The Pico vol. 2

[sr2z]

4 minutes ago, Leo_ian said:

damsels in a pico are quite cool too

Well, I don´t really think they are the best choice though. They need swimming space (they are active fish) and grow quite "big" (for a pico)...

[Leo_ian]

Just now, sr2z said:

Well, I don´t really think they are the best choice though. They need swimming space (they are active fish) and grow quite "big" (for a pico)...

sure it was just a suggestion

how about a list of commonly available inverts

[sr2z]

1 minute ago, Leo_ian said:

how about a list of commonly available inverts

Sure, give me a second please

[sr2z]

Inverts commonly available:

 

Shrimp:

Alpheus bellulus

Alpheus bisicinus

Alpheus soror

Lysmata shrimp

Stenopus hispidus

Hymenocera picta (Harlequin shrimp)

 

Crabs:

Calcinus sp. hermit crabs

Blue-legged hermit crabs

(some other larger crabs)

 

Sea stars:

Ophiolepis stars

Echinaster stars

Archaster stars

 

Sea urchins:

Globular sea urchin

 

Sea snails:

Nothing special, just regular CUC snails

 

Anemones:

Bubble-tip anemones appear from time to time

I saw a Stychodactila sp. Ultra red anemone available, but the price was... (you get it)

 

Corals:

Just about any coral you can imagine, but you have to reserve some time to find it...

[Leo_ian]

If you are willing to, a harlequin shrimp pair would be cool since you can get starfish easily...

or you could do a soror and a million different corals

[sr2z]

6 hours ago, Leo_ian said:

If you are willing to, a harlequin shrimp pair would be cool since you can get starfish easily...

 

Yeah, that would be cool, but I kinda cannot afford to buy starfish that often just to feed the shrimp 😐😬 But thanks for the suggestion!

6 hours ago, Leo_ian said:

or you could do a soror and a million different corals

This is certainly an option, thanks!

[Leo_ian]

any updates? how is the tank going?

[Leo_ian]

maybe do a euphillya garden? i saw some really neat ones on the internet

 

i have never been attracted to them but i recently saw some basic neon green ones that i really like

[sr2z]

9 minutes ago, Leo_ian said:

any updates? how is the tank going?

The tank is doing fine, no new additions recently. I ordered some corals from a local reefer, but he takes his time fragging them 🤣 The corals which I ordered are:

1 frag Euphyllia paraancora

1 frag neon green caulastrea

1 frag (probably) Alien Explosion zoas

1 frag orange ricordea OR a blue birdsnest coral (I have to decide).

12 minutes ago, Leo_ian said:

maybe do a euphillya garden? i saw some really neat ones on the internet

 

i have never been attracted to them but i recently saw some basic neon green ones that i really like

That is certainly an option. My hammer coral will go up to the top left end, I will maybe get another specimen in the future... I wanted to do a mixed reef, something that has the entertainment value (it is on my desktop) and is quite simple to maintain. Oh, and did I mention that I skipped 1 weekly water change by accident and it didn´t  affect my parameters? The tank is very balanced now... But yeah, I changed the water as soon as I realized it 😅

[Leo_ian]

id get the birdnest, never heard of them being blue

 

good that they are stable. 

 

and just as i say that, my cat runs up onto my back

[sr2z]

1 minute ago, Leo_ian said:

id get the birdnest, never heard of them being blue

(source: wikipedia)

 

It looks somehow like the one up ⬆️... But I´m a bit worried that a little parameter swing could kill it. I think I´ll get the Ricordea NOW and the birdsnest coral later on. The reefer sells frags of ANY CORAL he has for like 5 euro, so I can pick up a frag anytime and as much as I want...

[sr2z]

Just another thought:

 

I asked my Not So Local Fish Store (NSLFS) what fish would they recommend for this tank, just to see what they would tell me. This is their response:

 

 

gobiodon okinawe - OK with that

gobiodon histrio - OK with that

ocellaris clownfish black S size (2,5cm) - they said he would adjust to the size of the tank, I don´t really think this is true. I love black ocellaris, but my experience tells sme that clownfish are a big NO NO in pico reefs...

koumanseta rainfordi - the Court Jester Goby - I think this is another fine option for my tank

 

 

Why am I writing this here? I actually don´t know... just wanted to share this with you guys.

