Greenmariner

I have done a regular water change last weekend. As my SG is on the high side at 1.027, I have reduced the salt to bring it down. Maybe, during the next water change, I will increase the volume of the water change. Hopefully, that will solve the problem of high KH.

I have an ionic imbalance in the water parameters of my tank. My KH is around 11. Ph is 7.8. Calcium is over 500 ppm & Magnesium is unmeasurable (way beyond the ideal range). I have stopped dosing calcium, magnesium & buffer to try to bring them down to acceptable levels. As my Ph is low, I try to raise it by adding seachem buffer. Each time, after adding buffer, my Ph would move up by a notch to 7.9 or 8.0. But my KH would shoot up to 14. Having a kalwasser is not an option as I do not have the storage space for such an equipment. Does anyone know of any other way to raise my Ph without raising my KH? Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Hi Bro Dreamlover I have just p.m. you regarding the zoas. Will wait for your reply. Thanks. Regards Greenmariner

Hi Bro I am interested in B1 - Pink Stylophora. Have just pmed you. Regards Greenmariner

Thanks for the update. Strange that even female flame wrasses are hot & sold out quickly.

Does anyone know whether Irwana still have stocks of male & female flame wrasses that came in early this week? If there are, what are the price? Thanks. Regards Greenmariner

Hi Bro I have just pm you concerning the female Rhomboid. Will wait for your reply. Regards Greenmariner

Hi Bro Earth I have already pm u. Regards Greenmariner

Hi Jxlex Unable to p.m. you. Could you reserve 1 frag of the centre zoa for me. Pls p.m. me your collection date & address. Thank you. Regards Greenmariner

Guess I will have to forget about keeping Bartlett Anthias. I can't even spare the time in the morning to feed fishes. Thanks to you & all others who have shared their experiences to help me make an informed decision, i.e., to give up on the idea of rearing Anthias.

Hi Bro Fuel Thanks for the info. I have goggled the 3 Mithrax species & got a good look at their pictures. I think the Mithrax crabs that are sold once in a while belong to M. sculptus. They are also known as green crabs but I have seen other colours too. I will probably get a couple the next time they are available. Thanks again. Regards Greenmariner

Been admiring the color & beauty of Bartlet Anthias for some time. Am told from various sources that Anthias in general require multiple feedings per day. As I work long hours, it is just not possible to meet this feeding requirement. Are there any hobbyist who keep Bartlet Anthias who managed to keep them alive with single feeding per day care to share their experience?

Nobody keeps Mithrax Emerald crab who can provide feedback on its behaviour under captive conditions?

Am thinking of getting a Mithrax Emerald crab as I have lots of nuisance algae in my tank. Read in U.S. forums that they can get really big & start to devour fishes. Can reefers who have kept or are still keeping this crab specie comment?

Hi Brother Law Thanks for sharing your experience. I can now go ahead & buy the Yellow Assessor. While generally peaceful, Orchid Dottybacks are not totally non-aggressive. My Orchid Dottyback had, in the past, chased & harassed two blue neon gobies to death in my tank.

Hi Brother Fuel Thanks for your opinion. It is the P. Friedmani. You have both species in your tank co-existing peacefully?

I am thinking of getting a Yellow Assessor. The problem is my 3' 8" tank already has an established Orchid Dottyback. Will they get along? Will the Dottyback continually harass it? Would appreciate the comments of reefers with similar experience.

Thought I should relate my experience to you. Bought my first Rhomboid from Iwarna. Died on the same day. The second Rhomboid was purchased from RB. It lasted just over a month. The only sign that it was unwell was the white spots during its short lifespan. It ate but not very well. Stopped eating in the last 2 days. The two Rhomboids had something in common. Both were very thin, as if they were deliberately starved before shipment. My guess is that this is a warning sign that these fishes would have a slim chance of survival. Or could it be Rhomboids are particularly fragile species that don't ship well? Anyway, the caveat, "Buyers beware!" particularly apply to this specie. Anyone who have bought Rhomboids care to share their experience?

Hi Bro LemonLemon Congratulations! If ever you are successful in raising future broods of Rhomboid fry, please include me in your list of potential buyers. I'm sure they would have a better chance of survival than the imported ones from LFS. Bravo again! Regards

Thanks for your detailed advice. Unfortunately, due to the arrival time of the Rhomboid, I had no time to acclimatise the fish as I had to leave for work shortly thereafter. Had planned to do it after work. For your info, I had kept a hooded wrasse (also called deep water wrasse) for a year & three months. This fish was also bought from Iwarna. It was doing very well until I added a lettuce nudibranch. At about the same time that the nudibranch disappeared ( presumably died ), this wrasse stopped eating for two days. On the third day, the fish disappeared from view ( presumably to hide & die ). Of course, it is possible that the fish died from other unknown causes. Just my theory of the cause of death.

Like to share my experience buying a Rhomboid wrasse from recent shipment at Iwarna. I bought it via reservation by sms. Collected the wrasse ( abt 3") around 8.30 a.m. There were 2 other bags containing smaller Rhomboids. As Bro LemonLemon said, all were not in good condition. They were all lying at the bottom of the bag. Their stomach area looked flat. But as I had already reserved, felt obligated to go ahead with the purchase despite my misgivings. Took it home & opened the top of the bag & inserted an airstone into the water. Left for my office thereafter. I returned home at 4 p.m. to check on the fish. It was still alive. Went back to office. Later in the night, at around 10.30 p.m., I got home & checked on the fish again. Was shocked to find the fish dead! The morale of the story is not to rush into buying a rare fish without checking its physical condition. Buying by reservation is a bad & costly decision. Just wonder whether other reefers who had bought Rhomboids had the same experience, reservation or not. Or is this a particularly delicate fish?

Yesterday, Shan told me the Ricordea florida corals are coming next Tuesday.

Did you acclimatise the new fishes by dripping your tank water into the bags before releasing the fishes into your tank? If you didn't, the difference in water parameters in the bags & tank will shock & kill them. I have lost a few Vanuatu wrasses because I didn't acclimatise them but simply either give them a freshwater dip or release them right away into the tank. None of the earlier ones survived a month. My recent wrasses, a hooded wrasse ( already more than 6 months ) & a Lineatus wrasse ( 3 months ) are thriving cos they went through acclimatisation.

Hi Sis Ming Someone skyped me with a link to sgreefclub showcasing your colourful LPS & SPS outdoor tank. I have viewed some pages with pics of your tank taken in 2007. I must say I admire your ability to take care of so many beautiful & colourful corals, not to mention the fishes too. If you don't mind, I have two questions for you. 1. I believed I saw a catalina goby in your tank. This is a cold-water fish requiring water temperature of no more than 21 degree centigrade as stipulated by American websites. Most S'pore hobbyists cannot meet this requirement due to high electricity costs. What is the water temperature that you maintained for this fish & is it still alive today? 2. How do you maintain a balance between keeping SPS corals requiring very clean water & LPS corals which need solid food which in the process of feeding, will raise the nutrient level of the tank water to the detriment of the SPS corals? Thanks & wishing you a Happy New Year! Greenmariner