Blah Blah Blah about the hobby?

[Richard]

I'm sick of all the non hobby related BS that has been going on for WAY TOO LONG! Lately it seems if it isn't one issue then it's another. Personally I couldn't care less about your issues, I got plenty of my own to worry about. I participate on this forum because I LOVE this hobby and I like reading about others experiences and thoughts on topics RELATED to this hobby.

One thing I really used to enjoy about maast was that people would post differing opinions on hobby related topics without flaming or gettting into long winded angry pointless debates like you see on some other forums. The thing I liked MOST about Maast though, was that the posts usually had SOMETHING to do with this hobby.

Sadly, that Maast doesn't seem to exist anymore. So now I need to decide if Maast is a place for me to just advertise on or if it's also a place I can participate on and enjoy as a hobbyist (which I still am)?????

So my question for ALL maast members is this. Can you make one post that is well thought out that is related to this hobby. I don't care what it is. Lighting, filtration, aquascaping, things you like/don't like about your tank, a pic of your tank or favorite fish, something weird/funny that your fish do, ANYTHING related to the hobby.

If this thread can't get many posts from the maast membership or if it turns into some stupid debate over nothing related to the hobby then I think Richard the hobbyist needs to move on to a different forum and Richard the retailer will just post in the retailers section to try and sell you guys stuff.

OK, so I'll start....

Recently I added four little seahorses to my 29 gallon tank. They are only about 2 1/2" and have alot of growing to do before they get to their adult size of 11" (H Kelloggi's aka Great Seahorses). So here's the weird thing...I think they actually PLAY with each other. On several evening's now I have seen one baby seahorse swim over to another and wrap it's tail around it. Then the SH will wrestle it's way loose and then chase the one that had grabbed it. When it catches up with the trouble maker it will wrap it's tail around that one and then they wrestle again. It's kinda like baby seahorses playing tag and it seems very deliberate and is REALLY funny to watch. It can't be that they are actually playing because we all know that science tells us that fish aren't capable of that kind of emotion RIGHT??? :unsure I'll try to get a pic next time they are playing or just coincidentaly chasing each other and wrestling because their brains aren't capable of play.

So watcha got? Should be a long thread if the membership actually WANTS to talk about this hobby.

[NaCl_H2O]

Applause, applause - Thanks Richard!

Ok, I got one ... I bought a new porcupine puffer :) cute little dude, bright blue eyes and a personality :D

Problem is, he loves his rosie reds, but won't touch anything that doesn't wiggle :sick

Any recomendations how to wean him (or her?) over to PE Mysis or something similar?

[loans_n_fishes]

Personally, I think fish (heck animals in general) are more capable of feelings than most give them credit for.

I seem to remember a story a while back about a fish that was sick and couldn't swim to the top of the water to eat. Another fish in the tank would swim under it pushing it to the surface. As I remember it recovered. It was YEARS ago...think it was a news story...can't remember. 34 and already getting senile! :D

So, in short, yes, I think they are capable of play. Think of the different fish we have: Two fish of the same type can have completely different personalities! They are definitely individuals.

Sounds like a lot of fun to watch! My 2 clark clowns were playing chase the other day. One would chase the other around the leather. The chased would then "hide" in the leather only to come out a couple of seconds later and chase the former pursuer. They did not appear to be picking on each other. It appeared that the leather was "base". :lol

[Ed]

Cool Seahorse story Richard. Can't wait to see the pic. How about a video??

Thanks for starting something reef related again.

BTW the small green acro frag that I bought from Richard the retailer (you know the one that came from Richard the hobbyists tank ;) ) has DOUBLED in size and is doing great! :w00t

Thanks,

Ed

[captexas]

I think they have the ability to play just as most animals do when they are young. Actually, playing is part of growing up and learning to be an adult and how to interact with each other and their environment. I love to watch Discovery and TLC so I see it all the time with all sorts of animals, doesn't matter what kind or how large their brains are.

Glad to hear your SH's are doing well. I still remember when I was a kid I caught two little ones right off of a boat dock in Rockport and kept them in a bucket until they passed away. I kept them preserved in a bottle for many years after that as part of my fascination with animals and the sea. Love to see yours alive and "playing".

[Ping]

Steve, before I found out about reef keeping I had many FO tanks. Predators mostly. I could get them all to eventually eat non live foods. some things I did to make this happen.