[sr2z]

I looked in the tank this morning and voilá, I found something on my frag rock...

Specs: 3mm, looks like it´s filter feeding (closes up every now and then), showing some fluorescence under actinic light (not too much, but enough to be spotted)

I didn´t manage to get a good photo of it, just because I didn´t have time and because how small it was... So I gathered all my Paint skills and drew this:

At first, I thought that it could be an Aiptasia anemone, but the tentacles of anemones are arranged around a disc with a mouth, but this pest of mine has them meeting in one point... What could it be?

[farkwar]

 .

[SaltyGallon]

4 hours ago, sr2z said:

I looked in the tank this morning and voilá, I found something on my frag rock...

Specs: 3mm, looks like it´s filter feeding (closes up every now and then), showing some fluorescence under actinic light (not too much, but enough to be spotted)

I didn´t manage to get a good photo of it, just because I didn´t have time and because how small it was... So I gathered all my Paint skills and drew this:

At first, I thought that it could be an Aiptasia anemone, but the tentacles of anemones are arranged around a disc with a mouth, but this pest of mine has them meeting in one point... What could it be?

Majano anemone?

[sr2z]

11 minutes ago, SaltyGallon said:

Majano anemone?

Definitely not... I´m pretty sure. Anemones´ tentacles are arranged around a disc:

 

 

This pest doesn´t... It has stringy "frilled" tentacles ending in one point... I´ll try to get a photo of it.

 

26 minutes ago, farkwar said:

 .

Aren´t hydras "freshwater only"? Oh, I see... hydroids...

[Leo_ian]

On 12/3/2020 at 5:23 PM, sr2z said:

Just another thought:

 

I asked my Not So Local Fish Store (NSLFS) what fish would they recommend for this tank, just to see what they would tell me. This is their response:

 

 

gobiodon okinawe - OK with that

gobiodon histrio - OK with that

ocellaris clownfish black S size (2,5cm) - they said he would adjust to the size of the tank, I don´t really think this is true. I love black ocellaris, but my experience tells sme that clownfish are a big NO NO in pico reefs...

koumanseta rainfordi - the Court Jester Goby - I think this is another fine option for my tank

 

 

Why am I writing this here? I actually don´t know... just wanted to share this with you guys.

Id skip the court jester, the require alot of hair algae, not to eat (even though they do consume it) but i think for the animals inside... not a viable option for a pico, id say min 30 gallons unless it eats prepared food

[farkwar]

5 hours ago, sr2z said:

hydroids

                               Hail, Hydroids

 

[sr2z]

19 minutes ago, farkwar said:

                               Hail, Hydroids

 

 

Then I shall use...

 

Oukey, I´m not good at jokes...

 

[Tired]

Yeah, no, don't put a clownfish in a pico. And don't trust the advice of anywhere that tells you fish will only grow to the size of their tank. 

 

Water changes should be done according to the tank's need, not an arbitrary schedule. Check if nitrates and/or phosphates are too high, or if calcium and magnesium are too low. If not, don't change the water. 

 

A picture of the maybe-pest would be good to ID it. It sounds like maybe a damaged polyp of some sort. Or a barnacle- does it wave itself in the water like a hand grabbing at something? 

 

[sr2z]

I managed to shoot a pic of it:

 

 

Bad quality, I know, but it´s so small...

[Leo_ian]

hydroid, personally would not worry unless you are moving the water and rocks to other tanks used for dwarf seahorses. also i dont think it will harm anything besides very very very very very sensetive corals.

[sr2z]

42 minutes ago, Leo_ian said:

hydroid, personally would not worry unless you are moving the water and rocks to other tanks used for dwarf seahorses. also i dont think it will harm anything besides very very very very very sensetive corals.

Eeee, really? I think they have the potential to overrun a tank in a few weeks... I´ll kill it today, just to be sure 😬

[sr2z]

Pest = Terminated... This is my battle against hydroids in one picture:

 

I found the blowtorch the easiest method to use... A bit brutal, but effective.

[The Rainy Day Aquarium]

 

49 minutes ago, sr2z said:

I found the blowtorch the easiest method to use... A bit brutal, but effective.

The other hydroid in your tank that you didn't see