Alec's 40gal breeder chronicles!

hahahaha! "Just let it sting you now."

 

Haha yeahhh.. I always use epoxy for hard corals. I've killed a mushroom doing the same thing, accidently smothering it in super glue lol.

 

Lol not gunna lie, I'm kinda curious to see if it really hurts that much.

 

I find it difficult to stick stuff to the "top" side of the eopxy (whether that be a rock or coral) and the superglue gel dries very fast. lol. So I try to use a combination of both.

LEDs in about a week or two.

 

Here are some sps close ups per request..

 

A couple more.. These are with my brothers iPhone 4. My lights still mess with the colors a bit, so hopefully the 4S will be even better.

 

Epoxy's definitely not very sticky. You kinda have to mold it around whatever your sticking it to and then stick it to the rock.. At least thats how I do it. But yeah I do use a combo of both sometimes too, depending on what I'm glueing.

 

Everything is looking great.

 

That's a beautiful Red Finned waspfish, Paracentropogon rubripinnis. One of my favorites.

 

Do not play that game with a waspfish. A lionfish sting hurts, a waspfish sting is no joke. There are some fish that have mannerisms that increase the sting risk..... like lions. A Red fin doesn't have a swim bladder. If you get struck by one of them, you were really playing around in the tank and not minding him at all. It's really hard to get stung by one of these guys. But unless you want some lovely necrotic tissue, make every attempt to not not let that happen.

Tips to not getting stung:

- When cleaning the tank, have a spotter who can let you know where the fish is at all time or if they can't see them at all.

- Before you clean the tank, feed the fish well.

- If you are cleaning the tank solo, don't get too wrapped up in what you are doing and take your eyes off the fish for too long. Think of it as driving. You mainly have your eyes on the road (fish) and periodically you look away to text or apply make-up (take your eyes off the fish to clean).

- Again, if solo, don't turn your back to the fish. If the fish is on the right side of the tank and you are cleaning the left, use your left hand, not your right, which will position you with your back to the fish. If that doesn't make sense, try it, you'll see what I mean.

- Make sure the fish is easily visible in your tank. (translation.... clean the glass!!!!!).

- Keep up on maintenance. Doing a little light maintenance a couple times a week is better than a monthly sweat and scrape.

- Spot the fish BEFORE you start working in the tank. Some may think if they don't see them, they are ok. I grant you, that's when you'll get struck.

- Note when the fish is less active and schedule your tank maintenance in that time frame.

- Make sure the tank is an appropriate size for the fish. If you have a whale in a nano, there's not going to be much room for your hand, thus increasing your risk.

- Use a scraper on a stick or a pick up stick.... thingy or a magfloat whenever possible. The less you are in there, the smaller the risk.

- They can sting you even when they're dead. The venom lasts longer than you'll be able to handle the smell, so use prongs if you can.

- Egg nog and tank maintenance don't mix.

Absolutely an awesome fish. Great choice. That's a little boy you have there. Here's a link to some pics of my pair. http://www.lionfishlair.com/ourfish/redfin.shtml Between me and my husband we have about 25 years of handling these guys under our belt. We've never been hit, so tell bro it's not a given....

Smart reefers stay safe. Stupid behaviors result in stupid outcomes.



*disclaimer: I do not advocate texting/applying makeup while driving*.