Pavlovian response - Turing off currnt devices at feeding time. And my ugly face up real close. Live food for 4 days when a new fish is introduced, then a non live feeding day. live day x3, non live. then 1 day live next non live. then back to 3 or 4 days of live. It cant be a routine. Has to be random.

The fish also would learn from watching each other eat. Some fish would never eat certain products. I switch foods up alot so some days some would go hungry.

I use wooden shish kabob skewers to move non live food to provoke a feeding response. Oh and the non live food was from seafood section of the grocery store. Not the frozen products many of us procure from the LFS.

[truck0000]

I hade one of my yellow tail damsels just up and die on me. Wierdest thing. I have hade him for almost 2 years. Granted he survied the chemisty experiment I called a 55 gal. saltwater tank. Thank god I found maast. Everything else in the tank is great and all test are good.
Nice thread.

[Richard]

hade one of my yellow tail damsels just up and die on me.


Well that sucks but it's happened to me plenty of times. Sometimes a fish will just up and die for no apparent reason. Could be worse...I added a Peppermint hogfish (second try) he was a beautiful fish and ate like a pig for a whole day and then poof he dissapeared never to be seen again. My first turned invisible after 3 days. I guess I'll give up on having one...just tto expensive to keep trying. I think they are finding a way to jump out of the tank and becoming expensive treats for my shephard that eats ANYTHING.

On the puffer...pretty much what Ping says. Just takes some time but they usually become little piggies. I usually start them on ghost shrimp when we get them in as they usually only go for live. Then I'll start putting some ghost shrimp and a little PE Mysis at the same time. Usually if we keep them around for about two weeks or so, they will spend all day begging at the glass for more food. Really entertaining fish.

[oceancube]

hey richard, well i was wondering, ive been cycling my tank for 6 weeks now, when do you think it's a good idea to put my liverock in???

[TheOtherGuy]

OK - Good stuff. And ahhhh we are talking about fish/reef tanks again.

Here ya go:

I added more nitrates to my reef tank to reduce phosphates. Think about that, ponder it, question it. In the very near future I shall create a thread to discuss such strange things.

[Richard]

I added more nitrates to my reef tank to reduce phosphates. Think about that, ponder it, question it. In the very near future I shall create a thread to discuss such strange things.


Dude, that one is too much for this thread. Definitely needs it's own thread.



hey richard, well i was wondering, ive been cycling my tank for 6 weeks now, when do you think it's a good idea to put my liverock in???


What's up Rudy! I'm not sure what you mean. How have you been cycling your tank? Are you curing or "cooking" new rock outside the tank or is it old cured rock that you've had for awhile?



BTW the small green acro frag that I bought from Richard the retailer (you know the one that came from Richard the hobbyists tank ) has DOUBLED in size and is doing great!


Told ya! Sarmentosa = bullet proof. Well as bullet proof as an acro can be LOL.

[Richard]

Changed the title of the thread. HEY, it worked for Mike LOL!

[TheOtherGuy]

LMAO

[demodiki]

I just started dosing my tank with DT's. I am using 15 cc and adding it to my hang on fuge. I plan on doing this once a week. This is a 55 gallon with softies, rics and zoos. I planned on spot feeding the rics but...well, I get lazy.

Good plan?

[hobogato]

i didnt lose anything but a few hermits in my redbug treatment this week, and maybe im crazy, but some of the acros already seem to have a little more color :wacko

[jc]

I know that playing type behavior is common in mammals, but I don't know if it is in any other type of creature.

[DaneDodger]

I think that ALL animals can think, learn, and reason within the boundaries of their own unique situations. Like I bet you'd never see a cheetah trying to wrap it's tail around another's like your seahorses did because what's the point of it for a cheetah??? If they couldn't learn we wouldn't see begging behaviors from lionfish, cichlids, etc.
Now please someone explain to me how adding nitrates reduces phosphates?????? You've got me completely baffled on this one!! :lol

[TheOtherGuy]

Now please someone explain to me how adding nitrates reduces phosphates?????? You've got me completely baffled on this one!! :lol

LOL - Coming soon.....

[rocketeer]

Ok, they play. But do they have fun?

How many neurons do you need to have an experience? Is experience even a function of the brain? Or is it a function of something invisible? Maybe brain size isn't even important.

