shrimp hatchery. I will probably build a fake urchin as well. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Shawn

Fish/clam compatibility

Reefmo — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:59:26 GMT

Hi All!

I am starting a new used tank -- if that makes sense. I bought a 46 gallon bowfront from a guy who just wanted out of the hobby. By the time he got out, he basically had no livestock or coral -- a few snails, hermits, and one rock with some green star polyp on it. So, I essentially have a tank with 60 pounds of marshall island live rock (and lots of aptaisia) and a 2x96W power compact lighting fixture, chiller, and canister filter (soon to be sump).

My plan is to make the tank into a fish and clam dominated tank. I am already very familiar with the requirements for corals and clams, as I have had a successful 24 gallon SPS dominated tank for a while now. My question revolves around fish/clam compatibility and fish size.

I am looking for recommendations for types of fish that are size compatible with this tank, are also clam/invert compatible and are of course colorful and interesting to watch.

My nano has a mated pair of true percs and a highfin goby paired with a pistol. That is basically my extent of knowledge of marine fish!

Help please??

Goby ID

charlesr1958 — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:45:21 GMT

I've had a mated pair of these gobys for a few years now which breed at least monthly yet have never been able to fully pin down a species name on them. Very cryptic and forever upside down, darting out (upside down) to grab passing food. Just hoping that someone knows this species and can tell me. Thanks.

Chuck

no one can id my puffer!!!my puffer!

clairewill4 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:25:13 GMT

we rescued this puffer from i horrible tiny dirty tank at lfs can you help id?

School of Pomacentrus alleni - Allen's Damsel??

rishma — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 07:13:54 GMT

Pomacentrus alleni in a school???
Does anyone keep Allen's damsels in a school?. I love damsels but they are so agressive I do not typically keep them. Scott Michael indicates that Alleni has a mild temperment and is a good community fish, but I am ont sure if they do well dept in a small group. I was thinking 5 in a 70 gallon reef.

I would love to see pictures of these guys in someone's tank. If I can find 5 of them I will probably buy them.

Share your thoughts/experiences.

Thanks

wrasse ID please?

clippo — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:59:14 GMT

hello again.... can anyone provide me with an ID on this wrasse please?

advice on fish?

clairewill4 — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:20:37 GMT

hi everyone, i have a 200g tank full of ocean rock and live rock it is a second hand tankwe have bought after deciding to upgrade from our 80g tank we took half the sea water with the tank and made up the rest with salt everything is going fine water tests spot on. there was a few fish with the tank a sailfin,maroon clown, a normal nemo clown, a potters angel, shrimp and few crabs.we plan to have some easy kept corals too any suggestions??

we want to take our time putting our fish in this time of course will be using qt tank too. but we are not sure what types of fish to go for! want different fish not your common ones. love bright colours.

but because we are quite new dont want hard to keep fish have searched on net but find the forums best for advice.

any ideas anyone?

Blue Spot Blues

adagosto — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:25:28 GMT

Hello.

My Bluespotted Jawfish is still unsettled. I have had him for 2 months and for the first three weeks or so he was content with his bunker, but since then he has been on the move. It seems like he just can't find the place he's looking for.

The system had 4"-5" of medium to fine aragonite and I give him lots of building material where ever he is. He always builds a really nice home, but usually in a few days he'll bail out and move somewhere else.

None of the other fish are bothering him at all. He eats like a pig, and generally looks very good.

I imagine this is an issue of concern, hence the post, but I'm out of ideas and can use some help as to how to go about dealing with this. Just let him be... Change this or that... I don't know what!

Thanks.

Adam

Black spots on the female Clown???

adagosto — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:17:44 GMT

Hello.

I have noticed my female Ocellaris will develop black spots all over her body in the days immediately preceding her spawn. They usually go away right after the spawn and remain clear right up to day -2 of the next spawn.

What is going here? Does anyone know what the spots are caused by? They don’t seem to bother her at all.

I have attached a couple of photos. About 5 hours after this photo was taken they spawned. The next morning (right now), the spots are still there but diminished a bit. In the first photo, the male is in the background cleaning the spawn site.

What do you think?

Adam

Buying food

DRRT — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:26:46 GMT

Hi,

I only have a 50 gal tank, but my tank and fish are not what I wanted to ask about.

I have noticed that most of the food I buy is in 8 oz packs and costs about $10 - $ 15 per pound. Now, I know I can't really buy certain foods like brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, and some planktons in other markets, but what about the foods people and fish both eat. Can I give my fish crayfish, squid, clams, other fish flesh, etc. that I get from the local fish market? I soak the foods in vitamins, so would it be safe to give my fish people food? I could buy a lot more food from the market than the store pound for pound dollar for dollar.

Just wondering. I have no qualms about ripping open a dead squid and cleaning it for the fish.

Thanks,

DRRT

my chromis are laying eggs my chromis are laying eggs.....

