Billy's 18g Caribbean Biotope - Breakdown Complete!

[StinkyBunny]

Just an FYI, ALL gobies think that they're high jumpers. If there's a small crack or opening, they'll eventually find it.

[billygoat]

Some updates today, and pictures from this evening under blue lights. I'll start with the most interesting: RFA babies!

 

About a week ago I began to notice tiny 'nems popping up here and there in my tank. At first I assumed that they were larval Aiptasia, so I pulled the little ones out with a turkey baster and then eradicated a handful of adults with Aiptasia X. After that I figured the situation was done and dusted, but baby anemones continued to proliferate even after the larger Aiptasia in my tank were gone... and then yesterday I was observing my rocks in the evening and noticed a few tiny specks of orange glowing under the actinics. I realized those were no Aiptasia that I had been plucking - they were baby RFAs! You can see one at the bottom center of the picture below, right where the sand meets the rock. There are something like 7 or 8 of them that I've discovered so far and they are all about this size. They're scattered all over the tank; I even found one in my refugium!

 

 

Definitely very exciting, and there are probably plenty more that I haven't found yet. I hope I don't get overrun with them. 🤔

 

I have some good news on the new fish too: both new arrivals are eating, and seem to be settling in well. The tiger goby is taking Fluval Bug Bites soaked in Selcon (a freshwater fish food, but the only thing I had that was appropriately sized. Going to try crushing some PE Mysis pellets tomorrow), and the sailfin blenny is eating everything that fits in his fat mouth. I even caught him stuffing his face with a small Eunicid worm this afternoon. What a pig! 😂

 

Here's a shot of the tiger goby in his shell hotel:

 

 

Unfortunately there is also some bad news on the fish front: the jawfish seems to be on the ropes. It hasn't eaten for many days, and today it didn't come out of its burrow at all. I consulted with my mother (who is a veteran aquarist) about its confusing behavior, and she surmised that it may be egg-bound. The last time I caught a glimpse of it, it looked fat around the belly but skinny on the lateral line, which seems to indicate that it's carrying eggs. Not a whole lot I can do about that sadly... apparently in this situation the fish either lays the eggs, starts eating again, and recovers, or holds on to them and dies. The latter outcome is unfortunately much more common.

 

Anyway, I don't want to end this update on a sour note so here's another interesting curiosity: a new Caribbean mushroom!

 

 

KPA advertised this one as a "Red Discosoma," but under my lights it takes on a weird translucent pink color. It's nice but rather jarringly bright alongside all the muted pastel colors in my tank. I may end up relocating it to the Motel Del Maw.

 

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading! I hope you're all doing well out there. 🙏

 

 

[Nano sapiens]

2 hours ago, billygoat said:

Some updates today, and pictures from this evening under blue lights. I'll start with the most interesting: RFA babies!

 

About a week ago I began to notice tiny 'nems popping up here and there in my tank. At first I assumed that they were larval Aiptasia, so I pulled the little ones out with a turkey baster and then eradicated a handful of adults with Aiptasia X. After that I figured the situation was done and dusted, but baby anemones continued to proliferate even after the larger Aiptasia in my tank were gone... and then yesterday I was observing my rocks in the evening and noticed a few tiny specks of orange glowing under the actinics. I realized those were no Aiptasia that I had been plucking - they were baby RFAs! You can see one at the bottom center of the picture below, right where the sand meets the rock. There are something like 7 or 8 of them that I've discovered so far and they are all about this size. They're scattered all over the tank; I even found one in my refugium!