Jack

[DaneDodger]

Ok, they play. But do they have fun?
Ooohhh what a can of worms to open, Jack!! :lol I won't anthropomorphize them and I couldn't even begin to guess the answers to your questions. But whether or not they have "fun" in the same sense that we know it they must get something out of it, it must be for some reason, else they wouldn't do it?
I'm also a long time animal trainer basing my methods in part on behavior modification principles. My experience with all animals so far tells me that the best way to get an animal to repeat a behavior is to make it more rewarding in some way than anything else the animal could do just then. I can doubt that a dog responding to a "sit" cue would call the act of sitting "fun" but the dog gets something out of it (a treat, pat, etc.) that he finds rewarding enough to follow through with the appropriate action.

[falcondob]

Current thinking is that play is the prelude and training ground to hunting, social ranking, and mating behaviours. If you watch small children play you can still see the vestiges of these sources of play.

It does seem to be relagated to a certain level of cognitive ability. (Ants are not "Livin' La Vida Loca")

As far as "Operational Conditioning" is concerned, you are correct. Positive reenforcment is a powerful behaviour modification method. However, in the advanced animals - with social structures, (most commonly seen in dogs) negative reenforcement is just as powerful. This is because they have evolved in a "pack" mentality where the dogs higher on the social scale will bite, tackle, aggressively bark, snarl, and subjugate the lower animals. So they are "pre-wired" to react to negative feedback.

Non-social animals (cats, birds of prey, etc..) have no such evolutionary training. They will meet negative feedback with fear and agressiveness. Anyone questioning this can try it with my falcon on a bare hand. Bring bandaids, antibiotics, and pain-killers. :)

[DaneDodger]

You'll get no arguement from me there, John!! Handling your falcon bare handed is an excellent example of a creature's future behavior being molded by a negative experience. After doing it once I can't imagine someone being likely to do it twice!!! :lol
The priciple holds true, in my mind, though. Whatever the consequence of the behavior, positive or negative, it will shape future behavior. If an animal continues to enact a certain behavior there must be some reward in it for them whether that be gaining a positive response or avoiding a negative one.
I don't know a whole ton about seahorses in particular but isn't entwining tails a part of their mating rituals? If so then maybe this behavior is just "practice" for seahorses much as wrestling, play biting, and such is in part "practice" in puppies who's instinct later in life is to use those skills in the pack hierarchy and hunting.
Edited to add: Although when we start talking about the domesticated canine vs. wild ones we get into strange areas sometimes because humans have shaped the domestic canines into something resembling but different from their wild cousins.

[falcondob]

<snip> Although when we start talking about the domesticated canine vs. wild ones we get into strange areas sometimes because humans have shaped the domestic canines into something resembling but different from their wild cousins.

Agreed. Domestic canines have a whole new set of programming from the process of domestication. Prime example of this is fact that dogs seem to have a "need" to please us. This is probably a relic of the fact that we rewarded them for "protecting" us with food, and then later with shelter.

However, pack mentality is still very apparent. I am still amazed at the number of people that don't that "humping" someone's leg is manifestation of dominance behaviour, not sex. When my golden retreiver started to do it to me, I threw him on his back, and yelled at him for about 2 minutes right in his face. This established, in his doggy mind, that I WAS the alpha male and BACK OFF! He has not done it since (and doesn't hate me either). He still was doing it with my daughter. She resisted doing it, because she thought it wasn't "very nice". She finally got tired of it and did the same thing and now the dog doesn't do it. Programmed behaviour! Gotta luv it.

[DaneDodger]

Exactly! The strange areas come into play when you start trying to figure out if a particular behavior is pack programmed or human engineering.
I have a show dane that is very intelligent, hard headed, and sensitive so he takes some very careful handling! We have to stay on top of him just because a dog that large thinking it can be dominant is no laughing matter but careful in how we do it because too much negative reinforcement would certainly break his spirit. When he steps out of line we go back to what the alpha in a wild pack might do, start at the lowest level of aggression and slowly escalate it until he gives in.
Many people would be horrified at that description!! Surely showing aggression of any kind to a dog is abusive! In my mind what's truly abusive is letting any animal get away with improper behavior simply because he hasn't been taught any better. Those always come out the losers whether that be tossed out into the yard and ignored, abandoned, or what have you. And it's not as bad as it sounds, certainly not abusive! For example, if he gets too nosy around my dinner plate I simply freeze, slowly turn my head to look in his eyes with a very hard stare then escalate to growling. I've never had to escalate past that point, he's always turned away, but the next step would be to firmly push his head away and cue him to go to his bed. Is it negative reinforcement? I'd say so but is it abusive? I can't see how.
It's even apparent in our fish to a lesser degree. There's the begging for food which I seriously doubt they do in the wild! I just can't imagine a lionfish swimming out into the open sea displaying in all his glory hoping that a fish will come over to be eaten! We've simply trained them to some degree. Several of my customers love to run a finger over the glass of my cichlid tanks because all the fish come over eagerly expecting food!
Jenn

[falcondob]

Yep, the fish in my tank actually recognize me as opposed to the other members of my family. Operant conditioning is really a powerful tool. The challenge is make sure I am doing when I want, not when THEY want.

