beefytang Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 An outstanding tank -- my favorite. Great photos, documentation, etc. I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing all of this. Link to comment
Lalani Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Gorgeous macros, Diane! I wish mine were that clear and sharp. Be careful in that weather too. Link to comment
klarion Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 You live in a beautiful and dangerous place! Must keep you on your toes...I guess. Link to comment
lilredneckman Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Looks Great Diane! I love all of the Xenia shots! And like Lalani said be careful out in that weather! Link to comment
c est ma Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Thanks so much, beefytang, Lalani, Boris, and lrm! Yet More Pom Pom OK, I know it's overkill to post pics of this critter again so soon, but danged if she hasn't become the ham!! Once more she came out for her portrait shoot and posed so sweetly. I've just been talking pom poms over on Boris's thread, and find I can't wait to post the latest pics. In fact (forewarning) I even have 2 posts' worth. At least the backgrounds are slightly different from the last set of shots--this time she was roaming around the front of the tank. At this point she obligingly returned to dead center and took a position precisely centered under the green/blue rics. I have so many pics of her here, I can't tell which are the best...I go "that mouthpart is good in that one...the antennae show well in that one..." But I realize they probably all look the same if you're not her "mother." It's just too bad her nems aren't more symmetrical looking ATM. All right, off to upload the next batch (don't say I didn't warn you!) --Diane Link to comment
c est ma Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Pom Pom Overkill, Continued This next shot is not so sharp, but I include it because I noticed something interesting about her nems in it. I cropped that to try to show what I mean better. These crabs use their modified pincers to hold the nems around their bases; from the right angle you can see the tentacled top of the nem on one side of the little claw and a bulbous base on the other. In this pic, it almost looks as if the left nem, on its left side, is forming a bud or two?: I lightened that pic in case it shows what I mean better. The mouth on the larger nem also shows up well: On Boris's thread we were speculating about just how the crab manages its nems. Obviously (it's assumed) the crab probably "sets them down" when molting--as far as I know this hasn't been directly observed, but it would almost certainly be necessary. One wonders if they also have a way to induce the nems to multiply? In addition to the ability (its again assumed they have) to "frag" a nem by tearing it in two...I wonder if it's also possible for them to keep some sort of nem "garden" (or at least "parking area") w/in the rock? Obviously the nems aren't photosynthetic... I also got to wondering if the nems ever grow too big for the crab, and if that occasions abandonment of the big nem and starting over with a smaller "frag," possibly of the big one itself? (Of course, if that were the case one might expect to have un-crabbed () nems showing up in one's tanks, which I have never heard of...) This next one is also not so sharp of the face, but I include it because I think it offers a good view of what the female abdomen looks like. Hmmm, now that I think of it, why don't I start looking for a male at the lfs's?! Well after the first 50 or 100 or whatever pics, even I was getting bored, so I moved to the left side of the tank and started snapping some shots of other inhabitants. When I eventually looked back at the front, I found Ms. Pom Pom hanging upside down from a small outcropping of the LR--like some demented bat. I laughed out loud--it was almost as if she were trying to be funny; or at least, to think of something which would attract my attention back to her. These shots aren't as easy to make out, but I hope the humor makes up for that: Dangling a (hairy!) pair of walking legs. Notice the tiny claw on the end of the closest one: OK--I promise to lay off the pom pom pics for a while! --Diane Link to comment
el fabuloso Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 LOVE the pom pom overkill. What an interesting creature...I'm intrigued! Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Pardon me Madam, but I am not a Jones, I am a Smith!!! I believe I shall have to post more Nature Photo's today just to taunt you. Interestingly enough, we had a tornado scare two days ago too. We had a tornado touch down just 1 mile away. It rained and thundered quite a bit at BibleSue's place but we didn't get any hail or that scary looking "Tornado Sky". (If you've ever been in tornado weather, you know what I mean.) On other topics, I sometimes think that many of the SW inverts out there make more interesting tank inhabitants than fish, although fish certainly add nice motion and color to our little water worlds. I've thought of getting pom-pom crabs before, but so many people have reported them to be shy and I want to see mine! Link to comment
tarajean0627 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Diane, Beautiful pics as always and very interestng indeed. I am planning on gettin a pom pom or 2 for my tank in a little while and I was wondering a couple of things. Do you know if there are any differences in behavior between male and female? ( is one nicer than the other) Also how do you tell the difference between male and female? Do they tend to get along better in groups of more than 2? I just love reading your posts they are so fun! Sarah Link to comment
dshnarw Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Pardon me Madam, but I am not a Jones, I am a Smith!!!I believe I shall have to post more Nature Photo's today just to taunt you. I've run out of flowers and I have to grade papers, so it's all you on the nature shots today Weet Oh and for Diane NOW THIS IS A NICE SHOT!! Link to comment
Lalani Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Wow, Diane! Just wow! She's so beautiful and you can definitely see her personality from these pics. Excellent shots. Link to comment