 

 

Definitely very exciting, and there are probably plenty more that I haven't found yet. I hope I don't get overrun with them. 🤔

 

I have some good news on the new fish too: both new arrivals are eating, and seem to be settling in well. The tiger goby is taking Fluval Bug Bites soaked in Selcon (a freshwater fish food, but the only thing I had that was appropriately sized. Going to try crushing some PE Mysis pellets tomorrow), and the sailfin blenny is eating everything that fits in his fat mouth. I even caught him stuffing his face with a small Eunicid worm this afternoon. What a pig! 😂

 

Here's a shot of the tiger goby in his shell hotel:

 

 

Unfortunately there is also some bad news on the fish front: the jawfish seems to be on the ropes. It hasn't eaten for many days, and today it didn't come out of its burrow at all. I consulted with my mother (who is a veteran aquarist) about its confusing behavior, and she surmised that it may be egg-bound. The last time I caught a glimpse of it, it looked fat around the belly but skinny on the lateral line, which seems to indicate that it's carrying eggs. Not a whole lot I can do about that sadly... apparently in this situation the fish either lays the eggs, starts eating again, and recovers, or holds on to them and dies. The latter outcome is unfortunately much more common.

 

Anyway, I don't want to end this update on a sour note so here's another interesting curiosity: a new Caribbean mushroom!

 

 

KPA advertised this one as a "Red Discosoma," but under my lights it takes on a weird translucent pink color. It's nice but rather jarringly bright alongside all the muted pastel colors in my tank. I may end up relocating it to the Motel Del Maw.

 

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading! I hope you're all doing well out there. 🙏

 

 

The egg-bound thing is a bummer (I lost a nice Eyebrow Blenny to the same affliction, unfortunately).

 

There are only a few Discosoma Caribbean mushrooms (calgreni, neglecta, sanctithomae).  Can't see the skirt, but if there are some uneven protrusions and no naked outer margin, then this one is likely a somewhat bleached and contracted Discosoma calgreni.  The red morphs are typically brick red and somewhat rarer than the more usual green ones  If the outer margin has a smooth naked outer area (no tentacles), then could possibly be a young D. sanctithomae that hasn't expanded, yet.  

[billygoat]

On 5/1/2020 at 10:31 PM, Nano sapiens said:

There are only a few Discosoma Caribbean mushrooms (calgreni, neglecta, sanctithomae).  Can't see the skirt, but if there are some uneven protrusions and no naked outer margin, then this one is likely a somewhat bleached and contracted Discosoma calgreni.  The red morphs are typically brick red and somewhat rarer than the more usual green ones  If the outer margin has a smooth naked outer area (no tentacles), then could possibly be a young D. sanctithomae that hasn't expanded, yet.  

Interesting! Thanks for the data. After closer observation I suspect that this is in fact a D. carlgreni (I have a few typical green carlgreni and they looked quite similar when they were small), but I did not know that the red morph is usually much darker. With that in mind I suspect that this specimen may indeed be quite bleached. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it colors up. If it turns dark red instead of its current shade of pink it will fit into my color scheme perfectly. 👌

 

I've got some more photos today! Let's start with a new (but somewhat washed-out) FTS.

 

 

Thankfully all the new fish are doing well, and everything else in here looks pretty good too. The purple plume gorgonian (Muriceopsis flavida) on the left side has grown all the way up to the water line. It needs to be fragged pretty soon.

 

After trying out several shells and rock holes, the sailfin blenny seems to have picked one of my larger shells for his home. I was hoping it would settle here as it's in a nice visible spot.

 

 

With the removal of the Maw, my blue zoanthids are making a very strong comeback. It's most obvious from the overhead view:

 

 

A few more detail shots:

1) Lurch the hermit molted a few days ago. Looking fresh! 👍

2) Ricordea florida. One of my favorite soft corals. Do you have these in your tank? If not, maybe you should get some. 🤔

3) Frontal view of the center rock, featuring blue/green zoas, tube coral, and yellow encrusting sponge.

 

      

 

And let's not forget about the Hotel Del Maw! This pico has been running for a week now. Nothing much is going on in here; a few softies and stray zoanthids are the only residents for now. Diatoms have started to appear on the glass and sandbed, so I've got some snails on order. I intend to fill in the back of the 'scape with macroalgae. I'll probably make a new thread for this cube once it gets settled down, but for the time being I am feeling awfully lazy about it.