[DaneDodger]

The challenge is make sure I am doing when I want, not when THEY want.
That's always a challenge! "Am I training him or is he training me????" :lol
Jenn

[NaCl_H2O]

That's always a challenge! "Am I training him or is he training me????" :lol
When did this topic switch to a discussion on raising children :lol

[miked78231]

i dont have time to look it up so i will just ask. are sea horses hard to take care of? could a newbie like me handle that? what are the prices on sea horse any whoo?

[SLAYCHILD]

I got one for you Richard! I have a lawnmower blenny and a green clown gobi. Last night I saw both of them holding each other in a opening of a rock. It was the cutiest thing i've seen in a long time. They are like buddies. When I get my camera. I will post some pic's.

[Richard]

i dont have time to look it up so i will just ask. are sea horses hard to take care of? could a newbie like me handle that? what are the prices on sea horse any whoo?


They are easy as long as you get tank raised ones but they are pricey $30 to $80 depending on species in this market. Some online places start theirs at $75 on up to $200...crazy! Also need to keep really good water quality. Check out my SH thread, that is how I would recommend you set a little tank up. It's the easiest tank I've ever had.



I got one for you Richard! I have a lawnmower blenny and a green clown gobi. Last night I saw both of them holding each other in a opening of a rock. It was the cutiest thing i've seen in a long time. They are like buddies. When I get my camera. I will post some pic's.


Maybe you will get baby Clawnmower Blobies. Now that is a thread I want to see LOL!

[alton]

Mark you said you added nitrates to your aquarium last night? Does that mean you spilled you beer again while cleaning your tank? I lost a pink and blue goby in my tank about six months ago. I thought a rock might have crushed him and the worms ate him. Last night he showed up out of the clear blue. Funny what can hide in your tank. Hey Mark and Richard the Pan World pump works great.

[don-n-sa]

GREAT THREAD RICHARD!!!!!

Well I was going to create a thread about this but this one is perfect!

I am not sure what to make of this incident, I will let everyone decide. The question is do fish have feelings??? Do they get depressed when the lose a mate / friend???

Since I have such a long tank ( 8 ft. ) I decided to try to add another pair of clowns. I already had a three clown family ( false percs) living in my large LTA ( a male, female, and an IT ), and I added another large blue carpet to the opposite side of so I figured that I had the set up to make it work.

Well shortly after I added a pair of black ocellaris they decided to take over the LTA and push out the three other clowns. At first I did not think it was too bad the black clowns were swimming around the whole tank ( not interested in the blue carpet), and whenever they would get close to the LTA the male and female would ward them off. Well the second night things must have gotten worse because when I woke up and looked at my tank the black pair were in the LTA!!! :angry

The female and the IT were swimming amlessly about 3-4 inches off to the side of the LTA, almost like they were trying to go somewhere but not really going anywhere. The male was nowhere to be found???

I found the male later that day, dead :( , he must have jumped out and in to the overflow during the night , and ended up in my drip tray.

The female seemed really depressed, she let the black clowns , which were smaller than her, just take over her home.

Since the black clowns were in the LTA, they were easy to catch. The were caught and put into my fuge ( where they are today ).

The female and IT went back into the LTA after I removed to black pair, but something was still not right. She did not eat, and was dead two days later, only the IT survived... :(

Sorry such a long sad post...there was no other way to tell it.

[falcondob]

I have a question. I put a pistol shrimp in my tank about 6 months ago. He crawled into the "Rocks of Death" and was never seen again. Soooo...the question is, "What do you think the odds are that he is still alive and I just haven't seen him?"

Hope springs eternal.......

[Richard]

"What do you think the odds are that he is still alive and I just haven't seen him?"