Nick's Reef Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I love the pom-pom pics!!!!! I really want a pair for my tank but my lfs never gets them. I think I may just order some from reef scavengers because shipping to Florida is only like $10. Link to comment
Needreefunds Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 So how is the pom-pom doing Diane? As you can see by the above posts, we love the pics. So stop feeling the need to apologize for the amount or frequency of ANY pics. We love pics!! And if it interests you, we too will be interested. IMO we visit your thread to learn more about you AND your beautiful tank! So knock it off Mother Duck! So load up the other 70 if you have them! Link to comment
yardboy Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Diane,Beautiful pics as always and very interestng indeed. I am planning on gettin a pom pom or 2 for my tank in a little while and I was wondering a couple of things. Do you know if there are any differences in behavior between male and female? ( is one nicer than the other) Also how do you tell the difference between male and female? Do they tend to get along better in groups of more than 2? I just love reading your posts they are so fun! Sarah I'll chime in for at least part of your answer, the difference between the male and female is indicated by the size of their "apron", or middle section of their abdomen. Notice in pic 4 of Post $431, the apron (that section on her belly with the nearly round marking) is quite wide (she uses it to carry her eggs) while in the male it is narrow. My biology textbook says the females looks like the dome of the capital building while the males looks like the Washington Monument. I didn't wait for Diane because I wanted to get ahead of some more snide answer . Link to comment
opaquelace Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Diane, your posts never cease to amaze me (and freeze my computer with all the pictures ). I love the new pics, and that red shroom is to die for! Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 This is the 5.5g to which any future 5.5g I might own will be held. Too bad I'll never be able to equal it. Your tank rocks. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 whoa! amazing pics! although the tornado watch was scary. some of the pompom's are my wallpaper now. kthanx! Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Sorry if I'm just parroting what everyone has said, but... Amazing Photos! I really like your storytelling way of explaining your reef tank. So much life in that little tiny 5.5g! And I have something to ask regarding your refugium. How are you running the fuge light period? Is it in reverse reef lighting period? I'm starting a fuge with chaeto as well. After seeing your tank doing so well, I want to replicate your method! Thanks in advance! Link to comment
divecj5 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Let the echoes continue....what amazing photography and documentary. You have such a nice variety of Xenia in your tank as mine was always a duller brownish color. I never really had much luck with Xenia compared to the Anthelia that I once kept. Keeping Anthelia grew into a love-hate relationship. I absolutely loved to watch it swaying in the flow but I hated how it ended up taking over my tank I guess I was able to grow it a little too well and the environment was such that it would release buds that would spread everywhere in the tank. Great imagery and capture of the pom poms. I may have to look into getting one or two in the future as you and Boris' stories sound like they are almost as exciting creatures than the fish Keep the pictures coming Diane....there can NEVER be too many. Link to comment
klarion Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I've noticed that the pom-poms in my tank sometimes find an outcrop to hang from and wave the anemones in the current. It looks really cool because the whole crab would sway and not just the chelipeds. Link to comment
c est ma Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 Response Post Thank you so much, Aaron, Daniel, Lalani, Nick, Richie, OpaqueLace, Isaac, Tiny, & Adam. I want you all to know how very rewarding it is to get your responses and how very much I appreciate your taking the time to follow my thread! It really means a lot to me! Pardon me Madam, but I am not a Jones, I am a Smith!!!I believe I shall have to post more Nature Photo's today just to taunt you. Interestingly enough, we had a tornado scare two days ago too. We had a tornado touch down just 1 mile away. It rained and thundered quite a bit at BibleSue's place but we didn't get any hail or that scary looking "Tornado Sky". (If you've ever been in tornado weather, you know what I mean.) On other topics, I sometimes think that many of the SW inverts out there make more interesting tank inhabitants than fish, although fish certainly add nice motion and color to our little water worlds. I've thought of getting pom-pom crabs before, but so many people have reported them to be shy and I want to see mine! Tornadoes are pretty dam scary, and I suspect you have more of that sort of weather than I do! Altho this year we've been having all sorts of extremes... I love my fish but I think my inverts do fascinate me the most. Pom poms do start out reclusive, but after a while they may start coming out fairly regularly, esp. if you feed them. As you can tell, mine is now quite bold! Diane,Beautiful pics as always and very interestng indeed. I am planning on gettin a pom pom or 2 for my tank in a little while and I was wondering a couple of things. Do you know if there are any differences in behavior between male and female? ( is one nicer than the other) Also how do you tell the difference between male and female? Do they tend to get along better in groups of more than 2? I just love reading your posts they are so fun! Sarah Thank you Sarah, and thank you Roger (yardboy) for answering her question before I got around to it! Sarah, for visuals of what Roger described, see these two sites: http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchcrabs.html