Critters

Utter Chaos Palys

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 01:05:31 +0000

Utter Chaos Palys melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 04:05

These palys are nicknamed Utter Chaos

Zoanthids and Palys

Critters

Banded Serpent Starfish

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 01:01:39 +0000

Banded Serpent Starfish melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 04:01

Serpent starfish come in a few different colors and styles, and all of them are a good choice as part of your cleanup crew. They will retreat into the rockwork most of the time, but surely will be seen when food hits the water. This banded starfish has been with me for more than six years. I have a pair of tan-brown ones since 2004, so 14 years at the time of this entry. They don't prey on fish or other invertebrates, and help keep the surface sand devoid of waste. I'd recommend one in a 30-60g tank.

Worms and Cucs and Starfish

Critters

Yellow Sponge

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:57:47 +0000

Yellow Sponge melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:57

Quite a bit of sponge growth in our tank is unplanned, coming in as a hitchhiker on the rockwork. If you have some, take some time to enjoy its design, its texture. Remember that sponge will not survive out of water, so if you remove the rock from your tank for any time at all, it will die and can cause an ammonia spike in your system. You may even have to scrape it off, but your better choice is to keep the rock submerged at all times, even in a separate container while you arrange your reef to suit your design. This one is Reef-safe-ish; it does grow at an aggressive rate and can outgrow neighboring corals to their detriment.

Invertebrates

Critters

Psammacora sp.

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:55:06 +0000

Psammacora sp. melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:55

Because of the shape of this coral, I had to buy it. A few people helped me identify it as Psammacora. The bright green coloration, as well as the fuzzy polyps, really caught my eye. And in the core of this colony, a number of barnacles extend whiskers for filter feeding. It is a nice coral with great texture.

SPS Corals

Critters

Gorgonian - Pseudoplexaura sp.

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:50:16 +0000

Gorgonian - Pseudoplexaura sp. melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:50

This Gorgonian - Pseudoplexaura sp. - was acquired from the 20,000g reef in Long Island back in 2012, and has been growing steadily for years. Occasionally I'll frag a small piece to share with a special hobbyist. This species is easy to keep; it's photo-synthetic meaning it does need light to feed, but I never target feed it any foods directly. Clearly it captures what it needs on its own, since it is doing so well in my system.

It started from a 4" frag in 2012, and hasn't been directly fed. As a photo-synthetic coral, it aquires some nutrition via lighting while the polyps trap any food moving in the water column. The parent colony has been in Joe's care for over 25 years, and huge colonies 4'-5' wide can be seen in his reef.

As of 2017, my little colony is over 17" in size with many branches.

Soft Corals

Critters

Rotifers

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:47:26 +0000

Rotifers melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:47

Rotifers are pretty much the smallest food hobbyists can grow, and you'll need a starter culture which is available online from Florida Aqua Farms. Rotifers are tiny specks of dust basically. In the image above, there are hundreds if not a few thousand rotifers that gathered along the edge of a petri-dish. Video would have been a better choice as they are just too small for my camera to photograph accurately. Rotifers need phytoplankton to live, and this must be provided daily. The rotifers consume the phyto and then they can be feed to fry (baby fish) or to corals late at night, when their polyps are extended for feeding. Reef-safe.

More pictures in this blog entry.

Pods and Snails

Critters

Red Bugs

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:42:04 +0000

Red Bugs melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:42

One of the blights of many SPS keepers has been the notorious red bugs, which aren't even red! These tiny fleas are yellow and tend to congregate on smooth Acropora colonies. They are tough to kill, using a prescription product called Interceptor from your local vet. Please refer to Reef Central as well as this link for instructions on dosing this product, as it is quite an endeavor that has to be repeated three times and which may affect pods and crabs in your tank. Leaving them unchecked, they reportedly will kill SPS corals one by one. NOT reef-safe!

Here's a page on my site showing how I treated a coral for this infestation.

Photo by Gregory

Pests

Critters

Unknown Chalice

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:39:25 +0000

Unknown Chalice melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:39

I got this Chalice in a trade from another hobbyist years ago, but don't recall the name. It's a beauty, and I enjoy looked at it especially at night when the actinic XHOs are running. It's orange skinned with yellow mouths, and contrasts with the green chalice behind it. Chalice corals are slow encrusting corals. If you try to frag them, then often break as easily as if you were trying to share a potato chip. Ideally, leave it alone and enjoy what you have is my motto.

LPS Corals

Critters

Target Mandarinfish

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:35:12 +0000

Target Mandarinfish melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:35

I bought this Target or Spotted Mandarin - Synchiropus picturatus - to help consume and remove flatworms from my 55 gallon reef. Unfortunately, this fish doesn't seem to find them the least bit appetizing. However, it has found plenty of other food to eat, including prepared foods and even pellet food. Although it is a slow moving fish, it is extremely elusive when I try to photograph it. Reef-safe.

Fish

Critters

Porcelain crab

melev — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:29:48 +0000

Porcelain crab melev Sat, 06/13/2020 - 03:29

The porcelain crab is commonly found in tropical oceans. It has a flat round body, and come in a few different colors. Their two large claws are nothing to fear; these are timid reef-safe crabs. Often found in the rock work or under the rocks, you can see these scavengers seeking food as well as protection. These can be kept in pairs. This one has chosen to dwell in a sea anemone, a beautiful rainbow bubble tip. Initially the clownfish weren’t too pleased by the new arrival, but in time they decided it was no threat.

The extend their feather appendages to capture planktonic food moving through the water column. Look closely and you’ll see how they retract them to clean them off, and re-extend them to capture more food. They can also eat meaty portions on occasion, provided the pieces are small enough.

These peaceful crabs are both interesting and pleasing to the eye, and won’t harm any invertebrates or corals. They are going to need plenty of places to hide, and shouldn’t be housed with fish that may prey upon them.

Their typical size is 3/4” to 1” across. They resemble the squat lobster more than other common crabs, and they do a good job of keeping their surroundings clean. They may pick at algae, but are not considered part of a clean up crew.

Crustaceans and Molluscs

Critters