The purpose of this tank is to focus on mutual and commensal symbiotic relationships. I plan to have a goby/pistol shrimp pair, sexy shrimp with ricordias or mini carpet nems, a small christmas tree worm rock, and perhaps a small acropora crab. Corals will be primarily SPS with some zoos/rics for color value. For those interested in the building of this tank, check here.

Tank Specs:

• Display Tank: 9g Starfire w/ custom foam rock wall
• Fuge: 10g standard
• Skimmer: AquaC Remora w/ MJ1200
• Lighting: 150w MH Retro in custom hood w/ 14k Phoenix bulb
• Filtration: 11 lbs. SeaLife Inc. rock arriving 3/17/09 in fuge
• Flow: MJ600, Mag 5 Return, Koralia Nano

Stocking:

Reefcleaners CUC: Ceriths, Periwinkles, Limpets, Chiton, Red Mangroves, chaeto, shaving brush

Current FTS (5/27/09):

Not to crash the tread right after the first post but...

A "symbiotic" relationship is not necessarily one that benefits both parties. That type of relationship is called a "mutualism". There are at least two other kinds of symbioses: commensalism and parasitism.

Perhaps a better title would be "Dhaut's Mutualism Microcosm".

Way to crash it right after the first post.

Fine fine. I'll go with mutualism.

Any other small mutual symbioses that I may have overlooked? Sexy shrimp would be a commensal relationship with the anemone/coral they inhabit, correct?

I also want a pom pom crab, but I'm not sure if one would be ok in a 9g with all the SPS.

Gonna be watching Love your rock wall.

Thanks!

For the shrimp goby pair get a yasha and randal's pistol pair or a dracula randal's pair

You and the tank.

Awesome idea! I have a degree in zoology and I am shocked I didn't think of this idea. I will be tagging along.

There are other commensal species for anemones you could choose from, such as anemone shrimp and porcellain crabs.

Some more symbiotic partnerships:
zoanthids+sponges
pom pom crab
anemone hermit crab
staghorn hermit crab
sponge crab

I totally thought about that after I posted earlier, lol! And in reality, every coral I put in there that contains zooxanthellae is a mutualistic relationship.



Nice list! I'm still considering a pom pom crab. Given the limited space in the tank, I'm concerned about putting something in there that could sting the other corals. What zoanthids form partnerships with sponges? Never seen that.

Click to view attachment

rockz

How many gallons is that tank? Hard to tell. These would be suitable for large-ish tanks, but hopefully it gives you some ideas...

If you have ever had the opportunity to see a Tridacnid commensal shrimp it is one of the neatest relationships ever. They constantly go in and out of the siphon, and the clam doesn't flinch a bit...


Urchin clingfish and urchin would be another good one.

Sweet! The tank is only 9 gallons, unfortunately. As it evolves though I'll keep that in mind. I do plan to get a clam in about a year though - where would I get the accompanying shrimp?

I love the clingfish/urchin idea - I wish I had the room!

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Already found a starfish, some tiny crabs, lots of bristleworms, and a small yellow nudi of some sort. Not to mention all the algae!

Thats some good looking rock. I'm glad to see it in there, but I bet not 1/2 as glad as you are...
Are you just using it to seed the fake rock in the display?

Looks awesome!

Will you be doing anything to preserve the life on the rock?

The rock in the display is already seeded. I ran a full cycle before this one with a couple smaller pieces of rock. This rock is the primary filtration and comes with tons of algae that should help cut down on nitrates. Plus, I wanted a fuge that I could have just as much fun watching as the display



Already soft cycling. I've got lots of saltwater ready to go and the skimmer is doing the best it can.

Sounds great! It's going to be fun to watch it shape up.

like this?
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...560&hl=fuge

Exactly, lol

on those rocks, this is gonna be sweet

Thanks! I'm stoked.

More rock pics!







A cool blue hitchhiker - not sure what it is.

aw, NICE rocks!
they are so colorful!!!

and looks like you got some codium!
my favorite macro algae, it looks so plump and fuzzy

I'm only getting the first of the 4.

Hmm...I'm still showing all 4. Not sure what's up.

I tried all 3 of my browsers.

they work for me =]

you can always copy and paste into a new window

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nhyDew2Sa4Q/ScAVEpF4...1o/s640/001.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nhyDew2Sa4Q/ScAVHQPG...Mk/s912/002.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nhyDew2Sa4Q/ScAVM2aS...os/s912/010.JPG

A cool blue hitchhiker - not sure what it is.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nhyDew2Sa4Q/ScAVPPuL...-s/s912/012.JPG

WANT!