http://www.lpsteamers.com/sex.html Now, I don't think that the difference is always that pronounced--I'm waiting for Boris to get a good ventral shot of his male --but you should definitely be able to tell, esp. if there are more than one crab to look at. My pom pom also developed a nice pouch of bright orange-red eggs right after I purchased her! This is the only pom pom I've ever had, so I can't comment on male/female behavioral differences first hand. From the other pom pom anecdotes I've read on N-R, tho, it doesn't really sound like there's much difference. . . My female leaves everything else alone in the tank (unlike the hermits and emeralds, she doesn't even pick up and examine my baby plate coral, thank god!), but if something approaches her she'll bop it with a nem--thus she's earned the respect of her tankmates. As I understand it, pom poms do fine in groups, altho I wonder if having 2 males might result in some rivalry, esp. if there were a female around? Sorry if I'm just parroting what everyone has said, but... Amazing Photos! I really like your storytelling way of explaining your reef tank. So much life in that little tiny 5.5g! And I have something to ask regarding your refugium. How are you running the fuge light period? Is it in reverse reef lighting period? I'm starting a fuge with chaeto as well. After seeing your tank doing so well, I want to replicate your method! Thanks in advance! Thank you Duncan. As far as fuges go, please remember I'm a fuge newbie! At first I did try for a reverse photo-period, but it was hard to block out the fuge light from the main tank as they're right next to each other. Plus, I like to watch the fuge just as much as I like to watch the tank...And I've read in a few places that a slight pH variation is common in some natural habitats...In sum, being basically lazy, I just reverted to having the fuge on the same light schedule as the tank and, far as I can tell, there have been no negative effects. I've noticed that the pom-poms in my tank sometimes find an outcrop to hang from and wave the anemones in the current. It looks really cool because the whole crab would sway and not just the chelipeds. That does sound cool! I don't have any good hanging spots in my tank that have any current to speak of... Boris, have you noticed how the pom poms use their walking legs to find food? Mine clearly feels around to one side at a time with 2 or 3 of the legs on that side; when one of them contacts food all of them draw it in to the mouthparts. I'm sure they have "taste" receptors on their leg tips. OK, now some pics just to show that I still have fish! Greenbanded Gobies Yesterday I dropped half a sinking wafer into the center of the rockwork for the pom pom, and she must have left a lot of particles lying around as both gobies were actively feeding in there for quite a while (and it's not like they need any extra food! ) It's also probably the dirtiest area of the tank--I really need to get in there and clean--so please just look at the fish. It's always been tough to get a good pic of these guys, as they're constantly darting here & there. So I take what I can get...When Boris mentioned how clown gobies rested in the open for a while, and thus were good photo subjects, I had an "aha" moment. (as in, Aha!--no wonder I have so much trouble shooting mine! ) Anyway, here's the female, looking SO plump, right down to her tail! And still eating like a beagle. (Today was baby goby day, tho, so she must have been quite gravid in these pics as well--they seem to renest as soon as one batch of babies leaves.) This is the male--he's the liveliest! I've had him now for 2.5 years, and he seems as active as ever, in spite of the fact that some source lists their life expectancy at 1 year! (Beside his tail you can see some of the brown hydroids that persist here and there in my tank [the little green circles--their oral disks & tents are green]. And that white thing coming in from the right is a Nassarius "trunk." ) The male again, blurry like he usually is in photos, but in this one his elongated first dorsal spine shows well: And a couple of the two of them together; in both, the male is on top (watch it, Richie! ): Well, you can see why I'm not entering this month's photo contest! I love these guys, anyway. --Diane Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Thank you Duncan. As far as fuges go, please remember I'm a fuge newbie! At first I did try for a reverse photo-period, but it was hard to block out the fuge light from the main tank as they're right next to each other. Plus, I like to watch the fuge just as much as I like to watch the tank...And I've read in a few places that a slight pH variation is common in some natural habitats...In sum, being basically lazy, I just reverted to having the fuge on the same light schedule as the tank and, far as I can tell, there have been no negative effects. Thanks for the detailed reply, totally appreciated it! I think I would run the fuge light as what you are having now. I'm a lazy person as well. The gobies are stunning and I think they are begging you to enter their family photo in the photo contest! Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Nice to know I'm not the only lazy person on here, although with me it's more a matter of convenience since I'm getting interrupted by kids every 5 mins! I see that I failed to post my taunting nature pics, I will remedy that shortly. Link to comment
klarion Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Yes, I've seen the funky leg dance the pom-poms do. They have thin translucent hairs on their legs that may be food-sensitive. Very cute Gobies. I like them. Male Pom-Pom suspect: Link to comment
tarajean0627 Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Diane you should totally enter those pics in the contest!!! I would vote for you! I really love the 3rd one and the 5th one... You really have me second guessing my decision to go with the citron gobies or these green banded ones. Such choices....I guess I shouldn't have to worry about it for a few weeks while I get my tank set up and cycled. oh and thanks for the links about the boys and girls pom poms Link to comment
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