Very High. I had one that was messing up my tank at home by constantly moving the sand all over the place, so I took it to the store and put it in a 20 gallon. Then I forgot about it. Many, many months later we were replacing those tanks and there it was. We never saw it during that time and it didn't move any sand around in the tank. So, back to animal intelligence, was that stupid shrimp laughing at me when he was destroying my home tank????

Great story Don, well sad but still very interesting. I don't know what to make of what happened but I do know that clownfish are very unique fish. I never deliberately order large wild clownfish. The loss rate on them is really high but it's not from disease or water quality I know. I think it is just that an adult clown could have spent the last 15 or 20 years in the same anemone and they just die when they are seperated from it. The sadest thing is that when they take let's say a BIG maroon from BTA in the wild then the odds are high that the BTA will quickly become dinner to a hungry butterfly without the protection of the maroon clown.

[Ram_Puppy]

Great Thread!

I am for some unfathamoble reason experiencing a serious lack of drive when it comes to finishing my canopy so I can put my lights up... I need a swift kick in the hind end.

[Bill S]

Mark,

You and I need to "swap" water. My P is at ZERO, but I can't get my Nitrates in my new tank below 5. Richard says I need to add P.

BTW, have y'all seen the Mythbusters on fish memories? They busted the myth that goldfish have short memories. Like WE didn't know that.

[cbianco]

Hey all

I am redoing my tank. I could use plenty of advice and conversation. Look for the thread either in the "latest post" list or under "general." I know that my 24 gallon may not be as exciting as 200 gallon but it is still challanging.

Sorry for the thread jack :)

Christopher

[Richard]

You and I need to "swap" water. My P is at ZERO, but I can't get my Nitrates in my new tank below 5. Richard says I need to add P.


LMAO...This approach is freaking me out. Can you picture a day when a newbie asks "How do I get rid of this hair algae" and your answer is "Oh, you just need to feed your tank more food" LOL.

[alton]

Talking about a memory when we set up my bosses tank years ago I purchased a Purple Tang from Aquarium Sales and Service. We moved the tank from my office and to his office after it was finished. My boss expects only the best so everything had to look good before it went into his office. Well the Purple Tang didn't like me very much as most of you can imagine. Ken took over the tanks years ago servicing it and he would brag to me about how the tang would let him pet him and he could actually pick him up! Well a few months ago when Ken got sick I had to do a water change and clean the tank. I noticed a coral had fallen from the rocks so I had to re-attach it. Here came the Purple Tang Razor first, after five years you would think he would forget?

[TheOtherGuy]

Mark,

You and I need to "swap" water. My P is at ZERO, but I can't get my Nitrates in my new tank below 5. Richard says I need to add P.

BTW, have y'all seen the Mythbusters on fish memories? They busted the myth that goldfish have short memories. Like WE didn't know that.

I can see in the future we will have water swaps instead of frag swaps.
What you got? I got high P Low N. Perfect! I need some High N Low P. LOL

[Sherri]

Not to change the subject - yet change the subject :P (still a hobby question) - My Black/White Oscellaris pair host a colt of mine...this colt has gotten huge. Would it be safe to frag it (water quality wise & hosting wise) in the tank with the clowns? They constantly spawn & lay eggs at the small base rock it sits independently on. And how to frag? Just razor blade it?

Sad...but been so busy working with all the commotion going on here, I personally haven't had time to enjoy MY tank & take care of what I need to take care of. Thank you Richard. This is refreshing and so so much needed. Let's keep it that way. ;)

[Ram_Puppy]

Sherri, I am sure more experienced minds will weigh in, but I don't see why you couldn't razor it in tank, as long as you run some fresh carbon during and after the fragging session to handle any 'noxious emission'.

[Ed]

Sherri,

Yes, it should be safe to frag it. As Ram said running carbon is a good idea.
Just watch that the Mama clown doesn't bite you! Been there done that. ;)

When fragging my leathers, I simply cut the part I want to frag off with a pair of Fiskars scissors, but a razor blade will work too.

Colts are very slimy and one way to get them to attach to rubble is to loosely 'tie' them to the rubble with bridal veil. In my experience Colts are very hard to get to attach with a rubber band or fishing line. They tend to 'slip' off the rubble.

HTH.

