Cade Chaos Grimoire

[danieyella]

If I ever set up another tank it would definitely be for big seahorses. I loved the dwarfs, but wouldn't do that small size again. To hard to see them, just looks like an empty tank. But those biggins', boy howdy are they purty.

Dwarfs are harder to keep in general

If there are 4 they need to be named after the 4 horseman of the apocalypse.

Perfect idea

 

[tbrown]

Or: D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos?

 

[danieyella]

Or: D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos?

Ooh also a good idea

 

[danieyella]

All 4 are in and doing well. Trying to determine their favorite hitching spots, swimming around and trading. 2 male, 2 female. 1 each of mustang and sunburst. Going to give them time to acclimate to the tank in general before I try feeding (and getting better photos). Pipefish now associate me with food and come up nearly every time I approach the tank.

Huge pod order coming in today to add to this tank as a buffer, more than I'm culturing (plus I've been dumping the cultures into the peninsula lately anyway). Both copepods and amphipods. My hope with that is that they'll have something to hunt while they're nervous about eating what I present to them.

I was really hopeful that the LA delivery would arrive before today when the ponies went in, I feel bad having to disrupt them later. It's just popping the feather dusters into the tank so hopefully it won't be too stressful. I also have no idea if the order is one or both of them, the email was unclear...

 

[Stang67]

Think I have an idea for when I reset the office tank now. Thanks

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Same for me if the eel passes. I'll pony up!

 

[danieyella]

Well, added my half gallon of copepods + all the amphipods and all 4 started hunting immediately, so I added the brine that came with them. Everyone is feasting.

 

[danieyella]

Mustangs

Sunbursts (actually all 4 of the ponies if you look closely)

 

[MrsBugmaster]

Mustangs

Sunbursts (actually all 4 of the ponies if you look closely)

Love this!!

 

[danieyella]

My order of two feather dusters actually ended up being three because these two were stuck together.

I also just tossed them in and let them fall wherever they wish for now because I didn't want to stick my hands in the tank and stress the ponies out.

 

[fishguy242]

Very cool, beautiful ponies...

 

[Soren]

All 4 alive upon arrival and moving around in the bags.

Temp acclimation now.

Says to check ph and if ph is the same, just allow them in. If not pH acclimate them (not salinity, weird)

At least your LA shipment seems to have been less shocking than mine I got today...
3 butterflyfish and a puffer, as well as 5 small trochus snails. You reacted to my post on Frank's thread about the species mix-up, so you saw that part.

What I did not mention there is that all 4 fish bags (double bagged, even, as usual) had lost 3/4 of the water and the fish were extremely limited in space due to the collapsed bag. Two fish showed skin wounds, probably from thrashing against the bag. The heat packs were submerged in the Styrofoam shipping box and were cold.
Strangely, the inner Styrofoam box had been taped shut inside the cardboard shipping box, but someone had cut the tape open completely around the cooler. The shipping box tape was intact, though.

Thankfully, after immediately moving the fish into my acclimation 5-gallon bucket with an air stone and some quarantine tank water, they revived pretty quickly during my typical acclimation process and all 4 seem to be doing well in the quarantine tank now.
I still don't know what happened to cause all the water leaks. Oddly enough, the snail bag was still full of water (other than the typical needed airspace). Must have been an inexperienced worker that packed my fish, or something like that.

If there are 4 they need to be named after the 4 horseman of the apocalypse.

Aren't the ponies the wrong colors, though? They all look yellow instead of black, red, white, and pale...
Seriously, though, I think this is an interesting suggestion!

 

[danieyella]

At least your LA shipment seems to have been less shocking than mine I got today...
3 butterflyfish and a puffer, as well as 5 small trochus snails. You reacted to my post on Frank's thread about the species mix-up, so you saw that part.

What I did not mention there is that all 4 fish bags (double bagged, even, as usual) had lost 3/4 of the water and the fish were extremely limited in space due to the collapsed bag. Two fish showed skin wounds, probably from thrashing against the bag. The heat packs were submerged in the Styrofoam shipping box and were cold.
Strangely, the inner Styrofoam box had been taped shut inside the cardboard shipping box, but someone had cut the tape open completely around the cooler. The shipping box tape was intact, though.

Thankfully, after immediately moving the fish into my acclimation 5-gallon bucket with an air stone and some quarantine tank water, they revived pretty quickly during my typical acclimation process and all 4 seem to be doing well in the quarantine tank now.
I still don't know what happened to cause all the water leaks. Oddly enough, the snail bag was still full of water (other than the typical needed airspace). Must have been an inexperienced worker that packed my fish, or something like that.


Aren't the ponies the wrong colors, though? They all look yellow instead of black, red, white, and pale...
Seriously, though, I think this is an interesting suggestion!

My LA box was soaked. But there wasn't even Styrofoam - it was just that silver puffy packing stuff. The AI did tell me they were understaffed and experiencing higher order volume than usual.