Garry Mc — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 06:36:19 GMT

my chromis are laying eggs again...unfortunately the last batch died shortly after i removed them from the tank and placed them into a little 60ltr one... (using a silicone air line to syphion and suck them off the tank wall, into a glass) before placing the glass into the bare 60ltr tank to stop them from blowing around the tank.
I believe they died because detritus had accumulated on the little eggs /and the copepods had eaten them...

so this morning the randy little chromis were at it again, this time on a patch of hair algae (easy to remove, i know) and to think I've spent all week trying to remove the hair algae...lol...(tried everything raised Mg, to discover it was at 1500 the whole time..and 2 days ago finally buying a sea hare who loves the algae) and now it appears it will be a valued resource..this hobby is full of twists and turns...

Anyway back to the point...when should i remove the eggs this time and what should i feed them i can get live rotifers and phytoplankton mix from my friend at my LFS will this be sufficient food?

and my set up at the moment for rearing the young (fry) is a 60ltr Juwel tank (bare) it has a red sea prizm skimmer and power head on it but i don't run them because the current is very strong and the potential fry wouldn't cope i feel...(tell me if I'm wrong) the only filtration on it comes standard with the tank, and it is meant for Fresh Water but has been running for a while now so it is loaded with bacteria will this work, as it only turns over 3 times an hour....(or so i read)

Oh yeah the 60ltr is loaded with copepods and amphipods is this O.K.

any suggestions are greatly valued,
and I'll try to upload some pics if i can,
Thanks and Merry Christmas to All,
Garry

MASNA Coral Reef Survey

CTReefer — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 07:55:57 GMT

Here is the link for the MASNA "Coral Reef Survey". It only takes a few minutes & is well worth it.

http://surveys.edgeresearch.com/eight/macnlogn.htm

Steve

What cultured fish to people want?

aquafarmer — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 16:32:24 GMT

Hi,

I'm a biologist that has been working in aquaculture for the past 5 years. I was most recently culturing seahorses but that opportunity has fallen apart. I now have an opportunity to culture basically whatever I want at this location and I wanted some advice and opinions on what people want to see as far as culture bred fish and/or inverts. I'm not sure I will be up to taking on a huge operation like this but I need some ideas to help me figure it out. I don't really have a business background and that is the part that is scaring me a little now but I will have some financial support for this project. This may be a strange request for this board but I need some ideas and I'd really appreciate it if people could help me out. I will have a lot of space and can grow rotifers and Artemia. I'd prefer not to do clowns mostly because it seems like everybody is doing them. Thank you so much for reading this and I'll keep you all posted if I decide to go through with it.

Christine

Clarkii clownfish has popeye

Graveyardworm — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:52:58 GMT

Over maybe the last week, basically since I moved my Clarkii to my large display I've noticed her eyes seem to be protruding. I looked up popeye in my Clownfish book by Joyce Wilkerson, and she explains differences between a single popeye and both. Mine has both, anyway I suspect its from some fighting she did with the Tang when she was introduced. Her fins have almost completely healed but the popeye is getting worse. I'm now afraid she may lose sight in atleast one eye which is protruding more than the other. Anyone have experience with this condition? J. Wilkerson explains that it should go away after a couple weeks if it isnt due to a parasite. She's still eating but does appear a bit stressed tonight. Chances of getting her out are pretty slim and I feel my cause even more stress. Suggestions welcome.

Clown fish growth

mitchellm — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:03:57 GMT

How long does it take occelaris clowns to reach breeding age (typically)? I bought mine about six months ago and they do not seem to be growing very fast. Is this normal?

Filtration for a brood tank

Mountaineer — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:36:57 GMT

I am setting up a 29 gallon tank for a future brood tank. I'm planning to add a pair of Banggai Cardinalfish in the future. My question is about biologic filtration. I've never had a fish only tank and have always had a reef.

This tank is planned as a bare-bottom with a HOB filter (Whisper), one low turnover powerhead, and a heater. I started to think about biologic filtration and where the bacteria would colonize. There doesn't seem to be much. Should I add some rock or something to make sure I have adequate surface area for the bacteria to colonize or am I being over concerned?

Thanks,

Trigger ID please

clippo — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:26:14 GMT

anyone got any ideas what this might be?

I don't think its a crosshatch/redtail trigger.... possibly Hawaiian collected.

P B T...911, PLEASE HELP???

salt-rookie — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:40:16 GMT

OK...I have had this Powder Blue Tang three months...NEVER a spot of ich. Eats like a pig. I was without power for 51.5 hours last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Monday morning I realized that my water temp had dropped to like 70 degrees. I gradually pulled it up to 76 and when my power came back on, the tank returned to the normal temp of 79 degrees. NOTHING else has happened or changed.

Last night I noticed that his colors were light and very splotchy....here's a picture (Please click on it and it will get larger so you can see this in more detail). A couple of times he darted through the tank as though he might be itching or uncomfortable. Lights went out at 10:00 last night and I hoped the dark might help.

Lights on at 10:00 AM this morning, and the areas that were splotchy are now colored back up and appear to be whelps on his flesh. I got a picture of this also. I cannot find any information on this, and I'm wondering if anyone has any CLUE as to what this could be, is it treatable? Any info would be GREAT!

Another note, this is a fish that is usually very active and swims the entire tank all day. He now hovers under one coral and did not eat this morning. PLEASE Click and Look...then tell me what to do!!!

Thanks,
Phil