Ed

[hammondegge]

our 2 H.Reidis will grab each others snouts when it is feeding time. the grabee will twist and turn like a wrestler while the other feeds effortlessly. they take turns doing this. which 'human' trait is this? Greed? Revenge? Playfullness? or Practical Joke? I dont know, but it sure does look like all of them.
and it makes me laugh :lol

[Mrs.SB]

I know that this is not a "saltwater" fish story, but I still think it is funny. Years ago, my mom and dad had a pleco & an oscar. The oscar kept trying to attack the pleco (they were both the same size). My mom would go up to the tank and shake her finger at him, then reach into the tank & take him by the tail & give him a shake. Soon, all my mom had to do was shake her finger at him & the oscar would leave the pleco alone.

[Richard]

For example, if he gets too nosy around my dinner plate I simply freeze, slowly turn my head to look in his eyes with a very hard stare then escalate to growling.



I would very much like to see a video of that :lol. Especially, if your holding a giant turkey drumstick with turkey grease dripping off your chin and then growling at your dogs.

If I growl at my dogs my male shephard cocks his head like "what's wrong with you?", my female shephard runs around trying to find her ball like growling means playtime, and my pit bull just wags her tail and trys to lick my face. Now if I drop the F bomb then they scatter and stay out of my way. If the spurs meets the pistons in the finals my poor dogs are going to think they are really big trouble :lol. They hate the playoffs!

[don-n-sa]

I wont tlet this thread die!

Yesterday I was cleaning my 12g mantis tank (it was reall bad), and it finally happened!!!

Yes, I was not paying attention for a second and POW!!!! I could not believe it...scared the you know what out of me. My 5" peacock ( kill bill) got tired of my hand in his home and got my knuckle. It must have been just a warning because it did not even break the skin and it really did not hurt that bad. It was kind of loud and it scared me more than anything.

I have seen this guy smash snails, crabs, crawfish and shrimps to peices so I was lucky.

[seamonkey2]

ok, sad seahorse story, a while back I had a big 6" red horse, "big red", he father alot of baby SH, one morning, I went to feed my tank, and saw all the horses together around big red, he had died during the night, and they all seem to be sad, even as I pulled the body from the tank they look at him as if they were giving the last good bye, it was sad for me too, yeah they did not eat their food that morning

Jose :cry

[seamonkey2]

ok one kind of wierd, a friend got me a...don't remember the real name, deep purple star fish, and after 2 weeks, I notice, that it had lost a leg, well, I know it will regenerate, so no big deal, well a week later, I saw...the leg!!!!, it was moving fine on its own, I got witnesess of it, still in my tank.

so now every time I look at it, I go, "IT'S ALIVE!!"

Jose

[rocketeer]

Don,

Did he kill my crab yet?

Jack

[don-n-sa]

Don,

Did he kill my crab yet?

Jack

uh...yes, a long time ago :skeezy

[Richard]

Jose, that IS a SAD story! I can picture them doing that :cry

[Ram_Puppy]

man, I have always thought about having a mantis tank... but I think it will have to come after the lion tank, since I have wanted that for far longer... then the puffer tank, which I have wanted for almost as long as the lion tank, then... maybe then, a mantis tank.

[don-n-sa]

My Mantis tank is super easy maintenance wise , I do a 5g water change a month, with a little scraping once in a while, and thats it!

[Darth-Tater]

The Rabbit and the Blonde
A man is driving along a highway
and sees a rabbit jump out
across the middle of the road.
He swerves to avoid hitting it,
but unfortunately
the rabbit jumps right in front of the car.

The driver,
a sensitive man as well as an animal lover,
pulls over and gets out to see
what has become of the rabbit.

Much to his dismay,
the rabbit is dead

The driver feels so awful
that he begins to cry.

A beautiful blonde woman
driving down the highway
sees a man crying on the
side of the road
and pulls over.

She steps out of the car
and asks the man what's wrong.

"I feel terrible," !
he explains,
"I accidentally hit this rabbit
and killed it."

The blonde says,
"Don't worry."

She runs to her car
and pulls out a spray can.

She walks over to the limp, dead rabbit,
bends down,
and sprays the contents onto the rabbit.
>
The rabbit jumps up,
waves its paw at the two of them
and hops off down the road.

Ten feet away the rabbit stops, turns around and waves again, he hops
down the road another 10 feet, turns and waves, hops another ten feet, turns and waves, and repeats this again and again and again, until he hops out of sight.

The man is astonished.

He runs over to the woman and demands, "What is in that can? What did
you spray on that rabbit?"
The woman turns the can around so that the man can read the label. It
says..

