Hitchhiker's Cove - Mini-re-boot

[lkoechle]

4 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

I know that @lkoechle has an additive for sponges that she puts in, something with silica, and she feeds them

I use KZ SpongePower and Brightwell SpongeExcel Silica everyday and then I also feed small microvert foods like phytogold and phytogreen S as well as phyto feast. 

[Thunder Goose]

37 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

The tank continues to look gorgeous. 

I wish I knew what to tell you on the sponges, you already have more experience with them than I do. 

I suspect that adding more flow is a good idea, as you were thinking. 

You've been feeding them, right?

I know that @lkoechle has an additive for sponges that she puts in, something with silica, and she feeds them. 

Yeah, I've been following what @Ikoechele does regarding the sponges, she's got about 5 or 6 weeks more experience than I do  (but she did do a lot of research that I'm taking advantage of). I know they can be tricky so if it doesn't work I'm not going to be upset. Still, they'll be nice if they survive!

[Thunder Goose]

Time to graduate to the big tank? My black urchin used to be able to fit inside a crevice in that rock behind her. She's growing up so fast (*sniff*)! 

 

[Thunder Goose]

The joys of live rock straight from the ocean! Yesterday evening I noticed a sudden movement in the tank. Something dashed under a rock. After a bit of stalking and lurking I finally spotted it - a very small red crab (possibly Mitrax). As I was lurking I spotted a second very small crab, possibly another emerald. And, for the past few days, I've been hearing a snapping shrimp. I had one at the beginning but thought I had lost it, either it's back or this is a new one that finally grew big enough to start snapping.

 

It's so fun to watch what shows up in this tank. Things are constantly changing. The life is small and you have to watch carefully but it's just full of interesting critters!

[Weetabix7]

1 minute ago, Thunder Goose said:

The joys of live rock straight from the ocean! Yesterday evening I noticed a sudden movement in the tank. Something dashed under a rock. After a bit of stalking and lurking I finally spotted it - a very small red crab (possibly Mitrax). As I was lurking I spotted a second very small crab, possibly another emerald. And, for the past few days, I've been hearing a snapping shrimp. I had one at the beginning but thought I had lost it, either it's back or this is a new one that finally grew big enough to start snapping.

 

It's so fun to watch what shows up in this tank. Things are constantly changing. The life is small and you have to watch carefully but it's just full of interesting critters!

 

Love that you're continuing to have such enjoyment with this tank. 

[Thunder Goose]

Weetabix, I think I like this tank more than the "big" tank in the living room. There's certainly more to see in the little tank.

 

Never gonna set up another tank without using live rock and live sand from TB Saltwater or someplace similar. It's way too much fun.

[Thunder Goose]

Moving Day. I FINALLY caught the long-spine urchin out on the sand where I could pick her up and transfer her to the "big" tank (Tranquility Base). In less than 2 months she's gone from about 1/4 inch to this. Wow. I may need to set up an even bigger tanks soon! I'm sure the husband won't mind. We don't need a table in the kitchen, right?

 

[Thunder Goose]

Long time since I've had a good photo dump. Not much has changed. I've added a few gorgonians, moved the large red algae (now in the middle of the back) and spotted three more crabs (I couldn't called this Crab Acres - I'm up to at least 7 now). 

 

Starting with the FTS

 

My two fishes - the Gold Bar Blenny and Green Banded Goby have become absolute pigs. I walk past the tank and they dash out hoping I'll feed them. But man, the personality on that blenny! I'm really enjoying him.

 

 

 

Hermits on gorgonian. You can also see my red sponge. The dead ends don't seem to be progressing. Fingers crossed it's good long term.

 

A good shot of my peppermint shrimp who rarely comes out.

 

I have a few bi-valves in the tank. They're hard to spot except when they snap closed. I was finally looking in the right place at the right time and found one. One shot from the "side" and one of the open end. You can't see it in the picture (damn phone photo) but there are incurrent and outcurrent siphons visible. Any ideas on ID are welcome.

 

 

And my (maybe) short spine urchin is coming out more as she grows.

 

Lastly a scenic with a "where's Waldo." Whoever names the "hidden" animal first wins 10 internet points.

 

Ok, on this scale it's not really that hard.

 

I'm (very) slowly creating a journal for my other tank, Tranquility Base. It's not really worth checking out yet (one entry, and it's incomplete) but soon.

 

After my mom comes to town.

 

And my in-laws.

