My Atlantis - Wild & Woolly May 2015 Pictures!

[Weetabix7]

Skipper, the Citron goby, is a p-i-g! High in the water column, atop his rocks, Skipper scans his territory for food.When he spies shrimp swirling around on the current he comes alive, darting around to catch as many tasty morsels as he can. Even when he is stuffed he takes shrimp in his mouth and then spits it out, takes it back and spits it out again. Karloff, the Peppermint shrimp, sees this gluttony and tries to steal the discarded shrimp. Skipper will not have any of that uppity behavior from a mere shrimp and chases him back below the arch.

 

Meanwhile down in the wavy sand bed little snorkels attached to Nassarius snails begin to twitch. They smell promise in the water. The calm surface of the sand erupts with half a dozen little snail detectives looking for clues. They will find the dead body snagged on a grain of sand or rock and clean up the crime scene efficiently and quickly. One unfortunate Nassarius snoops around too closely to an anemone's tentacle full of venomous harpoons. His snorkel becomes snared in the grip of the hungry anemone. When the scuffle is over the little detective glides away with his life intact but a much shorter snorkel.

 

I enjoyed reading this as well.

 

What is your lighting?

You might be surprised what it can support.

[albertthiel]

My LFS had a sale yesterday. I purchased some frags and of course there were a few aiptasia for Karloff to clean up and he did so with gusto.

 

Here is a video of Karloff on a new rock. He is very thorough! I purchased the three mushroom but the LFS gave me the whole rock with the mushrooms. The rock itself has an SPS, Porite coral, that I will probably not be able to keep alive. I do not think the lighting I have is sufficient for it.

 

Nice eitallent ... and Karloff looks awesome ! You now need to get a Boris I guess :-)

[eitallent]

I enjoyed reading this as well.

 

What is your lighting?

You might be surprised what it can support.

 

The lighting for this JBJ 12G Nano Cube is 2 - 24 Watt compact florescents, each 10000K daylight and blue actinic 50/50 lamps.

 

What do you think? Will the Porite coral have a chance?

[eitallent]

Nice eitallent ... and Karloff looks awesome ! You now need to get a Boris I guess :-)

 

Yes it will have to be named Boris. Originally I had three Peppermints. The other two were Abbott and Costello. Boris Karloff played several roles in Abbott & Costello movies.

 

The little Emerald crab and the Peppermint shrimp are worth their weight in gold. They really keep nuisance organisms in check.

 

I could not help but buy several zoas, a lonely solitary yellow polyp, and a lonely solitary clove polyp.

FTS from today.

 

[Weetabix7]

The lighting for this JBJ 12G Nano Cube is 2 - 24 Watt compact florescents, each 10000K daylight and blue actinic 50/50 lamps.

 

What do you think? Will the Porite coral have a chance?

 

If it's Hitchhiker Porites, like the type seen on Caribbean rock, it actually might have a chance, believe it or not. I'm fairly certain c est ma was able to keep HH Porites just fine under her PC light.

She had the very first ever TOTM on Nano-Reef, you should really check out her tank thread if you haven't already.

 

Also, I love Clove Polyps.

[eitallent]

Some of yesterday's acquisitions:

 

Could these be Radioactive Dragon's Eyes?

 

 

Zoas on top could be Oxides Zoas :orange skirt, blue disc, yellow mouth (Confirm please.)

 

The big paly in the middle may be Nuclear Fallout People Eaters. (Confirm please.)

[eitallent]

If it's Hitchhiker Porites, like the type seen on Caribbean rock, it actually might have a chance, believe it or not. I'm fairly certain c est ma was able to keep HH Porites just fine under her PC light.

She had the very first ever TOTM on Nano-Reef, you should really check out her tank thread if you haven't already.

 

Also, I love Clove Polyps.

 

Thanks! I will check out her tank thread. I am glad you enjoyed Skipper and company's adventures. There is always something exciting going on in that small, wet world.

[albertthiel]

Yes it will have to be named Boris. Originally I had three Peppermints. The other two were Abbott and Costello. Boris Karloff played several roles in Abbott & Costello movies.

 

The little Emerald crab and the Peppermint shrimp are worth their weight in gold. They really keep nuisance organisms in check.

 

I could not help but buy several zoas, a lonely solitary yellow polyp, and a lonely solitary clove polyp.

FTS from today.

 

I love that scaping ... looking real good with "you know who" at the top of the rock watching over everyone else.

 

And yes you will have to get a Boris or name an unnamed one Boris !

