Amazement of the beginner

[rschneid]

So I have had my 75g tank up and running for about 4 months. I have learned (very slowly) an incredible amount from everyone on this forum. I never cease to be amazed by the wonder of the reef inhabitants. Case in point, I have bubble tip anemone which hosts a porcelain crab. A month ago I added to clown fish to the mix, even though my lfs guy said that they were farm raised and it would be months if ever before they would approach the anemone. I sort of stopped worrying about it, wonder of wonder tonight, one of the clowns is repeatedly head butting, burrowing, tail flicking is way into the anemone and even wierder the porcelain crab who has always been tests (pinches anything that comes close) seems to be tolerating him. Its ABSOLUTELY bizarrely cool..!!! Like the tentacles that come out of the Hollywood stunner, and like ability of the acan lord to engulf m. shrimp. Then theres the cleaner shrimp that runs up my hand and seems (alone of all the creatures) to be able to traverse all the corals with no negative effects.... its goes on an and on, did I mention that my daughter and my wife are equally entranced. TV watching has dropped dramatically around here as its not atypical to find us clustered around the tank watching some new and inexplicable behavior..... And the 5 lined wrasse.... can't say enough about him. One cool fish. Then the two tangs, whats with that reverse tail butting.... anyone know? Again strangely wonderful Then there is the "Arm of death", no one knows what it is, 1.5" long, looks like a vacuum hose with a blunt end. Emerges every night from a hole in the rock and reaches up and around, Never seen whats on the end thats in the hole. WIERD and Fascinating. And the purple and red coraline algae and tiny feather dusters. Whats with the pulsing squeezing that the Cocoa Worm does, mostly after we broadcast feed. Its like some weird rhytmic ballet, hard to tear your eyes away from. Does it ever end???????

Rules I have learned (the hard way)
1. DO NOT add any kind of new occupant to the tank without really researching it. Arrow Crab returned to LFS after he started using my CUC for appetizers. Sleep Goby returned to LFS after it turned my tank into a sand blizzard. etc.
2. DO NOT arbitrarily place corals (Austrailan Hammerhead attacked and nearly killed white birds nest and was starting on a nearby electric green birds nest. Plenty of info on this on the web ... jeesh....
3. You can never have enough failsafes. I have a oneway valve on my main feeds from the sump to the tank. It stuck open during a water change, saved by the holes I drilled to kill the siphons..... Thought it was dumb when I was drilling them.
4. DO LISTEN to experience.... I kept thinking that buying and having a lot of sand and rock in the tank for a month was a big waste of time.... but it must have worked because everything is thriving and my waste levels never registered at all (100lbs of live rock, 45 lbs of live sand)


So everyone THANK YOU, ridiculous as it sounds this has been the most fascinating and wonderful ongoing experience of my life. Yes I have done lots of other stuff but nothing really matches this for just plain continuous wonder.......
THANKS everyone

 

[ardsman]

I too never cease to wonder at the life that seems to appear from nowhere like magic, These glass cages are fascinating aren't they?

 

[dogsandfish]

I agree completely on the wonder of the tank. Started a 20 gal reef tank a few months ago, and I have found myself staring at the tank for 45 minutes more than once. Between the fish, the CUC, and the corals, always something to watch. My 75 gal tank has cichlids in it now, but it will be my next reef tank onceI learn some more and get better experience.

 

[CuzzA]

Then the two tangs, whats with that reverse tail butting.... anyone know?

Tangs, aka Surgeon Fish. They have sharp scalpel like spines at the end of their body near the tail, hence "Surgeon Fish". Look real close and you'll see them.

The reverse tail slashing is your two tangs battling trying to slice one another.

And yes, I agree, there aren't too many more hobbies that are as amazing and interesting as the marine hobby.

 

[DaveRaz]

Good read. My tank is bare except a few frags and the CUC. Still very enjoyable.