Post by TenebrousNova on Nov 18, 2012 11:43:50 GMT
Hello! I haven't been posting as frequently recently because I've been engaged in a lot of research. I have kept freshwater and tropical fish before, but I've never attempted to keep saltwater animals.
After some reading and asking the right questions, it doesn't seem quite as daunting as it did at first- expensive, though.
I'm starting off with a 36L nano aquarium, which is meant to be good for beginners. Here's a few of the animals that I would eventually like to keep in there.
Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
I think that most people here are familiar with these.
They are one of the easier marine fish to keep, and share an interesting symbiotic relationship with a sea anemone, which they will also make their home. They have a layer of mucus that protects them from the nematocysts (Stinging cells) of the anemone's tentacles, so they can use it as shelter when alerted to danger. They will provide food for the anemone in exchange, including their waste.
All of these clownfish are born as males. The larger and dominant one in a pair will become a female.
I cannot keep a sea anemone yet, as they are very sensitive creatures that need excellent water conditions as well as light. They are not plants, but they are host to symbiotic algae that lives within their tissues, which provide the anemone with energy. If the algae dies, the anemone's health will rapidly decline. In about six months though, I might give it a try; it's perfectly possible to keep Clownfish without their host.
I'll keep one pair of Clownfish.
Scarlet-Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
These shrimp are relatively easy to care for and play an interesting role in the reef. They stand in a prominent position and wave their feelers to attract the attention of fish, who will then approach. The fish will signal the shrimp, who will then begin to nibble any parasites and waste off the fish's skin. ;D
The fish's mouth and gills are also cleaned meticulously. This is where most of the cleaner shrimp's food comes from, and the fish are usually happy to oblige. Each shrimp maintains a "cleaning station" as its territory, which it will also defend against other shrimp.
I'll probably keep just one of these.
Red-legged Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)
I don't know a lot about these yet, but they are another good aquarium "janitor" invertebrate. They are harmless, opportunistic feeders and will graze on algae and other vegetable matter, which means I'll have to supplement their diet with peas and that sort of thing every so often.
The shell that it lives in does not actually belong to the crab, so as it grows it will need to be provided with larger shells for it to move into.
Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
These are nice looking bottom feeders. They are peaceful, eat plant matter such as algae and won't bother any invertebrates either. At first glance they have a sort of dull appearance, but they are actually one of the more active fish.
I'll keep just one of these.
Here is the set up at the moment, at three weeks old.
As you can see, various algae are growing on the live rock, which is a sign that everything is normal. There's also many Copepods (A tiny white planktonic intervertebrate) running around the glass.
The "live rock" is not named such because it is alive, but because of the life that it harbours. It comes from the sea and it isn't uncommon for hitch hikers to be found every so often such as starfish (No such luck ;D ).
It acts as a biological filter, because the bacteria living on it are essential for making the aquarium fit for marine life to live in.
In fact, I found such a hitchhiker a few days ago.
Here it is.
A sea anemone. I was naturally nervous and excited when I found it, but upon asking around it turns out that it's a bad animal to have in there. It is a common pest anemone called Aiptasia, and they spread quickly whilst stinging anything they encounter. I'll have to deal with it when I can find it again by injecting it with lemon juice, which is the best method of eradicating pest anemones.
You'll notice in the anemone picture that that section of the rock is coated in a purple growth. This is a type of coralline algae, and a good sign. In time, it will spread further over the rocks.
In two weeks time I'm going to have the water tested. If it's good enough, I'll be able to buy the first invertebrate (Most likely an easy coral or a hermit crab). The set up process is known as cycling, which is how the new aquarium removes the bad chemicals from the water with the help of the live rock. It normally takes about nine weeks, but I might be able to make six or seven weeks if everything goes well.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing this aquarium (Hopefully) flourish. I think that my experiences with ants have taught me to be patient enough.
Thank you for reading!
After some reading and asking the right questions, it doesn't seem quite as daunting as it did at first- expensive, though.
I'm starting off with a 36L nano aquarium, which is meant to be good for beginners. Here's a few of the animals that I would eventually like to keep in there.
Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
I think that most people here are familiar with these.
They are one of the easier marine fish to keep, and share an interesting symbiotic relationship with a sea anemone, which they will also make their home. They have a layer of mucus that protects them from the nematocysts (Stinging cells) of the anemone's tentacles, so they can use it as shelter when alerted to danger. They will provide food for the anemone in exchange, including their waste.
All of these clownfish are born as males. The larger and dominant one in a pair will become a female.
I cannot keep a sea anemone yet, as they are very sensitive creatures that need excellent water conditions as well as light. They are not plants, but they are host to symbiotic algae that lives within their tissues, which provide the anemone with energy. If the algae dies, the anemone's health will rapidly decline. In about six months though, I might give it a try; it's perfectly possible to keep Clownfish without their host.
I'll keep one pair of Clownfish.
Scarlet-Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
These shrimp are relatively easy to care for and play an interesting role in the reef. They stand in a prominent position and wave their feelers to attract the attention of fish, who will then approach. The fish will signal the shrimp, who will then begin to nibble any parasites and waste off the fish's skin. ;D
The fish's mouth and gills are also cleaned meticulously. This is where most of the cleaner shrimp's food comes from, and the fish are usually happy to oblige. Each shrimp maintains a "cleaning station" as its territory, which it will also defend against other shrimp.
I'll probably keep just one of these.
Red-legged Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)
I don't know a lot about these yet, but they are another good aquarium "janitor" invertebrate. They are harmless, opportunistic feeders and will graze on algae and other vegetable matter, which means I'll have to supplement their diet with peas and that sort of thing every so often.
The shell that it lives in does not actually belong to the crab, so as it grows it will need to be provided with larger shells for it to move into.
Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
These are nice looking bottom feeders. They are peaceful, eat plant matter such as algae and won't bother any invertebrates either. At first glance they have a sort of dull appearance, but they are actually one of the more active fish.
I'll keep just one of these.
Here is the set up at the moment, at three weeks old.
As you can see, various algae are growing on the live rock, which is a sign that everything is normal. There's also many Copepods (A tiny white planktonic intervertebrate) running around the glass.
The "live rock" is not named such because it is alive, but because of the life that it harbours. It comes from the sea and it isn't uncommon for hitch hikers to be found every so often such as starfish (No such luck ;D ).
It acts as a biological filter, because the bacteria living on it are essential for making the aquarium fit for marine life to live in.
In fact, I found such a hitchhiker a few days ago.
Here it is.
A sea anemone. I was naturally nervous and excited when I found it, but upon asking around it turns out that it's a bad animal to have in there. It is a common pest anemone called Aiptasia, and they spread quickly whilst stinging anything they encounter. I'll have to deal with it when I can find it again by injecting it with lemon juice, which is the best method of eradicating pest anemones.
You'll notice in the anemone picture that that section of the rock is coated in a purple growth. This is a type of coralline algae, and a good sign. In time, it will spread further over the rocks.
In two weeks time I'm going to have the water tested. If it's good enough, I'll be able to buy the first invertebrate (Most likely an easy coral or a hermit crab). The set up process is known as cycling, which is how the new aquarium removes the bad chemicals from the water with the help of the live rock. It normally takes about nine weeks, but I might be able to make six or seven weeks if everything goes well.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing this aquarium (Hopefully) flourish. I think that my experiences with ants have taught me to be patient enough.
Thank you for reading!