 

 

Alright, that's all for today! Thanks as always for reading. 🙏

[Nano sapiens]

52 minutes ago, billygoat said:

2) Ricordea florida. One of my favorite soft corals. Do you have these in your tank? If not, maybe you should get some. 🤔

 

Did someone mention Ricorida? 😄

 

 

 

The orange Yuma I purchased around 1999-2000, the rest around when I set up the tank in 2008.  It's king of hard to imagine my tank without them...

[Tired]

Are there any ricordea that stay really small? 3" makes me worry for my tiny fish inhabitants, but they're a beautiful coral. 

[Pjanssen]

33 minutes ago, Tired said:

Are there any ricordea that stay really small? 3" makes me worry for my tiny fish inhabitants, but they're a beautiful coral. 

I don't believe Ricordea Florida are much of a threat to fish

[Nano sapiens]

2 hours ago, Pjanssen said:

I don't believe Ricordea Florida are much of a threat to fish

 

In all fairness, this little shrimp goby was already dead when it ended up in the Ricordia yuma.  This was a case of 'Eyes bigger than it's stomach' as the Ric spit the dead goby out after about 1/2 hour. 

 

I have never heard of a Ric eating a healthy fish in any aquarium.  The latest fish I put in with them was a slim 5/8" ORA Yellow Lined Cleaner Goby...no problem :)

 

2 hours ago, Tired said:

Are there any ricordea that stay really small? 3" makes me worry for my tiny fish inhabitants, but they're a beautiful coral. 

They can be kept somewhat smaller with higher flow/higher light.

[billygoat]

21 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

Did someone mention Ricorida? 😄

 

 

 

The orange Yuma I purchased around 1999-2000, the rest around when I set up the tank in 2008.  It's king of hard to imagine my tank without them...

Really gorgeous Rics here. Yours and @mitten_reef's have always been some of my favorites here on N-R. I especially like the mix of R. florida and R. yuma in your tank. Most people seem to just have one or the other.

 

21 hours ago, Tired said:

Are there any ricordea that stay really small? 3" makes me worry for my tiny fish inhabitants, but they're a beautiful coral. 

I agree with @Nano sapiens and @Pjanssen: Ricordea (or at least R. florida; I have no experience with yumas) seem to pose no threat whatsoever to perching fish. I've had some pretty small gobies in my tank but I have never encountered problems with Rics eating my fish. They will consume meaty foods such as frozen mysis or pellets, but their feeding response is slow and doesn't seem to pose any threat to fish.

 

Interestingly though, they seem to consistently win most coral battles despite being harmless to fish. Their sting appears to be quite potent when it comes to coral combat.

 

Anyway, today I have some sad news from the tank: I lost my jawfish last night. 😥 This morning I awoke to find its partially digested carcass in the clutches of the Terror Star. Rest in peace little buddy. I am sorry I could not accommodate your needs.

 

A quick retrospective on this animal: if I could go back in time and reassess my choices, I would not have chosen this fish. Though their timid nature and burrowing behaviors may lead some aquarists to believe that jawfish do not need much space, I believe that the opposite is true: they need room to explore, dig, and move things around. I think that if I were to keep them in the future I would plan a system specifically for them, with a large, open, mixed-grain sandbed and plenty of room in the water column for them to hover over their burrows. I would also keep a pair rather than an individual, to prevent issues with egg-binding. My tank was simply too small and cluttered for this species, and acquiring one was a mistake.

 

That's how we learn though I guess! I just hope that this knowledge can be put to use by other reefers in the future.

 

On a lighter note (and to touch once again on the subject of fish-eating mushrooms), here's an update on the Maw: it's huge.

 

 

I mean, this thing has always been big, but in its new environment it has the space to expand to its full size with no inhibitions, and damn is it large. I estimate it to be about 4.5 inches (~12 cm) in diameter. I definitely do not have plans to put fish, shrimp, or any similar snack foods into my 4g cube in the future. 😅

 

 

[Cannedfish]

The tank looks amazing! I especially love the sailfin blenny! We need more pictures!

