In a previous blog, I mentioned that I bought some live rock from a Florida business. Over time, I've observed all sorts of life appear from the nooks and crannies of the rock. Initially I spotted one feathery looking organism that wasn't in a good spot that I could photograph. In the meantime, not only has it moved... I've spotted five of them. They are called Hidden Sea Cucumbers (Pseudothyone belli)
I've always preferred live rock when setting up an aquarium. When I bought used aquariums, careful consideration included what type of rock I was getting. It added to the price of the sale, but was totally worth it for me. Over the years, I acquired hundreds of pounds which are all in use in my current systems.
The weather today is cold and wet, so I decided to break out the macro lens and take a few pictures today. First off, here's the new frag I picked up a few days ago, a Montipora digitata. I decided to part it in a section of dead skeleton for now where I knew nothing would touch it. I may have to move it so the Sebae doesn't tentacle it to death, but for now it looks great.
Dory has found a new spot to sleep. It's rather cute. In the very bottom of the tank in the front, there's a montipora capricornis. About 10 days ago, I saw her from across the room swim deep into the coral, then back out with something in her mouth. I'd hope to film her actions, but she spotted me and played fish instead. lol Anyway, turns out she was cleaning out whatever bothered her, and now goes into that spot to sleep at night.
The melanurus wrasse is usually out and about, but I'd noticed over the past few weeks it was looking thinner and thinner. I'd watch closely when I dumped in my "dumptruck of food" as my buddy Evan used to say, and the fish would eat some food, but would also miss portions as if his aim was off. That was my reason for thinking he was dropping weight, he just didn't have the visual acuity he used to have. I've had this fish since 2011, for seven years. I'm not sure what their lifespan is.
I've had the Sebae anemone for over three years, but tonight it decided to do something I've never seen previously. I mean, if water quality goes to crap, anemones may respond accordingly. Or during a full moon, they may choose to spawn into the reef. But when everything is just like it should be, a mundane day at that, seeing it go from Super Saiyin to something a tenth of its size is noteworthy.
Did you know that if you get a harem of female Lyretail anthias, you'll end up with one or more males at some point? Lyretails are beautiful bright orange fish with a purple eyeliner like Cleopatra, when female. When one decides to change to male, the fish will turn bright purple, extending a spike on their dorsal fin and will express dominance over the females. This pictures today were unintentional, the fish swam into my field of view so I snapped a couple to share.
First, here's an example of a female.
From DFWMAS.org: Ever wonder what the heck a Sherman Anemone is?! Well, the Sherman Rose is just a regular old Entacmaea quadricolor, or bubble tip anemone. What makes them so special is the fact that the original “nem” first entered a hobbyist tank back in 2000 and as such, is very hardy. They have a solid, deep red color that makes them incredibly striking, and they are quick growers when taken care of. Another reason they are so popular is that they will split for you pretty easily, allowing you to share your prized beauty with all of your friends.
Most of the time, the skunk clownfish remain in the tentacles of the Sebae anemone. Some have migrated to some nearby Duncans and are seen swimming through the green hammers, but the Sebae is their home. When I feed, the harem tends to swim out into the open to get their share. But today I saw something different: They were swimming upwards into the open water column in a group, which was rather appealing to observe. I tried to get a few pictures. These will will have to suffice.
