Lhunpaurwen's Ramblings

Stress Flair Having an autoimmune attack relapse thanks to some unnecessary stress regarding being out of $500 from my service dog/medical fund, but we'll talk about that in detail later if the money doesn't magically appear by this Friday. My body is having an absolute fit. Face is swollen again from angry glands and blocked draining. Reef Scare Woke up from pain early AM to discover to my horror that my reef tank temperature had dropped to 73F. It's supposed to be 80F. I just replaced the old heater with a brand new one with a gift card from Petsmart, because it was showing signs it would go soon. So here I go deliriously flailing through pain and medicated stupor, thanking the gods I hadn't thrown the old one out yet, digging out the other old one I use for water change heatups to try and bump the temperature back up before anything died off. Unfortunately it looks like one of my SPS propagates is toast. Half it already slothed off and bleached out, the other half tissue necrosis and slothing starting. I fought with this species since I first got the frag from father in law's tank as a rescue. If the tissue bed isn't thick enough it self destructs at slightest change. That's how I realized the old heater was starting to go, the temp wasn't holding stable and it showed signs of distress from it. Thankfully I still have a thick patch growing nearby and it looks okay. Sometimes the colony will recede into the structure and might come back with time, and a lot of luck. Otherwise I will try and transplant some onto the coral bone and hope it takes hold. Because, science! Art Share I have gotten used to the new medication enough to where I think I can get back to detailed art work without making a total foobar of it. I have a few long overdue pieces I will be sharing for winners of contest ages ago, and I will be working on the happy dog painting, streaming more of the progress with it, probably starting some tonight if I can get this swelling to go down a tad more so I can see out both eyes clearly. I will post the stream link once it is set up and live when I do work on it, though may just randomly work since I can't predict how angry my body will get. Hoping everyone else is having a better kickoff into 2017.

I am inspired by many things in the world around me, especially by animals and the natural world. Besides my cats and dogs, one thing that has always had a special place in my heart is water and aquatic life. I grew up exploring the creeks, marshes, and swamps near my home along the Gulf Coast. I love going to the aquarium, or even just to the local pet store, to watch the fish and other creatures. I've almost always had an aquarium or at least a betta fish on my desk. I enjoy sitting listening to the flowing water, its soothing and helps in meditation and daydreaming. I love watching the fish as they glide along effortlessly. The colors, the way light flickers through the water and the plants sway with the current, it all inspires my creativity.

When we moved from Minnesota, I had to leave my 29gal aquarium and all my supplies and fish behind. It made me very sad and I figured it would probably be a long time before I could have an aquarium again because of our living arrangements. Recently I thought about getting a betta, inspired by a nice little desktop setup a friend had. That idea evolved thanks to Mike's help in funding the "fish fund" so I could have that little slice of happy back.

I ended up finding a beautiful 13gal slim profile wide view tank kit for the same price I would have paid for the 5gal. Just the right size to sit next to me on the dresser, and large enough that I could get the other fish I really wanted.









Community tank inhabitants currently include: School of neon tetras, school of emerald green corydoras catfish, one happy male betta, one mystery snail, and some ghost shrimp.

Aqua-scaping counts as a form of artwork, right? I created the environment. It is aesthetically pleasing. The fish are happy. They make me happy.


What inspires you?

Possible Dangers In Saltwater Tanks

Spent the evening reading about toxins and venoms in marine invertebrates, when I should have been working on art stuff. Originally it started off art related. I was looking up some info and references for art stuff.... but who can resist looking at related links about organic toxins and venom. Only until you come across an image that looks exactly like something your father-in-law has in his saltwater tank and go ..... o_O

I knew zoanthids / palythoa contained palytoxin and other toxins that can be deadly. Many marine invertebrates do. I have always wanted saltwater tanks, and aside from the insane cost of one, stuff like that is really the major thing that makes me leery of trying live corals / reef tank stuff. I've always been fascinated by corals, anemones and zoanthids ( they reminded me of the deeper sea organisms like tube worms ). Like some alien life form of awesomeness. And they're easy to keep. But they can also be highly toxic.

Don't be scared of zoanthids and palythoa. Don't get rid of any you might have just because it is possible for them to be dangerous. I just want to make people aware of how dangerous they can be and to be careful when handling them. It's really no different than precautions you'd take having a lionfish in your tank.

The best thing to do is wear goggles or a face shield to protect your eyes ( they squirt water ) and gloves to protect your skin, and use tools like forceps or special tongs when handling aquatic invertebrates. Be careful with your fragging - do it under water so organisms like this can't shoot water at you, and so there isn't a risk of dust/debris being inhaled, among other things. Always wash your hands extremely well after handling anything in your tanks even if you wear gloves and use other tools.

Reports say that Palythoa toxin can build up in your system over time through bio-accumulation, and lead to symptoms one might assume is bad allergies or a mild case of the flu. There was also mention of scientists studying Palythoa toxin finding that the toxin might be found in other nearby corals that do not produce it on their own (I'd have to do more research to find out how true this is ). It's always a good idea to know the history of your frag sources and to keep a list of items in your tank, just in case.


Related Links:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/04/05/worlds-2nd-deadliest-poison-in-an-aquarium-store-near-you/#.VLatbXvZ4_g


http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/palythoa-toxica-poisoning-one-reefkeepers-personal-experience-with-palytoxin-poisoning


http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/296438-please-read-and-share-palytoxin-almost-kills-local-reefer



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