That will be fun to watch. Have you found about the sexys yet?

Lalani says they should be fine with a pom pom crab and that they host whatever they want or nothing at all.

well you should not have told me that I mite buy that pistol/goby combo out for under you.

j/k

How much longer tell you get a CUC?

Haha - it's yours if you want it. The tank is still too young for a fish. The CUC should be added by next week, I'm hoping - that's when I expect the soft cycle to be over with the new rock.

I got to talk to girl into it first...



does that mean they will do OK with the pistol too?

LOL - They sold already!

Wasn't me

The sexies should be fine with the pistol shrimp.

Yep, do da sexies.

Links didn't work for me.

You could have a single clam big enough to do it...but it would fill up the tank! I have no idea where you would find one of these shrimp for sale. I have seen them twice on random occasions and both were in fairly large (around 6"+) clams, one squamosa and one derasa. If you look carefully at large clams, you may have some luck.

The clingfish stay small but the real limitation is the urchin. And they do grow fast unfortunately.

Right now on DD there are several pistol shrimp which Kevin has listed as Acropora commensals. I've never seen one before but they look pretty cool.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemD...&ddid=59090

Aww...to bad on the clams. I might be able to keep something that's 6", but if it grows any bigger it'd be a problem. Same thing with the urchin - it would just not have the room.

I love those coral pistol shrimp though! If my tank was ready, I'd have gone broke over the past couple days. I'll just have to be patient and keep a log of the cool things I've seen on there and see if they pop back up (or I might shoot them an email and see if they can keep an eye out for more).

Killer finds man. Thanks a lot!

Also, the pic links are now broken for me too. I used picasa web albums. I'll try switching to photobucket later and see if that fixes it.

Spider Sponge - sybiotic with white zoanthids. Might have to look into one of these - pretty cool.

Click to view attachment

I have a small (1" or so) frag that I got at a local fragswap for super cheap back in Feb. It was close to the end of the day and the guy had several he hadn't sold, so I got it for $10.

What I have learned is that they need really turbid, dirty water in order to survive in the wild. My tank is a softie tank that is fed a lot and although I have a skimmer, there are a lot of nutrients in the water. The white zoos on my sponge have yet to open and the orange part has been slowly receding. So....not good.

I am sure I will kill it eventually. If you want it & would pay shipping, I'd send it to you free ('cept the actual shipping cost). I haven't done much coral shipping, so would need guidance on how to do it so that the sponge doesn't ever come into contact with air. But PM me & let me know. I'd rather give someone else a shot at it.

Aww...that's too bad. My tank's going through cycle #2 after adding the new rocks, so it wouldn't stand a chance. Plus, since I"ll have a primarily SPS tank, if it needs dirty water I'm not going to be much help either Maybe in about 6-8 months when I'm dosing phyto and such for the clam I plan to have it would do better. I don't know anything about them though. Maybe post and see if anyone knows of a solution to help it out.

Thanks for the offer though! I hate turning it down, but I'm afraid I'd kill faster than you because my tank's so new.

The water needs to be "dirty" with regard to turbidity, yes? That means it needs particulates, it seems.

I don't know about you guys, but my sump is a gathering place for particulates that supports a large population of filter-feeders including a couple types of sponge.

Fosi means he'll take it

I don't want to hijack about this here, but I have been trying a lot of particulates, mostly as I work on feeding my gorgs. (cyclopeze, frozen baby brine, live baby brine mostly) I have numerous black sponges & white sponges all around the tank, but I think this one is a tough one. I do dose phyto as well. I've looked & looked & don't see anyone having success. I will keep trying to do right by it.

Edit: K, Fosi, offer is open if you want to try it... PM me.

DHaut: You have a sump too, do you not?

No prob on the hijack - I hope that this thread will be a good place for discussion of symbiotic relationships eventually. Good luck on the sponge. If you learn anything further or it turns around, let me know. I think it's a cool relationship to witness. Maybe when my tank is ready you'll have enough sponge for a frag



I do - but my tank is really young. I don't want to risk throwing a suffering sponge in there right now - I'm afraid it'd be a goner fast.

Edit: Or do you think it'd survive?

If it was going to do well, I would think it would in Carinya's tank based on her last post.