[Poison Dart Frog]

1 hour ago, billygoat said:

Really gorgeous Rics here. Yours and @mitten_reef's have always been some of my favorites here on N-R. I especially like the mix of R. florida and R. yuma in your tank. Most people seem to just have one or the other.

 

I agree with @Nano sapiens and @Pjanssen: Ricordea (or at least R. florida; I have no experience with yumas) seem to pose no threat whatsoever to perching fish. I've had some pretty small gobies in my tank but I have never encountered problems with Rics eating my fish. They will consume meaty foods such as frozen mysis or pellets, but their feeding response is slow and doesn't seem to pose any threat to fish.

 

Interestingly though, they seem to consistently win most coral battles despite being harmless to fish. Their sting appears to be quite potent when it comes to coral combat.

 

Anyway, today I have some sad news from the tank: I lost my jawfish last night. 😥 This morning I awoke to find its partially digested carcass in the clutches of the Terror Star. Rest in peace little buddy. I am sorry I could not accommodate your needs.

 

A quick retrospective on this animal: if I could go back in time and reassess my choices, I would not have chosen this fish. Though their timid nature and burrowing behaviors may lead some aquarists to believe that jawfish do not need much space, I believe that the opposite is true: they need room to explore, dig, and move things around. I think that if I were to keep them in the future I would plan a system specifically for them, with a large, open, mixed-grain sandbed and plenty of room in the water column for them to hover over their burrows. I would also keep a pair rather than an individual, to prevent issues with egg-binding. My tank was simply too small and cluttered for this species, and acquiring one was a mistake.

 

That's how we learn though I guess! I just hope that this knowledge can be put to use by other reefers in the future.

 

On a lighter note (and to touch once again on the subject of fish-eating mushrooms), here's an update on the Maw: it's huge.

 

 

I mean, this thing has always been big, but in its new environment it has the space to expand to its full size with no inhibitions, and damn is it large. I estimate it to be about 4.5 inches (~12 cm) in diameter. I definitely do not have plans to put fish, shrimp, or any similar snack foods into my 4g cube in the future. 😅

 

 

It's fascinating. It's like staring into the abyss. 

[Nano sapiens]

2 hours ago, billygoat said:

 

 

I mean, this thing has always been big, but in its new environment it has the space to expand to its full size with no inhibitions, and damn is it large. I estimate it to be about 4.5 inches (~12 cm) in diameter. I definitely do not have plans to put fish, shrimp, or any similar snack foods into my 4g cube in the future. 😅

 

 

It's still got a ways to go (D. neglecta can get up tp 8", and so can D. sanctithomae)

 

Some Rics (both florida and Yuma) I have can get close to 6" when conditions are 'just right'

 

'Shrooms are BEASTS!

[billygoat]

23 hours ago, Poison Dart Frog said:

It's fascinating. It's like staring into the abyss. 

I'm glad you think so! The similarity seems obvious to me... and to any small perching fish in the area as well, I'd wager. 😅

 

22 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

It's still got a ways to go (D. neglecta can get up tp 8", and so can D. sanctithomae)

 

Some Rics (both florida and Yuma) I have can get close to 6" when conditions are 'just right'

 

'Shrooms are BEASTS!

8"!? Don't say things like that! It'll take up the entire pico! 😄

 

I'll have to make sure the Maw doesn't get anything else to eat, because if it grows any more it will be completely unmanageable no matter where I put it. So far my plans for motile livestock in that cube are limited to a handful of snails and a single hermit crab. Hopefully all of that stuff will stay out of the giant mushroom's clutches.

 

On 5/4/2020 at 2:16 PM, Cannedfish said:

The tank looks amazing! I especially love the sailfin blenny! We need more pictures!

Thank you so much! I am always glad to hear that other aquarists are enjoying my creation. Especially those as talented as yourself!

 

And right on cue, here are a few more pictures from today!

 

Left-side view of the tank (mostly gorgonians):

 

Right-side view of the tank (also mostly gorgonians).

