Invertebrates/Fish for a Tampa area biotope

[Guits]

Hi everyone,

 

First thanks for all the info that I've been able to find on nanoreef over the past year. Previously I've never had a reason to post because I've been able to find so much info on this forum!

 

I started a new 5 gallon tank (Fluval Spec) about a month ago with rock from Gulf Live Rock after reading about all the life that comes with the rock. I asked for rock with as many hitchhikers as possible and I was not disappointed! To maintain as much of the live as possible, I did a soft cycle. Currently, the tank has Caribbean rose coral (Manicina), tube coral (Cladocora), starlet coral (Siderastrea), hidden cup coral (Phyllangia), and the halimeda is starting to regrow.

 

My idea was to establish a tank as faithful as possible to the Tampa area, although that might not be feasible. Are there any commonly available invertebrates or fish that actually live in the Tampa area? I've done a lot of online research, and most of what is available that we typically think of as Florida critters such as ricordea, the colorful photosynthetic gorgonias, neon gobies, etc don't actually live in Central Florida and rather are found only in the Keys. Please correct me if I am wrong about this. The common hitchhikers listed Tampa Bay Saltwater's website aren't things you would actually find for sale, and KP Aquatics sells critters from the Keys.

 

I suppose I could cheat and order from KP Aquatics and just call it a "Florida tank," but my other tank is an Evolve 8 that is already a Florida Keys biotope tank stocked almost exclusively by KP Aquatics! Anyways, thanks for any insights about what lives in the Tampa area!

[Acielot]

Not many fish are ideal for a 5 gallon. There are practically none that come exclusively from central Florida either.

 

Although I have seen neon gobies further north than Tampa.

 

 

If you ever decide to part with your cladocora and rose coral I would love them.

[JLynn]

There is a study on the seagrass beds of central florida (including, yes, Tampa Bay). I believe there is a link to the PDF of it in our thread on seagrasses. Part of the study describes the creatures typically found in these biotopes. Though, like James B said, it is doubtful that any of them will be suitable for a 5 gallon. You might also consider asking this question on the scuba diving forum at ReefCentral. Of course, you can always check out the fishbase; they have an option to search by geographic location. This will let you narrow it down to Floridian fish. Most of the entries on the fishbase have little maps of the distibrution of the fish in question. That ought to tell you if that particular fish can be found in the Tampa Bay area. Fishbase entries also include helpful info about the max and avg size of specimens as well as their habitat and diet (to the extent that these things are known), which will help you assess whether or not the fish is appropriate for such a small tank. Lastly, you could just get scuba certified and go see for yourself! Good luck!

[Guits]

Thanks for the suggestions! The tank is currently fishless but I think I will consider a neon goby in the future.

[ndrobey]

Are there any tidepools around Tampa? If there are, you could collect critters during low tide. Tidepool critters generally are adapted to small pools of water, so should adapt to a small tank.

[Dr.Brain Coral]

Do a Wennerae Mantis shrimp!! They stay small and you can buy them from Tampa bay saltwater.