The Lightning Project

The ongoing saga of the PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish breeding project.

Browsing Posts published in April, 2010

Early this morning, before leaving for Easter brunch with Renee’s family, I snuck a look @ the Maroon Clowns.  To my dismay, it appeared that the female had spots of ICH (Cryptocaryon irritans) on her now?  Seriously?  Or maybe this is just spots of Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatus)?  At this point, nothing would surprise me, but […]

Just a quick note to followup on my earlier status update.  I did the water tests in light of the cloudy water that presented today.  pH 8.0.  Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate at undetectable levels.  Removed that carbon bag I forgot about.  Rather than trying to pull out any and all residual Formalin to start with […]

So back on March 31st, in the midst of plenty of hard-core programming for work, I got a call from Fed Ex.  Mark Martin had arranged for a “hold at facility” on my shipment, which meant that Fed Ex called me when the boxes arrived.  It is better, and often quicker, than letting the fish […]

Being down at the TCMAS frag swap today, many folks asked me for clarification…how many Lighting Maroons are there and how many was I actually sent by Blue Zoo Aquatics? Well, according to Reef Builder’s Jake Adams…there have been two collected.  Three if you count the fish that Jake and Guin helped report about on […]

Today I went with Jay and Jim and made the trip to the TCMAS Frag Swap to deliver many of the fish I sold to help finance this adventure.  Thanks once again for everyone who chipped in on a moment’s notice! Got back, and things are looking OK.  Back to work for me…which has been […]

Well, things are going well.  Maroons are sleeping, doing well hours after their Formalin dips. First, just to reiterate, my camera’s transfer cord was lost somewhere between LIRA’s NERAC V @ Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, NY, and home (Duluth MN).  Thus, there are tons of pictures being taken, but sadly, until the replacement cord […]

OK, so please see my earlier post for details on how I almost really botched things but in the end, caught a lucky break by thinking not to try something out on the Maroons first 😉 The large “regular” female Maroon went through a 45 minute Formalin Dip (20 drops, or 1 ml, of true […]

Fun times this evening.  Having never really had to DO a formalin dip (counting my blessings many times over) I did NOT just willy nilly start off with the Maroons.  Heck no.  Instead, I started off with the Polymnus and Allardi.  “Practice” on the “replaceable” fish.  Now, they’ve been in a tank already being treated […]

Yup.  “GRR”.  But not unanticipated and as my elders have told me, almost expected 😉 I prepped some water this morning to do the next change to bring things down as I outlined earlier today.  I tried a little feeding, neither fish was interested. Did a water test just to be safe.  1.014, pH 8.2, […]

Not Hypochondriac, Hyposaline!  I’ve heard stories of people who get an “uber rare fish” and end up killing it because they worry too much about it or just fuss over it.  I promise I am not going to be that guy.  The Maroons are still settling in, but I’m taking prevenative steps that everyone working […]