Reef madness Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Ok, so probably every one of us reef a holics have tried to keep a particular fish or coral and have done so unsuccessfully despite our best intentions. For me, my fabled unicorn has been the powder blue tang. After five attempts, I am happy to say I haven't been able to keep one of those particular fish alive but have found success in keeping a powder brown tang alive, which are similarly very difficult. I can't say that I've done anything much different then the last fish except keeping a very close look on my nitrates. It is truly a stunning reef fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtech07 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Congrates! It be dishearting in this hobby when you so well several things but as you said "Unicorn" can be found. Great job and update the progress over time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Woah, this is your 5th blue tang? In how long? Can you give a tank description? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've stayed away from powder anything tang just because of fear of what I've read. I think stress in general from other fish and surroundings is what does them in. Good job and good luck with this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbird Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Congrads, I love the powder tangs but like bill I fear the loss of one :(. The powder blue was the one fish as a newbie that I just had to have. But I have yet to be brave enough to try one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefStar Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Congrat! I love the PB tang also but unsuccessful. I just got another one; cross my finger!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef madness Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Well technically the first two were rescued - extremely thin and probably not going to make it as they refused food. I thought for sure the third one would make it, but sure enough by the end of the second week- a goner. The fourth one had come from a local store (won't mention names)that believes copper is the answer for all fish alike, and as soon as the copper wore off, this fish became listless and stressed immediately. And finally number five looked great from the start but hid immediately when released in my reef and not caring to eat anything offered. I gave up at that point and told myself it's just not meant to be. Finally after a few months I was in another local shop and saw the powder brown. His demeanor appeared more assertive and was eating like a pig. He does great in my 180 gallon reef tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 O.K. no one make fun of me for this, but I can totally relate and congratulate you on your success. Mine was a mandarin goby. So 2 weeks into the hobby, I bought one, for my 18 g tank. Named him Goby Juan, as a Star War's type reference. He lasted a month, so I got another, who my girl friend now wife, called Goby 2. The story continues a coupe more times that first year. Finally many many years later I was not an ignorant noob and was setup for one. I've had this one about 5 years. My wife started with Goby 7 and now calls it goby 23 or some other outrageous exaggeration. Moral of the story never name a fish anything one, and I know where your coming from. Hats off to you. I still look at goby 123 with pride in my eyes Although if that fish ever dies I will buy a new one the same size and never say a word about it to my wife. 11 years of teasing over a damm fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Well technically the first two were rescued - extremely thin and probably not going to make it as they refused food. I thought for sure the third one would make it' date=' but sure enough by the end of the second week- a goner. The fourth one had come from a local store (won't mention names)that believes copper is the answer for all fish alike, and as soon as the copper wore off, this fish became listless and stressed immediately. And finally number five looked great from the start but hid immediately when released in my reef and not caring to eat anything offered. I gave up at that point and told myself it's just not meant to be. Finally after a few months I was in another local shop and saw the powder brown. His demeanor appeared more assertive and was eating like a pig. He does great in my 180 gallon reef tank.[/quote'] Nice, well congrats on the tang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralCrazy Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Congrats on the new fish. I absolutely love my powder brown. But I will say if it wasnt for the vlamingi tang I had he wouldnt have survived a day. My bristletooth is a jerk and loves to bully any new fish right out of the tank. Since the vlamingi moved out and into his new mansion there has been peace and the brown is fat and pushy. I did the powder blue thing once and everything was great for a good amount of time. Got up one morning and one of my power heads had fallen. Needless to say it was to much stress for the blue and by the next morning he was gone. I will try again but I have to see one that is fat and active first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re_Run Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Have Gorgeous Purple that I just find amazing.. I think Its wonderful after you put in all the hard work and heartache then it finally pays off. The ones that get me are, the ones you let loose in the tank they disappear in to the rock work and never see them again. You look and look some more and never see or find them. Then when you've given up all hope of ever finding them 2-3 months later they pop out and say high.. have a engineer goby that did that me for almost 2 months. Looked every where and at all hours of the day and night. Got to the point of just shy of tearing the tank apart to find it. Then long after I wrote it off he makes a cave right in the middle of the DT front and center and pops out his head and says Hi where you been. But back on topic Really very happy for you Post a pic would love to see him/her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 For Halloween ...the thing that I noticed as a hitchhiker was this curious little shrimp-like critter - very colorful with brilliant eyes - that had come from somewhere out of a bunch of live rock i had just purchased for my 75g reef in '98. I saw him a couple of times in the beginning and was overjoyed with not only his appearance and that it had come with rock for free, but his shy, cautious behavior and those hauntingly intelligent seeming, bright little eyes. He would back into hollows and stare back at me as I stared at him, and soon he did not seem to come out of the reef pile at all. I was a little put off by this, thinking it had died, that perhaps I had not given it its required nutrition. Some time later I began to notice I had fewer snails than before. And hermits as well. Then soon I had so few, and they and their shells had completely vanish I began to become gravely concerned. Then fish began mysteriously disappearing. The disappearances also eerily coincided with a late night, loud cracking or popping sound I would hear emanating from my tank - mind you I slept only 2 feet away in a tiny apartment. Gone were goby and the dragonet, shrimp and chromis and firefish. Then one day my prized baby powder brown who was eating well and swimming happily around the tank swam into the rock work at lights out for the last time..."POP"!!!! I had never heard of a mantis shrimp, but I did notice my tang was not about when lights came on the next day. I did see a curious flash of color down into the rock at that same moment, however. Engaging the internet webs, I searched until I found a probable source of the creepy midnight popping. That is when I moved my corals to a 40g, pulled all of the rocks out of the 75 and began smashing them in the driveway...water and rubble flying about everywhere as I raised them over my head just outside the door and dashed them to the ground, manic in the glee of destruction, inwardly weeping for all of my lost little buddies. I was finally able to dislodge a large base rock from beneath the pile and, grinning wildly like some madman, hurled the rock to the pavement, dashing it to rubble. Amidst the LR carnage I saw a thing squirming and twitching wildly in the dross of the shattered aragonite composite. A little peacock mantis, dirty and struggling. I almost took pity, then I noticed all the empty snail shells I had been missing, spilling from a hollow in one of the crushed rocks. And then I saw that they were scattered everywhere as well. I began to identify the remains of crabs, and urchins - the skeleton of my diamond goby, long lost, lay amongst them...then I saw the mangled and half-eaten carcass of my little powder brown tang, who for weeks had gleefully swam to meet the clip filled with nori upon my daily return home from work . Now shredded, his eyes a miserable milky hue, his gills torn apart and his entrails spilling from his abdomen...I almost shed a wee tear for this little fellow. But then my anger boiled up from within, and I turned my head to stare crazily at the shrimp squirming in the mire. I turned, slowly closed upon him, raised my hands over my head and lifted my right, booted foot high... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef madness Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 and then...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 ...and smashed the crap out of the little bastard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHiestand Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 ...and smashed the crap out of the little bastard...(gavel) I could see my self doing the same thing...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Re_Run Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 should have just boild it and ate it for dinner, would have been one of the most expensive shrimp dinners in history but the pay back would have glorious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Harsh... :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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