 

All of my Ricordea florida. The huge turquoise ones at the top were $4 each from Gulf Coast Ecosystems. The rest came from KPA.

 

I'm still struggling to get good photos of my sailfin blenny (he's comfortable with me but afraid of my phone), but I did get a halfway-decent shot of this tiger goby today. It's amazing how well-camouflaged this guy is, despite having only vertical black stripes for coloration.

 

Okay, that's all for now! Thanks as always for checking out my journal.

[billygoat]

It's business as usual in the 18g today, but I have a few updates on the Hotel Del Maw! I added some macroalgae yesterday, as well as a small CUC.

 

 

It's kinda hard to photograph the deep greens and reds of the algae on the black background. There are a few different specimens though.

 

Green and red Gracilaria. The green variety (from Reef Cleaners) is especially attractive.

 

 

Codium - a macro I've always been interested in but have never gotten around to trying out. I hope that it survives, because it's pretty warm in there! The temperature has been rising here in Los Angeles over the past few days, and the Maw's cube is sitting at around 81 F during the daytime. 😬

 

 

I don't have plans to put much else in this little cube, so for the time being I am just going to wait and see if any of these macros take. They may overgrow the whole place, but I think that would also be fine with me. 🤷‍♂️

[Ratvan]

Just now, billygoat said:

It's business as usual in the 18g today, but I have a few updates on the Hotel Del Maw! I added some macroalgae yesterday, as well as a small CUC.

 

 

It's kinda hard to photograph the deep greens and reds of the algae on the black background. There are a few different specimens though.

 

Green and red Gracilaria. The green variety (from Reef Cleaners) is especially attractive.

 

 

Codium - a macro I've always been interested in but have never gotten around to trying out. I hope that it survives, because it's pretty warm in there! The temperature has been rising here in Los Angeles over the past few days, and the Maw's cube is sitting at around 81 F during the daytime. 😬

 

 

I don't have plans to put much else in this little cube, so for the time being I am just going to wait and see if any of these macros take. They may overgrow the whole place, but I think that would also be fine with me. 🤷‍♂️

If your Codium is anything like mine has been its pretty indestructible. I still have the frag from the 2.5G contest. It's been clipped many times and lived through every crash so far. It got Xenia in it at one point, got that off with kalk paste

[StinkyBunny]

If you're having heat issues why not switch the tanks on time to the light? I run mine at night and off during the day.

[Tired]

What are those zoanthids on the right of the last pic? Do they have a name? I have exactly those. 

 

The cube looks really nice! It's like a sampler platter of textures.

[DNR88]

4 hours ago, Tired said:

What are those zoanthids on the right of the last pic? Do they have a name? I have exactly those. 

 

The cube looks really nice! It's like a sampler platter of textures.

They're Walters Zoa's I believe. 😊

[Tired]

I looked up that name and couldn't find any results. Just generic search results for 'zoanthid', nothing with 'walter' in it. 

 

I was thinking they look kinda like a less flashy blue hornet. 

[billygoat]

On 5/7/2020 at 4:12 PM, StinkyBunny said:

If you're having heat issues why not switch the tanks on time to the light? I run mine at night and off during the day.

Not a bad idea, though for the time being things seem to be more or less back to normal. The cube and the 18g are both running at 79F during the daytime, which is fine with me. If it starts to get really crazy (like 83-84 or thereabouts) I may consider changing things up a little with the lighting. I'm sure it does contribute a lot of heat.

 

10 hours ago, Tired said:

What are those zoanthids on the right of the last pic? Do they have a name? I have exactly those. 

 

The cube looks really nice! It's like a sampler platter of textures.