(Are you ready for this?)

It says,

"Hair Spray - Restores life to dead hair, and adds permanent wave." :lol

DT

[Ping]

Ba dum bump bump.....crash :lol

[don-n-sa]

I am sure everyones has looked at their tank in the middle of the night with a flashlight to see whats going on right??

I think that its cool / weird how some fish seem to actually sleep wedged in the rocks and some fish hide in the caves but still swim throughout the whole night wide awake.

The harliquin tusk definitely sleeps, his eyes move a little but I try to get him to move but he doesn't move a muscle all night

The regal tang wedges in the same spot every night but constanly wiggles its tail

The puffer swims all night long , but rests a little here and there during the day

The atl. blue, yellow and purple tangs have their spots but they do not wedge in they just kind of swim in the same spot all night.

The wrasse and hog make their mucus barriers and seem to sleep peacefully

The trigger wedges in the same spot and seems to sleep

The mandarin sleeps in the same spot on the sand against a rock, but looses all of its color

The hawks hunt throughout the night and never seem to sleep

The bleennies do pretty much the same thing day or night ( swim around from rock to rock)

The snowflake moray hides in the rockwork day and night...comes out to eat every three days

[hammondegge]

I returned home yesterday to find "SpongeBob" our yellow spotted boxfish stuck to the intake of a maxijet 1200. the intake guard was in place but evidently the guard was fairly clogged everywhere but right at the bottom. Bob is about an inch and a half square and the intake guard was stuck to the center of his back. he was looking right at me, making all these googly eyes and seemed to say, " dont just stand there, DO SOMETHING!". well i had to call my wife first so that she could see him, and i was tempted to get the camera too but he looked a little panicked. i reached into the tank, took him between my thumb and forefinger and gently pulled him away from the PH. He spun around and headed straight for a cave where he remained for the next few hours peeking out admiringly at me.
Bob is pretty much uninjured except that his top/rear fin (dorsal?) is immobile. i figured maybe it is sprained as he could of been stuck on that PH for more than 8hrs. Today the membrane between the fin tines is receeding. He is swimming fine and has even made friends with the PH. Should i treat him with something or wait? Dr.Richard?

[Richard]

That would have been a good picture!



Should i treat him with something or wait? Dr.Richard?


No Dr. in front of my name. Michelle has dibs on that LOL.

Well with bacterial infections on most fish I first just try feeding them well and giving them some time to recover on their own before jumping to to antibiotics. What I've learned recently with seahorses is that you never do the wait and see approach with them cause they go downhill reeeeaaaal quick to bacterial infections.

I don't have any experience with boxfish so I don't know if they fall into that category as seahorses or not. If it doesn't show improvement fairly soon or continues to spread then you have to treat him for sure. The triple sulfa/neomycin combination that they use for sh's gives a real broad spectrum of coverage. I've also had good luck using furan II for fin rot on other fish.

[hammondegge]

he has proven to be a pretty tough fish so i will wait and watch before treating. just in case - how do you come by the Triple sulfa/neomycin or do you make it in your laboratory? i will not have time to run down to CB Pets anytime soon. can i get the meds in Austin?
thanks Doc. :lol

[Richard]

Triple sulfa you should be able to get at pretty much any fish store.

Call around and see if any have the neomycin though. The company that used to package it for the hobby went out of business so it might be harder to find in an LFS. Feed stores might also carry it in a powder form which would be the cheapest way to get it. You'd just have to figure out the dosage (2500mg per 10 gallons) then a 50% water change daily and you just use that dosage rate on the make up water. You don't want to od the neomycin because it can cause kidney damage if the dose is too high. The sulfa is real safe.

Or you might have to order it online. www.seahorsesource.com has it.

[brewercm]

Not a real long story but something that I thought was really strange. A couple of days ago I was looking around before feeding and my lawnmower blenny was sitting right in the middle of my purple flower pot (alveapora). Just sitting there looking at me, I figured that thing would put a pretty good sting on the fish myself.

[hammondegge]

thanks richard

[Richard]

No problem Robert. Hope the boxfish recovers without problems.


Yeah it weird how fish usually aren't bother much by stingy corals. I notice clams don't seem to be easily bothered by corals touching them either.

[hammondegge]

spongebob recovered fully, even his ego healed nicely.....and then he did it again!!

[Sherri]

He OK this time??? :huh

[hammondegge]

yep, he is training to be a stunt fish.