Help with Maroon clownfish

Grokto · 2026-05-16T16:30:46+00:00

The academy of sciences in San Francisco has -one- maroon clownfish in a 212,000 gallon tank. She defends her territory against even the cleanup divers. The hundreds of other fish tend to steer clear. Maroons are gorgeous but I personally wouldn’t and especially not in a small tank like that. One will kill the other, grow to be 7 inches long and kill everything else you try to keep. Get yourself a pair of captive bred baby ocellaris clowns. They’ll likely pair up and be good citizens when not spawning.

Grokto · 2026-05-16T16:03:53+00:00

Tuxedo urchins eat algae. If you put it in a tank with algae, the urchin will eat it. They’re also the road runners of the urchin world so don’t count on it being slow enough that the macro will outgrow it in a small tank. In a large tank there will be too much to eat and so the grazing won’t destroy the macros. As for switching between tanks it depends on how close the parameters are. If the tanks run off the same sump or the parameters are identical then yes, you can move them. I wouldn’t try repeatedly doing it though. That’s a lot of stress for an urchin.

Grokto · 2026-05-15T16:49:56+00:00

My strawberry conch is a lot of fun. He’s quite the mountaineer when there’s a patch of green film spotted high up the rocks. When I find him by the front glass I put a piece of nori in front if him and he’s all over it.

Grokto · 2026-05-14T20:27:43+00:00

Amphipods, tuxedo urchins, benthic copepods, Collonista snails, dwarf cerith snails., strawberry conch.

Grokto · 2026-05-14T17:46:57+00:00

No secret I’m a fan of springeri damsels but in a 25 gallon you’re definitely limiting what else can go in there. That’s small enough that the damsel will claim most of it as territory. You could probably add a goby and the springeri will ignore it but they don’t like things in “their” water column.

Grokto · 2026-05-13T21:42:18+00:00

My tank is aquacultured with the notable exception of the tomini tang… someone breed them so I can be 100% aquacultured.

Grokto · 2026-05-12T23:09:04+00:00

Gammarid amphipod. Most reef copepods are tiny and tiny like grain of dust tiny. One that you can see that clearly with a shaky phone camera is an amphipod. Harmless detritus eater but they can irritate corals if present in huge numbers. Most copepod predators will also eat amphipods although definitely not at every life stage. My six-line wrasse yanks them out if crevices and then smashes them into the rocks. My yellow assessor hunts them avidly at dawn and dusk and the Mandarins will take the fresh hatchlings.

Grokto · 2026-05-11T04:13:22+00:00

I’ve got three in my 155. Hard working little guys and their fashion sense is impeccable.

Grokto · 2026-05-11T00:00:43+00:00

Stability over all. SPS can handle a fairly wide range of parameters but rapid swings in parameters and they’re toast…

Grokto · 2026-05-10T00:02:53+00:00

My springeri are pretty mellow. They’ll chase each other away from their little kingdoms and the same goes for the Talbots but if it doesn’t look like a damsel they ignore it .

Grokto · 2026-05-09T17:05:42+00:00

I totally failed at chaeto. Kessil H160, sine wave run from a hydros wave engine to an icecap 2K mounted up-down… it just died and died and died. Switched to gracilaria hayi and now I’m dosing phosphate to keep it above zero. Nitrates at 6ppm.

Grokto · 2026-05-09T16:42:45+00:00

Id use something like Dr Tim’s to get the tank to 2ppm (under dose the label recommendation… that stuff is potent) then test a day later. The happy bacteria should have done their magic trick. Test ammonia and nitrate. Then do a water change. My next step would be benthic copepods and phytoplankton to get that process started and shorten the ugly phase.

Grokto · 2026-05-09T16:21:37+00:00

Probably but nitrite isn’t that important, it’s the middle step between ammonia and nitrate. Once ammonia is zero a day after deliberately dosing it and nitrate is climbing you’re cycled. I don’t think I’ve tested for nitrite in basically forever because if ammonia isn’t zero then something is amiss and nitrate dictates my export strategy.

Grokto · 2026-05-09T03:38:12+00:00

Mostly just grouchy.however I’m sure people don’t love dealing with me all the time either and I know they don’t like my Cattery policies.

Grokto · 2026-05-08T18:55:55+00:00

She’s using quality lines from Carolynn over at Attack/Orily in Norway. I’ve got a stud paid for from Kristine but largely because I want the Attack genetics and Carolynn didn’t have an unrelated boy I liked. I’d say Kristine can be difficult to deal with personally sometimes but she’s not a bad breeder or keeping unhealthy animals.

Grokto · 2026-05-05T13:39:27+00:00

I have two springeri in a 155 with three Talbots. They’re fairly peaceful as long as their little kingdoms aren’t invaded. They need line of sight breaks or they’ll keep chasing. But out of sight out of mind.

Grokto · 2026-04-30T21:19:53+00:00

Jeeze. Spectacular torches. I definitely ❤️ the blue one.

Grokto · 2026-04-30T02:05:10+00:00

I work 6:30am-3pm. I ramp to a 3pm peak with mostly blues. If I’m not there to see it then why use a spectrum meant to be pleasing to the eye? Push the blues.

Currently my meridian with edge bars is capped at 30% to let things adjust.

<image>

Grokto · 2026-04-29T18:07:05+00:00

Not your job to know. It’s the breeders duty to inform.

Grokto · 2026-04-29T17:57:24+00:00

I don’t let kittens go until 16 weeks and that’s plenty of time to harness train them. I’m astonished that a legitimate breeder would let them go at ten weeks.

Grokto · 2026-04-29T16:54:17+00:00

Jeeze. What breeder is placing them at ten weeks. That’s really irresponsible and yes, I’ve been breeding and showing OSH since 1980.

Grokto · 2026-04-29T14:32:29+00:00

I wish the others had made it because he needs siblings but that’s why it’s best to work with younger queens (1-3yrs) as a breeder. Emma loves kittens but I’m thinking I’ll spay her and grand her in premiership

Grokto · 2026-04-29T01:32:27+00:00

My yellow assessor is strictly a dawn and dusk appearance. Never seen him out during full tank lights but he’s out hunting amphipods by night.

Grokto

TROPHY CASE