 

And I write that lab manual I promised my boss I'd do over the summer.

 

 

 

 

[lkoechle]

haha blennies and their thrones.

 

Looks really good!  I can't wait to add more stuff to mine once the contest is over!   I frequently forget my peppermint shrimp is in there.  He startles me every once in a while lol

[Weetabix7]

6 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

haha blennies and their thrones.

 

Looks really good!  I can't wait to add more stuff to mine once the contest is over!   I frequently forget my peppermint shrimp is in there.  He startles me every once in a while lol

 

Dang, she beat me to it!!!

Gotta get my internetz points somewhere else....... (trudges off)

[Pjanssen]

. How did you get that 2nd to last shot? Looks like the sky and you are in the ocean. Very pretty

[Thunder Goose]

13 minutes ago, Pjanssen said:

. How did you get that 2nd to last shot? Looks like the sky and you are in the ocean. Very pretty

Thanks. I was pleased with that shot, too.

 

Just luck. The sun reflection coming in the window was in juuussst the right spot! Plus the wall behind my tank is painted blue. I live in coastal Massachusetts so my decorating scheme is ocean focused (but modernized - lots of fun art of marine organisms, walls are varying shades of blue, three fish tanks ).

[Thunder Goose]

Had a busy weekend with out of town company. And, as often happens when you're extra busy, the WiFi router died.

 

I did manage to watch a snail lay an insane number of eggs.

 

 

And I had a massive pod explosion. So many that they're forming clumps on the surface of the water. I think I need more turbulence. This guys are the majority of the pods but I do see other critters moving around.

 

 

Now I need to start catching up on my tank maintenance, setting up the new WiFi router, and reading all the new posts on here. Busy day!

 

But first - COFFEE!

[samnaz]

Neat picture of the pods! Do they really look that yellow in real life though? What kind of microscope lens are you using? I got a cheap one for like $6 on amazon that works great. 

[Thunder Goose]

The pods are pretty yellow, with a bit more brown than in the image (kind of a "camel" color).

 

I have an AmScope, it's a really nice mid-range scope that I can use to identify insects down to Genus and species (depending on the type of insect). I'm also enjoying looking at things from the tanks.

 

What I don't have is a good camera mount. I can digi-scope a picture but it's not easy to get things all lined up.

[Thunder Goose]

Over the weekend my green banded goby disappeared.  I have also quit seeing some of my crabs (but I'm starting to see others so...). I figured it was either rotation of who got habitats up front and who were in the back. Or that something wasn't right and I'm still very much a beginning reef keeper (I started keeping saltwater in December 2016 so, yeah, n00b).

 

Today I was taking pictures and spotted movement in a crevice.

 

 

OMG! I didn't get a good look but is that what I think it is? Look at that eye! Wow! She's still tiny (that's the root of a feather algae above her hole)

 

I guess I'm going to need to move my surviving blenny to the "big" tank (which will now be officially overstocked) and think about what to do with the inverts - can they survive this menace? Are they appropriate for Tranquility Base? Or do they get to go into the Refugium for TB?

 

How long till she's a threat to Sally (the serpent star)? I already have 2 brittle stars in the big tank and I don't think there's another good territory. Maybe she can dominate the shy one.... I like Sally better than the shy one so if one has to go.... But I'd have to catch the thing first.... So much to think about!

 

AND I get to rethink my plan for this tank. How can I arrange things to best be able to see my soon to be dominant resident?

[Weetabix7]

58 minutes ago, Thunder Goose said:

Over the weekend my green banded goby disappeared.  I have also quit seeing some of my crabs (but I'm starting to see others so...). I figured it was either rotation of who got habitats up front and who were in the back. Or that something wasn't right and I'm still very much a beginning reef keeper (I started keeping saltwater in December 2016 so, yeah, n00b).

 

Today I was taking pictures and spotted movement in a crevice.

 

 

OMG! I didn't get a good look but is that what I think it is? Look at that eye! Wow! She's still tiny (that's the root of a feather algae above her hole)

 

I guess I'm going to need to move my surviving blenny to the "big" tank (which will now be officially overstocked) and think about what to do with the inverts - can they survive this menace? Are they appropriate for Tranquility Base? Or do they get to go into the Refugium for TB?

 

How long till she's a threat to Sally (the serpent star)? I already have 2 brittle stars in the big tank and I don't think there's another good territory. Maybe she can dominate the shy one.... I like Sally better than the shy one so if one has to go.... But I'd have to catch the thing first.... So much to think about!

