These images show the symbiotic relationship between the Haddoni Carpet Anemone and the Oscellaris Clownfish. The relationship took approximately 2 minutes to form, once the Anemone was introduced into the tank. My initial plan was to add some more clownfish. However, I have decided to leave these 2 alone. Nemo now jumps out of the water at my arm to protect the Anemone when I go to feed him. A bit more agressive than usual … <grin>.

Phyllodesmium magnum, an Aeolid Nudibranch with a taste for soft corals.

The most interesting hitchhiker in this tank, to date, is the discovery of the Phyllodesmium magnum, an Aeolid Nudibranch with a taste for soft corals. Many thanks to LynnZ at wetwebmedia.com for helping me to positively id this creature. He was spotted crawling up the tank wall toward the overflow. He has not been seen again since. However, the nudi’s tend to take on the look of the coral they feed from. This one did a complete number on my Sinularia.

Although, this is a very interesting specimine, it is not one I would like to see cruising around my favorite corals. I will be removing it when I see it again!

50G Reef Overview

March 12, 2009 I added an additional 15 lbs of live rock to the tank and moved some of the rubble to my refugium project on the 75 G tank.

X-mas Rock

March 7, 2009 we added a Christmas Rock. I have counted at least 25 tiny feather dusters popping in and out of this rock.

Red Firefish

Today we added a Red Firefish Goby to the small reef tank. He spent some time competing with the Ocellaris Clownfish. However, they seem to have worked out their differences.

In addition, the Pearly Jawfish continues to come out more often. Click the read more link below to see a better view of the Jawfish and current stocking of this reef:

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Clean tank = Happy fish and inverts

Today, I wiped the tank down with an algae cloth made for acrylic tanks and used a siphon to vacuum about 5 gallons of water from the bottom. This is the first water change from the bottom; so, I was a bit apprehensive to see if my water quality or nitrification would suffer. Needless to say, everything was perfect! We are starting to see more and more of the Pearly Jawfish.  The purple Star Polyps are starting to be seen in other areas of the reef. I have been advised that there must be something other than the fish and hermit crabs in the tank moving them. I suspect a worm or a shrimp from the live rock; however, I have not caught nor seen him yet.

SEE NEW PICTURES

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Reef Tank Overview

The reef tank is continuing to grow. This weekend welcomed the addition of some more crabs and snails for the clean up crew. But, the exciting part is the addition of a very small Rose Goby, a Pearly Jawfish, a Red Mushroom Anemone, Green Brain, Sinularia, and Star Polyps. We have also realized that there is a Basket Star living in the Favia. The marine tank is quickly become the most interesting ecosystem under my care.

Despite perfect test parameters, I also completed a 10% water change. It was not nearly as difficult as I feared saltwater would be. The pictures below showcase the new additions of this weekend.
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Today, we added a sand shifting star, 4 turbo snails, and a feather duster.

Check out these pictures!

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Despite less than perfect water test reading over the last three weeks, today Brandon and I set out to ATM of Las Vegas to bring a water sample to Jacque. We were both ecstatic to find out that the tank had cycled and it was a good time to hire some additional members of the cleaning crew and bring home Nemo, who was on hold for over a month. In addition to Nemo, Brandon and I picked out about 8 more small pieces of live rock to add to the reef system. We also fell in love with two types of coral, a Favia (Closed Brain Coral) and 2 small pieces of Mushroom Coral (purple / blue).
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Yesterday, I was a bit unhappy to learn that the tank is still reading ammonia. The algae was also back. So, I wiped the tank clean again and began catching algae with a piece of filter cloth. In addition, I added some bacteria and another 10 pounds of live sand. I also hired a cleaning crew to assist with the algae growth. The crew consists of 3 hermit crabs about the size of a penny. I look forward to testing the water again in 24 hours and seeing the nitrification process jump started.

Sometime between day 7 and 9 an algae bloom of brown, hairy algae has overtaken the live rock, live sand, and started attaching itself to the acrylic tank itself. In less than 24 hours, the unsightly stuff has  completely overtaken the gorgeous Coraline Algae and left the uninhabited tank in an ugly mess. As if that isn’t frustrating enough, the water tests are still reading ammonia and no nitrites. Obviously, the nitrates are there or there would be no algae at all. So, it appears that nature has a different idea for this particular ecosystem.

In an effort to eliminate some of this brown, hairy, ugly mess, I have added a thin sheet of filter pad above the filter and rubbed the algae from the sides of the tank, the rock, and the sand. The filter pad has caught a great deal but I have a feeling I will have to do this  a few days in a row. The bright side is that the salinity is finally correct. I will be adding some additional bacteria additive tomorrow in an effort to hasten the cycling of ammonia to nitrite.

Despite the growth of a velvet looking Coraline algae, we were a bit disappointed to learn that the tank was not ready to add additional lifeforms. In addition to being a bit over-salted, there was a substantial reading of ammonia. Therefore, we replaced 4 gallons of the saltwater with RO filtered water and are forced to leave it for a few more days. It is noteworthy to point out; however, that the type of algae in this marine tank is actually attractive and many different colors. This is quite a dramatic change from the plant life we see form in the freshwater tanks.

This is day 3 of setup for the new 50 gallon saltwater tank … my first endeavor into marine fishery. I am looking forward to a rapid cycling process so that we can begin to add a clownfish and some corals. This tank is currently home to several critters that have crawled out of the well-seasoned live rock and live sand. To date, we have noticed two very small shrimp and what appeared to be a bristle worm. Mistakes made on previous tanks have led to a much improved plumbing system (pictured above).

The display holds 34 gallons (excluding the overflow) and there is a custom wet/dry sump in the cabinet that holds just over 10 gallons. The tank is powered by a mag-9; a bit of overkill but ATM of Las Vegas somehow saw it necessary to overpower the pump on this tank. Needless to say, there is a ball valve to slow the flow of water into the Tom Fathom skimmer and return line back to the tank. I will be certain to update this blog as new species are introduced.