 

Good to read that those two are keeping things in check and munching their way through whatever they can to keep the tank neat and clean

[eitallent]

My computer is being worked on so I have not been posting. Typing on my mobile phone is a pain and the text editor on this forum does not cooperate with the mobile browser! Also, auto-correct is so annoying. Grrr.

 

Anyway, my little reef is doing great. Everyone is growing, eating, swimming, creeping and crawling. I went away for the weekend and my father-in-law took care of Skipper. As you can imagine Skipper has won my FIL's heart! LOL

[Weetabix7]

Great!!

[albertthiel]

My computer is being worked on so I have not been posting. Typing on my mobile phone is a pain and the text editor on this forum does not cooperate with the mobile browser! Also, auto-correct is so annoying. Grrr.

 

Anyway, my little reef is doing great. Everyone is growing, eating, swimming, creeping and crawling. I went away for the weekend and my father-in-law took care of Skipper. As you can imagine Skipper has won my FIL's heart! LOL

 

Sorry to read about your computer problems and I agree that posting messages on one's phone is indeed difficult ... Mine gets me to log saying I am not, then I log in and reply to a message, and then the software says I can't reply because I am not logged in .. go figure ..

 

Oh I am sure Skipper would make friends with everyone ... it's such a great fish !

[msscha]

My LFS had a sale yesterday. I purchased some frags and of course there were a few aiptasia for Karloff to clean up and he did so with gusto.

I love this picture of Karloff! It's so hard to get good shots of transparent bodies, but you do it well!

[eitallent]

Great!!

Yay! I have my PC back. Back to posting, reading, learning and ignoring chores!

 

 

 

Sorry to read about your computer problems and I agree that posting messages on one's phone is indeed difficult ... Mine gets me to log saying I am not, then I log in and reply to a message, and then the software says I can't reply because I am not logged in .. go figure ..

 

Oh I am sure Skipper would make friends with everyone ... it's such a great fish !

 

Yes I like my big keyboard and touch pad.

 

Skipper is a blued-eyed captivator!

 

I love this picture of Karloff! It's so hard to get good shots of transparent bodies, but you do it well!

TY I think the camera does all the work for me.

[eitallent]

I have been able to keep the water chemistry pretty stable and all is well with the world (well, in the tank world). My new Hannah pH tester is growing on me. At first I tried taking a reading by dipping the electrode directly into the tank. However, I had to wait (impatiently) for the reading to stabilize. Now I take a small sample of water into a glass beaker and let the reader sit in it while I do the other tests. I have begun to trust the pH reader a bit better than when I first used it too. I calibrate the reader every two weeks or so. I also thank all of you who recommended I get a refractometer. What a great tool! I wish all tests were that easy. I am still using and liking the Salifert alkalinity titration kit. I am finishing up the API nitrate and phosphate kits and will look for a better testing method when I run out.

 

I have divided up and glued my new Zoas to the rockscape. They have already started taking hold of adjacent territory like pioneers in the prairies. I love these guys. They are so satisfying to watch grow.

 

 

On the Porite's rock I noticed tube worms(?). They have neon red, purple, green and blue filaments that they wave out of their tubes. They are transparent filaments until you look at them from different angles. At first I thought there was a wierd reflection on the glass until I realized that it was the filaments coming from the tubes in the rock. There are about four of them and you can see one just under the white (bleached but already regaining some color since I brought them home) mushroom.

 

 

Of course whenever you bring anything home there is always a hitch hiker. Here is one I know nothing about. It was under a rock and it detached itself. I left alone to see if it would find a spot it liked. It has a "foot" that was reaching around the sand. It has not moved from where it became detached.

 

 

My single little yellow polyp seems so happy in its new home it is eating well. Today I noticed a little bud coming from its foot. Dare I hope that it is so happy it is multiplying?

 

The polyp just snagged and swallowed a shrimp the same size as its oral disc. (Burp! Excuse me!)

 

 

"Yeah," says Skipper," I got my eye on you."

 

[eitallent]

And now, for something completely different ...

 

[albertthiel]

Yes I like my big keyboard and touch pad.

 

Skipper is a blued-eyed captivator!

 

Indeed, a lot simpler on a PC or Tablet or Laptop than on a phone :-) and Skipper is a treasure indeed. Magnet was up to his tricks again sticking himself to the glass .. he just loves to do that for some reason.

[eitallent]

Indeed, a lot simpler on a PC or Tablet or Laptop than on a phone :-) and Skipper is a treasure indeed. Magnet was up to his tricks again sticking himself to the glass .. he just loves to do that for some reason.

 

Hello Abert. Skipper does the same. It seems the citron gobies like to stick to any surface.