 

AND I get to rethink my plan for this tank. How can I arrange things to best be able to see my soon to be dominant resident?

 

Wow, that's quite a surprise!!!

I wonder if it's the same kind as Yoshi, the one that @lkoechle has. 

[samnaz]

is that a mantis?!

[Thunder Goose]

I don't think it's the same species as Yoshi, that one is primarily green. This one is blue/purple with orange legs. 

 

After I did the first excited post I spotted her running around the tank. I took more pictures but they're not great. She's MUCH bigger than I expected (since she's been in the tank for 2 months without being seen) - I estimate 3".

 

Bad pictures but... Top photo - I was able to target feed her a piece of clam. Sally (my serpent star) was not happy. She usually gets the clam!

 

Body shot. 

 

 

Very, very bad picture I tried to get a look at her appendages to see if she's a striker or a stabber. I spotted her in a hole in the rock but I also have burrows under another rock (although that could be crabs, I guess).

 

1 minute ago, samnaz said:

is that a mantis?!

Yup. Species undetermined at this time. She's been in the tank about 2 months without me spotting her!

[samnaz]

wow! incredible!

[lkoechle]

18 minutes ago, Thunder Goose said:

I don't think it's the same species as Yoshi, that one is primarily green. This one is blue/purple with orange legs. 

 

After I did the first excited post I spotted her running around the tank. I took more pictures but they're not great. She's MUCH bigger than I expected (since she's been in the tank for 2 months without being seen) - I estimate 3".

 

Bad pictures but... Top photo - I was able to target feed her a piece of clam. Sally (my serpent star) was not happy. She usually gets the clam!

 

Body shot. 

 

 

Very, very bad picture I tried to get a look at her appendages to see if she's a striker or a stabber. I spotted her in a hole in the rock but I also have burrows under another rock (although that could be crabs, I guess).

 

Yup. Species undetermined at this time. She's been in the tank about 2 months without me spotting her!

It still could be the same species (n wennerae) It depends the water depth.  deeper water they can be red/purple and will molt to green if the tank is bright.

 

n. oesteriddi and bredini would be next on the list is the next on the list but if its either of those, it will need to be moved later.  it will out grow the tank.

[Thunder Goose]

2 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

It still could be the same species (n wennerae) It depends the water depth.  deeper water they can be red/purple and will molt to green if the tank is bright.

 

n. oesteriddi and bredini would be next on the list is the next on the list but if its either of those, it will need to be moved later.  it will out grow the tank.

Fingers crossed she turns out to be wennerae then. If she's gonna get too big I'll have to rehome her. Or create a fish room in the basement...  

[Thunder Goose]

Now what? 

 

I stated at the beginning that the nature of this tank would be determined by the  hitchhikers and that I wanted a Florida biotope. In my head I wanted gorgonians and macroalgaes. But now I have a mantis shrimp. Tentatively named Tlaloc after an Aztec god who ruled the heaven for people who died a watery death, Lolly for I-can-pronounce-that. If I'm going to maintain a tank specifically for a mantis I think I need to rearrange things a bit so I can see her. I discovered her yesterday and she was out and active several times but she stayed back behind the sponges and gorgonians where I couldn't get a good look.

 

So  here's today's thoughts. Move the sponges, gorgonians and big macroalgaes to Tranquility Base. Move all my acans and a few other "short" corals from TB to Hitchhiker's Cove (possibly to be renamed Tlalocon, the "heaven" Tlaloc ruled over) so that sight lines are improved.

 

Not sure what I'll do with all the crabs (and the peppermint shrimp and Sally, the serpent star). Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

I'm still amazed that a 2-3 inch mantis could hide in my tank for two months without me seeing her!

 

Here's yesterday's FTS. Things are gonna change soon...

 

[samnaz]

It is quite amazing she was hidden from sight for so many months. Did you ever have any livestock go missing unexplained? I mean, what's she been eating?!

[Thunder Goose]

11 hours ago, samnaz said:

It is quite amazing she was hidden from sight for so many months. Did you ever have any livestock go missing unexplained? I mean, what's she been eating?!

I did have missing crabs and a green banded goby but I thought it was because the tank was so new. Plus I tend to overfeed. I'm getting the other livestock out as I can catch them. 

 

It's weird that she hid so well - I've seen her every day since the discovery. AND I spent a lot of time checking out the tank for hitchhikers.

 

Gonna be a busy week.