I wish I remember what it was supposed to have been, or the entire situation, but back with my old tank I got a canary wrasse from them via species mixup or a spare in the bag or something.

Glad everyone made it okay though, what a mess.

 

[tbrown]

At least your LA shipment seems to have been less shocking than mine I got today...
3 butterflyfish and a puffer, as well as 5 small trochus snails. You reacted to my post on Frank's thread about the species mix-up, so you saw that part.

What I did not mention there is that all 4 fish bags (double bagged, even, as usual) had lost 3/4 of the water and the fish were extremely limited in space due to the collapsed bag. Two fish showed skin wounds, probably from thrashing against the bag. The heat packs were submerged in the Styrofoam shipping box and were cold.
Strangely, the inner Styrofoam box had been taped shut inside the cardboard shipping box, but someone had cut the tape open completely around the cooler. The shipping box tape was intact, though.

Thankfully, after immediately moving the fish into my acclimation 5-gallon bucket with an air stone and some quarantine tank water, they revived pretty quickly during my typical acclimation process and all 4 seem to be doing well in the quarantine tank now.
I still don't know what happened to cause all the water leaks. Oddly enough, the snail bag was still full of water (other than the typical needed airspace). Must have been an inexperienced worker that packed my fish, or something like that.


Aren't the ponies the wrong colors, though? They all look yellow instead of black, red, white, and pale...
Seriously, though, I think this is an interesting suggestion!

At least yours came with a Styrofoam box... Min came in one of those Styrofoam bags with cold packs and both of my fish froze to death.

 

[danieyella]

At least yours came with a Styrofoam box... Min came in one of those Styrofoam bags with cold packs and both of my fish froze to death.

I had that once too, terrible.

 

[Soren]

My LA box was soaked. But there wasn't even Styrofoam - it was just that silver puffy packing stuff. The AI did tell me they were understaffed and experiencing higher order volume than usual.

I wish I remember what it was supposed to have been, or the entire situation, but back with my old tank I got a canary wrasse from them via species mixup or a spare in the bag or something.

Glad everyone made it okay though, what a mess.

The instigating fish for this order was a medium Klein's butterflyfish for a friend to try to eliminate aiptasia (knowing the inherent risk with any butterflyfish in a reef tank!), and, of course, that was the fish that seemed to be in the worst condition when they arrived. Whether it actually helps or not, I "dip" my fish for about 15 minutes in a small holding container with HydroPlex after acclimation but before adding them to my QT. So far, I have never had troubles with this and all fish have acclimated well through even the 1/2-gallon container with HydroPlex.
Not today, though, as the Kleini gave me a scare when it went completely stiff on the bottom of the container after about 10 minutes, which prompted me to cut the time a bit shorter and add the fish to the QT immediately. It took a couple minutes for the Kleini to recover in the QT... from past experience with weird deaths of butterflyfish, this had me very concerned and I am quite happy that it seems to be healthy and back to normal now.

Looking forward to more pictures of your pony tank as it progresses! It looks to be a wonderful start so far.

 

[Soren]

At least yours came with a Styrofoam box... Min came in one of those Styrofoam bags with cold packs and both of my fish froze to death.

I'm in the opposite extreme in north-central IL during this time of year with cold weather threatening and the heat packs necessary. From what I can tell, the bag water must have leaked slowly or all of my fish would have been dead from lack of space/oxygen and soak-ruined heat packs.

I am aware that risks are always involved with shipping fish, but it seems like a $15 charge per order for shipment packaging could always cover the cost of a Styrofoam box, but what do I know as just a consumer?

 

[fishguy242]

I'm in the opposite extreme in north-central IL during this time of year with cold weather threatening and the heat packs necessary. From what I can tell, the bag water must have leaked slowly or all of my fish would have been dead from lack of space/oxygen and soak-ruined heat packs.

I am aware that risks are always involved with shipping fish, but it seems like a $15 charge per order for shipment packaging could always cover the cost of a Styrofoam box, but what do I know as just a consumer?

unacceptable packing ...

 

[Soren]

unacceptable packing ...

Though I don't like to complain (especially when it turned out okay), I did mention this issue in my email to LA along with the species mix-up. I'll see what they say tomorrow after I send pictures of the incorrect puffer, but the bag water leaks can only be resolved through the guarantee at this point, if my fish die within the 7 days...

The bags did look to be properly sealed and all double bagged, so I have no idea what caused all 4 fish bags too leak so badly.

 

[fishguy242]

Though I don't like to complain (especially when it turned out okay), I did mention this issue in my email to LA along with the species mix-up. I'll see what they say tomorrow after I send pictures of the incorrect puffer, but the bag water leaks can only be resolved through the guarantee at this point, if my fish die within the 7 days...

The bags did look to be properly sealed and all double bagged, so I have no idea what caused all 4 fish bags too leak so badly.

thin mil on the bags?
butterfly spines poking through ?