[eitallent]

This morning I notice that the bud on the yellow polyp is bigger.

 

Since adding the DIY fuge, I have had an explosion in copepod population (in the display tank as well). There are the small translucent kind that make the sand look like it is alive. They swarm over the live rock too. I am guessing they move around so much in their tireless efforts to find food. Some are very big; easily seen from a distance. Is it time to add a pod eating fish? If so what would be appropriate?

 

Also, there has been a surge of spirorbis worms on the rocks, back panel and snail shells. Why is this? Is it a sign of a healthy tank or too much nutrient content? Phosphates and nitrates are low I assume because they are not detectable with API kits.

 

 

This is a tube worm (flaberigerid?) that came on the porite coral rock with the mushrooms on it. It has beautiful, straight spine-like 'tentacles' that are almost invisible. It secretes mucous to catch small food particles which you can see in the picture. When looked at from different angles you can see flashes of color along the length of them. Almost like the fire in a diamond. In this picture you can see a line of blue close to the opening of the tube.

 

Here is the link to chuck's addiction where I get worm IDs.

[Weetabix7]

The increase in spirorbis worms might be as a result of adding the fuge. I say this because I remember having the same thing in my 4g Pico when I had it set up before with the same refugium on it.

[albertthiel]

Hello Abert. Skipper does the same. It seems the citron gobies like to stick to any surface.

Yes indeed, any coral, any glass pane, rock, GSP, etc .. the only one he has not gone into strangely enough it the Kenya Tree I have and that is growing and growing so fast that I may have to trim it down in the next couple of days. Other than that Magnet has taken up residence in everything else in the tank including all "stingers" and nothing seems to bother him.

[pschom]

I like all your hitch hikers. I had a sail fin blenny that used to eat pods. And algae it appeared. They are pretty cool. Not sure if it would get along with goby? I think six line wrasses search around for pods. One of my favorite fish for a small aquarium. It's common yeah, but its real cool.

[eitallent]

I like all your hitch hikers. I had a sail fin blenny that used to eat pods. And algae it appeared. They are pretty cool. Not sure if it would get along with goby? I think six line wrasses search around for pods. One of my favorite fish for a small aquarium. It's common yeah, but its real cool.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Coincidentally, I have been researching the Sailfin Blenny, the Six Line Wrasse as well as the Blue Neon Goby. I will only add one and I am leaning towards the Blue Neon. I am looking forward to seeing another little finned creature in my tank. LOL

 

 

Yes indeed, any coral, any glass pane, rock, GSP, etc .. the only one he has not gone into strangely enough it the Kenya Tree I have and that is growing and growing so fast that I may have to trim it down in the next couple of days. Other than that Magnet has taken up residence in everything else in the tank including all "stingers" and nothing seems to bother him.

 

Nothing seems to bother Skipper either, stingers or not.

[eitallent]

The increase in spirorbis worms might be as a result of adding the fuge. I say this because I remember having the same thing in my 4g Pico when I had it set up before with the same refugium on it.

 

I like the refugium a lot. It seems to have really helped increase the pod population. The spirorbis and other small critters did coincide with the fuge addition. Also, I have seen flat worms on the glass. I hope these flat worms are harmless. I am hoping that the Neon Goby will help keep the pods (and flat worms?) in check.

 

News flash: Unfortunately, yesterday, I spotted and removed what looks to me two nudibranchs on two different zoa colonies! They were very small (1/8 inch), soft bodied, and colored to almost match the zoa coloring. When I grabbed them with tweezers they just mushed. I could only see them when the zoas were closed. Any advise or precautionary tales on this would be much appreciated.

[Weetabix7]

Yup, sounds like Zoa Nudis.

Go look at the thread stickied at the top of the Pest & Disease Forum on Zoa Pests & Diseases. That should give you all the info you need on dealing with them.

[albertthiel]

I like the refugium a lot. It seems to have really helped increase the pod population. The spirorbis and other small critters did coincide with the fuge addition. Also, I have seen flat worms on the glass. I hope these flat worms are harmless. I am hoping that the Neon Goby will help keep the pods (and flat worms?) in check.

 

News flash: Unfortunately, yesterday, I spotted and removed what looks to me two nudibranchs on two different zoa colonies! They were very small (1/8 inch), soft bodied, and colored to almost match the zoa coloring. When I grabbed them with tweezers they just mushed. I could only see them when the zoas were closed. Any advise or precautionary tales on this would be much appreciated.

 

Looks like there is a lot happening in your tank and not all of it is good ... and Weetabix7's suggestion would be mine too so you can find out what to do ... Best of what is needed to get rid of them ...