<span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong>Hello visitors and welcome to the inaugural post of my Sea Apple Blog.</strong></span>
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<span style="font-family:georgia;">My name is Zack and I am a Saltwater Aquarist in Colorado with a few years of reef keeping experience. After extensive research, I have started on a 3G pico saltwater tank to house one of the most bizzare, illusive, and unnerving inverts in the hobby - <strong>Pseudocolochirus Axilogus, the Australian Sea Apple.</strong></span><strong>
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<span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_VLr1mC10NTY/Rx5P4OsTeEI/AAAAAAAAAAM/s4Lqg9Iwnjk/s1600-h/52382415_P1010350a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124621253429393474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_VLr1mC10NTY/Rx5P4OsTeEI/AAAAAAAAAAM/s4Lqg9Iwnjk/s320/52382415_P1010350a.jpg" border="0" /></a>This species of Cucumber, while highly desired, is perhaps best known for its ability to wipe out an entire tank with powerful toxins stored in the body walls and organs on the invertebrate. The Sea Apple does this as a means of defense, or upon death (usually by starvation).</span>
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<span style="font-family:georgia;">I am, above all, a responsible Aquarist. I do not believe in putting an animal in your tank to die of stress or malnutrition. Hence, I do extensive research on any animal I plan to keep. So how do I plan to surmount the problems that lead to a Sea Apple disaster? </span>
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<span style="font-family:georgia;">#1) Provide it with a suitable environment, where it cannot be picked on/attacked by other species. A sea apple is a fairly dormant suspension feeding cucumber. Once it finds a high current spot to call its home, it stays there for often weeks or months at a time. Thus, with high current, the need for a larger aquarium is not necessary. The primary challenge pertaining to the tank will be related to water quality. Also, this will be a species-specific tank, with perhaps down the road a few peaceful additions that will pose no threat to the Apple. Lighting is immaterial to these invertebrates.</span>
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<span style="font-family:georgia;">#2) Provide it proper foods and supplements. Sea Apples feed copiously on Phytoplankton, not brine shrimp as many sites publish. The animal can appear to be in good health for some time, however, it is internally eating itself away, and by the time it shows symptoms of starvation, it is often too late... I plan to feed the invertebrate correctly and effectively.*</span>
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<span style="font-family:georgia;">So please, stay tuned to my blog for further updates and photos as the project progresses. Thank you for visiting, and please feel free to leave me constructive feedback!</span>
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<span style="font-size:85%;">*(ROB TOONEN, Ph.D. Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine, March 2003. Internet. </span></span><a href="http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/invert.htm"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/invert.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">)</span>