As far as I know, those zoanthids have no name. They are "Yellow Eyed Zoanthids" from KP Aquatics (these guys), and are most likely wild-collected. The picture on KPA's site makes their centers look blue, but mine are definitely more brown. That's fine with me though. I just threw them in there to add a bit of variety. It's very much still a work in progress in there, but it's great to hear that you like it! Means I must be doing something right. 😅

 

[Tired]

These are mine. I got 'em from Saltcritters, and they look exactly like your photo, at least in person. My camera can't quite seem to get the colors right. I wonder if they might be descended from zoas in the same section of the gene pool? I've been calling them "Dull Hornets" to myself, since they're not very flashy compared to the usual Hornet-style ones, but they're still pretty nice. I'm always a fan of dark colors with something light to pop against it. 

 

Is the Maw ragged at the edges because it's been cut back, or is it just like that? 

 

I have short codium, and it seems pretty hardy. It survived being stuck in a bucket of water for a bit while I figured things out, it's growing fine even on the sections that have some algae on top, and there are bits of it stuck behind the rockwork that are definitely not dead. Not growing, but not dead. Mine has gone really dark, almost black, which I think is a response to bright lights. It makes a great bit of textural punctuation- I'd recommend this stuff for any tank where it won't be immediately devoured.

[billygoat]

16 hours ago, Tired said:

Is the Maw ragged at the edges because it's been cut back, or is it just like that? 

It's just like that, at least in mature specimens. Highly elongated marginal protuberances are one of the distinguishing characteristics of D. negletca. That and its ridiculous maximum size, of course. 

 

16 hours ago, Tired said:

 

I have short codium, and it seems pretty hardy. It survived being stuck in a bucket of water for a bit while I figured things out, it's growing fine even on the sections that have some algae on top, and there are bits of it stuck behind the rockwork that are definitely not dead. Not growing, but not dead. Mine has gone really dark, almost black, which I think is a response to bright lights. It makes a great bit of textural punctuation- I'd recommend this stuff for any tank where it won't be immediately devoured.

Glad to hear the codium is a good choice! It certainly does have an appealing shape, and I'm interested to see what sort of color mine acquires once it gets used to my lights. I'm running a Kessil A80 on that cube, which seems more than adequate for such a small tank. The photoperiod is currently 11 hours with no ramp up or down (I'm just using a mechanical timer to control it), so it's quite a bit of light.

 

Those zoas you've got sure do look very similar to mine. I agree that the dark oral disc with the bright center makes for an appealing contrast. I moved some things around in the cube today to try and bring my zoas into a more visible position, so hopefully I'll have some more photos of them soon. For now though, I've got some pictures from the C-Vue. First a shot of my cup coral, which has been demonstrating impressive growth:

 

 

Blue zoas still coming back strong there too.

 

And of course, here are some gorgonians.

1) A candelabra gorgonian, Eunicea calyculata.

2) Rusty gorgonian, Muricea elongata.

3) Another Eunicea, E. flexuosa.

 

 

 

 

Okay, that's it for now! Thanks as always for reading.

[billygoat]

Well friends, I have some unfortunate news from the reef today: my masked goby has suddenly and mysteriously died.

 

 

For the past three or four days it had been hiding a lot, but I figured this was probably due to territorial disputes with the two new fish that I recently added. This morning though I found the fish breathing hard and kind of drifting around, and within a few hours it was dead. It wasn't particularly skinny, and there wasn't a mark on its body. This fish thrived in my system for more than a year, so I am quite perplexed as to what caused it to die so quickly.

 

Not much to be done though. I just hope there isn't some contagion that might spread to my new fish. This is the third mysterious fish death I've experienced in as many months, so it's got me wondering. I will keep a close eye on my tank's remaining inhabitants in the coming weeks. 🤔

 

I did a bit of rearranging in the cube to try and make it more balanced. It's a very simple stocking arrangement, with just the Maw, some zoas, a slab of star polyps, and assorted macroalgae. I have no plans to add anything else. I just want to let it grow wild and see what happens.

 

[Tired]

Poor thing, that's too bad. I wonder if maybe it had some sort of heart issue? I don't think they live too long in the first place, but things dying of old age usually do it a bit more gradually. At least the Maw didn't get it! 

[A.m.P]

Sorry about the little one, but I have to say I adore your cube setup.